The Shining - Stephen King

Stephen King's The Shining may not conform to everyone's taste. If you need blood and guts every few pages to stay interested in a book, you will be disappointed. If your definition of drama is the murderous villains lengthy monologue before his final, grisly defeat, you will be disappointed. If you're looking for a clone of the movie in book form, you will be very disappointed. If, however, you appreciate one of those rare novels that leads you into the story step by step, immersing you with effortless grace into the world in which it occurs, a world that is, on the surface, plain and even non-descript yet brimming just beneath with murky, brooding ...  Read the complete review

The Shining is certainly among the most famous works of horror fiction in the 20th century. Written in 1977 when King was still a comparitively inexperienced writer (this was his third book, after Carrie and 'Salem's Lot), The Shining was propelled to fame three years after its original release when the Stanley Kubrick-directed film-adaptation arrived. There is no doubting the popularity of the film, but what about the book? For thoughs who have missed The Shining in one form or another, here is a brief description: Jack Torrance has applied for a job as Caretaker for the Overlook hotel during the winter months when it will be closed and most likely ...  Read the complete review

[Introduction] The fact that this novel was on the list of top ten horror novels posted at penguin.co.uk about a year ago played a decisive role in my decision to take it for my summer vacation, and I did enjoy it as much as you can enjoy a sophisticated mixture of a horror story and a realistic account of a family drama, which it proved to be in the end. My acquaintance with horror stories is rather limited by modern standards, but it has hardly ever been disappointing. Thank God, I was born in the USSR, and there was no other way for me to satisfy then my teenage unrelenting urge to learn about ghosts, undead corpses and suchlike things, than to ...  Read the complete review

I have just finished reading this book again, not only so I could write this review, but because it is one of my favourite stories. As I had seen the film (Jack Nicholson version) before reading the book for the first time, I was doubtful if I would enjoy it as much as I loved the film. If possible I love the book more, as it seemed more personal when reading and of course there is a lot more in the book than the film, some bits are even completely different, but this isn't my opinion on the book v.'s the film so I will stop comparing them now (apart from saying the book is way way way better) :oP The plot ******* First you get to know a ...  Read the complete review

How will you love The Shining? Let us count the ways. In 1977, The Shining was the first widely read novel to confront alcoholism and child abuse in baby-boomer families--especially the way alcoholism, a will toward failure in one's work, and abusing one's kids are passed down from generation to generation. The heart of the book is not an evil hotel but a pair of father-son relationships: Jack and his father, Jack and his son. This was both daring and insightful for its time, long before "dysfunctional family" was a cliché. The Shining was written in a frenzy. Stephen King imagined the whole novel in his head while sitting up all ...  Read the complete review