The Shining
Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.
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Community Reviews
I didn't like was disappointed by [b:The Shining|11588|The Shining (The Shining, #1)|Stephen King|https:d.gr-assets.com/books/1353277730s/11588.jpg|849585] because it didn't scare me the way I thought it would.
WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Before you Shining Lovers come lumbering towards me with torches in hand, hear me out.
I get scared fairly easily. I am a triple checker of the door locks. I am a dodger of mirrors in a dim bathroom in the middle of the night(you just never know when Bloody Mary could appear). I am a leaper from the door to the bed after watching the Pet Sematary movie.
Oh, wait. There it is. Movie. I get scared after watching movies. I have only read a couple books that gave me the heebie jeebies. You know, the hibbity jibbities. The hooby joobies. The I'M SLEEPING WITH THE LIGHTS ON, AND NO, I REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE ELECTRIC BILL RIGHT NOW, JAKE.
I figured if anyone could write a book that would scare the pants off of me, Stephen King would be able to do it. He is the King of Horror, right? Or maybe I made that up. Regardless, he is known for writing books within the horror genre. But I wasn't even scared.
Ok. I am done being a Debbie Downer. Let's move on to why I gave this book stars even though it didn't scare me. Or as I like to call it,
WHY (EVEN THOUGH IT DIDN'T GIVE ME NIGHTMARES OR MAKE ME WET THE BED,) THE SHINING WAS NOT A COMPLETE WASTE OF MY TIME
1. There are some fantastic, truly memorable main characters. The bit characters have a purpose as well but are not overwhelming. I appreciate a book that lets the main characters be the main characters.
Jack Torrance. I will forever picture Jack as Jack Nicholson. If you've seen the movie, I bet my bottom dollar that you will, too. Luckily, I love me some Jack Nicholson. Visual aspect aside, Jack is an amazing character. A perfect blend of an addict, a loving father, a loving husband, a natural hot-head, and an aspiring writer. The only "problem" I had was thatmy estrogen something wouldn't let me be afraid of him even when he is completely bonkers. Jack is honestly one of my favorite characters I have happened upon.
Danny Torrance. With the spotlight that shines upon Jack, it is easy to forget the one that truly has THE SHINE is five-year-old Danny. It is easy to forget that he is really the main character in this book especially when you become completely wrapped up in Jack's descent. Danny is how I would think a five-year-old with this ability should be - innocent yet precocious. His thoughts and his fears bounce between that of a normal five-year-old (his parents d-i-v-o-r-c-i-n-g) and that of a five-year-old with a gift/curse (an evil hotel destroying him and his family).
Wendy Torrance. Wendy was everything that I wanted her to be. She is a fantastic mother (although she at times questions if she is being a good mother, which makes her even more fantastic), a doting wife (who, when it comes to her husband's shortcomings, is not a blind dolt), and a strong role-model. Wendy was the most relatable character for me - a combination of also being a woman, a mother, and a partner that can put up with some of her guy's shit but has a limit.
Halloran. Talk about a cool cat. This guy is cooler than the other side of the pillow. He makes Antarctica look like a sauna. The suspense of his trek to the Overlook made me want to wring his little neck, but I forgave him in the end.
2. I may not have felt scared but that doesn't mean I didn't feel anything at all. I just felt there was more of a suspense element than a horror one. It was suspenseful waiting for Jack to finally snap. It was suspenseful waiting for the hotel to pull out the big guns. It was suspenseful waiting for Halloran to make it to the hotel and see if someone could save the day. But it wasn't horrifying. As I mentioned, this was disappointing to me, but that doesn't mean I didn't love the suspense.
What shocked me was that I felt very sad for much of the book. The deterioration of Jack made me feel sad more than anything. The grip that his addiction had on him made me sad. The trying and trying and never succeeding made me sad. Him feeling like a failure (with his family, his career, his writing, etc. etc.) made me sad. I was very empathetic towards Jack. I could see the two of us just hanging out. You know, shootin' the shit and griping about life not turning out the way we thought it would.
I can respect an author who makes me feel this way (even in a book that I thought would scare me...have I mentioned I thought this was horror!?).
3. The writing style. Stephen King didn't set out to write a book that was "above" much of the general population. You don't need to have a degree (of any sort) to read, understand, and enjoy this. The writing is simple and effective and done in such a way that you know King can really write (and/or has a damn good editor that eliminates the excess). This makes some of his much thicker volumes ([b:The Stand|149267|The Stand|Stephen King|https:d.gr-assets.com/books/1213131305s/149267.jpg|1742269] seem much less intimidating.
4. The story. It's original. It's memorable. THERE ARE HEDGE ANIMALS THAT COME TO LIFE FOR CRYING OUTLOUD!!
I truly can't put my finger on it, but there is something keeping me from giving this five stars. It just didn't suck me in as much as I wanted it to. I still really enjoyed it. I still plan on picking up other Stephen King books.I still need a little extra something to make me bump him to the coveted 5 stars.
I'd read this before, but I didn't remember it.
Years later, I thought it would be a good idea to read it again.
It was.
I've watched the movie before, but I don't remember it.
Years later, I think it would be a good idea to watch it again.
I will.
WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Before you Shining Lovers come lumbering towards me with torches in hand, hear me out.
I get scared fairly easily. I am a triple checker of the door locks. I am a dodger of mirrors in a dim bathroom in the middle of the night(you just never know when Bloody Mary could appear). I am a leaper from the door to the bed after watching the Pet Sematary movie.
Oh, wait. There it is. Movie. I get scared after watching movies. I have only read a couple books that gave me the heebie jeebies. You know, the hibbity jibbities. The hooby joobies. The I'M SLEEPING WITH THE LIGHTS ON, AND NO, I REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE ELECTRIC BILL RIGHT NOW, JAKE.
I figured if anyone could write a book that would scare the pants off of me, Stephen King would be able to do it. He is the King of Horror, right? Or maybe I made that up. Regardless, he is known for writing books within the horror genre. But I wasn't even scared.
Ok. I am done being a Debbie Downer. Let's move on to why I gave this book stars even though it didn't scare me. Or as I like to call it,
WHY (EVEN THOUGH IT DIDN'T GIVE ME NIGHTMARES OR MAKE ME WET THE BED,) THE SHINING WAS NOT A COMPLETE WASTE OF MY TIME
1. There are some fantastic, truly memorable main characters. The bit characters have a purpose as well but are not overwhelming. I appreciate a book that lets the main characters be the main characters.
Jack Torrance. I will forever picture Jack as Jack Nicholson. If you've seen the movie, I bet my bottom dollar that you will, too. Luckily, I love me some Jack Nicholson. Visual aspect aside, Jack is an amazing character. A perfect blend of an addict, a loving father, a loving husband, a natural hot-head, and an aspiring writer. The only "problem" I had was that
Danny Torrance. With the spotlight that shines upon Jack, it is easy to forget the one that truly has THE SHINE is five-year-old Danny. It is easy to forget that he is really the main character in this book especially when you become completely wrapped up in Jack's descent. Danny is how I would think a five-year-old with this ability should be - innocent yet precocious. His thoughts and his fears bounce between that of a normal five-year-old (his parents d-i-v-o-r-c-i-n-g) and that of a five-year-old with a gift/curse (an evil hotel destroying him and his family).
Wendy Torrance. Wendy was everything that I wanted her to be. She is a fantastic mother (although she at times questions if she is being a good mother, which makes her even more fantastic), a doting wife (who, when it comes to her husband's shortcomings, is not a blind dolt), and a strong role-model. Wendy was the most relatable character for me - a combination of also being a woman, a mother, and a partner that can put up with some of her guy's shit but has a limit.
Halloran. Talk about a cool cat. This guy is cooler than the other side of the pillow. He makes Antarctica look like a sauna. The suspense of his trek to the Overlook made me want to wring his little neck, but I forgave him in the end.
2. I may not have felt scared but that doesn't mean I didn't feel anything at all. I just felt there was more of a suspense element than a horror one. It was suspenseful waiting for Jack to finally snap. It was suspenseful waiting for the hotel to pull out the big guns. It was suspenseful waiting for Halloran to make it to the hotel and see if someone could save the day. But it wasn't horrifying. As I mentioned, this was disappointing to me, but that doesn't mean I didn't love the suspense.
What shocked me was that I felt very sad for much of the book. The deterioration of Jack made me feel sad more than anything. The grip that his addiction had on him made me sad. The trying and trying and never succeeding made me sad. Him feeling like a failure (with his family, his career, his writing, etc. etc.) made me sad. I was very empathetic towards Jack. I could see the two of us just hanging out. You know, shootin' the shit and griping about life not turning out the way we thought it would.
I can respect an author who makes me feel this way (even in a book that I thought would scare me...have I mentioned I thought this was horror!?).
3. The writing style. Stephen King didn't set out to write a book that was "above" much of the general population. You don't need to have a degree (of any sort) to read, understand, and enjoy this. The writing is simple and effective and done in such a way that you know King can really write (and/or has a damn good editor that eliminates the excess). This makes some of his much thicker volumes ([b:The Stand|149267|The Stand|Stephen King|https:d.gr-assets.com/books/1213131305s/149267.jpg|1742269] seem much less intimidating.
4. The story. It's original. It's memorable. THERE ARE HEDGE ANIMALS THAT COME TO LIFE FOR CRYING OUTLOUD!!
I truly can't put my finger on it, but there is something keeping me from giving this five stars. It just didn't suck me in as much as I wanted it to. I still really enjoyed it. I still plan on picking up other Stephen King books.
I'd read this before, but I didn't remember it.
Years later, I thought it would be a good idea to read it again.
It was.
I've watched the movie before, but I don't remember it.
Years later, I think it would be a good idea to watch it again.
I will.
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