Carrie (1974)

8422606313

While this review indicates a 2019 read date, I have read it every year since for Halloween.
Whenever I set this book down, I am always filled with a deep sadness even as my hands are shaking and my jaw's clenched. This is my third time reading it and all I can think is, "Poor Carrie. That poor Carrie White." This book was turned into a movie in 1976 and again in 2013, plus a grim musical, all of which I've seen and adore. What wonderful adaptations! Each one was especially updated for its time, and I was comparing each to the book during the slower sections this time. This story is such a cultural phenomenon that I want to declare, "Everyone knows the story" but that's not true. One of the most creative ways I've witnessed someone indicate 1. they were a fan of the book and 2. knew above and beyond how to use literature as a shorthand was when an author I admire referred to another book character's mother as Margaret White. I laughed, shocked. It was an apt comparison and I don't have words to fully express why. Totally different book, genre, story, and message, but no, the Margaret White comparison was careful. Onward.
Carrie White is the victim of a decade of schoolwide bullying and harassment due to not being conventionally attractive, and in large part because of her hyper-religious, ultra-conservative mother's smothering influence over her. The teachers are tired of Carrie, and either side with the ringleaders of the bullying or cower when the ringleaders' fathers threaten consequences when the teachers try to decrease the bullying. Things change, but not at first, when Carrie hits puberty and her telekinetic powers kick in.

This book is written in third-person omniscient, as is common in King's works, and bounces back and forth between points of view, which is also common. In this book, it works to build slow dread. The insertion of in-universe newspaper article excerpts, in-universe book excerpts, and court testimony do the same. Sometimes it slows the book down, but mostly it works to slowly layer fear. I tend to forget how slow-moving the book can be at times, as I don't really consider the action to kick in until page a hundred or so. The insertion of all the after-the-fact book excerpts, newspaper articles and court testimony is ultimately a clever way to world-build. This is one of King's better works; as it doesn't suffer from the usual flaws and the premise is fascinating: an incredibly sympathetic villain I can empathize with, even pity, and oh, when I first read this, I -so- wanted a different outcome for Carrie.

This third time, I felt bad for everyone all around except Christine, her sociopathic boyfriend and ugggghhh Carrie's mom. I hated these three and heartily saw -them- as villains, one-dimensional as they were. The first time I read this, I felt so bad for Carrie during one of the interactions with her mom that I cried. I had no idea what to expect, in any case. Carrie has been thoroughly villainized in pop culture, and I was expecting a Disney villain. Instead, I discovered that one of the best-known horror stories of all time is about a scared teenager who had to teach herself to control her powers and wound up using them in the ways that she did. The second time I read it--I was in a different place than I am now, and I remember being mad at everyone except Carrie, and I remember trying to write a nice letter to King. Didn't go through with it. Now, the third time, I'm waiting for disaster weather in my city to be over, wanted to read a book that was good and that knew how to do horror, and so checked this one out. I'm glad I did ( )

Un racconto lungo che senz’altro può essere annoverato tra i capolavori del re. Ringraziamo tutti sua moglie per avergli salvato questo libretto perché ci saremmo persi una sua opera che, per quanto breve, riassume per certi versi buona parte dell’universo immaginifico di King.
Credo che Carrie possa essere la prova che tutto l’universo di King sia sempre stato legato da un filo comune dato che questa sua prima opera sembra quasi introdurre quelle che saranno le ambientazioni future di quasi tutti i suoi scritti più famosi. ( )

Libby Audiobook

Damn straight I gave this 5 ⭐️‘a! Sissy Spacek narrates it! I’m a little sad I read this because it dulls the shine on the original film. I understand budget restrictions, but man I would have liked to see the final pages on the big screen.

Carrie is one of the best revenge books I’ve read. It’s such a great story & hearing Carrie through Sissy Spacek’s narration brought back many old memories.

It’s a short book, so I won’t totally ruin the plot, but you have an outcast teen tortured by teachers, students & her own mother for their enjoyment. One teen makes a tragic situation worse when she tries to assuage her guilt. Carrie gets angry. ( )

Finally finished this book. I liked it better than the movie. Surprisingly, I had never read this before. In the movie, I didn't really feel a conncection or as sorry for Carrie. The book made her so much more a person that you could care about.
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