Top and belt were thrifted; Skirt was won in a giveaway
I have finally finished another book, so it’s time for an installment of Rebecca Reads!
Back in October, my husband and I started The Shining together. We thought it would be fun to read during the ‘scariest’ month of the year. He is a much, much faster reader than I am, so he blazed through while it took me until after Christmas to complete it. In fact, I started out reading a library book and by the time I finished, I was reading on the Kindle Fire he bought me for my birthday.
The book was not what I was expecting. Wait. Let me take that back. It was scary(ish), like I was expecting. But, the story line is nothing like the movie! I probably shouldn’t say that, because I haven’t seen the entire movie.
Wow, this book review is so awesome! Let’s see if I can get back on track.
What I was expecting from the book was horror and scariness and general goose-bump-inducing terror. But, what I got was a sad story about a man gone awry and his family, who has to deal with it in a remote hotel far from civilization. The basic story line is that Jack Torrance and his wife, Wendy, and their son, Danny, go to live in a hotel in the middle of nowhere for the winter. Jack has been hired as the caretaker.
There are lots of shady stories surrounding the hotel and the creepy things that people have experienced/seen there. For example, the last time caretaker stayed there over winter with his family, he killed them all and himself. As Jack and his family stay the winter, Jack unearths a lot of the hotel’s history and its sordid past. Jack has his own sordid past to deal with and unearths his own demons the longer he stays in the hotel. Jack and Wendy’s son, Danny, has special abilities and can tell what people are thinking. All of this ties in together with the hotel, and in the end you feel sorry for everyone involved.
Honestly, the story line is amazing. This is the first Stephen King book I’ve read, and I would like to read more. He has a way of condensing a lot of information into a little space, and then weaving it together. I don’t know how else to explain that, except that I would read a chapter and be completely amazed at the amount of information contained in such a small amount of words. Doe that make sense? Probably not. His character development is amazing. He balances the right amount of back story so you know the characters with the right amount of plot development. The story line moves at a good pace, and yet you soak up so much information.
As far as the scariness, it was not scary. Now, the movie clips that I’ve seen scare the mess out of me. For me, visuals are more fear-inducing. The book is intense during some parts, but I never felt the need to put in my freezer*. 😉
Have you ever read The Shining? Maybe seen the movie? Maybe neither? Let’s discuss!
*Friends fans, I know you’re out there!
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Rebecca has been writing about style, beauty, and lifestyle topics since 2011. Thank you so much for reading this post! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I love hearing from you!
