Carrie

Trying to write a review without spoilers, the storyline is as simple as it reads in the synopsis given on the inside cover or back of the paperback version. However, the realism of the writing is pure perfection. Being an incredibly advanced reader growing up as well as an avid horror fan (even at a young age), I first read this book after seeing the movie in the 5th grade. (Not something I would recommend for your everyday 5th grader, but that's another story.) The way King works in the thoughts of Carrie and other characters seamlessly with the writing, giving the characters more life than just your typical "He thought..." lines really gave them more of a human, life-like point of view. Inserting fictional "references" regarding the aftermath from people and researchers regarding the events that occur throughout the book also gives the book a very almost non-fictional feel... There were times I read it as a young adult and had to remind myself that this is fictional. It really draws you in, to the point where this is my 5th time reading it and I've enjoyed it so much that I've read it over and over, and I'm not the typical reader to read fiction more than once, maybe twice tops.

As much as I like Stephen King's writing, especially since I'm such a horror fan, he has a tendency to what I call "over-write" and spend so much time on descriptions of things which I'm sure some people enjoy, however I find it tedious at times and I get to a point where I find myself skipping paragraphs just to get to the point. However, Carrie is full of vivid descriptions, from the viewpoints of numerous different characters, without being excessive or boring. You never know what's coming next and Carrie is simply a white-knuckle, edge-of-your-seat page-turner that any horror fan should enjoy.

‘They laughed at me. Threw things. They’ve always laughed.’

My TBR pile is currently grumbling fairly loudly at me but I couldn’t let the 50th anniversary of Carrie’s introduction to the world pass without a reread. I was twelve years old when I was introduced to Carrie White. A major departure from The Baby-Sitters Club, which I’d been reading prior, this was my gateway book to the Kingdom, and horror in general.

Carrie wasn’t the first telekinetic person I’d met. That honour goes to Matilda Wormwood, who found her way into my heart a couple of years earlier. It was Carrie, though, who taught me righteous anger.

Our high school experiences were nothing alike, yet I related to Carrie, this hurt, wronged girl railing against injustice. The angry part of preteen me found her scorched-earth approach appealing. There are a few people who knew me when I was a teenager that should be very grateful my telekinesis never kicked in.

‘Flex.’

This book had both short and long term impacts on me. Throughout high school, I thought of Carrie every time I changed back into my school uniform after PE. She also changed my reading landscape, opening up a world of books that weren’t written with kids in mind, ones that would challenge, scare and ultimately enbiggen my world.

She appealed to the outsider in me, who spent high school and a significant amount of time afterwards trying to find someone who could understand me. Carrie was the first hero/villain I cheered on as they unleashed hell on those who had hurt them and the randoms whose only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know this story so the only thing I’ll say about this specific reread is that it’s the first time I’ve thought about how appropriate Ewen High School’s colours are: white and red.

Over thirty years after my first read and several rereads later, my love for Carrie - the book and the person - remains as strong as ever. If anything, I appreciate her even more now.

‘I don’t like to be tricked.’

The novel Carrie by Stephen King is centered around a sixteen year old girl, Carrie White. Her whole life she has been pushed around by both her mother, Margret, and her classmates, especially Chris. Margret is an extremely religious individual and forces that apon Carrie. Chris is one of the most popular girls in their high school, and has an unprovoked hatred towards Carrie. As a result of these things, Carrie is made fun of in school. Everyone believes she is a freak and plays jokes on her. After having no independence from her mother, and constantly being harassed at school, she reaches her breaking point. This happens at the school prom when Chris decides to sabotage Carrie’s night and goes too far. Carrie is finally pushed over the edge and chaos erupts.

While reading, I was able to connect to Carrie White. Throughout my life, I have never been popular at school and have been made fun of. This could be frustrating and sometimes made me angry. Though it was not the best choice, at times I would fire back at the people teasing me. Being as Carrie made the same decision, I was able to reach a deeper understanding of the book. I truly knew where Carrie was coming from and some of the things she may have been feeling. I also related to Sue in some ways. Just as Sue regretted bullying Carrie, I have regretted many of my actions in the past. For example, whenever I am unnecessarily cruel to my family, I feel remorse and wish to change my actions. This connection helped me to better grasp the novel and fully comprehend it.

In my opinion Carrie is an exceptional book. Stephen King is really able to illustrate the story with his words. He goes into great detail during the whole novel. With Stephen King, anything is a possibility, especially the unexpected. It was extremely refreshing to read this because it was not at all cliche. I have certainly never seen or heard of any story quite like this one. Behind every corner is a new twist, just when you think things couldn't get any crazier. I am not usually very interested in reading, but this book had me on the edge of my seat. I found myself constantly thinking about it and eager to continue learning about Carrie White’s tragic life. My personal favorite part of this novel is the very beginning. I remember how wide my eyes got as I turned to the third page. The book starts off with a strong hook that will definitely grab your attention. I was shocked at how bold the story started, and I absolutely loved it!

I would one hundred percent recommend this book to another person. It is thrilling and action packed, while still paying close attention to every component of the story. The characters are extremely well developed and very diverse. I believe that each and everyone could find at least one personal connection to one or more of the characters. With all of this, there is a strong and important message given throughout the novel. To me, this story really showed how your actions have a large impact on others. People who enjoy being frightened or taken on an adventure through the books they read would be the best audience for this novel. It also might be appealing to those who are sick and tired of Cinderella and other classics, people who are looking for something completely different. And finally, if you’re like me, and you are not the biggest fan of reading, this book might just change your mind.

~Sydney Danese, D Block English

Spoilers ahead:

As a huge fan of the 1976 film "Carrie," I decided to buy the book to read the story as first told. I figured a movie that made me feel so sad had needed to be looked into a little further to seek to understand it a little better. Maybe this way, I wouldn't feel as sad about Carrie's tragic life and ultimate end. However, the book made me feel just about as sad.

Carrie White is a student at Ewen High School. She is an outsider who is constantly bullied by her peers due to her unappealing appearance, her shyness, and her mother's erratic behavior. She also discovers that she has the incredible power of telekinesis. When she has her first period in the showers, her classmates mock her by telling her to "plug it up!" and by throwing sanitary towels and tampons at her rather than helping her. The terrified girl has no idea about what a woman's menstruation is and believes she is dying, as no one taught her about it. Her gym teacher Miss Desjardin helps Carrie through this and punishes the girls for their behavior, which is one week's detention with her. Chris Hargensen, who is the ringleader of the bullies, leaves detention early and is suspended, and ultimately forbidden to go to the Senior Prom. This, in her mind, is all Carrie's fault.

Meanwhile at home, Carrie's unstable and religious fanatic of a mother (Margaret White) punishes her for having her first period by locking her in a "prayer closet." This is something that is accustomed in the White household as the book explains Carrie sometimes spends days in the closet, leading to exhaustion and sleeping in her own waste. It's just so sad reading parts of the story like this.

One of the bullies, Sue Snell, feels sorry for what she did to Carrie so she asks her boyfriend (Tommy Ross) to take the girl to the prom. He asks Carrie to the prom, which unlike the movie, she accepts almost right away though awkwardly. Margaret is unhappy with this of course and tries to make Carrie stay home from prom, which she is unsuccessful at. Carrie and Tommy are elected prom king and queen as part of a plan devised by Chris Hargensen and her boyfriend Billy Nolan. Their plan is to dump pig's blood on both of them as a prank for getting Chris in trouble. Once the blood is dropped on both of them, the bucket falls on Tommy and kills him. Carrie runs out of the gym in humiliation as everyone yet again is laughing at her. She then remembers her telekinetic powers....

From outside, she locks all of the gym doors and what at first was a plan to just throw the prank back on all of the other students, turned into a massacre. Students and faculty are electrocuted, burned, and suffocated inside the school by the use of Carrie's powers. Unlike the 1976 movie, Carrie's vengeance continues throughout the town. She is able to use telepathy to communicate to the citizens of Chamberlain that she is in fact the one wreaking havoc on the town. Carrie visits a church to pray before going home, where her mother is there waiting there to kill her as she think that Carrie is using Satan's powers.

Margaret White stabs Carrie in the shoulder when she returns home. Carrie kills her mother by stopping her heart in self-defense. Carrie then travels to local bar called The Cavalier to confront Chris and Billy, who had been sleeping together there. She is able to kill both of them by slamming their car into the side of the building.

Sue Snell is able reach Carrie at the bar, who is dying. Carrie and Sue use telepathy to speak to each other. It is revealed to Carrie that Sue had good intentions all along and is forgiven by Carrie. As a last action before death, Carrie makes Sue miscarry her child that was conceived with Tommy as her period arrives. We then learn from the last few paragraphs that other people may in fact possess the great power of telekinesis.

This is a great book that I literally read in one setting. I couldn't put it down because it is so intriguing. Once again, like the 1976 movie, we can't help but feel compassion for Carrie. The story is just so tragic. A tortured girl who just wanted to fit in and be normal, but was never given the chance. Stephen King uses a lot of court room dialog and news articles to tell certain parts of the story, such as the time a very young Carrie created a rain of ice stones to fall on the White house after a confrontation with her mother. I thought this was an excellent way to tell the story by giving us many different points of view.

The book really makes you feel Carrie's isolation and sadness. The part that actually made me cry was the poem she wrote in her 7th grade class. The quote is posted on the picture I posted for this review. It's just so sad to think a child feels that helpless and alone. The description of the very small closet that she is forced to pray in also is unsettling.

Stephen King was at the top of his game with his first published novel "Carrie." It is a very well written book that fills the reader with emotion and makes us want to reread it. I now know why the 1976 movie was so great: the novel in which it was based upon was excellent.

Carrie is 50 years old, but it still is a well told story. King is excellent at crafting characters who are rough and he excels in showing the darker side of humanity. Carrie may be the villain but she is also the victim of the common cruelty of high school, which doesn't end in high school. Carrie is a character who you can feel her pain, but you can also feel the disdain that others show her.

Although "Carrie" was published 30 years ago, I just recently read it. I have never seen the film, but the story has been made familiar to anyone who's been paying attention, so it wasn't really much of a surprise to me. That said, the story contains enough shocking elements to make it a page turner. I think what's fascinating is that here we are in this world full of hateful, bullying people, who still do not hesitate to try to crush someone that they think is different. In this case, the great twist of the story is that "Carrie" gets her revenge in a very unique way, and everyone, nearly everyone pays for the way they treated her.

The story has elements of cruelty, shock, brutality, ugliness, great humor, tenderness, religious hysteria, sexual undertones, repression -- I mean, Mr. King covers the waterfront.

You really have to stay with the story, because he weaves in and out of the present and the past, and it sometimes takes a moment to recalibrate. Also, it includes standard prose, but it also includes news bulletins and references to supposed testimony and books and articles that were written about "the event." It's all fascinating, but you can't just casually pick it up; you have to pay attention.

The only reason I'm not giving it 5 is because I honestly felt it went on too long. It felt like there was a clear ending, and then he kept going.

But what it proved more than anything else is that Stephen King had/has what it takes and I eagerly look forward to reading more of his books. (And now, onto the movie version!)

Even living in the small town of Chamberlain, Maine in 1979 doesn't stop 16 year old going on 17 Carrie White from suffering the equivalent of cyberbullying. Even though she's in high school, kids write offensive graffiti at their elementary and middle schools insulting and making fun of her. She is picked on by everyone not just at her school but by just random kids she passes on the street. She can't escape the endless persecution and it's been going on ever since she was a small child. A lot of it has to do with her nutjob fundamentalist Christian mom who believes that Carrie's very existence is a sin. She has never allowed her to play with other kids and is abusive, assaulting her and frequently locking her in a closet without access to food, water, or a bathroom.

As the book begins, Carrie is so clueless that when she has her first period in the girls shower room at school and begins to bleed she panics and doesn't even know what is happening to her. She thinks she is dying! The other girls laugh at her, insult her, and throw tampons at her! Only one of the girls, Sue Snell, begins to doubt what she is doing and questions her own morality. She, along with her boyfriend, Tommy, resolve to help bring Carrie into the social network of the school. To do something nice for her for probably the first time in Carrie's life.

This might all sound like an afterschool special drama, but there is a mysterious x factor. Carrie has a telekinetic ability to move objects with her mind. She also seems to have some telepathic powers. As the book, progresses, her powers manifest stronger and stronger. She also does a fair bit of practice to see exactly what she can do. Meanwhile the leader of the bullies at her school, Christine Hargensen, is preparing an awful prom night surprise for Carrie.

I had been meaning to read all of Stephen King's books for some time and now seemed a good time to start. And I wanted to read them in order of publication. I will be skipping books I have already read like Salem's Lot and The Shining. Next up after this is Rage.

I was quite surprised by the lack of gore and violence in this book. All of that is really concentrated in the end Prom Night sequence. There's really not a lot going on in the book except for that. It's a character study more than anything else. Even in the Prom Night scenes, King is restrained, I guess stemming from the fact that he wasn't really confident in what kind of writer he wanted to be and hadn't really found his voice.

The book was good, if a little slow. What's funny is that reading it, I started thinking what if Carrie White had existed in the Marvel or DC universe? With her telekinesis, she could have become a superhero! Maybe if her mom hadn't been such a loon, Carrie could have read some X-Men comics back in the 1960s or 70s and gotten a better vision of what her power was. Or if she had some read some good scifi!

Another thing I thought about was that back in 1974 when this book was published, the parts where Carrie unleashes her powers on her classmates was probably a lot more shocking than it is now in 2019. Mass school shootings seem to occur almost monthly in the US now so we've almost become USED to horrible school violence.

Who would have predicted from this first book that Stephen King would have become one of the bestselling authors of my lifetime? There's really nothing in this first book that makes him stand out from the crowd. It's really a generic mainstream title if you get down to it. The characterization is really strong, which to me is a foreshadowing of something he would become a master at.