Book Review: Carrie

 

Back in 2015, I decided to read all of Stephen King's books - in their order of publication - and write reviews for them along the way.  I managed to read the first 42 of his books, but only managed reviews for the first 8.  Mostly because I was able to read on the job at that time, so I was able to continue reading even as I was unable to actually review.  I've decided to take up the project again, with a few modifications - namely that I will not be reading them in publication order.

Still, I wanted to start with Carrie, King's first published book.  Part of it is that I genuinely enjoy the book and wanted an excuse to re-read it.  I also wanted to see how my review would change over the 6(?!) years since I had last sat down to write about it.

And honestly?  It doesn't change much.  This is still a solid book - King's fourth written, though the other three had not been published at the time.  I don't feel the need to summarize - who doesn't know the basics of the story at this point?  Instead, I want to point out a few things I didn't notice from the first go-around because I wasn't as familiar with certain tropes.

The main thing I noticed this time is how King used the framing device - a series of interviews with residents/excerpts from books written about 'the White incident' - to push forward the story in a decidedly different way than he has used since.  I won't say he uses it as a crutch - he was far too talented a writer even at this early stage to use it in a lazy way - but he definitely changed how he normally writes stories for this one.

The other aspect I noted this time was his definite unfamiliarity with writing women characters.  I've come across multiple 'how a man writes a woman/how a woman writes a woman' breakdowns that King, unfortunately, falls into - notably in his having several of his characters think about their breasts in a very 'male' way.  Not anything book-ruining, but once I was made aware of this particular trope, it was hard not to notice it.

Otherwise, this is still a great book - not one of King's greatest, but definitely a great 'coming out' moment for King.  The characters of Carrie, Sue, Chris, and Margaret all resonate still, and even lesser characters like Billy, Miss Desjardin, and Tommy still feel well-rounded.  A definite recommend.

4 out of 5

(Original review)

Stats:

Pages: 199

Movie?: Carrie (1976), Carrie (2013)

Dark Tower?: This might be the only non-Bachman book that is not connected to The Dark Tower in some way

Child Deaths?: All of the teens killed during Prom Night. Not mentioned in the book, but possibly some killed when Carrie destroys parts of Chamberlain

The Crucifixion of Margaret White vs. Magic Dance

Your Champion

The Crucifixion of Margaret White

(Carrie)

VS

Your Challenger

Magic Dance

(Labyrinth)

The Case for The Crucifixion of Margaret White (1):

Margaret appears to be enjoying this more than one would expect.

The Case for Magic Dance:

"You remind me of the babe."

Which do you pick?

The Crucifixion of Margaret White

Magic Dance

Create a survey with PollMaker

The Score:  Magic Dance 7, The Crucifixion of Margaret White 6

You can see retired movie scenes right here.

Have a suggestion?  Send me an email!

Bed Time vs. The Crucifixion of Margaret White

Your Champion

Bed Time

(A Nightmare on Elm Street)

VS

Your Challenger

The Crucifixion of Margaret White

(Carrie)

The Case for Bed Time (3):

"I'm your boyfriend now, Nancy!"

The Case for The Crucifixion of Margaret White:

Margaret appears to be enjoying this more than one would expect.

Which do you pick?

Bed Time

The Crucifixion of Margaret White

Make Quizzes

The Score:  The Crucifixion of Margaret White 16, Bed Time 15

You can see retired movie scenes right here.

Have a suggestion?  Send me an email!

The Bridge of Death vs. A Bad Night at the Prom

Your Champion

The Bridge of Death (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

VS

Your Challenger

A Bad Night at the Prom (Carrie)

The Case for The Bridge of Death:
Answer carefully... (Submitted by Ryan C.)

The Case for A Bad Night at the Prom:
They're all gonna laugh at you!

They're all gonna laugh at you!

They're all gonna laugh at you...

Which do you pick?

The Bridge of Death

A Bad Night at the Prom

Do Quizzes

Have a scene you'd like to submit?  Send an email to bommsubmissions@yahoo.com with the name of your submission and The Case for the scene!

Final Score: The Bridge of Death 8, A Bad Night at the Prom 5

Want to see the Current Kings of the Mountain?  Go here!

Carrie Review

(This is for the book, not the movie!)

So, the book that started it all.  One might be tempted to overstate the importance of Carrie as Stephen King's first published book, especially as it was a best seller once it hit paperback.

One of the biggest surprises for me when I first read this novel (re-read for the Great Stephen King Experiment) was how short it was.  One of King's greatest strengths as a writer is how well he conveys imagery and burrows into his characters, but in this early work you don't see much of either.  You get a good feel for Carrie White and Sue Snell, with a bit of work thrown in on Tommy Ross and Billy Nolan, but most characters only get a cursory bit of insight.  Part of this stems from the decision to weave into the story 'excerpts' from fictional works about what is referred to as Prom Night in the novel, a decision that helps the reader see reactions to the event, but which also serves to distance them from fully immersing themselves into the story.

The story does move along quite briskly, with no lags despite the excerpts.  From the start, it slowly crescendos up into the pivotal moment at the spring dance, where it then manages to soar higher as Carrie enacts her revenge not only against her classmates, but also against the town of Chamberlain itself.  King conveys Carrie's rage nicely, and the various 'transcripts' taken from various townspeople capture the confusion and terror quite well.

My only critique, aside from rather thin sketches of the majority of the characters, is the lack of a truly strong villain.  Carrie herself is a tragic figure, so she hardly counts.  King makes you feel as if some sort of showdown will occur between Carrie and Chris Hargensen, but Billy Nolan gets more attention once the actual plan is in motion.  Margaret White also appears to be the villain, but she is mostly sidelined until her confrontation with Carrie after the dance.  Despite that confrontation being especially chilling, Margaret never feels like a true threat, even if she does strike what ends up being a mortal blow on Carrie.

Still, the novel is quite good, and a fine start for what turned out to be quite the career for King.

Stats
Pages:  199
Movie?:  2 of them - one in 1976 and another in 2013, plus a terrible sequel and a made-for-TV version.  Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie received Academy Award nominations for the 1976 version.
Dark Tower?:  No references that I can remember.
Child Deaths?:  The various teens at the dance, possibly some younger ones during Carrie's destruction of the town.
Penis Talk?:  Vague references from Sue Snell and Chris Hargensen from when they slept with their boyfriends, and Margaret White refers to her late husband's as The Devil's Serpent (unironically)
Grade:  B+