Helpful Score: 4
Why read Carrie? Stephen King himself has said that he finds his early work "raw," and Brian De Palma's movie was so successful that we feel like we have read the novel even if we never have. The simple answer is that this is a very scary story, one that works as well--if not better--on the page as on the screen. Carrie White, menaced by bullies at school and her religious nut of a mother at home, gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers, powers that will eventually be turned on her tormentors. King has a way of getting under the skin of his readers by creating an utterly believable world that throbs with menace before finally exploding. He builds the tension in this early work by piecing together extracts from newspaper reports, journals, and scientific papers, as well as more traditional first- and third-person narrative in order to reveal what lurks beneath the surface of Chamberlain, Maine.
News item from the Westover (ME) weekly Enterprise, August 19, 1966: "Rain of Stones Reported: It was reliably reported by several persons that a rain of stones fell from a clear blue sky on Carlin Street in the town of Chamberlain on August 17th."
Although the supernatural pyrotechnics are handled with King's customary aplomb, it is the carefully drawn portrait of the little horrors of small towns, high schools, and adolescent sexuality that give this novel its power, and assures its place in the King canon.
News item from the Westover (ME) weekly Enterprise, August 19, 1966: "Rain of Stones Reported: It was reliably reported by several persons that a rain of stones fell from a clear blue sky on Carlin Street in the town of Chamberlain on August 17th."
Although the supernatural pyrotechnics are handled with King's customary aplomb, it is the carefully drawn portrait of the little horrors of small towns, high schools, and adolescent sexuality that give this novel its power, and assures its place in the King canon.
Helpful Score: 4
Carrie is one of those stories that everyone thinks they already know. I've never even seen the movie and I was one of those people. I enjoyed King's early writing, the narrative/case file style, and the sheer terror of Carrie. In the spirit of the story, I really got to know Carrie when I thought I already did.
Helpful Score: 3
This book showcases King at his best! Carrie is a true horror classic. The story is about a girl who has never fit in due to her mother's crazy religious beliefs, until one fateful night when the taunting of her peers has gone too far. Like other King books, he gives a lot of detail on the characters' past and a look into what they are thinking. While it isn't as long as Stephen King's other books, Carrie has everything that a good horror story should have.
Helpful Score: 2
In one way or another, everybody abused Carrie. This sixteen-year-old misfit was forbidden everything that was young and fun by her fanatical mother. She was teased and taunted by her classmates, misunderstood by her teachers, and given up as hopeless by almost everyone.
But Carrie had a secret: She possessed terrifying telekinetic powers. And so one night, when feeling scorned and humiliatedand growing angrier and angriershe became the vengeful demon who let the whole town -- and all the people in it -- feel her power.
But Carrie had a secret: She possessed terrifying telekinetic powers. And so one night, when feeling scorned and humiliatedand growing angrier and angriershe became the vengeful demon who let the whole town -- and all the people in it -- feel her power.
Helpful Score: 2
King's first novel is more than a coming-of-age story, it is the story of a birth in all its bloody glory. Carrie, shy, embarrassed, seemingly helpless, attempts to emerge from the hell of her childhood into a free, bright adulthood, only to be met with the same ridicule and violence from her cruel classmates and fanatical mother. But Carrie has grown up, not into an adult, but into something darker, more vengeful and infinitely more powerful that will repay them blood for blood. King's debut novel remains one of his best, creating characters that are simultaneously horrifying and pitiable.
Helpful Score: 2
A coming of age story with a dark psychic twist. A great book for young adults or new King readers, since this one is not quite as daunting as some of his later works. My copy of this book has a different cover than the one shown. It has Carrie's face in shadow on it.
Helpful Score: 2
I am not a particular fan of Stephen King's work in general. However, I picked this book up on a whim and didn't put it down again until I'd finished. The innovative narrative syle, the intriguing characters, and the fascinating plot are all reasons why you won't be sorry you decided to give this one a read.
Helpful Score: 2
One of Stephen King's best novels. Very hard to put down!
Helpful Score: 1
âEvery girl has felt like Carrie, at one point in her life or another..â
I love this book. You know I hate to say it, but I'm completely on her side too. People were absolutely horrible to this young girl. A person can only handle so much hate and riticule, before they blow up. Carrie did that exact thing, she âBlew Upâ. Maybe people should learn to just be niceâ¦
I love this book. You know I hate to say it, but I'm completely on her side too. People were absolutely horrible to this young girl. A person can only handle so much hate and riticule, before they blow up. Carrie did that exact thing, she âBlew Upâ. Maybe people should learn to just be niceâ¦
Helpful Score: 1
a chilling book, his first novel
Helpful Score: 1
Terrifying, thrilling read.
Helpful Score: 1
It was a pretty quick but interesting read. I've never been a huge stephen king fan, but this I liked. If you've seen the movie, this book merely enhances it. He develops all of the characters well and I like how the book reads like a case-file yet isn't boring.
Helpful Score: 1
I read this book back in the '80's and loved it.
Helpful Score: 1
This was my first book on tape (cd really) and I loved every minute of listening to this story! First of all it's classic Stephen King, but being as I'd only seen the movie and never read the book for myself I decided to make this my first book on tape and it was 100% delight. I'd gladly listen to all of Stephen King's book this way. Sissy Spasek was incredible as Carrie in the movie and even better reading all the parts in the book on tape. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves Stephen King's work.
Helpful Score: 1
We all know how it ends, even those of us who haven't seen the movie. But that's all right, because we were meant to. Told partly in epistolary form through excerpts of articles and books written after prom night, "Carrie" is the conglomerate epitaph of the ultimate adolescent outsider.
As King's first novel, it's not his best, nor my favorite of his, but that has entirely to do with strength of his later work (my current read, The Dark Tower series, is mind-blowing) and nothing to do with Carrie itself. Quite the contrary, Carrie already displays the sharp prose, vivid characters, and keen (sometimes uncomfortably so) insight into the human psyche that have since made King a master of horror and suspense.
As King's first novel, it's not his best, nor my favorite of his, but that has entirely to do with strength of his later work (my current read, The Dark Tower series, is mind-blowing) and nothing to do with Carrie itself. Quite the contrary, Carrie already displays the sharp prose, vivid characters, and keen (sometimes uncomfortably so) insight into the human psyche that have since made King a master of horror and suspense.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed reading this book finally after having seen the movie starring Sissy Spacek, which was great!
Helpful Score: 1
In one way or another, everybody abused Carrie. This sixteen-year-old misfit was forbidden everything that was young and fun by her fanatical mother. She was teased and taunted by her classmates, misunderstood by her teachers, and given up as hopeless by almost everyone.
But Carrie had a secret: She possessed terrifying telekinetic powers that could make inanimate objects move, a lighted candle fall, or a door lock. Carrie could make all kinds of startling bizarre, and malevolent things happen. And so she did one night, when feeling scorned and humiliatedand growing angrier and angriershe became the vengeful demon who let the whole town -- and all the people in it -- feel her power.
But Carrie had a secret: She possessed terrifying telekinetic powers that could make inanimate objects move, a lighted candle fall, or a door lock. Carrie could make all kinds of startling bizarre, and malevolent things happen. And so she did one night, when feeling scorned and humiliatedand growing angrier and angriershe became the vengeful demon who let the whole town -- and all the people in it -- feel her power.
This was the first Stephen King I ever read back when I was a teenager, I think. Still a good read.
This book was just ok, it didn't really do much for me. I was expecting scary and that wasn't really the case. Probably my first and last Steven King book.
I read this as a youngster and it scared the crap out of me. King also does a great job dealing with "teen" issues in the book. With this was the birth of my fascination with all things horror and all things King.
This book by Stephen King is the first, to me, a long line of bestsellers. I have
read others by him too, but not all. I have seen the movie only once, an it was by far
real good.
read others by him too, but not all. I have seen the movie only once, an it was by far
real good.
So much better than the movies! Carrie is a bad a$$ chick and they all had it coming!
If you have only seen the movies, the book will blow your mind! Classic Stephen King at the top of his game.
The first novel by the master of the macabre himself. We've all heard the story of how Carrie almost never saw the light of day until his wife pulled it out of the trash and told her husband that it was good and that he should finish it. Low and behold, a star is born. Carrie is told through a somewhat different kind of format that has been used with varying degrees of success by other authors. King actually lets us know what happens in the end long before the last few pages through "interviews" and testimonials published from the Carrie White hearing papers. Many times this format of storytelling can be chunky and plodding, slowing the story down. This isn't the case in Carrie.
Carrrie White is the awkward odd ball character that all of us knew back in high school. Although Carrie takes place long before I was in high school, some things never change. No mattter what generation, there is always a hidden rule that many high schoolers follow and that is "Eat or Be Eaten". You either follow what the group you hang out with does or they'll turn on you. This is what happens one day while Carrie White is taking a shower in gym class. Due to her crazy mother's strict religious raising of Carrie, she is caught unaware when her first period starts while in the middle of the shower. Not knowing what is happening to her, she begins to freak out. Thats when the other girls, led by the classic bitch of all bitches, Chris Hargensen, begin teasing and taunting her in a most vicious way. To say this comes back to bite the girls is an understatement. Another girl that was involved, Sue Snell, feels guilty about the way she blindly followed her group in their prank and decides that the way she can make ammends and feel better about herself is to get her wildly popular boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom. When Chris gets suspended over the little incident, she begins plotting her revenge on Carrie. The problem is Carrie isn't like that awkward lump of flesh we all knew in high school. Carrie has an ace up her sleeve that has been held dormant for many years and now that she's entered womanhood, it won't stay dormant any longer.
Carrie has many great things going for it and you can't ask for a much better freshman effort. King's description of the over the top prank in the shower scene will evoke memories of being bullied in high school by virtually all the readers. Religion gone wrong in her mother will also leave an unpleasant taste in your mouth. With so many school shootings in the past handful of years, the ending scene makes you cringe. Even though Carrie doesn't have an AK-47, it still leaves you feeling hollow watching innocent high schoolers bite the dust for being at the wrong place and the wrong time.
King rides many emotions that drag you kicking and screaming back to your high school days and makes you ask yourself "what if?" and thats where Carrie shines. You'll also see a pattern King uses in his later writings where he compares reading someone's mind to taking books off the shelves of a large library and reading them.
4 out of 5 stars
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5919799-ken-mckinley
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1JOKW56F2YT
TWITTER - @KenMcKinley5
Carrrie White is the awkward odd ball character that all of us knew back in high school. Although Carrie takes place long before I was in high school, some things never change. No mattter what generation, there is always a hidden rule that many high schoolers follow and that is "Eat or Be Eaten". You either follow what the group you hang out with does or they'll turn on you. This is what happens one day while Carrie White is taking a shower in gym class. Due to her crazy mother's strict religious raising of Carrie, she is caught unaware when her first period starts while in the middle of the shower. Not knowing what is happening to her, she begins to freak out. Thats when the other girls, led by the classic bitch of all bitches, Chris Hargensen, begin teasing and taunting her in a most vicious way. To say this comes back to bite the girls is an understatement. Another girl that was involved, Sue Snell, feels guilty about the way she blindly followed her group in their prank and decides that the way she can make ammends and feel better about herself is to get her wildly popular boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom. When Chris gets suspended over the little incident, she begins plotting her revenge on Carrie. The problem is Carrie isn't like that awkward lump of flesh we all knew in high school. Carrie has an ace up her sleeve that has been held dormant for many years and now that she's entered womanhood, it won't stay dormant any longer.
Carrie has many great things going for it and you can't ask for a much better freshman effort. King's description of the over the top prank in the shower scene will evoke memories of being bullied in high school by virtually all the readers. Religion gone wrong in her mother will also leave an unpleasant taste in your mouth. With so many school shootings in the past handful of years, the ending scene makes you cringe. Even though Carrie doesn't have an AK-47, it still leaves you feeling hollow watching innocent high schoolers bite the dust for being at the wrong place and the wrong time.
King rides many emotions that drag you kicking and screaming back to your high school days and makes you ask yourself "what if?" and thats where Carrie shines. You'll also see a pattern King uses in his later writings where he compares reading someone's mind to taking books off the shelves of a large library and reading them.
4 out of 5 stars
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5919799-ken-mckinley
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1JOKW56F2YT
TWITTER - @KenMcKinley5
Somehow I never got around to reading Carrie and I'm sorry I missed it till now. It is, as most books are, way better than the movie adaptation. And this audio book is read by Sissy Spacek, who does a most excellent job. You will enjoy!
I read this book hen i was 20 Iwas hooked on steven king, still am. there is some small part in most people that love the abilty she develops to cope with.
I never found Carrie very frightening, in a horror novel way; I found the story more sad than anything else. Outside of the title character's power of telekinesis - she is abused both physically and psychologically by her mother, bullied mercilessly, and eventually murdered by her own mother for simply being born.
Carrie is written not in traditional form, it is written in the way of police documents, which is what caught my eye (well, besides the fact it was by my all time favorite author: Stephen King). If you haven't seen the movie, then I suggest you first read the book, though the movie was well written as well, it left out most of the book, imagination, and originality based on its writing. Carrie is the type of girl that I would be if I had her powers, I'm made fun of, bullied, and harrased. He took the every day living of a girl tormented at both home and school, and twisted it into something I couldn't even have thought of to happen. Fire, electricity, and stones all come together to give her classmates and mother what they deserved from the begining. A religious freak mother would lock her in the closet for hours at a time; and in gym class when Carrie first had her period, the girls in the showers threw tampoons at her yelling "Plug it up!". Can anyone imagine that kind of horror? Then she goes home to be yelled at by her mother, what a life!!!
This was very good, enjoyed it
Stephen King's first novel, frightening and touching story of a much abused and misunderstood girl with telekinetic powers.
This is super creepy....but awesome! I think it's safe to call Carrie a classic now.
I didn't like this book very much, even though I know it was a big hit as Stephen King's first novel. I loved his book, "On Writing", but it seems I don't care for his writing! go figure!
In one word: overrated. Maybe because of the fame it has, I was expecting some scarier, but I was disappointed. I have read other Stephen King books and short stories that creeped me oht more. Carrie is well-written and well-crafted, but it is antclimactic.
Great Book
Carrie was not quite aware that she was possessed of a terrifying power. But it was enough to transform a small, quiet New England town into a holocaust of destruction beyond the imagination of man. Innocent schoolgirl or vengeful demon, Carrie will make you shudder....
Original movie version, with pictures. One of many in my collection of Stephen King books. All are up for trade. Check out the rest.
Book Description:
Since the publication of Carrie in 1974, neither misfit Carrie White nor her catastrophic high school prom has been forgotten. That's because the story of Carrie, her extraordinary telekinetic powers, and her violent rampage of revenge introduced a fresh and distinctive new voice in American fiction -- Stephen King.
Although Carrie first captured America's attention with its shocking climax, it remains as vibrant today as when it was first published because of Stephen King's ability to tap the collective unconscious of our commercial society. He brilliantly underscores the inherent fears and driving forces that fester in adolescence and later manifest themselves in various forms. Whether it's public high school's proclivity for suppressing individualism and creativity, the bigotry of cliques, or male apprehension of women's emerging sexuality and equality, Carrie lays bare our ritualistic, cruel, and base tendencies. Ultimately, we discern that it's not Carrie White but the ineffectual people surrounding her that we truly dread -- which is why Carrie endures as one of Stephen King's most riveting and disturbing novels.
Since the publication of Carrie in 1974, neither misfit Carrie White nor her catastrophic high school prom has been forgotten. That's because the story of Carrie, her extraordinary telekinetic powers, and her violent rampage of revenge introduced a fresh and distinctive new voice in American fiction -- Stephen King.
Although Carrie first captured America's attention with its shocking climax, it remains as vibrant today as when it was first published because of Stephen King's ability to tap the collective unconscious of our commercial society. He brilliantly underscores the inherent fears and driving forces that fester in adolescence and later manifest themselves in various forms. Whether it's public high school's proclivity for suppressing individualism and creativity, the bigotry of cliques, or male apprehension of women's emerging sexuality and equality, Carrie lays bare our ritualistic, cruel, and base tendencies. Ultimately, we discern that it's not Carrie White but the ineffectual people surrounding her that we truly dread -- which is why Carrie endures as one of Stephen King's most riveting and disturbing novels.
"Carrie" was Stephen King's first book. Although some of the characters are not perfectly developed, and more time is spent on literary garbage rather than the story, it is still a good read.
You can tell this in an early King novel. The style is very different from most of his other books. I found this book more disturbing than a lot of other books that should have disturbed me more. I think its the style of the book that added to the horror of it.
One of my favorite stephen king novels
Carrie was an awesome book. Being tortured and torrmented by those who felt superior to her, Carrie took her revenge
This book will make you think twice to be good to others. Another Stephen King thriller
Carrie was not a typical teenager, she possed a power that even she not knew that she possessed. It turns out that she learns to use her powers and turned a tiny town in new england into a copy of the holocaust.
Teenagers that once tormented this girl no longer do so. Read on and you'll see why.
Teenagers that once tormented this girl no longer do so. Read on and you'll see why.
Back cover:
"Carrie was not quite aware that she was possessed of a terrifying power. But it was enough to transform a small, quiet New England town into a holocaust of destruction beyond the imagination of man. Innocent schoolgirl or vengeful demon, Carrie will make you shudder.."
OK, I wouldn't be THAT dramatic, but this was a really great read.
"Carrie was not quite aware that she was possessed of a terrifying power. But it was enough to transform a small, quiet New England town into a holocaust of destruction beyond the imagination of man. Innocent schoolgirl or vengeful demon, Carrie will make you shudder.."
OK, I wouldn't be THAT dramatic, but this was a really great read.
King's first novel, and in light of that, quite accomplished.
Classic early King. One of the first books of his most early King enthusiasts started with. Read it and you'll know why. He's come a long way, but still one of my favorite "oldies".
This is the first Stephen King book I've read and it got me hooked on the author. I loved this book!
very exciting...page turning
this book has a different cover than shown.....Why read Carrie? Stephen King himself has said that he finds his early work "raw," and Brian De Palma's movie was so successful that we feel like we have read the novel even if we never have. The simple answer is that this is a very scary story, one that works as well--if not better--on the page as on the screen. Carrie White, menaced by bullies at school and her religious nut of a mother at home, gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers, powers that will eventually be turned on her tormentors. King has a way of getting under the skin of his readers by creating an utterly believable world that throbs with menace before finally exploding. He builds the tension in this early work by piecing together extracts from newspaper reports, journals, and scientific papers, as well as more traditional first- and third-person narrative in order to reveal what lurks beneath the surface of Chamberlain, Maine.
still a very good read Kings early stuff is to be read again
and again.
and again.
I am a serious King fan, LOVE his work. Was not thrilled the first time I read this. The second time, it got better. So, if you didn't like it, give it a few years and read it again. If you're going by the movie only, this was one of the better adaptations of his work, but still, nothing compares to the real thing.
Excellent story - one of King's older works (which, imho, are better than his more recent stuff).
Great book.
This is the book that started Stephen King's career. Great little read that led to a very scary movie.
OK, so we read this for "structural purposes" in a college advanced creative writing class. A fun read, but nothing enlightening-- reading Carrie felt an awful lot like watching baseball on TV.
Stephen King isn't my favorite. I didn't really like this book.
It took me a little while to get into this one, but eventually it hooked me. I've never seen the Carrie film and television adaptations; however, now I'm curious to see how they match-up with the book.
This story had a big impact on me when I was younger and I really wish I read the book then. (I carried it around with me for a week or so in 4th grade, but I really was not capable of reading a book at that time. I was really obsessed with the idea of telekinesis in like the 4th grade.) Now that I'm older, I can't help but feel all the girls in this book are mean and stupid and manipulative: "I'll have sex with you if you ask Carrie to the prom," and "I'll have sex with you if you kill a pig for me", etc. I don't think girls actually think this way and it is a stereotype that I try to avoid hearing about. It seemed like Tommy Ross was the only nice person in that town. I really enjoyed reading it though. It is such a brilliant story, but maybe it could have been told a little differently.
I might have to read this one again I really can't remember it but know I read it..So not sure if it was all that great..
This is a hardcover book and is missing the paper cover that goes on it. Other than that it's in good condition!
One of my favorite books...I love king...in great shape
