Excellent story of horrifying events that could actually happen. Rabid St. Bernard holds mom and her son hostage in their car, while she makes desperate attempts to escape, get help, and keep her boy from dying of dehydration.
Stephen King sure knows how to tell a story. Somehow, a terrifying tale about a rabid Saint Bernard on the loose was also a surprisingly perceptive and sensitive portrait of marital infidelity, forgiveness, and redemption. There is a truly shocking and disturbing ending, which I won't give away, but I think it was brave of King as a writer to go that route, and it certainly made the story more chilling. King doesn't beat you over the head with a moral message, but I suspect that one lesson many readers came away with is that unforeseen and bizarre catastrophes can hit at any time, so what's really important is your loved ones.
Who's NOT afraid of the big bad wolf? In this case the big bad St. Bernard? Good early King book. One that helped him up the ladder to better more complex plots, but all in all, a good easy summer read.
Another horror story by Stephen King involving a family and their loveable friendly St. Bernard dog. The dog chases a small animal into a hidden underground cave and unleashes an evil upon his family crueler than death itself.
A big, friendly dog chases a rabbit into a hidden underground cave-and stirs a sleeping evil crueler than death itself. A terrified 4 year old boy sees his bedroom closet swing open untouched by human hands, and screams at the unholy red eyes gleaming in the darkness. The little Maine town of Castle Rock is about to be invaded by the most hideous menace ever to savage the flesh and devour the mind...
I enjoyed reading this book very much.
Oh, this was such a sad book! I wish I hadn't seen the movie first since the endings were so different... and the parts from Cujo's point of view just made the book all the more tragic... I was just surprised by the brutality of the ending. I had been very confident reading it since I had seen the movie... I don't know that I would really call this a horror novel though, since it was more sad than scary.
Stephen King puts nerve-tearing teeth into the terror of man's best friend turning into the ultimate beast.
With this warning, prepare to meet Cujo, a friendly, playful 200-pound Saint Bernard who chases a rabbit into an underground cavern. When he emerges from the darkness, he is something else. Something that the men, women, and children of Castle rock, Maine, do not suspect. Until is too late. Until the fever of fear rises and spreads. Until no one is safe, and no one can escape the insatiable slavering evil padding on four paws from victim to victim.
Good book. Read it many years ago and it sticks with you.
This book was very good. I couldn't put it down. It really draws you into the story!
I forgot that there is more to this incredible book than just a dog with rabies. This is classic Stephen King horror...:) It is remarkable how he writes an entire story around a rabid dog!
There are two main families that are involved in this nightmare. The Camber family, owners of Cujo, consists of Joe, his wife Charity and their son Brett. Joe is man that is hard on his family and very controlling. He doesn't let his wife or son go very far without him. Charity wants to visit her sister (and get away from him for awhile) and to do this she must bribe Joe. Luckily she is able to do since she won the lottery. Charity is very torn between wanting to leave Joe and staying with him for her son's sake. Cujo was given to the Camber family as payment from one of Joe's clients and has become Brett's beloved dog.
Vic Trenton's family is been shattered. He has just learned that his wife, Donna, has been cheating on him. On top of this, he is about to lose his biggest account and his job in advertising. To save his job, he must fly to New York and come up with a way to save it. Donna has ended the affair and wants to reconnect with her husband. Vic's trip gives them the space they need to figure out what to do. King has added the special element of the monster in the closet for their son Tad, which foreshadows all the horror he will go through. After Cujo's reign of terror the surviving members of the families must pick up the pieces of their lives.
Stephen King even writes from the point of view of Cujo several times. We see that this was man's best friend and that he didn't want to hurt the people but the disease took over his body and he had no free will left.
One of his classics, only King can find a way to make a rabid dog a nightmare for a town.
I don't think that Stephen King can write anything that isn't interesting. That being said, this book is nowhere near his best. It is an interesting book to pass a few hours but it just didn't creep me out like most of his books do. This is the only book that I have ever read by King that didn't have me reduced to a wimpy mess. This book is definitely worth the time invested, just don't make this your introduction to Stephen King if you've not read his work before.
While I know Steven King is a very good writer, his books are usually too intense for my tastes. I read this one, however, and couldn't put it down - but it definitely was intense!! Dog lovers will be uncomfortable with the story ............
Now THIS I liked: rendered in exquisite detail minus the clowns, large undulating snake-like creatures, buckets of blood, et al.
This is one of his better horror, because it deals with a subject we all know, rabies.
