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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10592.Carrie?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Carrie" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166254258m/10592.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10592.Carrie?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Carrie</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3389.Stephen_King">Stephen King</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9505396?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 4 of 5 stars Carrie is, famously, Stephen King’s first published novel and it put him on the map; it’s easy to see why. Given the sheer success of this book, King really struck a cord with the readers in 1974 and he’s been riding that wave till this very day. This story is firing on so many thematic cylinders that it’s no wonder everyone found something to like in this book.
 
 I do have a slight problem when it comes to writing about this book. The problem is that pretty much every human being in America knows the story of Carrie and therefore some of the more basic themes. What people obviously identify with the most is the experience of being teased and going through puberty. These are two things all of us have experienced as some time or another (though maybe not the "being made fun of", you lucky, beautiful, successful people out there). So, I will not go into any depth on those. Honestly, I don’t really feel like talking about any of the themes in this book, and maybe that’s its biggest weakness. King shows his immaturity as a writer here by cramming just about every theme you can think of into the book, and a lot of it not too subtlety. We have a wide range of topics including, but not excluded to: politics, abuse, religious fanaticism, fear of children, human nature, revenge, etc. The book could really use a somewhat narrower focus.
 
 That criticism aside, stylistically, the book is a real breakthrough. King’s references here are clear and include Lovecraft and Poe who he attempts to emulate somewhat. His inclusion of fake non-fiction reference material really adds to the narrative and lets him play with the story in a non-linear fashion. And just as Lovecraft took the style of Poe and evolved it with his own unique talent, King does so with Lovecraft’s, and his often used “case book” style of storytelling.
 
 Now that we have all this standard criticism and praise out of the way, let me get to the thing this book reached into my head to grab, and wont let go of. On a personal note, I have had one great love in my short life. Her name was Carrie. Like the character in the book, she was a very adorable child who grew up to be not the most typically attractive woman. Like Carrie in the novel, this is not to say the real Carrie was unattractive. She had an intelligence and ability to shine. However, like her fictional counterpart, Carrie had a “mother”, in this case though, Carrie’s “mother” was depression. And, like the poor girl in the story, this held her back and kept her emotionally sheltered and paranoid in some ways. Also, she was unable to shake this burden, and no matter how good things got, it always came back to bite her in the ass. My Carrie hated the book Carrie. Because of this book (about a burdened girl being treated miserably by her peers) Carrie was brutally harassed by other girls throughout her entire school career. I can’t help but wondering what Stephen King would think, if he knew a big reason for all her harassment, was that she shared a name with his fictional character. I guess he could not have depicted the nature of people any better.
 
 That depressing bit aside, this book is a classic, and a well deserved one. You don’t need me to tell you that. Buy it. 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/634816?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Noah's review
rating:

bookshelves: horror-fiction
recommended for: Stephen King fans, all those kids who have been picked on
status: Read in July, 2007

Carrie is, famously, Stephen King’s first published novel and it put him on the map; it’s easy to see why. Given the sheer success of this book, King really struck a cord with the readers in 1974 and he’s been riding that wave till this very day. This story is firing on so many thematic cylinders that it’s no wonder everyone found something to like in this book.

I do have a slight problem when it comes to writing about this book. The problem is that pretty much every human being in America knows the story of Carrie and therefore some of the more basic themes. What people obviously identify with the most is the experience of being teased and going through puberty. These are two things all of us have experienced as some time or another (though maybe not the "being made fun of", you lucky, beautiful, successful people out there). So, I will not go into any depth on those. Honestly, I don’t really feel like talking about any of the themes in this book, and maybe tha...more Carrie is, famously, Stephen King’s first published novel and it put him on the map; it’s easy to see why. Given the sheer success of this book, King really struck a cord with the readers in 1974 and he’s been riding that wave till this very day. This story is firing on so many thematic cylinders that it’s no wonder everyone found something to like in this book.

I do have a slight problem when it comes to writing about this book. The problem is that pretty much every human being in America knows the story of Carrie and therefore some of the more basic themes. What people obviously identify with the most is the experience of being teased and going through puberty. These are two things all of us have experienced as some time or another (though maybe not the "being made fun of", you lucky, beautiful, successful people out there). So, I will not go into any depth on those. Honestly, I don’t really feel like talking about any of the themes in this book, and maybe that’s its biggest weakness. King shows his immaturity as a writer here by cramming just about every theme you can think of into the book, and a lot of it not too subtlety. We have a wide range of topics including, but not excluded to: politics, abuse, religious fanaticism, fear of children, human nature, revenge, etc. The book could really use a somewhat narrower focus.

That criticism aside, stylistically, the book is a real breakthrough. King’s references here are clear and include Lovecraft and Poe who he attempts to emulate somewhat. His inclusion of fake non-fiction reference material really adds to the narrative and lets him play with the story in a non-linear fashion. And just as Lovecraft took the style of Poe and evolved it with his own unique talent, King does so with Lovecraft’s, and his often used “case book” style of storytelling.

Now that we have all this standard criticism and praise out of the way, let me get to the thing this book reached into my head to grab, and wont let go of. On a personal note, I have had one great love in my short life. Her name was Carrie. Like the character in the book, she was a very adorable child who grew up to be not the most typically attractive woman. Like Carrie in the novel, this is not to say the real Carrie was unattractive. She had an intelligence and ability to shine. However, like her fictional counterpart, Carrie had a “mother”, in this case though, Carrie’s “mother” was depression. And, like the poor girl in the story, this held her back and kept her emotionally sheltered and paranoid in some ways. Also, she was unable to shake this burden, and no matter how good things got, it always came back to bite her in the ass. My Carrie hated the book Carrie. Because of this book (about a burdened girl being treated miserably by her peers) Carrie was brutally harassed by other girls throughout her entire school career. I can’t help but wondering what Stephen King would think, if he knew a big reason for all her harassment, was that she shared a name with his fictional character. I guess he could not have depicted the nature of people any better.

That depressing bit aside, this book is a classic, and a well deserved one. You don’t need me to tell you that. Buy it. ...less

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