From the Bookshelf of EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club…

Stephen King

Start date: October 1, 2017

Finish date: October 31, 2017

Discussion: MODERN / POPULAR READS

Why we're reading this: Group Pick for Oct '17 - Modern Classic/Popular Read…more
[close] Group Pick for Oct '17 - Modern Classic/Popular Read

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 226 topics — 6,095 comments total

MODERN / POPULAR READS

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - *SPOILERS*
By spoko · 8 posts · 51 views

last updated Aug 26, 2025 11:57AM

The Alchemist — *SPOILERS*
By Joanna Loves … · 105 posts · 512 views

last updated Aug 25, 2025 02:19PM

showing 10 of 31 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Oct 17, 2010 Kasia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

How can one even begin and try to describe the book? It boggles my mind to even define it as something other than amazing, if I could only say one thing about it, it would be "read it!". No better way to experience a book than actually sitting down, opening the cover and reading the first page, that's all it pretty much took when I saw this on my shelf. I had it for at least 10 years and never thought of reading it until I got back on my King kick and this just called my name, it was a great thr How can one even begin and try to describe the book? It boggles my mind to even define it as something other than amazing, if I could only say one thing about it, it would be "read it!". No better way to experience a book than actually sitting down, opening the cover and reading the first page, that's all it pretty much took when I saw this on my shelf. I had it for at least 10 years and never thought of reading it until I got back on my King kick and this just called my name, it was a great three weeks that I spend absorbed in this and it was marvelous; a rich and deep story that ends up having a life of its own once the last page is read, it lives on in the reader, whether we think about it often or imagine a continuation for the characters, this is more than a book, it's a whole new set of things that you will day dream about and which will invade your daily life, it's not all sweet and funny games though, there is a lot of death and suffering and some rather dramatic moments, some of human doing and others of supernatural origin as it seems, IT is a pillar that connects two worlds together, your conscious and also the subconscious because you will be reaching into realms other than those you are used to when it comes to reading and appreciating things, it will make for some deep thinking, I absolutely loved this book and watched the movie right after, and as nice as it was it doesn't compare to the entire story which was so intricate that it took a book the size of a phone book to keep it together.

It is a story that runs at two different time lines that the reader will hope to see merge together at some point, the past and the present are on a similar course, and that course is set for disaster. Derry, Maine ( after a while the word "Derry" gave me Goosebumps simply from reading the name of this strange town ) is in a midst of a story that flips back between 1958 and 1985, at first it was a tiny bit confusing but I got the hang of it by slowing down and taking note of the characters, pretty soon they were so well fleshed out by the writing that I would have swore they were real before I would have to refer to some list to know who they were. Bill, Ben, Richie, Beverly, Mike, Eddie and Stan ( once you read this story you can probably deduce something from a review and the order in which the reviewer picks the in, for perhaps being meaningful in some way to the reader..) are brought together, somehow they get along really well and seem to stand up to the bullies and horrid things that keep happening to them, Derry is known for it's many sad instances, stories from the past mix with new disappearances and strange murders that put the whole town on a curfew, children are dying, ripped into shreds in their own back yards, they are disappearing or being killed by something sinister and extremely mysterious. Here enters Pennywise, King's magnificent invention, a clown that is a bit more than a clown, a harbinger or things to come, some very bad and painful things. I had so many theories about this story as I read it that I must have given my boyfriend a few headaches but he discussed the story with pleasure because he enjoyed the movie but I can tell that I have infected him with the desire to read the beast itself, it's such a meaty, delicious story to sink into, the fact that it was written a while ago makes it even better, it's real as it's far out there, and finding the answers to what IT is was some great fun, it takes an open mind and some time but it's a delicious treat that is not to be missed. There were so many battles in this, not all complying with the laws of this world but it was a magnificent story that read like the best dessert that one could indulge in, it's something I wanted to re-read soon because it was that good. Not to spoil anything it's a great read to simply dive into; some kids come across something they survive and it haunts them into their adulthood, they must come back and discover what exactly was pushing them to the brinks of sanity and either end it for all time or surrender to whatever was making them so anxious and scared of. Partial fantasy and part painful reality this was the best of both worlds, a masterpiece from the king of horror.

- Kasia S. ...more

17 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2014 Canavan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

✭✭✭½

2 likes · Like · see review

May 09, 2012 Melanie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not my favorite King novel, and definitely a bit long (I like it when he sticks to 500-700 pages and find that when he goes over 1000, it can drag for a while). But I love King, and for the most part I enjoyed it.

1 like · Like · see review