Nataliya’s review of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption > Likes and Comments
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Great review, you really touched on every aspect of this book that I liked and I think make this stand out from King's other works. Always a joy to read your reviews.
Chris wrote: "Great review, you really touched on every aspect of this book that I liked and I think make this stand out from King's other works. Always a joy to read your reviews."
Thanks, Chris!
I have this, looking forward to reading it even more now :)
Vicky wrote: "I have this, looking forward to reading it even more now :)"
It's a really good book, and I hope you will like it.
While I never read the book (for shame) I did see the movie and absolutely adored it.
Diane D. wrote: "While I never read the book (for shame) I did see the movie and absolutely adored it."
It's one of the rare Stephen King books that translated very well to the big screen ('The Body'/'Stand by Me' is another one that immediately comes to mind). Morgan Freeman was excellent as Red, and Andy Dufresne character was right on.
It's interesting to see how Darabont unequivocally interpreted the vaguely ambigous ending - and then years later took somewhat ambiguous ending of 'The Mist' and took that one in a completely different direction.
I adore King's story, but was absolutely gobsmacked by what Darabont was able to do with it on the screen. My favorite part of the movie isn't even in the novella -- where Andy plays the record of the Italian lady singing. Wonderful review Nataliya.
for me The Green Mile is a better book and film.....but that's not saying that Shawshank isn't a powerful piece of work
Andrew wrote: "for me The Green Mile is a better book and film.....but that's not saying that Shawshank isn't a powerful piece of work"
Diane D. wrote: "Did you see the film version of The Green Mile? I thought that was also an excellent adaptation!"
I saw 'The Green Mile' and enjoyed it - but Shawshank's Andy just has this effect on me that John Coffey doesn't. Maybe it's the saintly nature of Coffey that made it harder for me to feel for him, versus Andy who is so easy for me to imagine as a real person with truly rotten luck and unexpectedly strong character.
@ trudi - thanks! I'm also amazed at how wonderfully the story was handled by Darabont. It stayed so true to the spirit of the story!
What a a great timing Nataliya. I've been thinking lately about reading some of Stephen King's books and especially this one and "One writing" and with your review I feel like I must start it sooner :)!
Excellent review.
Chaymâa wrote: "What a a great timing Nataliya. I've been thinking lately about reading some of Stephen King's books and especially this one and "One writing" and with your review I feel like I must start it soone..."
Thanks, Chaymâa! And now I want to re-read "On Writing".
Hi Nataliya
- is the "two choices" quote from this book?
Nataliya, this is a great review of one of my favorite King stories. Thank you! I think that it's one of the best examples (certainly one of the best known) of poetic justice and peripeteia in literature. I also love the film Frank Darabont made of this story, and consider it to be his best adaptation of a King piece. Morgan Freemand and Tim Robbins are both wonderful, and Bob Gunton is the hated warden - I can't think of anyone doing it better. The last 30 minutes, with gorgeous cinematography and Thomas Newman's sublime score elevate this film to the range of a masterpiece. Need to watch it again!
I always particularly enjoyed the volume this comes from, Different Seasons, where I thought each story worked perfectly well on its own but together created a fantastic volume of some of the best fiction King has published.
Wow! I saw the movie and really enjoy Stephen King.... I will definitely read this book. Great review!
Paul wrote: "Hi Nataliya
- is the "two choices" quote from this book?"
Yes, it is. It's one of the things Red says when thinking about Andy, regarding the choices Andy made.
Laima wrote: "Wow! I saw the movie and really enjoy Stephen King.... I will definitely read this book. Great review!"
Thanks, Laima!
Maciek wrote: "Nataliya, this is a great review of one of my favorite King stories. Thank you! I think that it's one of the best examples (certainly one of the best known) of poetic justice and peripeteia in lite..."
Thanks, Maciek. I love Darabont's take on this story - and I cannot help but contrast it with the very different approach he took to "The Mist" (which reminds me - I should revisit that one as well). Both work - but the contrast between the hope in the former and the overwhelming despair in the latter is really stark.
Yes, "Different Seasons" is a remarkable volume as far as King's writing goes; it's among his best, so masterfully crafted and executed.
Hi again - I asked because it looked like a Bob Dylan quote at first glance :
From the fool’s gold mouthpiece the hollow horn
Plays wasted words, proves to warn
That he not busy being born is busy dying
Maybe these lines share the inspiration, the real sentiment that lies behind them. Or maybe one inspired the other, who knows?
A great, detailed review, Nataliya! I love this book and the film (and I have rarely loved films of SK's books!) You have inspired me to re-read this in 2013!
Wendy wrote: "A great, detailed review, Nataliya! I love this book and the film (and I have rarely loved films of SK's books!) You have inspired me to re-read this in 2013!"
Thanks, Wendy!
You know, I rarely enjoy movies based on King's books either; there are few exceptions and this is one of them.
Nataliya, a beautiful review as always.
Tracy wrote: "Nataliya, a beautiful review as always."
Thanks, Tracy!
Loved your review Nataliya. I read this many years ago and we have the movie on dvd. It is a favorite of ours and we just watched it yet again a couple of days ago.
Terri Lynn wrote: "Loved your review Nataliya. I read this many years ago and we have the movie on dvd. It is a favorite of ours and we just watched it yet again a couple of days ago."
Thanks, Terri Lynn! It is an excellent book that was made into an excellent movie.
I always look for your comments on my favourite books and you never disappoint. I have been saying for a long time - to anyone who will listen and some who don't - that Mr King is much much more than a horror writer. It angers me that people are so ignorant! King is and always will be my favourite author and the man I aspire to be.
P.S I would be very interested to know if you would consider reading any amateur work and giving your opinion?
Your Constant Reader
Richard wrote: "I always look for your comments on my favourite books and you never disappoint. I have been saying for a long time - to anyone who will listen and some who don't - that Mr King is much much more th..."
Thanks, Richard!
Richard wrote: "P.S I would be very interested to know if you would consider reading any amateur work and giving your opinion?"
By 'amateur' do you mean 'self-published'? Honestly, I very rarely do that. I've come across pretty good 'amateur' books and some books that were so bad I could never even finish them.
Ive never wanted to a story to be longer more than i did after reading this one. As close to perfect as possible.
S.R. wrote: "Ive never wanted to a story to be longer more than i did after reading this one. As close to perfect as possible."
I agree! And yet I'm so glad it was as short as it was - it left me wanting for more, but in a good way. I'm glad to see that King can easily crank out not just 1000-pagers full of backstory for every single character but also compact short novels that give you just enough while leaving you desperately wanting for more.
Nataliya wrote: "S.R. wrote: "Ive never wanted to a story to be longer more than i did after reading this one. As close to perfect as possible."
I agree! And yet I'm so glad it was as short as it was - it left me ..."
Absolutely! It gives you just enough, yet its soo hard to not want more.
Not just the book makes people cry; your review does, too. Now I've got to read the book! My sister-in-law has been telling me that I had to read it; as usual, Big Sis was right! Thanks for this review.
Ivonne wrote: "Not just the book makes people cry; your review does, too. Now I've got to read the book! My sister-in-law has been telling me that I had to read it; as usual, Big Sis was right! Thanks for this re..."
Thanks, Ivonne! I agree with your sister-in-law - I think everyone needs to read this book. It's truly amazing.
Love the King anecdote about the woman on the supermarket. :-)
Susan wrote: "Love the King anecdote about the woman on the supermarket. :-)"
Isn't it awesome? I love that it illustrates how our own prejudices can be so I corrects that it's almost comical.
This is a great and apt review. Thanks for sharing. Well said. The film itself is an epitome of fighting spirit a person should keep against all odds and come out as a winner!
"you're gonna look funnier sucking my dick with no teeth."
Great review.
Ivonne wrote: "This review brought tears to my eyes."
Hopefully good tears?
I must admit, yes, I did dismiss King because of the horror genre (which interests me little). But, after seeing the film, I had to read the novella, and was thoroughly impressed with, as you say, his "captivating storytelling skills and excellent character development."
I have seen this movie over a hundred times. Anyone who knows me knows this is my favorite movie of all time!! This review brought me to tears and well, I’m going to watch the movie again. Great review!!
John wrote: "I must admit, yes, I did dismiss King because of the horror genre (which interests me little). But, after seeing the film, I had to read the novella, and was thoroughly impressed with, as you say, ..."
Yes, horror genre can be a turn-off indeed. Had I not discovered King in my childhood (when no horror was ever scary because of adolescent sense of invulnerability) I’m not sure I would have been able to look past the horror either. And thats why I’m so glad that King has this one and The Body exist to show his depth also outside the genre that’s not for all.
Even in his horror books he has so many non-horror slice-of-life wonderful literary sections that show how great of a writer he is even for those turned off by his preferred genre.
Ursula wrote: "I have seen this movie over a hundred times. Anyone who knows me knows this is my favorite movie of all time!! This review brought me to tears and well, I’m going to watch the movie again. Great re..."
Thanks, Ursula! I actually caught a little bit of that movie on TV yesterday. It’s very good, and really does justice to the book.
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Chris
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Jan 05, 2013 02:12PM
Great review, you really touched on every aspect of this book that I liked and I think make this stand out from King's other works. Always a joy to read your reviews.
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Chris wrote: "Great review, you really touched on every aspect of this book that I liked and I think make this stand out from King's other works. Always a joy to read your reviews."Thanks, Chris!
I have this, looking forward to reading it even more now :)
Vicky wrote: "I have this, looking forward to reading it even more now :)"It's a really good book, and I hope you will like it.
While I never read the book (for shame) I did see the movie and absolutely adored it.
Diane D. wrote: "While I never read the book (for shame) I did see the movie and absolutely adored it."It's one of the rare Stephen King books that translated very well to the big screen ('The Body'/'Stand by Me' is another one that immediately comes to mind). Morgan Freeman was excellent as Red, and Andy Dufresne character was right on.
It's interesting to see how Darabont unequivocally interpreted the vaguely ambigous ending - and then years later took somewhat ambiguous ending of 'The Mist' and took that one in a completely different direction.
I adore King's story, but was absolutely gobsmacked by what Darabont was able to do with it on the screen. My favorite part of the movie isn't even in the novella -- where Andy plays the record of the Italian lady singing. Wonderful review Nataliya.
for me The Green Mile is a better book and film.....but that's not saying that Shawshank isn't a powerful piece of work
Andrew wrote: "for me The Green Mile is a better book and film.....but that's not saying that Shawshank isn't a powerful piece of work"Diane D. wrote: "Did you see the film version of The Green Mile? I thought that was also an excellent adaptation!"
I saw 'The Green Mile' and enjoyed it - but Shawshank's Andy just has this effect on me that John Coffey doesn't. Maybe it's the saintly nature of Coffey that made it harder for me to feel for him, versus Andy who is so easy for me to imagine as a real person with truly rotten luck and unexpectedly strong character.
@ trudi - thanks! I'm also amazed at how wonderfully the story was handled by Darabont. It stayed so true to the spirit of the story!
What a a great timing Nataliya. I've been thinking lately about reading some of Stephen King's books and especially this one and "One writing" and with your review I feel like I must start it sooner :)!Excellent review.
Chaymâa wrote: "What a a great timing Nataliya. I've been thinking lately about reading some of Stephen King's books and especially this one and "One writing" and with your review I feel like I must start it soone..."Thanks, Chaymâa! And now I want to re-read "On Writing".
Hi Nataliya- is the "two choices" quote from this book?
Nataliya, this is a great review of one of my favorite King stories. Thank you! I think that it's one of the best examples (certainly one of the best known) of poetic justice and peripeteia in literature. I also love the film Frank Darabont made of this story, and consider it to be his best adaptation of a King piece. Morgan Freemand and Tim Robbins are both wonderful, and Bob Gunton is the hated warden - I can't think of anyone doing it better. The last 30 minutes, with gorgeous cinematography and Thomas Newman's sublime score elevate this film to the range of a masterpiece. Need to watch it again!I always particularly enjoyed the volume this comes from, Different Seasons, where I thought each story worked perfectly well on its own but together created a fantastic volume of some of the best fiction King has published.
Wow! I saw the movie and really enjoy Stephen King.... I will definitely read this book. Great review!
Paul wrote: "Hi Nataliya- is the "two choices" quote from this book?"
Yes, it is. It's one of the things Red says when thinking about Andy, regarding the choices Andy made.
Laima wrote: "Wow! I saw the movie and really enjoy Stephen King.... I will definitely read this book. Great review!"
Thanks, Laima!
Maciek wrote: "Nataliya, this is a great review of one of my favorite King stories. Thank you! I think that it's one of the best examples (certainly one of the best known) of poetic justice and peripeteia in lite..."Thanks, Maciek. I love Darabont's take on this story - and I cannot help but contrast it with the very different approach he took to "The Mist" (which reminds me - I should revisit that one as well). Both work - but the contrast between the hope in the former and the overwhelming despair in the latter is really stark.
Yes, "Different Seasons" is a remarkable volume as far as King's writing goes; it's among his best, so masterfully crafted and executed.
Hi again - I asked because it looked like a Bob Dylan quote at first glance :From the fool’s gold mouthpiece the hollow horn
Plays wasted words, proves to warn
That he not busy being born is busy dying
Maybe these lines share the inspiration, the real sentiment that lies behind them. Or maybe one inspired the other, who knows?
A great, detailed review, Nataliya! I love this book and the film (and I have rarely loved films of SK's books!) You have inspired me to re-read this in 2013!
Wendy wrote: "A great, detailed review, Nataliya! I love this book and the film (and I have rarely loved films of SK's books!) You have inspired me to re-read this in 2013!"Thanks, Wendy!
You know, I rarely enjoy movies based on King's books either; there are few exceptions and this is one of them.
Nataliya, a beautiful review as always.
Tracy wrote: "Nataliya, a beautiful review as always."Thanks, Tracy!
Loved your review Nataliya. I read this many years ago and we have the movie on dvd. It is a favorite of ours and we just watched it yet again a couple of days ago.
Terri Lynn wrote: "Loved your review Nataliya. I read this many years ago and we have the movie on dvd. It is a favorite of ours and we just watched it yet again a couple of days ago."Thanks, Terri Lynn! It is an excellent book that was made into an excellent movie.
I always look for your comments on my favourite books and you never disappoint. I have been saying for a long time - to anyone who will listen and some who don't - that Mr King is much much more than a horror writer. It angers me that people are so ignorant! King is and always will be my favourite author and the man I aspire to be. P.S I would be very interested to know if you would consider reading any amateur work and giving your opinion?
Your Constant Reader
Richard wrote: "I always look for your comments on my favourite books and you never disappoint. I have been saying for a long time - to anyone who will listen and some who don't - that Mr King is much much more th..."Thanks, Richard!
Richard wrote: "P.S I would be very interested to know if you would consider reading any amateur work and giving your opinion?"
By 'amateur' do you mean 'self-published'? Honestly, I very rarely do that. I've come across pretty good 'amateur' books and some books that were so bad I could never even finish them.
Ive never wanted to a story to be longer more than i did after reading this one. As close to perfect as possible.
S.R. wrote: "Ive never wanted to a story to be longer more than i did after reading this one. As close to perfect as possible."I agree! And yet I'm so glad it was as short as it was - it left me wanting for more, but in a good way. I'm glad to see that King can easily crank out not just 1000-pagers full of backstory for every single character but also compact short novels that give you just enough while leaving you desperately wanting for more.
Nataliya wrote: "S.R. wrote: "Ive never wanted to a story to be longer more than i did after reading this one. As close to perfect as possible."I agree! And yet I'm so glad it was as short as it was - it left me ..."
Absolutely! It gives you just enough, yet its soo hard to not want more.
Not just the book makes people cry; your review does, too. Now I've got to read the book! My sister-in-law has been telling me that I had to read it; as usual, Big Sis was right! Thanks for this review.
Ivonne wrote: "Not just the book makes people cry; your review does, too. Now I've got to read the book! My sister-in-law has been telling me that I had to read it; as usual, Big Sis was right! Thanks for this re..."Thanks, Ivonne! I agree with your sister-in-law - I think everyone needs to read this book. It's truly amazing.
Love the King anecdote about the woman on the supermarket. :-)
Susan wrote: "Love the King anecdote about the woman on the supermarket. :-)"Isn't it awesome? I love that it illustrates how our own prejudices can be so I corrects that it's almost comical.
This is a great and apt review. Thanks for sharing. Well said. The film itself is an epitome of fighting spirit a person should keep against all odds and come out as a winner!
"you're gonna look funnier sucking my dick with no teeth." Great review.
Ivonne wrote: "This review brought tears to my eyes."Hopefully good tears?
I must admit, yes, I did dismiss King because of the horror genre (which interests me little). But, after seeing the film, I had to read the novella, and was thoroughly impressed with, as you say, his "captivating storytelling skills and excellent character development."
I have seen this movie over a hundred times. Anyone who knows me knows this is my favorite movie of all time!! This review brought me to tears and well, I’m going to watch the movie again. Great review!!
John wrote: "I must admit, yes, I did dismiss King because of the horror genre (which interests me little). But, after seeing the film, I had to read the novella, and was thoroughly impressed with, as you say, ..."Yes, horror genre can be a turn-off indeed. Had I not discovered King in my childhood (when no horror was ever scary because of adolescent sense of invulnerability) I’m not sure I would have been able to look past the horror either. And thats why I’m so glad that King has this one and The Body exist to show his depth also outside the genre that’s not for all.
Even in his horror books he has so many non-horror slice-of-life wonderful literary sections that show how great of a writer he is even for those turned off by his preferred genre.
Ursula wrote: "I have seen this movie over a hundred times. Anyone who knows me knows this is my favorite movie of all time!! This review brought me to tears and well, I’m going to watch the movie again. Great re..."Thanks, Ursula! I actually caught a little bit of that movie on TV yesterday. It’s very good, and really does justice to the book.
