Kelli's Reviews > The Shawshank Redemption

Anyone driving north on Rte 3 "down in Massachusetts" this morning may have passed a girl driving an SUV, one hand covering her mouth, tears pouring down her face and neck. They may have wondered in passing if she was having a rough morning or had received some bad news...but would anyone ever guess that she was in throes of this cathartic sobfest courtesy of Stephen King and the beautiful final passages of The Shawshank Redemption? Probably not.

I cannot believe I have never read this. Actually, I listened to the audio and the narrator was superb. Having seen the movie countless times and identifying it as my all-time favorite, I pictured Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins throughout the story but that neither added to nor detracted from the experience for me...and this was just that...an experience. I am at a loss to articulate how truly magnificent this story is. The cadence and vernacular were perfection and the story was nothing short of brilliant: a story about friendship, hope and perseverance that will have you smiling through tears at the end. 5 stars.