Creepy Book Club discussion
This topic is about
The Exorcist
The Exorcist (January 2020 Book)
>
PART 4: "And let my cry come unto thee..." + End of Book Discussion
date
newest »
newest »
Please don't throw me out of this book club for this review lol...I was disappointed by this novel I general. Maybe because I hold the film in such high regard. I commend Blatty for tackling this subject, but the pacing was so off for me and the ending was incredibly rushed. I needed more Father Merrin. I think the actual exorcism should've been drawn out a bit more.
I would NEVER throw you out for that...because I also did not enjoy this book all that much!
The book seemed way more focused on Chris and the politics of the church and exorcisms than anything else. Regan and even Father Karras seemed like they were on the backburner for most of the book...in fact, the book hardly seems about Regan at all, which seems the complete opposite in the movie.
As I said in my other reviews, I wasn't that fond of Book Chris, I thought she got really annoying after a while and it really didn't seem like her character had an arc of any kind. I would have liked more of Father Karras and WAY more of Father Merrin...poor guy just swoops in and is killed like ten pages later.
I thought Blatty's writing got a little repetitive and boring (especially regarding the whole of Part 3 when Karras is trying to find evidence of possession). I was also not a fan of the words "eroticism" and "sensually" being used in the infamous crucifix scene....gave me an icky feeling.
In my opinion, Blatty did a phenomenal job translating this for the screen, but the book seems like it was written by someone else in comparison. This will be one of the very few times that I'll admit the movie is far better than the book!
The book seemed way more focused on Chris and the politics of the church and exorcisms than anything else. Regan and even Father Karras seemed like they were on the backburner for most of the book...in fact, the book hardly seems about Regan at all, which seems the complete opposite in the movie.
As I said in my other reviews, I wasn't that fond of Book Chris, I thought she got really annoying after a while and it really didn't seem like her character had an arc of any kind. I would have liked more of Father Karras and WAY more of Father Merrin...poor guy just swoops in and is killed like ten pages later.
I thought Blatty's writing got a little repetitive and boring (especially regarding the whole of Part 3 when Karras is trying to find evidence of possession). I was also not a fan of the words "eroticism" and "sensually" being used in the infamous crucifix scene....gave me an icky feeling.
In my opinion, Blatty did a phenomenal job translating this for the screen, but the book seems like it was written by someone else in comparison. This will be one of the very few times that I'll admit the movie is far better than the book!
Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the film!
I agree! Glad you enjoyed it!
This is my second time reading the book and I think I have the unpopular opinion in this group hahaha. I really do enjoy this book, not as much as the film because it is my favorite movie. I do agree with everyone's opinions of it, especially about Chris. However I do enjoy this book and it definitely leaves me unsettled in some of the part unlike the movie. But it is one of the rare cases where I enjoy the movie more.
There were aspects to the book that I liked...I think this is one of those books that is far more enjoyable if you don't know the ending. That way, the red herrings and the 'is she or isn't she possessed' creates more drama and tension. Since I was so familiar with the movie, the tension in the book was ruined for me, unfortunately
I have the unpopular opinion of this being my favorite horror book of all time haha. I can definitely see why it is not everyone's cup of tea though :)
Just finished reading the book, and I loved it! I guess it's an unpopular opinion lol. But I think what helped is that part 3 and 4 I listened to on Audible (which was read by the author)so that might changed my perspective on those parts. I really enjoyed Karras, the Karl storyline and Lieutenant Kinderman. I was shocked how little father Merrin is in the story. I really enjoyed it, and wait to watch the movie now. This book has been on my TBR forever, it feels awesome to cross it off the list :)
Hi everyone. Nightmare Maven and I just did a video together on The Exorcist novel and film. If you are interested in hearing some of our thoughts, I'll leave the link below. We go into a lot of the things listed in this discussion. Hope you like it! https://youtu.be/YzoLRCt3UYA
Mod
Just finished the book. I still love it just as much as I did the first time I read it!
Thank you everyone for your awesome reviews whether you liked it or disliked it, I loved hearing everyone's thoughts! It's always interesting to see how people react to reading a book that such a popular horror movie is based upon.
I'll post my video review here as soon as I'm done editing it (spoiler alert: it features your reviews!)
I'll post my video review here as soon as I'm done editing it (spoiler alert: it features your reviews!)
Also, how did the book compare to the 1973 film adaptation?