So I decided that my first book review should be of my favorite book ever. I know it is going to sound cheesy, hokey, and completely out of place for someone who claims to have read many of the "classics", but my favorite book ever is Stephen King's It. That is right. IT.
This book is an extremely powerful story about love and friendship. What makes it even better is that it is wrapped up in a suspenseful horror/sci-fi setting.
The basic premise of the book is that 7 grade school outcasts develop a friendship with each other and band together to fight a powerful evil. The evil returns 30 years later, and they have to return to their hometown, rekindle their forgotten friendship, and destroy the evil for good.
Stephen King's novels are often hit or miss on character and plot development; with many of them not having any at all. This novel, however, is in my opinion one of his greatest achievements (only to be surpassed by the Dark Tower series). You can't help but fall in love with the characters, feeling their pain and their triumphs. You are completely immersed in the story as if you were one of the 7, fighting to save your loved ones.
The downside of IT is that it is over 1000 pages long. There were also various "diary entries" scattered throughout that added to the length of the story but in my opinion were not necessary to the plot. They serve the purpose of adding background information for the plot, but skipping them all together would not cause the reader to miss out on any of the story elements. I will admit that I skip those portions when reading the book.
Overall though, even for being over 1000 pages it is a very easy and enjoyable read. The first time that I read this book I was in 6th grade, and I was able to finish it in a few weeks. I am well out of college now and I still read this book every few years, and still find it just as enjoyable.
One word of caution though - if you saw the movie, please do not hold it against the book. That was one of the WORST book-to-movie renditions I have ever seen in my life. The movie did not capture the love and friendship that existed within the group, it did not explain what IT really was (it didn't even try, it wasn't even in the wrong ballpark, but the wrong sport!), and it didn't develop the plot or characters in any way that made the watcher care at all. The book is much different, and much better. The movie does it absolutely no justice.
So give it a chance, read it, and let me know what you think:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I've never read a Stephen King novel though I've enjoyed many of the films that were made from them. Maybe it's time to finally try one! That's certainly a surprising choice for favourite book.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a very interesting book to read. My favorite book of ALL TIME is the hunger games and catching fire. I know that they were made for teens but they are amazing in the same way the giver is amazing. i highly recommend it.
ReplyDelete