Wow, what a debut novel! Carrie may be short, especially compared to the considerable length of many of his later novels. That being said, King packed a considerable punch into less than 250 pages. The action never let up, and I found myself unable to put it down. Despite seeing both versions of the movie prior to reading to the novel, in many ways it still felt like a brand new story. In my opinion, there are very few authors who can build suspense even when you know what's going to happen next, but that's what King managed to do with this novel. It's such a raw, unflinching novel that showed the world his unlimited potential. One of the most amazing things to me was the novel didn't feel dated to me at all, despite being published over 40 years ago.
One of the scariest elements of Carrie was, without question, Margaret White. She is scary as hell. In Carrie (and later in Children of the Corn), King shows that religious fanaticism is truly terrifying. I find it such a scary element because it's so real, and has been throughout history. In my opinion, Margaret was just as responsible, if not more, than the bullying teenagers in contributing to Carrie's meltdown.
I loved the first-hand accounts of the town's destruction. I felt like I was standing on the sidewalk watching Carrie tear the town apart.
All in all, Carrie is a great debut novel by a true master.
Rating: 9/10
Up Next: I continue my chronological journey with Salem's Lot.
One of the scariest elements of Carrie was, without question, Margaret White. She is scary as hell. In Carrie (and later in Children of the Corn), King shows that religious fanaticism is truly terrifying. I find it such a scary element because it's so real, and has been throughout history. In my opinion, Margaret was just as responsible, if not more, than the bullying teenagers in contributing to Carrie's meltdown.
I loved the first-hand accounts of the town's destruction. I felt like I was standing on the sidewalk watching Carrie tear the town apart.
All in all, Carrie is a great debut novel by a true master.
Rating: 9/10
Up Next: I continue my chronological journey with Salem's Lot.