Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

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Aloysius Nell

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Apr 1, 2014
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Poor Red. Poor Andy. They had no thread so I decided to make one.

The best story (by a hair over The Body) in this collection. I do like the movie, of course, but I'm one of the few who felt it could have been done a little better. Unlike The Green Mile, for example, which was cinematic perfection.

My favorite thing about this story is the narrative voice. So matter of fact; descriptive without being wordy; profound without being self-important. You can easily believe it was written by an intelligent, but uneducated, long-time prisoner. This is why I keep coming back to Stephen King. He's the man with a million voices; he just happens to write them down!
 

Walter Oobleck

keeps coming back...or going, and going, and going
Mar 6, 2013
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I wish we knew more about the process of writing. There's nothing in The Library to indicate inspiration, that sort of thing, not for this one. But it isn't inspiration so much as it is the creative process as in how much of the story was in his head maybe on one of those long walks he takes. If you reduce the story to a few lines of major plot points what does that say about the creative process? Considering what King writes in On Writing...something about outlines...that stories based on an outline are never good. And I might have that wrong so don't quote me but that's how I remember it. I'm sure if I have it wrong someone will be along to spank me. I'd guess that much of this story, the major points anyway, were there swimming around on the surface and the assorted details had to be fished out one by one. And maybe by 'major points' there are/were nothing more than a line or two that could describe the story.
 

Doc Creed

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Nov 18, 2015
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This is one of his best written stories pound for pound. It has a seductive narrative yet is free from pretense or (as Nell says) self-importance. As King would say, "the story shoots straight", and it does. These are two opposing qualities but King makes it work.
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
This was the first SK that I had ever read. It’s a great starting point for anyone new to King. The movie adaptation is one of the few that does a great work justice. I love the audiobook as well.
Yes - you're right about that - The Shawshank Redemption ranks up there with the most favourite movies (I think?) - anyway - I know it's a fantastic movie. We got to see the prison where it was filmed back in 2014 - that was cool