Thoughts on Different Seasons

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The Walkin' Dude

Well-Known Member
Jul 5, 2016
47
267
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Charlotte, NC
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption: I saw the film before reading the novella, and both are damn near perfect. Different Seasons lives up to its name and concept in that the works in it are very different for King. This is a great start. Red is an incredible narrator and Andy Dufresne is an incredible character. Extremely compelling stuff that makes you love to see how it ends even when you already know what happens. One of my favorite King stories that leaves you, obviously, full of hope.

Apt Pupil: This story is so, for lack of a better term, ****ed up. To me at least. The imagery of the horrible acts the Nazis committed and then in turn the horrible acts that Todd and Dussander commit later are some of King's most gruesome. Todd's declining sanity is done masterfully here, as is Dussander's cleaning of the skeletons out of his closet. (And I had no idea that the Anthrax song was based on this story!) The ending is equally as horrid. Really messed up stuff.

The Body: I consider this to be a literal masterpiece and I've been trying to find other words to describe why I love this one so much but I'm failing at it. King absolutely nails childhood and the way the world is to you at that age. This story is so simple yet so incredible. It's kind of neat that this came a little bit before It, it's like he was warming up for a full fledged (and incredibly long!) novel about childhood. Again, this is a masterpiece to me.

The Breathing Method: A bit of a somber ending, but what do you expect from early King? This isn't a favorite, nor does it fall at the bottom for me. It's a great story that never bored me throughout and the mystery of the club and its members keeps you hanging on til the end and even after.
 

Lynnie L

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2016
314
1,637
64
Tarpon Springs, FL
I agree that RH and the Shawshank Redemption and The Body were absolute masterpieces. It was also refreshing that the movie versions of both were very well done. Also agree that The Breathing Method was not a favorite for me but still a good read. Apt Pupil is one of my all time favorites, probably because of it's f**ked-up-ness. I thought it was fascinating, scary, VERY unsettling, and some of the things I read and/or see on the news are much, much worse, if that's possible. Todd and Dussander both appeared normal, even ordinary, and the layers of slime below the surface that bubbled up was terrifying, in my view. I thought the ending was fair, much more so than the movie version.
 

mjs9153

Peripherally known member..
Nov 21, 2014
3,494
22,165
I thought Apt Pupil was almost a metaphor for what went on in Germany and Europe during WW2..almost like things start out so quiet,almost nondescript,and morph into evil beyond belief..