The scariest thing in this book isn't the ghosts. The battle between good and evil in Jack's mind is the sacariest thing for me. Alcoholism, lack of emotional control, anger... These ghosts are very real.
For me it's just that their lives are fundamentally ruined. Danny is being taught to ultimately tolerate abuse, Wendy has to pick her poison between jack or mother and regardless is co-dependent on Jack both emotionally and financially and Jack is in a world where he's is jobless, not only has a ruined reputation but lives in a world where child abuse is considered unforgivable all the way into prisons cells.
Exactly! This is why the movie, while a great horror flick, is a terrible adaptation. It's such a brave attempt to take an honest look at why we fall into addiction, and why we want to hurt our loved ones.
Stephen King books seem to be love or hate haha. Just watched one reviewer who was utterly unimpressed, and I needed to find a review that encapsulated my love of The Shining.
True. I like Kings writing style, except for him often rambles. I like the story of the Shining; but I hated every character in it. And the book is too long.
I'm with her. I'm reading it right now and it's a huge let down. I have seen the movie and know the ending of the book already anyway so that may be the issue but I'm finding it mostly boring with mostly filler and characters that I don't identify with at all. A couple of scary parts but that's it. I'm reading 11/22/63 at the same time and it's phenomenal! Head and shoulders above The Shining!
I'm currently reading all his books in publication order. Carrie and Salem's Lot was very good. I'm rereading The Shining but I know it's an amazing story. I can't wait to read more of his books.
Florence Chipindu Kusangaya the movie disappointed me. The movie portrayed jack as a crazy person the second he stepped in the hotel but at the book it happens slowly overtime
How was Jack portrayed as crazy the second he stepped into the hotel? He wasn't. Also, it's truly pointless to compare books to films. A film takes two hours to watch a book takes much longer to finish.
@@dociebiemowie915 he really does appear crazy even at the beginning of the film tho. even in the car ride on the way to the overlook, jack has this crazy look in his eyes while he's talking to his family. the book definitely spent much more time showing the evolution of Jack's insanity- from the very manifestation to the very peak. and in this case from book to movie, the movie was great, but regardless of the time it had, it was overall just an awful adaptation of the book, not that Kubrick ever intended it to be. but King definitely thought it would be more so, so I think it is worth it to compare the 2.
@@kenzieodonnell6257 I would say he isn't even crazy in the book. If you'll remember, the book had the allegory of the 'hornet's nest', and at the time Steven King himself was going through an alcohol addiction; and in the book I thought that Jack was simply an addict, trying to get back on track but always sticking his hand back into the 'hornet's nest'. The hotel seemed to be the ultimate addiction and it simply overcame him.
I read a lot of Stephen king books. And none of them scared me. When I read the shining, with all that happened in the book I wasn’t scared. But the only thing that freaked me out was the hedges. They creeped me out the most. I think there is something wrong with me. Broken that im not scared like wanting to put the book in the freezer like Joey in friends. lol.
I just finished it today, I really liked it! The story and characters are great and interesting. I just think there were a few spots where, like you said, so much description was unnecessary. I also think it could've been shortened. But I think the ending really saved it for me.
I've read many classic horror novels, and The Shining beats them all. I've read about ten Stephen King books, and The Shining is easily my favorite because something is always happening in the novel instead of tons of description like in his other books. Also, The Shining is some of his best writing. For example, his novel "It" is written excellently, but drags on and on with description.
Personally I've found The Shining my fav book he wrote. There are some others that just wasnt for me, but The Shining is a masterpiece. Books I recommend to you since you like Horror and are scary is one by Stephen King son Joe Hill "Nos4atu" and "Rabbit In Red" by Joe Chianakas one of my favs.
gv105468 yes The Shining is incredible, I almost didn’t read it because I wasn’t a big fan of Pet Sematary, but i’m honestly so glad I gave it a try. and thank you so much for those recommendations!! i’ll definitely check them out!
I was book shopping yesterday and I had to choose between Pet Sematary and The Shining, and idk what prompted me to choose The Shining instead but I’m so glad I did! I’m going to start reading it tonight while playing some creepy music and I’m so excited!! Thank you for this review!! ☺️💜
So I'm 62% in according to play books. Loved the movie so finally decided to read it. There is definitely some unsettling stuff. I won't reveal specifics but it was mostly when it came to stuff about Jack's inner psyche instead of actual ghosts. Some chapters that really stood out for unsettlings moments include: Night Thoughts, Dreamlands, and snowmobile When it comes to the over description thing yeah it doesn't really bother me. There was some throughout but he usually redirects to a good place fast. I might have a huge bias since the shining is my favorite movie so I love the little facts about the characters and the overlook even if unnecessary
You have a really contagious energy to your videos. You’re smiling and bouncing your words across, and it makes me smile back. Plus you have a really honest approach to your review, where yes you did begin to ramble about how much you liked the book, but not so long that you became repetitive or unnecessary. It conveyed the point. All that to say, great video, I hope to see you do more review-type things in the future :)
Dude! When you said it was life changing I absolutely agree! And OMG my first 2 King books were Pet Cemetery then IT. You got my sub. The shining is an example of pinnacle level terror fiction. IT was even more intense. Try the Dark Half next, or the best trippy/action horror novel ever "Firestarter".
My first King book was Pet Sematary too!! It didn't scare me at all. 😩 and i've been looking at IT for a while and the Shining!! So glad i found your video! 😁
This book is extraordinary! It was definitely life changing, the only thing I would say is I wasn’t scared by the book and I’m 12. The book was more suspenseful than horror. My dad has read everything Stephen king has published and is a big fan so I decided to read one of his books and I loved it. I’m not aloud to read it ☹️ but maybe soon.
I am currently reading the book, right now on page 288. But the book is quite boring. I am almost at half the book, but absolutely nothing has happened yet! After 2 weeks trying to read it, I almost returned the book to the library today, just to decide at the the last minute to continue reading for 2 more weeks. But according to some people, the end seems to be better. Most of the book revolves around the husband and his alcoholism. Unfortunately he is a very unlikable character, agressive to his wife and son, disrespectful to his boss and even his friends. I am much more interested right now in the son and his super-powers, but the book does not seem to focus on him. If the hotel is haunted, why is it that only the husband is affected, but not the son and wife? The film definitely seems to be better than the book. Stephen King has written better books. I haven't read many of his books, but my favorite is "The Dead Zone".
Jack’s characterization is boring? It was the very thing that kept me reading. If Stephen King handled this book like how you wanted letting Danny just flaunt his powers, I think a lot of people would have hated this book.
It had too many tangents to me. It could have been half as long, even though it's about a 12 hour read. Too many character studies and flashbacks, the very things he advises against in On Writing. Maybe because it has so few characters, he had to fill it out. It was only his third book. It had some great ideas though that appeared in the movie, except for the topiary and the ending.
@@hindustanishroud7807 I really liked it, the first 100 pages were quite boring but it got better and it's one of my favourite books, I hope you'll like it as much me haha
Welp, I'm now in Part 3 of this novel! And... wow... first I read Carrie. Good novel, short story, doesn't have much lore into it but it's ok for the first book in 1974! Now, I'm reading The Shining, King's third novel and it's GRRREAT! In other novels, I don't understand s___ about it. THIS one, not only gets my interests in (which is really rare), it also seems to give easy-yet-hard descriptions, enough for me to understand. I guess I'm not the only one who likes King's novels, hehe!
Just finished this book and oh my god it was amazing!! I read part of Pet Semetry too but DNF’d it a couple years ago so this put me off King a bit. So glad I tried this one out though! 😃
I just read it. It is good in and of itself. The movie is similar but very different too. Anyway, I read the one about JFK that was made into a Hulu miniseries. I liked both, but that wasn’t a horror story. I really enjoyed this book. I read most of it at work where there isn’t a window and it is really hard to tell what time it is.
Normaly I don't like books that much. I don't read them and don't like them. But when I watched this video, I just wanted to read this book. I love your energy and the way you talk about something you really like. Thank you for making reading fun again.
Great review - my first King book was also Pet Cemetery and I thought, what? This is like, terrible! So knowing Miranda was on the same page, and critical and honest made me pay attention. So I'm going to give the Shining a go.
I began to read Stephen King novels when I was 10 y/o. The Shining scared the shit outta me. It was the second novel of his I read and it probably wasn't the best idea for a 10 y/o kid to read but I didn't care because I was addicted to being frightened. I liked it mostly because I could still identify with the kid in the story. Same with Salem's Lot. That was the last time I remember vampires being truly frightening.
I read The Shining when I was fourteen. At night. It absolutely terrified me. So much so that I was literally afraid to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Lol. I've read a lot King, and he's an excellent writer in many ways. But The Shining remains my favourite. I keep hoping King's next book will as scary, but it never is. (I hated the sequel, Doctor Sleep.)
The Shining is good. But as far as Per Sematary...it was meant to be unnerving, not scary. It deals with death, grieving, and depression and the effects it would have on the individual. But when you have kids try reading it again and you'll see what I mean.😉
I have the book and the movie to got them both the same day because the shining is one of my favorite horror movie and book because it is good i can't decide which is better the book or the film because there both are good.
Ronald Burrow i agree! the movie has a few things that are different from the book, yet I think they did a wonderful job with it and all the changes they did look amazing on screen!
Devouring Books i’ve never read that one! yes it’s very easy for me to get bored with horror books as well, i really like it when the plot catches my attention!!
I just finished this book last night and I feel the same exact way and share the same enthusiasm as you do about the book! So good! I haven’t read many King books but am definitely going to read more. Picking up Doctor Sleep tonight! If you have read it I would love to know your thoughts and feeling on the book!
Shayelynn L yay!! that makes me so happy that you liked it too!! Also Doctor Sleep is very well done as well, i don't like it as much as The Shining, but it was still great!
Really good book! Read it during the beginning of the pandemic (probably not the best idea since it has a lot of isolation feels) but so good. Really shows Stephen Kings struggle with alcoholism in his early days of sobriety working hand in hand with Jack's character. Very interesting. Thank you for this review! I am starting Doctor Sleep now.
@@lilysksksk3133 was great. Didn't disappoint one bit. Horror wasn't really my genre but this book changed my mind. It's the horror of the mind as most people say that's really horrifying in it. Characters are beautifully crafted, development feels surreal,keeps you at the edge of your seat. All in all definitely lives up to the hype and surpasses it even.
I just finished the book and wow I agree! 5 stars for me too. It's so great! My favourite book I have read. Loved your review , thanks so much I really related to it 😀❤️🙏
I just finished the book of the shining and while I loved the Kubrick film, it is NOT the book. The book is incredible. Question: I’m confused, did Jack redeem himself a bit by CAUSING the boiler to explode against the will of the hotel or did he try (in vain) to keep it from exploding? I am unclear.
By that point in the book, the hotel pretty much killed what was left of Jack. So the hotel really did try to save itself. “I win, I win!” I’m a little mixed about the hotel taking over Jack instead him simply accepting his insanity( which is weird because he pretty much did accept his fate with the hotel when he was looking for the ski battery). At least this Jack was much better than Jack Nicholson. Absolutely no characterization with the movie Jack. The directors just told him, “just be yourself lol.”
The fact that the narrative refers to him as “it” in that last scene suggests there’s absolutely nothing left of Jack. The hotel, acting through Jack’s body, tries to save itself but by then it’s too late.
@@lazlo686That’s no really the truth. Film Jack is a metaphor of what Stephen King feared during is alcoholism period. A man harming his family. The character dosen’t have the warmth of his character in the book because he’s not suppose too. He’s an accurate depiction of an abusive self-destructing alcoholic father. Wendy is an accurate depiction of the victim who has to just suck up too their abuser to avoid getting harmed. That’s what most fans of the book miss. Kubrick understood The Shining better than King in my opinion. Jack in the film is also a man suffering from the overwhelming job of adulthood. Jack wants to be a kid again, the Overlook is his only escapism for that & Kubrick uses subtext to support this idea. “All Work, No Play makes Jack a dull boy.”
I really hope her saying that Danny’s ability to read peoples mind isn’t a spoiler of the mystery of what the shining is. Haven’t read it, but I hope that’s not a big revelation that I won’t be surprised about now lol 😞
Yaa I finished the shining chapter a couple days ago and I have to say it’s been my favorite chapter so far. “Mr. Hallorann why does she like that man’s pants so much?” Freakin cracked me up! Crazy how funny King is and how he’s able to put himself in the mind of an innocent 5 year old so well!
I just finished reading The Shining, and I honestly didn’t like it, I really wanted to like it though so bad, I heard many great things about it, but I just didn’t !! I rate it 0/5 stars
helloo, i wanted to buy this book it’s my first horror and my first stephen king book. i was wondering if it’s REALLY SCARY and disturbing, like is it not recommended for the faint hearted or is it okay to read?
King's style was sharper and tighter in his earlier books. I honestly think he wrote better when he was hitting the booze and illegal substances. For the last 30/35 years his stuff has been in need of more efficient editing because the unnecessary padding has been excruciating. 11/22/63, for instance, is a masterpiece, but it could easily have been a better book if cut by a good 60/70 pages. These days his stuff is mostly fodder. A shame really.
I actually really have enjoyed some of his newer novels. For example, I am currently enjoying my time reading the Gwendy's Button Box series, and The Institute is one of my favorite King books. Not to mention Duma Key, Under the Dome, and the fantastic Mr. Mercedes trilogy. I am a fan of all King books, and honestly, I don't think his work has wavered in its strength over time. His experiences in life always will affect his writing as time goes on of course; I just personally don't keep in mind when his books were written when I jump into them. His old stuff is amazing, as is his new stuff. All my opinion though :)
i especially agree with the side thought thing! (8:09) also such great characters. loved them instantly!! really impressive and powerful. i love how brutal and real stephen king can write. it makes you think. Also loved Pet Semetary, dunno if youve read it though
quick question what are the purpose of the sticky notes in your book? just curious cause I want to know if I should analyze the books I read or should I just read them through. Thanks.
mac pie I use sticky notes as a way for me to visually see how a book develops & how it affects me. I like the look of sticky notes, and I also enjoy going back to places in the book that stuck out to me or quotes that I like! I usually use anywhere from 2 to 5 colors on one book, and each color means something different to me. in the shining, the blue represents characterization, the pink means any scenes that stuck out to me, the dark pink means that a scene was really scary/creepy, and the yellow represents quotes or something I thought was important for me to note. :) I hope this helped!! I love analyzing books so if you want to give it a go, I definitely encourage you to!
Yes I do! I usually just underline/highlight anything that sticks out to me. The sticky notes are also color coordinated (one color usually represents character development, one represents setting/worldbuilding, etc.)
@@mirandas_universe the plastic film they have on them. I've read salems lot and the stand in anchor books paperback and both the time the film came off a little all over the edges. Yours is still in perfect condition!
oh that's so interesting, I have never noticed a plastic wrapper! I'm someone who would pick at it a lot if I noticed it LOL so maybe it's a good thing I haven't seen any film come off haha
Andrej Šumer funny story, I purchased it at a thrift store one day! it’s actually on my shelf waiting to be read right now!! no one has said anything to me about it before, so thank you for recommending!! :)
Miranda - this book is very good. It is longer than Shining. Duma Key is special book. I have read some King`s books so far (Needful things, Dark Half, IT, Revival, Desperation, Gwendy`s Button Box) but Duma Key is different. Maybe you Will like it. I hope so :)
@@mirandas_universe duma key is one of my stephen king sleepers...nobody talks about it..but there is one scene i still think about everyone now and again that scared the living shit outta me....and the characters are top notch of course.
