Author: Stephen King
Pages: 683 pages
Published: 1977
Source: owned paperback
Links: Stephen King.com, goodreads fan group
Past horrors and evil lurk in Colorado's Overlook Hotel, threatening winter season caretakers Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their young son, Danny. Gifted with the shining, a clairvoyant Danny must battle the darkest evil in the remote hotel in an attempt to save his family from its influence.
I love love Stephen King as many of you know. This was my first Stephen King book way back in 2001. My mom had always read King ... and so I finally gave his books a go and just fell in love. In 2013 I went to a Stephen King book signing and bought Doctor Sleep. I have been so excited about Doctor Sleep but I just kept putting more and more books in front of reading it (which is why this year I am reading only books I own). A friend of mine wanted to try out a King book last month so I told her I was in and would read the Shining with her! Perfect timing. Well.. my friend didn't make it through chapter 6 of the book. She said it was too scary (and it wasn't even at the scary moments yet!!). I kept reading. I told my sister and my mom I was reading it so they decided to do a little readalong with me. For my mom it was a reread and for my sister it's her first King book. My sister is loving it!
Let's be clear for those of you who have not read the book and only seen the Shining's movie... not the same. I know you hear this all the time but the suspense in the book is so much better then the movie. Plus... King can't stand the Jack Nickleson movie. So... let that tell you something. Some of my readers may know that I run the Stephen King Fan Group on goodreads. Pretty large group and there is a pretty large discussion on the Shining. I love the idea of a haunted house... and The Shining is basically about a hotel (The Overlook) that haunts a caretaker and his family. Sending them into madness!
One thing about this book is that it provokes a lot of thought. Who exactly is haunting who. Is Jack Torrance (the dad) just crazy? I can never decide if I like the character Jack. He is a victim of the hotel, that's true. But then again did he kind of allow it by being the type of character who is easily manipulated?? Danny, the star of the novel has what is called the Shining. A kind of psychic ability where Danny can see the future, ghosts, things of the past, read thoughts, ext. This is why I am excited to get started on the second book Doctor Sleep and see what happens to Danny as an adult.
I love that I live near the area where the hotel (The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) is located. Stephen King stayed here for a while and it inspired this book. I have been to visit the Stanley many times and have even stayed there a few nights. I wanted to stay in Stephen King's room but it is always booked up. This year there is going to be a maze created outside the hotel (the maze is not in the book by the way). I think it will be neat to go up there and visit it and go through it. Here are some pictures from the Stanley Hotel.
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| The 100 year old elevator |
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| The Stanley is in the middle of a town |
I just love this book... it is timeless. The outdated technology makes it even more creepy (no cell phones/direct TV/ Internet/). I recommend this being your first King book if you have never tried one before.
Doctor Sleep Review
The crystal ball says:
Sun is shinning!!! Great day to go outside and read this book.
