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I LOVED this one. It really disturbed me

Great first choice!!!

This is a really good one. Id also recommend The Girl who loved Tom Gordon by King. Its my fave by him. :D

you will LOVE IT !!!

Heather wrote: "I LOVED this one. It really disturbed me"

disturbing it certainly is

Caidyn (BW Book Reviews; he/him/his) wrote: "Great first choice!!!"

phew

Shiro wrote: "This is a really good one. Id also recommend The Girl who loved Tom Gordon by King. Its my fave by him. :D"

will check it out!

Louisa wrote: "you will LOVE IT !!!"

not seeming likely but fingers crossed

you will be horrified and never be able to read again, just sayin

I find that in looking back on Stephen King now, a lot of gender representations are so disturbing. Scarier than the actual books themselves tbh.

Not his best book by far. I used to be Stephen King's biggest fan. Lately, no so much. I don't think this would be a good 1st Kinf book, I wouldn't even recommend The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon as a second. He's known as a horror writer, but I think that springs mostly from his early stuff. His work spans pretty much just about anything. I think if I were going to recommend a 1st book, it would be The Green Mile, maybe Through the Eyes of the Dragon, though that may be a bit long. I will look at my King reads and see if anything else strikes me as something that you might like. Most of his books aren't scary, the supernatural is not a given either. Some of his short fiction surpasses his tomes. Night Shift would be a good start for that. He writes so much and about widely different ideas. Having read so much of his stuff, I am having trouble thinking of what else you might like. I will look and see if there are any more that I can suggest.

Well, obviously I can't spell and I am repeating myself. Going to claim "senior moment" and leave it at that.

Clare wrote: "you will be horrified and never be able to read again, just sayin"

i'm horrified for several reasons but still pretty reading capable

� Alex wrote: "I find that in looking back on Stephen King now, a lot of gender representations are so disturbing. Scarier than the actual books themselves tbh."

YES

izawoodsman wrote: "Not his best book by far. I used to be Stephen King's biggest fan. Lately, no so much. I don't think this would be a good 1st Kinf book, I wouldn't even recommend The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon as a..."

izawoodsman wrote: "Well, obviously I can't spell and I am repeating myself. Going to claim "senior moment" and leave it at that."

thanks v much for the deep thought about it! i'm not sure if i'm going to continue with Project Try Stephen King but if i do i will keep your gr shelves in mind

Go for 11/22/63. That one's not scary but it's on the fantasy/sci-fi/mystery side. Time travel!!!

Victoria wrote: "Go for 11/22/63. That one's not scary but it's on the fantasy/sci-fi/mystery side. Time travel!!!"

i read this one b/c i've been in the mood for a good thriller or horror lately but if i'm feelin time travely i'll look into it!

Ugh. It’s fine to dislike Stephen King as an author. It’s not fine to dissect his novels that were written 30ish years ago because they’re not politically correct enough. Those were different times. Stephen King is very open about his libreral views. Don’t even bother with anymore King. You won’t like any of the subject matter. Stick with YA. I bet you like YA.

Samantha wrote: "Ugh. It’s fine to dislike Stephen King as an author. It’s not fine to dissect his novels that were written 30ish years ago because they’re not politically correct enough. Those were different times..."
Why are you so pressed? If it makes her uncomfortable, then it's completely "fine" for her to comment on it lmao. I'm sure women weren't too thrilled being put into boxes and shown like this 30 years ago either

These are some interesting points you have made, and I'd like to clear some of them up with my own point of view. Most of your points are on the disturbing nature of the novel, and it is entirely fine if you don't like the flavor of bleakness this work presents. But to claim that it is "harmfully stereotypical in terms of race" and "really fond of using sexual assault as a metaphor" is absurd with the context of the book.

Really there are two characters in this novel, one of which is a man, and the other is a woman. Annie works on a farm and takes care of the animals. She is shown time and time again that she is strong and decisive, leading to her growing complexity as the antagonist because the audience makes assumptions about her through the mind of Paul Sheldon, and we then mistake her for being stereo typically slow and weak, when this is antithetical to her nature. I honestly have little to no idea where this "harmful view of women" comes from, other than maybe the fictional Misery novel Paul Sheldon writes.

The fictional Misery novels are specifically designed to be schmaltzy schlock, appealing to the character of Annie Wilkes. Paul is ultimately writing the novel for Annie, and because of this, his writing is a partial attempt to pacify her with an exaggerated world view in line with her's. The African tribes are one dimensional because Annie is a racist bigot who views black people in awful ways, evident by her carelessness in saying the n-word. From Paul's perspective, Annie is another middle aged woman who escapes through his books by imagining their lives as simple Misery Chastain. Misery is one dimensional, similar to how most characters in Young Adult novels lack depth, because the intended audience casts themselves onto her. Paul makes Misery so simple because she lives the life Annie wishes she had. So the stereotypical views of Africans are shaped around Annie, a reclusive bigot, and the stereotypical views of women, which are minor, are made because the Misery novels are made to be about a one dimensional female lead. When you hear Annie say the n-word, you are supposed to feel disdain because she is the antagonist. Stephen King wrote Annie Wilkes as a threat, not a relatable goofster who's a little racist.

Also, the sexual assault metaphors are used to show entrapment of the main character. Again, when King describes Annie's breathing into Paul like she is raping him, he is using striking imagery to show how awful Paul feels.

So, all in all, I think your points are based on a shallow understanding of the novel. I certainly think there are problems with the book, don't get me wrong, but these points are so utterly ridiculous that it seems like you just took the face value of the racism and sexism to mean that the book itself is preaching those things rather than the characters themselves without considering the complex issues these themes play. By seeing the n-word at face value rather than the context, you are essentially making the word meaningless when it has a history. The book uses this history and taking that history out, a history of reclusive bigots who are woefully racist against blacks, means you are turning an eye to all those who suffered under people like Annie Wilkes because you are turning this word into a little thing that you can dislike without looking at the context it is used in. I'm sorry for this rambling, but I really don't understand how you could be so inept with understanding this word's importance. It's also not like anyone accepts this word in the story either: Annie, the only one who uses it, is a town outcast.

Implying that this book is hateful towards women and other races is so deliciously absurd because you are taking out the context for these things. I assure you that Stephen King writes about women who are strong characters, not to strong as to make them inhuman but not to weak as to make them unrealistic. Just look to stories like Gerald's Game and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon to see some empowering stories of women.

You are entitled to your own opinion, especially if you dislike the disturbing nature of it, but when you are this careless with important issues, I hope you see why it hits a nerve.

Lawson Redding Yes Yes Yes! You put into words exactly what I was thinking. Thank you!

Disgusting and disturbing is what Stephen king does best. DuH this book would have both

Adam wrote: "Disgusting and disturbing is what Stephen king does best. DuH this book would have both"

all i said was that it does have both..........we are in agreement

Lawson wrote: "These are some interesting points you have made, and I'd like to clear some of them up with my own point of view. Most of your points are on the disturbing nature of the novel, and it is entirely f..."

ok!! you should write a review of this book. you have more to say about it than i do, which is interesting b/c here we are, in the comments of my review.

we are all entitled to our own opinions and reactions!! i'm not upset over yours and i hope you're not upset over mine.

� jackie ♡ wrote: "Samantha wrote: "Ugh. It’s fine to dislike Stephen King as an author. It’s not fine to dissect his novels that were written 30ish years ago because they’re not politically correct enough. Those wer..."

<3

I didn't mind the book at all, but Misery is King at his KING-iest and not my favorite of his works (not even in the top 10). If that makes sense. He has a particular style that shines through and I wouldn't have recommended this one to you to read first. I usually point people towards Pet Semetary, although the subject matter is (obviously) disturbing and it gives a good show of how grief works and has some interesting things to say on the nature of death and how we process it. If you're up to it one day I'd say try that but (trigger?) warning, some gore and child death (portrayed as suitably horrible rather than sensationalist).

Nick wrote: "yikes"

true

Dida wrote: "I didn't mind the book at all, but Misery is King at his KING-iest and not my favorite of his works (not even in the top 10). If that makes sense. He has a particular style that shines through and ..."

thanks dida!!! you win Best King Fan in the comments of this review!! if i feel like picking up more King i'll try that one out

I haven't read Misery so I can't comment on that one but maybe you would like Dolores Claiborne. I just finished it a couple days ago and thought it was fantastic. If you're willing to give King a second chance, maybe check into that one. :)

I've been a King fan for most of my life but I can totally see why you wouldn't like this book or just his writing style in general. Different strokes for different folks. I mean I enjoy reading your reviews and insights about books you read, but a lot of the YA stuff is not really something I would pick at the library/book store. However the man is one of my heroes and if you don't mind, I'd like to recommend a few books.

I've read a big chunk of his writing and he can be really hit or miss. I find that the more horror-y stuff with supernatural stuff is more to my liking than the stuff that is grounded in reality.

If you want to read another book of his, there are a few that I think you might enjoy. Carrie being one of them, it's creepy but also a really interesting look at being a sheltered teenager. It's the first novel he wrote and almost threw out until his wife encouraged him to finish it and send out to publishers.
It always fascinates me that the master of horror started his career with a book that is heartfelt, tragic and has a teenager coming into her own as a woman at the centre of it's story.

King gets a lot of criticism about his politics bleeding trough in his writing, being too left and sjw-ish (which tbh I'm glad he is). His latest novella Elevation is kind of a response to that. It handles the (uncomfortable) fact that most of his stories take place in small towns, what that means for it's politics and how they would handle an outspoken, gay couple moving in to town.

And if you want a huge book to get sucked in with a sprawling cast I would definitely recommend The Stand or Under the Dome. Just be aware that themes like (sexual) abusese are very common in his writing, but I feel like it's not to glorify it but to condemn it. Especially in his later writing. The world changed a lot in the past decades and going back to some of his older works really shows that. It doesn't stop me from enjoying the stories but definitely makes me pause for a moment and reflect on it.

I have a similar thing at the moment with Sherlock Holmes, I've been reading the complete collected works and some of the language about foreigners and women are outdated to say the least.

I definitely recommend giving his other books a try. It's a very mixed bag with SK. IT is his best, imo. The Institute is pretty great, too!

Jillian wrote: "I haven't read Misery so I can't comment on that one but maybe you would like Dolores Claiborne. I just finished it a couple days ago and thought it was fantastic. If you're willing to give King a ..."

i'll keep that in mind!!

Sander wrote: "I've been a King fan for most of my life but I can totally see why you wouldn't like this book or just his writing style in general. Different strokes for different folks. I mean I enjoy reading yo..."

thank you so much for this very thoughtful and kind comment! Carrie is definitely one i'll consider picking up - but also i'm wary of picking up more King, since there's a decent chance i won't love it and i know he's an author who means a lot to a lot of people. but i'll be thinking about your recs!! thanks again :)

Tucker wrote: "I definitely recommend giving his other books a try. It's a very mixed bag with SK. IT is his best, imo. The Institute is pretty great, too!"

omg idk if i'll ever be able to read IT. but i'll likely pick up something by him eventually!

Catty K wrote: "I found the CPR/rape imagery really offputting from the start, to the extent that I'm not sure if my feels are towards the character or the writer himself."

this is something i had a VERY tough time with too

I think this is his worst book. I hated it. It (the novel not the movie) is very good, but for my money it's Salem's Lot.

Michael wrote: "I think this is his worst book. I hated it. It (the novel not the movie) is very good, but for my money it's Salem's Lot."

this validation is THRILLING (and now i feel like i don't have to swear off King)

- really fond of using sexual assault as a metaphor (cool cool cool)
- harmfully stereotypical in terms of race (the Africa references/setting)
- harmfully stereotypical in terms of gender (so much man-goes-to-work woman-stays-home)
- honestly just pretty hateful toward women??
- all for using the n word without blinking, apparently

Oh, look, a list of all of the reasons why I'm sooooo apprehensive about reading old books by Stephen King. I swear to you, I've had several of his classics on my tbr and physical shelf for YEARS and I'm just so not motivated to ever pick them up for these reasons.

Also, some people are really upset at this review. Geez😂🤣

Danielle wrote: "- really fond of using sexual assault as a metaphor (cool cool cool)
- harmfully stereotypical in terms of race (the Africa references/setting)
- harmfully stereotypical in terms of gender (so much..."

right??! & ik, apparently this is how Certain Individuals feel when someone dares say anything negative about king stephen king :p

Danielle & emma:
I am someone NOT upset by your review. I am not a huge s King fan, call him whatever you like. However, you have to ignore a lot of that because it was considered normal back then. While I hated Misery, there are frightfully (Like what I did there?!) good books by him from his early era. (It & Salem's Lot to name two). Just let that hated crap bounce off. I don't read his modern stuff as I think it does not compare to some of the old. Not trying to glorify the things on your list, but he was a master of his genre at that time. There's stuff in current works I ignore and I'm sure you do too.

totally agree with you. i have to read the book for my literature class in university and while i really like the writing style in and of itself and it has the potential to be a really good book, that rape metaphor on lit PAGE TWO put me off so much that it kinda taints my opinion on the whole book. its very uncomfortable. and not in the good "this is a horror book" way.

Makes me want to read it even more now!

I am half way through Misery and I'm seriously considering not finishing it.... Someone said it gets better after the half but I guess I'm not there yet. This book is not doinv oit for me.

I just started reading it and its definitely more disturbing than scary... is that what SK is about? Its my first SK book

We should take into account that it was published in the 80s. And while all the things you pointed out were wrong then and are wrong now, it wasn't that frowned upon back then. And women staying at home and men going to work was the norm. Just saying

i mean ... welcome to the king club? all of this is well known about his writing. he is considered a problematic writer. none of what you have written is a revelation.

Stop being so sensitive towards the content and what it may portray its fiction get over it

I've always wondered why Stephen King's so called novels are so popular amongst women. I haven't been able to finish any of his books because of the blatant misogyny in them. Also his style of writing is ridiculously corny and banal. Anyone could write this crap if they hated women and minorities enough.

Johanna wrote: "I've always wondered why Stephen King's so called novels are so popular amongst women. I haven't been able to finish any of his books because of the blatant misogyny in them. Also his style of writ..."

some women aren't as afraid or easily offended

That's not fair
This book is the only definition of creepy and it scared the life out of my body
Don't get me wrong it doesn't have any paranormal stuff in it however it's the greatest suspense novel ever
Reading it is soooo disturbing and awkward , however that's the POINT
I think you are ignorant, you should have read this one slower so that you would dive deep inside the story and put yourself in Paul Sheldon's shoes