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Matthew's Reviews > Cujo
Cujo
by
by
Matthew's review
bookshelves: horror, stephen-king, own, 2019, audio, read-more-than-once, favorites
Jan 08, 2013
bookshelves: horror, stephen-king, own, 2019, audio, read-more-than-once, favorites
Read 2 times. Last read September 7, 2019 to September 14, 2019.
Original rating: 4 stars
Re-read rating: 5+ stars
It is great when a book is better than I remember! In fact, this may be my favorite Stephen King re-read so far.
I noticed that in general this book tends to get 3 to 3.5 star ratings. While I haven't dug too deep into why this is, if I had to guess I am thinking it is likely because most of this book is not about Cujo. There is a lot of really great extra storytelling and exposition beyond the rabid dog. And, again, this is just guessing, but I figure a lot of people go in wanting the horror of the monster dog, but that doesn't really get going in earnest until two or three hundred pages in. The buildup is fantastic.
This is some of King's best storytelling and character building. I loved learning about everyone in this world and how their lives all came together in the end under the shadow of a drooling, snarling, and insane St. Bernard; a monster of fate, not through any fault of his own - a truly tragic villain.
And the ending? Absolutely gut-wrenching and chilling! I was riveted until the very last page!
I will be adding this to the list of recommendations for first time King readers. If you don't like this one, I am not sure you will end up liking King in general.
Side note:. I didn't remember until the re-read that this book is basically a sequel to The Dead Zone. So, if you are considering reading that one as well as Cujo, read The Dead Zone first.
Re-read rating: 5+ stars
It is great when a book is better than I remember! In fact, this may be my favorite Stephen King re-read so far.
I noticed that in general this book tends to get 3 to 3.5 star ratings. While I haven't dug too deep into why this is, if I had to guess I am thinking it is likely because most of this book is not about Cujo. There is a lot of really great extra storytelling and exposition beyond the rabid dog. And, again, this is just guessing, but I figure a lot of people go in wanting the horror of the monster dog, but that doesn't really get going in earnest until two or three hundred pages in. The buildup is fantastic.
This is some of King's best storytelling and character building. I loved learning about everyone in this world and how their lives all came together in the end under the shadow of a drooling, snarling, and insane St. Bernard; a monster of fate, not through any fault of his own - a truly tragic villain.
And the ending? Absolutely gut-wrenching and chilling! I was riveted until the very last page!
I will be adding this to the list of recommendations for first time King readers. If you don't like this one, I am not sure you will end up liking King in general.
Side note:. I didn't remember until the re-read that this book is basically a sequel to The Dead Zone. So, if you are considering reading that one as well as Cujo, read The Dead Zone first.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
January 8, 2013
– Shelved
March 6, 2014
– Shelved as:
horror
March 6, 2014
– Shelved as:
stephen-king
March 6, 2014
– Shelved as:
own
September 7, 2019
–
Started Reading
September 7, 2019
– Shelved as:
2019
September 7, 2019
– Shelved as:
audio
September 7, 2019
– Shelved as:
read-more-than-once
September 14, 2019
– Shelved as:
favorites
September 14, 2019
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 71 (71 new)
message 1:
by
Victor
(new)
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rated it 3 stars
Sep 14, 2019 02:59PM
This was my first King book and I’m in desperate need of a reread!
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It’s been so many years ago that I read this, as well as The Dead Zone. I do not remember that there’s a connection. I’m thinking about maybe the first half of 2020 being re-reads of SK novels and a couple others. Great review!
Victor wrote: "This was my first King book and I’m in desperate need of a reread!"Do it! 100% guarantee you won't be disappointed! 👍
This is one of the few King books I’ve never read. I think it’s because my mom read it back when I was in high school and told my how much it scared her - I kept choosing his other books instead. Maybe I’m ready now that I’m pushing 50! LOL.
Side note - 2 bats were found to have rabies in the Grand Canyon this week, even though it’s a 4 hour drive away I thought to let my daughter know so she wouldn’t bring her dog up there for the weekend.
Gah...love! Your review is so compelling that I want to go drag my copy upstairs and read it again right now!
Dave wrote: "It’s been so many years ago that I read this, as well as The Dead Zone. I do not remember that there’s a connection. I’m thinking about maybe the first half of 2020 being re-reads of SK novels and ..."Thanks, Dave!
I will say what while it is a "sequel" due to a couple of strong connections, it wouldn't be necessary to read The Dead Zone first to enjoy Cujo. However, in my opinion it spoils one of the key plot points of The Dead Zone.
Greta wrote: "This is one of the few King books I’ve never read. I think it’s because my mom read it back when I was in high school and told my how much it scared her - I kept choosing his other books instead. ..."
Wow! Yeah, that's what makes this book so much more terrifying - the threat is real!
Dita wrote: "Gah...love! Your review is so compelling that I want to go drag my copy upstairs and read it again right now!"Thanks, Dita! 😀
Do it! Do it now! 🤣🤣🤣
It's possible that the gut-wrench ending is another reason many give a lower rating. I've read a few stories about people throwing the book down. Hadn't thought at all about this being a follow-up from the Dead Zone!
Ron wrote: "It's possible that the gut-wrench ending is another reason many give a lower rating. I've read a few stories about people throwing the book down. Hadn't thought at all about this being a follow-up ..."That is a good point! I hadn't thought of that. I threw The Giver across the room for very similar reasons!
Thanks for the reminder to re-read Cujo, my all-time favorite Stephen King, in addition to Misery. Great review.
Pat wrote: "Thanks for the reminder to re-read Cujo, my all-time favorite Stephen King, in addition to Misery. Great review."Thanks, Pat!
I am always glad to remind people about great books! :D
This is on my re-reads list as I had all the good intentions of reading SK books in chronological order. That of course didn't happen so a little pointless because I have a terrible memory. I feel like I would lose all the connections between this and The Dead Zone. Hopefully not though. I read this back in high school and I was probably too young to read this because all I remember is that the main woman is (view spoiler). I'm sure I read this very differently due to my age. Most definitely to be re-read.
Licha wrote: "This is on my re-reads list as I had all the good intentions of reading SK books in chronological order. That of course didn't happen so a little pointless because I have a terrible memory. I feel ..."You are doing better than I was because I didn't even remember what was in your spoiler. I just remembered that there was a big, rabid dog (and I don't think I need to mark that with a spoiler tag! ;))
I hope you enjoy it again if you get to do a re-read!
Great review! I do tend to think this is one of his most underrated books, which is unfortunate.
Great review, Matthew, and I agree! I've always thought that this book is more about character studies and human interaction, and the rabid dog is just kinda the back drop.
Marlise wrote: "Great review! I do tend to think this is one of his most underrated books, which is unfortunate."Thanks, Marlise! I agree - I don't hear this one mentioned all that much when people talk about early King.
Great review Matthew! This book was my first introduction to the Master of Horror back when I was a teenager! I need to do a re-read at some point as I really did love the book. :)
J.K. wrote: "Great review, Matthew, and I agree! I've always thought that this book is more about character studies and human interaction, and the rabid dog is just kinda the back drop."Thanks, J.K. - one thought I had when I started the re-read was that I didn't remember munch, but this is a decent sized book! What else is in here other than the dog!?
Marie wrote: "Great review Matthew! This book was my first introduction to the Master of Horror back when I was a teenager! I need to do a re-read at some point as I really did love the book. :)"Thanks, Marie! I hope you get a chance to check it out again soon! 😀
Excellent review, Matthew, and I agree, one of my favorite King reads as well.
I recall a King interview in which he stated he does not remember writing Cujo because he was so strung out on drugs.
Terry wrote: "Excellent review, Matthew, and I agree, one of my favorite King reads as well."Thanks, Terry! :)
cant wait to read this, fantastic review !
Ryan wrote: "I recall a King interview in which he stated he does not remember writing Cujo because he was so strung out on drugs."I wish I could write even half this well sober!
Matthew wrote: "cant wait to read this, fantastic review !"Thank you, other Matthew! 😁
Awesome review Matthew. I don't think I actually read this back in the day when I read a lot of his books. There seems to be a bit of a Stephen King resurgence going on and even I (the silly old chook who is scared of horror stories) am coming out of my shell and venturing back into the genre. So I should read this eh?
Pat wrote: "Awesome review Matthew. I don't think I actually read this back in the day when I read a lot of his books. There seems to be a bit of a Stephen King resurgence going on and even I (the silly old ch..."Maybe . . . If you are too easily scared by horror stories, parts of this one might be a bit much. But, it is a great book, so it could be worth a try for you. Good luck if you give it a go!
Wonderful review -- remember reading Cujo a long time ago!
Laurene wrote: "Wonderful review -- remember reading Cujo a long time ago!"Thanks, Laurene! :)
The first SK book I ever read. I've been hooked ever since and have re-read Cujo many times. A classic!
Nick wrote: "The first SK book I ever read. I've been hooked ever since and have re-read Cujo many times. A classic!"Yes! Definitely!
Matthew wrote: "Pat wrote: "Awesome review Matthew. I don't think I actually read this back in the day when I read a lot of his books. There seems to be a bit of a Stephen King resurgence going on and even I (the ..."I'm getting better. I haven't come across a book that I had to stop reading because of horror. In fact my aversion may only be to the movies. So who knows...
Pat wrote: "I'm getting better. I haven't come across a book that I had to stop reading because of horror. In fact my aversion may only be to the movies. So who knows..."I keep thinking about this book even though it is months later. Definitely so much more than sheer horror. I definitely think it is worth giving it a go!
Totally agree Matthew, and one reason I rated this book so high! I think this is a superb book of character studies by King really.
I never read the book - just remember the movie. Perhaps I've forgotten enough of the movie to now go back and read the book (?) Thanks for bring back old memories, Matthew!
J.K. wrote: "Totally agree Matthew, and one reason I rated this book so high! I think this is a superb book of character studies by King really."Awesome, J.K.! Definitely - loved it for that and so glad I went back to revisit it. Some of his I revisit I say to myself "okay, yeah, that was good". This one is the first to blow me away the second time around - and it is 100% the characters!
Matthew wrote: "J.K. wrote: "Totally agree Matthew, and one reason I rated this book so high! I think this is a superb book of character studies by King really."
Awesome, J.K.! Definitely - loved it for that and ..."
Very cool! I will have to revisit someday as well ;o)
Awesome, J.K.! Definitely - loved it for that and ..."
Very cool! I will have to revisit someday as well ;o)
Mike wrote: "I never read the book - just remember the movie. Perhaps I've forgotten enough of the movie to now go back and read the book (?) Thanks for bring back old memories, Matthew!"No problem, Mike! I am not sure I ever saw the movie in its entirety. I remember bits a pieces, but I am just not sure. I cannot imagine it is anywhere near as good at the book, but I would like to check it out someday.
Matthew wrote: "Pat wrote: "Awesome review Matthew. I don't think I actually read this back in the day when I read a lot of his books. There seems to be a bit of a Stephen King resurgence going on and even I (the ..."Actually I saw the film when it came out and, although horror, it was fine for me. Its hard to explain why some things are scary and others aren't.
I love the movie , when I get to it I hope the book is just ass brilliant :)
Pat wrote: "Actually I saw the film when it came out and, although horror, it was fine for me. Its hard to explain why some things are scary and others aren't."Totally agree - I love the Friday the 13th for their campy-ness, not because they are scary horror movies. You just never know!
Diana wrote: "Honestly, the ending was the reason for my 3 star rating. It was not what I was hoping for and left a bittersweet feeling in my mind."Sorry to hear that, Diana. But, interesting that different people took it different ways. And, from what I have seen, quite a few out there feel the same as you do!
Duncan wrote: "I've just finished reading Cujo and throughly enjoyed it. I like your comment regarding the book being a sequel to the Dead Zone. There was a moment towards the end where I asked myself, "Is Cujo t..."Exactly! The connections are so cool and creepy!
Great to hear that ! Gotta read this too. Glad it was better this time! Yay for nostalgia. 👻👾
owen cummins wrote: "great book"Indeed! 😁
great review ! I imagine one could spend a lot of time learning about how some of Stephen King's books tie together. I wonder if anyone has ever made a diagram of how they tie together.
Shaina wrote: "Great to hear that ! Gotta read this too. Glad it was better this time! Yay for nostalgia. 👻👾"Yes! Nostalgia is the best!
Ricky wrote: "great review ! I imagine one could spend a lot of time learning about how some of Stephen King's books tie together. I wonder if anyone has ever made a diagram of how they tie together."Thanks, Ricky!
Ask and you shall receive!
