Who Would Like This Book:
If you love unsettling horror mixed with heartfelt coming-of-age tales, "It" is a must-read. Stephen King crafts an immersive world in Derry, Maine, where both supernatural and real-life evils lurk beneath small-town Americana. Readers are drawn into the brilliant character development - the Losers Club feels like old friends by the end - and the story really shines in its depiction of childhood trauma, friendship, and the sharp contrast between childhood imagination and adult rationality. Fans of rich atmosphere, nostalgia-fueled horror, and psychological drama will find a lot to love here.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers find "It" to be a little too long and slow in places, with plenty of side tangents that don’t always drive the plot forward. The timeline-jumping structure can be confusing, and there’s an infamous scene late in the book that many find deeply uncomfortable and unnecessary. Others take issue with the outdated social attitudes and language, as well as some unnecessarily graphic or disturbing content (especially involving kids). If you prefer concise storytelling or are sensitive to violence and explicit material, this one might not be for you.
About:
Many readers found "It" by Stephen King to be a terrifying and captivating horror novel that delves into the depths of childhood fears and the impact of those fears on adulthood. The story follows a group of friends who must face a malevolent clown named Pennywise that preys on children in their town of Derry. As the friends grow up and move on with their lives, they are forced to confront their past traumas when Pennywise resurfaces, leading to a chilling and suspenseful showdown.
Stephen King's writing style in "It" is praised for its ability to create a rich and immersive atmosphere, drawing readers into the eerie and sinister world of Derry. The novel weaves together elements of horror, friendship, and coming-of-age themes, keeping readers on the edge of their seats with its intricate plot and well-developed characters.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book contains themes of violence, child murder, sexual abuse, animal cruelty, and racism.
From The Publisher:
It: Chapter Two-now a major motion picture!
Stephen King's terrifying, classic #1 New York Times bestseller, "a landmark in American literature" (Chicago Sun-Times)-about seven adults who return to their hometown to confront a nightmare they had first stumbled on as teenagers…an evil without a name: It.
Welcome to Derry, Maine. It's a small city, a place as hauntingly familiar as your own hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real.
They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they are grown-up men and women who have gone out into the big world to gain success and happiness. But the promise they made twenty-eight years ago calls them reunite in the same place where, as teenagers, they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city's children. Now, children are being murdered again and their repressed memories of that terrifying summer return as they prepare to once again battle the monster lurking in Derry's sewers.
Readers of Stephen King know that Derry, Maine, is a place with a deep, dark hold on the author. It reappears in many of his books, including Bag of Bones, Hearts in Atlantis, and 11/22/63. But it all starts with It.
"Stephen King's most mature work" (St. Petersburg Times), "It will overwhelm you…to be read in a well-lit room only" (Los Angeles Times).
Ratings (486)
Incredible (143) | |
Loved It (184) | |
Liked It (93) | |
It Was OK (36) | |
Did Not Like (23) | |
Hated It (7) |
Reader Stats (751):
Read It (510) | |
Currently Reading (9) | |
Want To Read (132) | |
Did Not Finish (26) | |
Not Interested (74) |
13 comment(s)
Jesus Christ, I'm soo glad to have finally finished this. It was way too long and contained far too many instances of the author's tendency to go of on a complete tangent for entire chapters, or longer.
If I could get hold of either the author or the editor for just a little while I'd see it as my duty to slap 'em around a bit. They both deserve it!
It's all such a shame too, since it could have been much more enjoyable if only for a bloody good editing job. If only the editor had had the guts to simply go through it with a hatchet and hack great swathes of bloat out of the text it would have been a much more enjoyable book. The characters were wonderfully portrayed, the story wasn't the most original but was very well written(if the bloat is ignored) and if it hadn't been for that bloat I keep mentioning I'd have remained immersed in the story a lot more and so would have felt that nice creepiness for a much greater part of the book.
A wasted opportunity. A good editor could, no should, have made this something special.
4.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.
The character-building in this book is pretty extensive and amazing. However, sometimes there is just too much information for the reader to absorb. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this read. What a wonderful coming-of-age story with some gruesome imagery sprinkled throughout. Quite an epic read!
I completely understand all the reasons people object to this book, in particular with regard to THAT scene. But this book is ultimately a meditation on childhood, specifically that twilight time between childhood and adulthood. It's told in a fantastical way, of course, but it both mourns and celebrates the ability to believe in anything and everything as only kids can do. And it makes it very clear that there is a power in that belief, a great power that can, in this case, quite literally save lives and destroy monsters. Even with that scene, this is King at his best, melding the paranormal horrors of the monsters beneath our beds and the everyday horrors of the world with a masterful touch.
So good! I loved the main characters. I loved the immensity of the story. I even loved Derry. Love and desire...forever.
4.5
It’s scary, depressing, a masterpiece. Blah-blah-blah we all are aware that this book is a classic and masterfully written.
But let’s complain for a second because that’s more fun
This book is more bloated than a dead whale. But I think most of it is worth it. The derry interludes were honestly unnecessary in some ways but oh well.
Also I can understand the turtle. But the CHILD OR*Y. That was not needed what so ever, literally what was the point.
Eddie and Richie deserved so much more, literally so sad.
Beverly and Ben are overrated and suck.
IT isn’t so much a horror novel but a beautifully told coming-of-age story with some spooky elements thrown in to help tell this story. It’s over 1,000 pages long but worth the read.
My first novel by King, and I'm thoroughly impressed. What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said?
At 1300 pages it took me nearly 3 weeks to finish. It has been amazing being able to spend so much time with a book instead of blazing through like I do with shorter novels.
Definitely worth the investment.
Of the Stephen King books I've read, this one is my favorite so far. I've read it probably more than a half of dozen times since high school.
I finally read this beast of a book. But sadly not much has changed since I first tried reading it. I love a lot of Stephen King's books but this was not one of them. Scary clowns is cool and all but the plot nor writing worked for me. But I'm glad I finally finished this
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I've decided to DNF this. It just not for me. I'm 68 % trough and I just can't get into the story. I'm not engaged in the characters like I usually am in Stephen King's novels nor do i care about the plot. This isn't bad written but the story isn't for me. Still love Stephen King's novels and will continue on reading and rereading the others.
Ok, 1000+ pages is extremely painful. Even when it's something written by Stephen King! I have resolved not to read any books of this length for a while, it was almost exhausting ... thinking I'd made some progress only to see just how many pages were left.
Pennywise, the Clown, scares the crap outta me! I'm scared of evil-looking clowns as it is, I don't know why I chose this book to read, but maybe it was in hopes of curing that fear. Let me say, NOPE, not gone. Just justified - now sewers kinda creep me out. Thankfully there aren't any here in Australia. LOL
I really got into the story, the characters and you feel the importance of childhood friendships.
Loved the book, not it's length. :)
I guess I really liked this? I had some problems with it. I like the way it is a cross between "The Body" (also known as the movie
Stand by Me) and the scariest book you've ever read. I love that Dick Halloran of
The Shining makes an appearance. And Pennywise the Clown really, truly is one of the scariest villains I've ever read about.
Two things though:
1. If a bunch of people are going to screw, there doesn't need to be a girl there to make it happen. It can, you know, just be dudes.
2. Also this:
World Turtle
Ultimately I like the way the entire town is sucked into the storyline, even more so than in 'Salem's Lot. If the geography there was important, than everything about this town is important.
Oh and one more thing: Stephen King may have done it first, but Meljean Brook did it better when she had Irena dispatch the dragon in a certain way that I won't spoil for either book.
What can you read after
It?
About the Author:
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, and Doctor Sleep are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
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