Carrie.

Title/Author: Carrie by Stephen King.

Genre: Horror:

Publisher: Anchor.

Source: Purchased.

Favorite character:  Tommy and Sue.

All in all:  Strong, classic horror novel.

Synopsis: Stephen King's legendary debut, about a teenage outcast and the revenge she enacts on her classmates. 

Carrie White may have been unfashionable and unpopular, but she had a gift. Carrie could make things move by concentrating on them. A candle would fall. A door would lock. This was her power and her sin. Then, an act of kindness, as spontaneous as the vicious taunts of her classmates, offered Carrie a chance to be a normal and go to her senior prom. But another act--of ferocious cruelty--turned her gift into a weapon of horror and destruction that her classmates would never forget. ~Goodreads.com

My Thoughts:  The story of Carrie is an icon, an urban legend as well known as Bloody Mary and the Ghostly Hitchhiker.  I don't think I even needed to include the synopsis.  Perhaps this is why I had never read it until I co-hosted the Stephen King Read-A-Long with Midnight Book Girl.  I knew the story, saw the movie(s), heard the tale from friends, but I didn't know the full story until I read it.

This was King's first published novel, rescued from the trash by his wife Tabatha.  It's raw when compared with his later work, but a great story with complex characters that are relatable, a plot that moves and twists.

What surprised me is that it is the story of Sue as much as Carrie.  The two mirror each other.  Sue is popular and has it easy.  Carrie is the misfit that everyone picks on.  They both have revelations.  Sue realizes she is on a trite path, "Suzy Creamcheese" she calls herself in a moment of self loathing, which leads her to pursue an altruistic act.  Carrie comes into her power with her Telekinesis.  She realizes that she can protect herself if she chooses.  The reader realizes that there is more to both young women than meets the eye. 

The book is filled with news reports, court testimony, published papers and journalist's analysis as well as an omniscient viewpoint of a few characters to tell about the events.  However, instead of being confusing, this moves the story along at an incredible trajectory and creates tension, drama and insight.  I thought it interesting how there are different camps to the story.  Some feel that the Telekenesis a fabrication, that Sue and Tommy orchestrated Carrie's ultimate humilation, that Telekenesis must be studied further, that Telekenisis must be hidden. 

I also remember that during the World Horror Convention one of the speakers stated that Carrie started in blood and ended in blood, and I was curious to discover the symbolism for myself.  When Carrie starts menstruating, that is when her powers gain strength or perhaps they have bubbled over the surface.  This is the beginning of the end for her soul, according to her evangelical, abusive, insane mother. 

My only complaint and King does this frequently, is the asides, the "...the time whens..."  While it adds to the dimension of the character and their actions,  I don't always feel they are necessary and sometimes take me out of the story.

I think this book is terrific and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.  However, what I enjoyed more were the discussions that ensued from it from the Read-A-Long I co-hosted with Kate from Midnight Book Girl.  To discover more of what I thought (and others too), click on the discussion links below:

1. Carrie Read-A-Long Part One: Blood Sports.
2. Carrie Read-A-Long Part Two: Prom Night.
3. Carrie Read-A-Long Part Three: Wreckage.

Other editions:



Challenges:

Carrie Read-a-Long - Part Two: Prom Night

Kate from Midnight Book Girl and I are co-hosting the Fall Stephen King Read-A-Long.  

Head on over to see what Midnight Book Girl thought about Carrie up to now HERE.  Next time we will be discussing Part Three: Wreckage on September 30th. Twitter party on that evening will start at 8:00 pm.  

Also, don't forget about our Twitter party tonight from 6-7pm EST.  We'll go to 8 if we generate enough dialogue. Use the hashtag #Carrieprom!

Questions:

1. There is a part quoted form "My Name is Susan Snell" when she stated that she is not really sorry that Tommy is dead anymore, because the idea of him was too perfect.  I was kind of shocked by this.  What did you think of this?

2. Miss Desjardin talked to Carrie about her own prom.  And for Carrie, the prom was magical up to a point.  Did you have any glamorized feelings about your own prom?  

3. When Sue was at home on prom night she said that she was still uncomfortable about her own motives and was afraid to examine them too closely in case she discovered selfishness.  Can you elaborate on this?  

4. Do you think that Tommy could have fallen for Carrie?

5. Tell me what you think of the significance or symbolism of blood.  (Tommy pricked his finger, Mrs. White cut herself, Sue either got her period late or lost a pregnancy.)

6. If that prank had not been played on Carrie at the prom, what kind of life do you think she would have had?

7.  What did you think of Billy and Chris's relationship?

Bonus question: Did you catch the mistake Stephen King made with regards to Carrie's dad? Thanks to Courtney from Abducted by Books for catching this!  

Answers:
1.  I think she glamorized the idea of Tommy.  I mean what a perfect guy to take someone else to the prom because she asked him to.  He was also popular, nice, got good grades and was a star athlete.  I think that this is the way that Sue wants to remember him.  He was a fantasy and because he was killed, he could continue being a fantasy, the epitome of a wonderful boyfriend and student without the fantasy ever ending.  I wonder if Sue maybe felt that the reality of adulthood, real life and responsibility would whittle that fantasy down whether they ended up together or not.  I also think that this way she could make him a martyr.  Maybe because she knew she wasn't in her heart?

2. I definitely had high expectations for my prom, but not over the top like you see on movies.  Even though it was at the end of high school, it still seemed very much like a high school event.

3. I think that the only way Sue was going to feel any kind of redemption was if she made the ultimate sacrifice.  And at that moment it was offering Carrie her place.  Her place with her boyfriend, her place at the prom.  She admits that she felt disgust for Carrie herself and perhaps she doesn't want to be in the same league with Chris H., so she does this to lift herself above her and all the people who feel disgust and pity for Carrie.  I almost think this was a token gesture and Sue was going to feel bad for a very long time about the shower incident.  But I think that part of her thought that since she made this plan, she was the person who appeared to be truly sorry.

4. I do think that Tommy could have fallen for Carrie.  Or, at the very least, I think they had some moments where they felt connected.  Carrie turns out to be funny, intelligent and talented.  This surprised me and I bet it surprised and delighted Tommy.  There were moments when the narrative said that Carrie was in his head, that he heard her name pulsing in his mind.  Whether this was a psychic connection created inadvertently by Carrie, or an emotional one created by the evening who's to say.

5. At a panel at World Horror Convention this year, one of the experts on Stephen King stated that Carrie started in blood and ended in blood.  Carrie's shower scene all the way through to when Sue either gets her period or has a miscarriage.  I think blood in this book was a foreshadowing and also symbolizes death.

6. I would like to think that Carrie would have gotten out of the house after graduation.  I think that she came into her own power and if things hadn't gone horribly wrong at the prom, she would have had the courage to leave her mother.  I like to think of her getting a job as a seamstress.  Nothing glamorous, but just something of her own.  Her own life.

7. Billy and Chris have a typical bad boy and rebellious girl relationship.  I think Chris became dependent on Billy and Billy became disenchanted with Chris.  As soon as Chris sensed that Billy was losing interest, she became more clingy.  He treated her different than most other boys treated her and I think this novelty was attractive.  At first the plan was hers, but then it became Billy's.  Even Billy said it wouldn't have mattered if the pig's blood was dumped on Chris herself.  He just wanted to "get back" at the people in town.

Bonus question: I didn't catch the mistake.  Apparently there is a discrepancy in the story.  In one part it states that Carrie's father died before she was born and in another part it states that he was alive when Carrie was one or two.

What did you think about this section?  I thought it was very rich with characterization and symbolism. A terrific read.  I'm looking forward to discussing Part Three: The Wreckage.

Stephen King Fall Read-a-Long.

One of the things I love about reading is discussing books!  I love hearing other people's opinions, viewpoints, likes and dislikes.  So I am delighted to join Kate from Midnight Book Girl for a Stephen King Fall Read- a-Long!

The Read-a-long will last until the end of November, and first up is Carrie.
It's a fairly short read, but since this is short notice the first discussion won't be until Sept 12.
The other two books will be:

October- 'Salem's Lot

November- Misery and/or Cycle of the Werewolf. 
Discussion for CotW will be on here and Misery will be on Midnight Book Girl's blog.

Carrie Read-a-long Plan:

The book is broken into 3 parts. 1 and 2 are the longest. Here are the dates for the discussions and twitter chats:

Part One: Blood Sports- Discussion post on 9.12.12, Twitter chat from 9pm EST- 11pm EST #CarrieBS

Part Two: Prom Night- Discussion post on 9.23.12, Twitter chat from 7pm EST- 9pm EST #CarrieProm

Part Three: Wreckage- Discussion post on 9.30.12, Twitter chat from 8pm EST- 10pm EST #CarrieEnd

Giveaways/challenges will be announced as we go along.

The original movie Carrie starring SissySpaceck is available on Netflix, so at the end of the month we will try to arrange a Twitter Watch party so that we can tweet while all watching the movie.

Sign up below!