Christine
Published: 29, April 1983
Author: Stephen King
Genre: American, Classic, Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Literature, Media Tie-In, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller
Check the summary of this book here:
The Review
Stephen King's horror thriller Christine, released in 1983, depicts the story of an automobile, a 1958 Plymouth Fury, that appears to be possessed by malicious demonic powers. Christine has been nominated for a Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (1984). Between 1990 and 1999, the American Library Association ranked Christine as the 95th most banned and disputed book in the United States. It was issued in a limited 30th Anniversary Edition by PS Publishing in April 2013.
In December of the same year, a film adaption directed by John Carpenter was produced, starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, and Harry Dean Stanton.
The movie was nothing like the book and, in fact, deviated quite a little from the real narrative, as is often typically the case, but it still made me want to read the book.
Christine is enigmatic, gloomy, angry, and envious, and she's out to get you. The characters have been completely developed, so you have a better understanding of Arnie and Christine.
A remake is in the works by Blumhouse Productions and Sony Pictures Entertainment, and I'll update this section as soon as I locate any fresh information or connections to the film.
This is just another of Stephen King's masterpieces. Christine is consumed with adolescent angst, first romance, a problematic family situation, and, of course, Christine, the witch on wheels. Was there been a more terrifying and unique monster?
I had avoided reading this one since I had no clue it was written by the great Stephen King, even though I had seen the movie and enjoyed it.
Arnie was performed brilliantly, but when I learned that the film was based on a novel, I knew I had to read it because, as I always say, a movie can never be as good or as comprehensive as the book.
So I just went to a nearby bookstore and found the book. I couldn't take my eyes off it. The characters were believable and engrossing.
This is Stephen King at his finest once more. The youngsters, Arnie and Dennis, and their bond, which deteriorates as Arnie progresses from nerd to freak.
Really well construed Arnie's fascination, then obsession, with Christine, which affects his entire personality, is incredibly well done, and the subsequent tragedies - well, they're horrifying, which is why many people read Stephen King's works.
It's delightful to be scared and creeped out while author's stories have you in their grip. So, in essence, the narrative is not about the dangerous murdering vehicle. It's about a troubled boy who loses it and his friends and family who can't help him, much like in real life, which is why readers keep coming back for more from Stephen King.
A wonderful narrative with true tension and frightening moments. But one of author's major flaws in this work, in my opinion, was having the story presented by a future Dennis. To a loyal fan, the narrator could be a ghost or a newly formed monster, but to a new reader, this removes a lot of suspense from some of the tensest scenes in the book because the reader is being told the story by a character who is involved in a near-death experience, thus revealing that the narrator survived his experience.
One of the things that make reading a Stephen King novel so intriguing, in my opinion, is that as a reader, you never know which characters (if any) will survive whatever hardship they happen to be faced with.
He has removed the mystery concerning Dennis's survival by having one of the primary characters tell the story.
Loyal Stephen King fans will undoubtedly not be shocked to learn that the book's greatest strength is its characterization.
Dennis narrates the majority of the story and is a really approachable young man. Leigh is another likable character who is simple to cheer for.
Arnie is essentially the unfortunate victim in this story. Before purchasing the automobile, he was victimized by school bullies and his dominating mother, and now he is in danger of losing his whole being.
Roland LeBay, the former owner of the automobile, also looms prominently, and his pure cruelty makes him interesting in his own right.
The plot flows at a steady pace for the most part but sags slightly in the middle. The novel is more eerie than scary. The tension keeps you interested, but don't expect any big scares.
There is some light humor interspersed throughout the narrative to help relieve tension, and it works really well.
The beginning of each chapter is marked with song lyrics about vehicles, which is not bad and demonstrates the amount of research and knowledge that went into collecting these songs.
They don't appear to be connected to the story and appear to be there purely for nostalgic purposes.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading them all for the sheer pleasure of it. The dilemma is that they are so primitive and/or unknown that I've never heard the great majority of them, thus I believe they will serve no function for the younger and new readers of this time and age.
It's clear that the author spent a lot of work into finding them, but the effort may have been lost on these new readers unless they're like me and read whatever they see or hold, but most readers under the age of 55 or 60 will probably have the same reaction of not understanding what they are (Songs/Lyrics.)
This book is broken into three-story segments, the first and final of which are written in the first person from Dennis's point of view, and the middle in the third person.
Even though it is about a car, this novel reminds me of Carrie when it comes to bullying, the school environment, and the brutality of schoolmates on innocent and lonely individuals.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, I loved reading Christine. The characters are intriguing, the tension did work for me, and I was eager to find out what occurred next. The book has issues, but they are minor and did not impede from my amusement in any way.
Anyone who has heard of Stephen King knows that he has written some of the scariest novels of all time, but few realize that he can also write unexpectedly poignant stories as part of those novels.
Yes, this is a novel about an automobile that has been taken over by demonic forces, but it's much more than that. It's really about two best friends, Dennis, a popular athlete, and Arnie, a geek.
Arnie, in fact, is such an outsider that Dennis is his sole acquaintance. They couldn't be more different from one another, but they've known each other since kindergarten.
Arnie is a figure that should be recognizable to everyone who recalls high school, when it's common to discover numerous students exiled from the regular social groupings for a variety of reasons, and this serves to personalize him to the reader quite effectively.
Synopsis
“Stephen King’s ultimate evil vehicle of terror, Christine: the frightening story of a nerdy teenager who falls in love with his vintage Plymouth Fury. It’s love at first sight, but this car is no lady.
Evil is alive in Libertyville. It inhabits a custom-painted red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine and young Arnold Cunningham, who buys it.
Along with Arnold’s girlfriend, Leigh Cabot, Dennis Guilder attempts to find out the real truth behind Christine and finds more than he bargained for: from murder to suicide, there’s a peculiar feeling that surrounds Christine—she gets revenge on anyone standing in her path.
Can Dennis save Arnold from the wrath of Christine? This #1 national bestseller is “Vintage Stephen King…breathtaking…awesome. Carries such momentum the reader must force himself to slow down” (The New York Times Book Review).”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
Alexandra Paul, Arnie Cunningham, Character Development, Dennis Guilder, Former Owner, Friend Dennis, Great Book, High School, John Carpenter, John Stockwell, Keith Gordon, Killer Car, Much Better, Plymouth Fury, Richard, Kobritz, Roland Lebay
Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
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