5 of 5

Write now Article Tools

This Telepathic Terror Has Her Town 'Painted Red'

"The low bird is not..gently...but rather is quickly and firmly dispatched (Carrie, p. 91)

Carrie-Stephen King's 1974 debut literary and cinematic triumph is the story of maladjusted Carrie White's journey through adolescence as she deals with her all-too-true and terrible gift in relation to the dichotomy between her sometimes persistently pesky and pushy peers and her fervently fiery religiously fanatical mother. The latest version of this cult classic comes complete with a freshly written introduction from the shores of Longboat Key, Florida and is split up into three (3) distinct sections that detail how Carrie deals with the balance between telepathy and teenage life.

Those sections are:

Blood Sport-This is the section in which we are first introduced to the cast of characters that comprise Carrie-including archenemy and ironic cheerleeder Chris, Tommy Ross, Carrie herself (played by Sissy Spacek in the film and television version) and a gumption-filled gym instructor.

The Prom-By this time in the novel Chris (played by Amy Irving in the film and television version) has discovered Carrie's secret crush on Tommy Ros and convincingly decides to convince Tommy to take Carrie to their upcoming senior prom. Once there, the prom voting committee ballots are rigged to reel Carrie and Tommy in as Prom King and Queen and into a night of terrible tricks that make Carrie's prom much less than perfect.

Wreckage-With the prom a wash and Carrie White humiliated school-wide, this section winds down the novel by giving its audience a breakdown of Carrie's telepathic trials complete with a mock police report reflecting the description of an auto accident supposed caused by Carrie's telepathic tantrums and a somewhat "official" transcript of the White Commission's take on Carie's gifts and the turmoil that she was experiencing both in and outside the home.

With only very few adaptions and ommissions, this timeless tale is still legesndary in its legacy of King's career to any Stephen King Afficianado and fan in that it was not only his first labor of love, but also a lot of paper that would have found its way into the shredder had wife Tabitha not convinced him to not let his labor "go to waste" as they were.

Surely King's Carrie old or new is no waste at all but rather, a wonderful read for those versed in his tales of terror or new to each novel's page-turning perfection.

Learn more about this author, Courtney Caswell-Peyton.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Book reviews: Carrie, by Stephen King?
We want to hear your view. Write now!