10.14.2012

IT's Over....


So you know that saying, it's all about the  journey not the destination? Well, that's how I KINDA feel about the whole #italong because there were many things that I really dug about the book IT but the community behind #italong and the amazingness of Steven Weber narrating it made it twelve shades better.

SPOILERISH SPOILERS TO FOLLOW


The thing about IT is it truly is your worst nightmare.  I loved that as a scary concept.  I tweeted to Care that he was the clown version of Freddy Kruger because It moves into whatever might frighten us the most - or use whoever might frighten us the most.  THAT'S what makes it horrific, the particularness to the victim makes it nearly impossible to battle.  Unless you stick together...which is what this book is ALSO about.

I love how King brings about community also and the importance of it.  I'm basing this merely on my experience with #standalong and #italong but there's a definite vibe that you can't battle life's evilness by yourself.  You have to count on people; you have to form a tribe.  I wonder if that's why most of his books are set in small towns?

So we have this group of kids who come together as children because they were unaccepted by others.  Unable to deny the supernatural forces that are taking over their hometown, Derry, they join together to fight the evilness.  IT is told in both flashbacks and present day scenes, and although that had the potential to be confusing, unnecessary, over the top but it didn't. 

However, I am totally with the majority that Mike and his lemme tell you a story narratives on Derry history DID turn into snore fests.  Even though Weber was this amazing narrator, my mind would wander during these excerpts.  I imagine, if I'm going to be honest with myself, I'd probably do a lot of skimming had I read the actually book.

I know also that the Bill & Bev thing irritated many readers for various reasons (why throw the s3x ball in there; what about the fact that both were married - even if only one was happily, who has s3x when THIS is going on, etc.) but it KINDA made sense to me.  I mean, I can see how these people are in this emotionally charged moment in their life where they don't know if they're even going to make it and they're surrounding by nostalgic memories ESPECIALLY Bill and Bev.  They had a connection.  *shrug* it makes sense that they worked it out, so to speak, through a little bowchickabowwow.

However the tween group-on, well...I'm not even going to go there.

Also, I thought the ending was a bit anti-climatic.

Another thing that I found interesting was my middle school self compared to my adult self.  See, I read both The Stand and It in middle school and as a kid I hands down would have said that The Stand was the superior work, however now?  Well, I don't know about superiority but I definitely liked IT much more.  The characters were very attainable.

Title: It
Author: Stephen King
Published: 1986 Pages: 1090
Narrator: Stephen Weber
Audio Duration: 44 hrs; 57 mins
Genre: Horror.

11 comments:

  1. I'm one of those that didn't like the Bill and Bev thing. It just didn't seem necessary and seemed out of character for them.

    I thought Mike's personal stories were much more interesting, including his recording of his father's stories. The rest of the random history was a snooze.

    I do like that idea that the community is what makes them able to conquer IT. They had to do it together or they wouldn't have succeeded.

    Thanks for co-hosting! It's been fun!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Princess! This was so much fun...thanks for being my partner in all things clownish.

    I was a bit let down by the end, too, but I then I listened to 11/22/63 and got to visit Derry again (the Derry of when they were kids) and it was like dessert. And then 11/22/63 goes to Texas, and there is a small town and it is just like you said...people work together. I hadn't thought about that in relation to his books, but it's definitely proving to be true.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Excellent insights! It was great to get to know you better through this readalong. I would wade through the Derry waterworks with you any day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Heh! I keep going against the grain. I liked the random Derry history. But I'm with you on giving Bill and Bev a pass for their, ah, indiscretion.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This book scared the crap out of me when I was a kid, and the movie only made it worse. I'm glad you all enjoyed yourselves!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love IT so so so much, and I think it's amazing, and I don't even mind the Bill and Bev thing because I don't think it's so much about that as... kind of, finishing something so that she can go off with Ben? BUT I've never ever ever been able to grasp the 11 year olds in the sewers thing. I just... WHO THOUGHT THAT WAS NECESSARY?!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I definitely thought the ending was anti-climactic. But I felt that way about The Stand as well. I'm kind of wondering if that King guy can carry on an interesting story to the end? ;)

    I'm with Kristi. I think Ben and Bev shoulda hooked up. Or maybe they called him Big Bill for a reason!? Bowchickabowbow that!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like that you mentioned the community he formed with the kids. It really was what held the book together for me. I didn't judge Bev for having sex with Bill but just found it so unnecessary.
    It's been a fun journey to Derry with you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was sort of sickened over one part and it had to do with Bevvy and all her buds. I think you know the part I mean. I wish, that had not been included but what can you do?

    Otherwise, I felt this re-read was even more amazing than my first read.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It was fun reading all your IT-along posts. I also had read IT and The Stand when I was about 15 and also thought The Stand superior although I did remember doing my English paper on IT ha ha. I don't know if I'll be able to stand reading King again as I had finished The Dark Tower series not too long ago and find that I don't like his style much any longer. Though I still have copies of The Eyes of the Dragon and The Gunslinger because they've withstood many rereadings and are still awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  11. IT is one of my favorite SK novels, it definitely has my favorite characters, particularly Ben. I actually liked the Derry interludes, but then again I like how SK sometimes treats the town like another character in his novel- which I think he did with Derry. As far as the group-on, I found it so ridiculous that I read it and promptly forgot about it as I didn't think it added anything to the story.

    ReplyDelete

Talk to me!