Different Seasons

The breathing method was my favorite. It caught me and I couldn't stop reading. Wonderful set of stories.

If you have seen any of the 3 movies from this book, The Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil or Stand By Me, then you already know what to expect. I never cared for the movie Apt Pupil and remember very little of it. Thankfully the story in here is more fleshed out and a bit darker in tone which added to my enjoyment. The Body and Rita Heyworth & The Shawshank Redemption were much more similar to their movie counter parts. Sometimes that’s good but when they are two movies you have seen a dozen times each it’s hard to get the pictures in your mind to separate from the films. But of course the stories are fantastic, even though the I prefer the The Shawshank Redemption movie to the book and the Body was similar enough that I enjoyed both equally. The Breathing Method was what made me finally break down and read this book. It being a King story that I knew nothing of and most reviews list it as the weak link in this collection so I had to know for myself. Truthfully the reviews have it right and it being the only story not to get the movie treatment comes as no surprise. But, because I had no knowledge of this story it was the one I enjoyed reading the most simply for the fact I didn’t have to compete with images I had already acquired from film. All in all, this is King lite. Not much in the way of horror, all are obviously incredibly short compared to traditional King novels, but all 4 stories are fantastic.

As a big fan of Stephen King, it’s his horror stories I like more than anything else. But there’s no denying that the author has the talent to write anything he chooses, including any kind of fiction. As good as King is at writing scary stories, I’ve also read the first four books in the Dark Tower series, Hearts in Atlantis, and The Green Mile, all of which demonstrate King’s talent for taking readers on an adventure, making them fall in love with supernatural dramas that may also be compelling, sweet love stories, breaking readers’ hearts, making them laugh, and even giving them hope. If any other book can exemplify these themes, which King has featured in more than one story, it’s Different Seasons. Rita Hayworth and SHAWSHANK Redemption is a prison drama about the triumph of the human spirit; Apt Pupil is a chilling suspense story about what happens when an evil teenager meets a neighbor, a former Nazi war criminal who might be even more evil than he is; The Body is an uplifting, sometimes sad, sometimes funny coming-of-age adventure; The Breathing Method, the book’s sole horror story is also a sweet, sad, poignant story about young, pregnant woman in a desperate situation, and the touching relationship between she and her male doctor. In other words, Different Seasons, Stephen King’s first collection of novellas, is perfect for all readers who love Stephen King, but are not necessarily looking for anything scary! The author is called a master of horror, by fans and critics alike, for good reason. But he is also known for as a master storyteller for another reason: If you’re looking for a great drama, an exciting adventure, a compelling fantasy, or an excellent story in any other fictional genre, Stephen King is a great writer to turn to! Different Seasons provides ample evidence of this. It’s an amazing collection that proves that Stephen King is a storyteller for all seasons!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️