Another horror story by Stephen King. Christine, blood-red, fat and finned, was 20. She was Arnie's obsession. There was still a malign power in her that corroded the mind and turned ownership into possession.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'As a storyteller King is unbeatable' -- Mirror King can make the flesh creep half a world away' -- The Times 'An incredibly gifted writer' -- Guardian
About the Author
Stephen King is the bestselling author of more than thirty books of which the most recent are THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON, HEARTS IN ATLANTIS and his non-fiction book ON WRITING. He lives with his wife, the novelist Tabitha King, in Bangor, Maine.
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More About the Author
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
As the title of my review states, I am not a fan of Stephen King. I don't hate his work but at the same time I don't wait for his next book with bated breath either. He is just an author whose books never ever appear on my 'must buy' list.
Saying that, however, his novel "Christine" is a cracking read. The scares are subtle; tugging at your subconscious rather than going for your jugular vein. There are no ghouls lurking and not much violence either...at least not until the latter half of the book.
Readers who are looking for gore will be disappointed and should look elsewhere. Basically, "Christine" is about a possessed car. You don't own Christine. She owns you. And now she owns Arnie Cunningham; a shy, geeky kid with a bad complexion. Arnie loves Christine. He'll do anything for her and no one should stand between him and his beloved car. Or else.....
Stephen King does a wonderful job here. What could easily have been a cheesy story of an evil car on a killing spree, we have instead a story of obsession, possession and the stain of past crimes "reaching out to the present". More subtle, more frightening than a simple 'bad car kills people' plot.
We also get to learn the history of the car and its first owner but King doesnt give all the details. In fact, more questions are raised intead of answered. That, I think, is a mark of a good horror story. Let it be ambiguous. Dont answer all the questions. Let the reader draw his/her own conclusions. Its scarier (and thus, more fun) that way.
Stephen King is still not one of my favourite authors but I am willing to give credit where credit is due. "Christine" is indeed a good yarn and deserves the 4 stars that I'm giving. Coming from a non-fan, that is high praise indeed.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
It is a pity that no one writes like this horror anymore. Even old King himself. Christine is a perfect round-the-camp-fire story with chilling moments, incredibly real characters and a sad, very sad feeling washing over you.
I don't know about anyone else but I liked 70's and 80's King's more than anything he wrote in 90's (except Dreamcatcher and Wizard and Glass) In those days King was writing horror in a way no one has written and no one will ever write again. Christine is a very fine example of his unique writing. Maybe there are better horror books than this (and than Stephen's whole bunch)but as a whole they lack something King's books (early ones at least) were carrying. Christine is not only a demonic car book, as many mentioned here, it is one of the most agonizing love and coming of the age stories, with a very depressing atmosphere and very tragic ending. This is what makes Christine (and all King books) so terrific: The real horror of the world is essential in his books: People we love die...people we love leave us...we remain alone in the world.we lose...you lose...
Christine is a story of three youngsters and a love triangle, comprising an unbelievably real and evil car. These four are tangled in a complex love affair: On the one hand, Christine is trying to triumph and spread her evil, on the other hand, the youngsters are trying to beat her and keep their sanity. Arnie seems to be the scapegoat and the weakest link with his repulsive outlook, dysfunctioning family and a hungry longing for love, respect and admiration, which he lacks and which Christine offers him....but at a very regretful price.
Then there is Dennis...Arnie's best friend with all the good things Arnie longs for...Both see Christine at the same time...But Christine is an expert in knowing who is the weakest link, and easily picks up her victim.
She starts to process Arnie into becoming something which her evil aims will be satisfied...then surprisingly, Leigh, a wonderful girl, steps into Arnie's life and becomes a light of reason for Arnie and, not surprisingly, the lifetime enemy of Christine. Now Christine should get rid of her...as well as Dennis and a few other fellows who mistakenly treat her bad...
Then Dennis and Leigh fall in love...Arnie learns this... and all the story becomes tangled in a way impossible to untangle.
All this seems pretty silly, doesn't it? But in King's hands it wonderfully works. It is, in fact, a very fast paced story and it flows smoothly that the pages flip almost on themselves. The writing is veryþ vivid and energetic, as if Stephen was himself the bad Christine.... Along with the story, you are tangled with those four characters...you are drifted along with them helplessly into an ever-growing climax full of suspense, horror, breathless reading and tension.
Christine is a very good story and a very good horror story...but also a very good loser yarn, which only King could pull off and which would be a total flop in any other hand. That must be the reason why people come back to Stephen's books again and again in flocks after so many years and books although he does not (stubbornly) write anything like this (or Pet Sematary or It or Salem's Lot). He always talks about the loser inside us. Perhaps he knows better than all the people in the world that it is really a very hard thing to beat real Christines and he is trying to tell this all along those years.
Read it...There is so much in Christine.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The two strongest things in Stephen King's writing are his storytelling and his ability to craft vivid, believable characters. This book is a prime example of both of these talents. It is the story of Arnie and Dennis, two high school seniors who have been friends since they were five years old. Arnie has always been the "outcast" kid in school and Dennis has stood up for him countless times. That friendship is put to the test when Arnie falls in love with Christine, a 1958 Plymouth Fury in desperate need of restoration. The purchase of the car puts a strain on Arnie's relationship with everyone around him, including Dennis. Their friendship was, in my opinion, the central theme in the book, rather than the supernatural events surrounding Christine. Those could have been removed entirely from the book and the power of the friendship would still be there. The story wouldn't be quite as gripping and it wouldn't truly be Stephen King, but it would still be a very good read.
The first and third parts of the book were told in the first person narrative from Dennis' point of view. This made for very powerful reading. King manages to tweak the readers feelings in exactly the way he wants by doing this. When Dennis ends up in the hospital for a couple months with a football injury, the narration changes to third person for the middle third. Although not quite as emotionally powerful as the first and third parts, this section of the book is meaty in its own way. We see Arnie changing from the shy, "loner" character from the first part into the nearly unlikeable character in the third part.
I think this book has the most depressing ending of all of Stephen King's books (at least of the ones I've read). The reason for this is the fact that he makes you care for the characters. The reader wants everything to turn out okay for everybody. King had no compunction whatsoever about doing things to his characters. If he'd tied it up in a sappy, "everything's okay" ending, it might not have been as powerful. Less depressing, but less powerful nonetheless. This book has jumped to near the top of the list of my favorite Stephen King books. Highly recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great book. Very violent.
I love Stephen King and all his twisted descriptions. His books are so good (except Under The Dome) and they make me feel happy. Christine is no exception. Read more
Published 11 days ago by D.J.Lucyk
Severely overwritten short story.
This book is severely overwritten. There's no real plot and would've worked better as a short story. Read more
Published 15 days ago by J. Hart
Loss
This book is mainly about the relationship between two boys who grew up together in the midst of difference. They maintained their friendship with loyalty and realness. Read more
Published 3 months ago by L. J Nary
Christine
Book Review on Christine
The book Christine by Stephen King starts off slowly with a regular day at school in the late seventies for Arnie Cunningham. Read more
The book Christine by Stephen King starts off slowly with a regular day at school in the late seventies for Arnie Cunningham. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Phil
Beautifully writen
The characters are examined in depth.Even a secondary figure like the garage owner.Much is revealed masterfully,with few words.Worth reading.Needs a sequel.
Published 5 months ago by Kirk Alan Edwards
Great!!!
This book would have to be one of my favourie SK novel by far. The story of the two teenagers is fantastic and set in the seventies even better!!! Read more
Published 6 months ago by kate maclean
When obsession becomes possession ...
Ever wondered about those guys who say: "I love my car", and look like they really mean it? Have you ever sympathized with wives and girlfriends who had a pained expression on... Read more
Published 6 months ago by DarkWords
Christine-
The book is a classic and should bre read by all who enjoy "chillers".Received the book in great condition very quickly. Would buy from them again.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Published 7 months ago by Ed J
A Near-Perfect Vehicle
CHRISTINE shouldn't work, but it does.
Its effectiveness testifies to King's talent for character-building, evocative description, and the building of suspense. Read more
Its effectiveness testifies to King's talent for character-building, evocative description, and the building of suspense. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Jerome E Murphy
Christine By a Mile
The better by far of the two Stephen King "auto" books set in Pennsylvania (the other being FROM A BUICK 8) this is far from perfect. Read more
Published 8 months ago by RhodeIsland 1969
Inside This Book
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Browse and search another edition of this book.
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First Sentence:
"Oh my God!" my friend Arnie Cunningham cried out suddenly. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
stall twenty, dealer plate, dashboard instruments, idiot lights, rolling iron Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Buddy Repperton, Moochie Welch, Arnie Cunningham, New York, Leigh Cabot, Coach Puffer, Dennis Guilder, Michael Cunningham, Christmas Eve, Don Vandenberg, Jimmy Sykes, Richie Trelawney, Texas Driver, Libertyville High, Squantic Hills, Basin Drive, Bobby Stanton, Johnny Pomberton, Hidden Hills, New Year's Eve, Philly Plains, Regina Cunningham, Autumn Red, Arnold Cunningham, Lenny Barongg New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
"Oh my God!" my friend Arnie Cunningham cried out suddenly. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
stall twenty, dealer plate, dashboard instruments, idiot lights, rolling iron Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Buddy Repperton, Moochie Welch, Arnie Cunningham, New York, Leigh Cabot, Coach Puffer, Dennis Guilder, Michael Cunningham, Christmas Eve, Don Vandenberg, Jimmy Sykes, Richie Trelawney, Texas Driver, Libertyville High, Squantic Hills, Basin Drive, Bobby Stanton, Johnny Pomberton, Hidden Hills, New Year's Eve, Philly Plains, Regina Cunningham, Autumn Red, Arnold Cunningham, Lenny Barongg New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 30
books:
See all 30 books this book cites
- Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, Book 3) by Stephen King in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- The Dead Zone (Signet) by Stephen King in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, Book 7) by Stephen King in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
See all 30 books this book cites
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