Customer Reviews

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption a Story from Different Seasons

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is Steven King's finest novella. I should probably add that the movie follows the story faithfully and does it very well - it is one of my favourite movies. But somehow the story is always a little better.

What is interesting about the story is there is more of a feeling of the sheer weight of time Andy spends in prison. There is not one cheif warden or sadistic guard, there are several, who come and go as the years roll on. The posters change of course, but the friendships that Andy forges remain. And the spectacular ending - just as we imagine.

It is fortunate that this is a story that has translated so well to film - so often such things fall well short of the mark. But it is well worth reading in its own right, and I recommend it highly. If you cannot find the story by itself, it does appear in "Different Seasons" with 3 other equally good stories.

An amazing, inspirational story. This book laid the foundation for the movie, and since I am not the biggest Stephen King fan, this was obviously his best work in my mind. Andy Dufresne is sent to prison for murdering his wife and golf player Glenn Quentin, although he did not actually commit this crime and was framed. Andy's experience in prison includes encounters with desperate gay men, an evil warden, and other obstacles, but most importantly, his friend Red. He and Red go through the struggle together and become a dynamic duo. Also, fanatics of the classic film remake beware: there are a couple of facts kept secret in the movie that may surprise you in the novel. Though the book is a mere 106 pages it's definitely one you will want to read again and again. There are also a few other differences in the book compared to the film, such as no murders or suicides in prison. Shawshank is described very well. Eventually, Andy seeks his revenge and opens some eyes, and all he needed was a rockhammer and a poster of a model (he changed the posters every few years). If you have seen the movie but haven't read the book, I highly recommend that you check out the book as well, because it tells a lot about the characters. There is even a devastating secret about Brooks that was not revealed in the movie version. A definite keeper. If you can find this book, do not let it go.

I loved the movie version of "The Shawshank Redemption," and figured on reading the book. The book was way too short though, especially for King. The movie elaborates what King does not and includes many more inspiring scenes that are truly great. Don't get me wrong, the book is written teriffically, but not better than the movie.

If sometime late in the 21st century after he is long dead and gone Stephen King is rediscovered by literary critics as a regional writer who focused on his native main, they may well point to "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" as the first work where the author divorced himself from the horror genre. This novella was originally published in the 1982 collection "Different Seasons," which also included "The Body," the other early work in this Stephen King sub-genre. That is not to say that there are not horror elements in both of these stories, but that King relies on more real world examples than the monsters and others things that go bump in the night usually found in his work.

"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" is at its heart a tale of unjust imprisonment and offbeat escape, in the tradition of "The Count of Monte Cristo." Andy Dufresne was sent to Shawshank prison in 1948 for the murder of his wife and her lover the golf pro at Falmouth Hills. Like everyone at Shawshank, Andy declares he is innocent but it is not many years later that Red, the narrator of the story and the one man at Shawshank who can get you things, comes to believe that is actually the case. Until that point this novella has been about how a man, innocent or otherwise, survives in a prison, and about the creation of a true friendship. But then it becomes a personal quest for justice and about beating the system when the game is fixed.

The idea of being in prison for a crime you did not commit is ultimately more of a terror tale than vampires, haunted hotels, or rapid dogs, mainly because there are few things more frightening in this world than a convict living without a chance of parole. But that only serves to underscore the idea that there are few things more important in this world that friendship and justice. At the very least, "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" stands as a Stephen King story that people who do not like to read Stephen King stories can actually read. As for the film adaptation of this story, as great as it is, its one flaw is that it goes one brief scene beyond the perfect ending crafted by King.

I first read this book in college. A friend of mine was an avid Stephen King fan and had this book on the shelf. I just picked it up because I was bored, and started to read the Shawshank Redemption. I couldn't stop! I ended up reading the whole story in one sitting. When I later saw the movie, I believe it to be one of those rare movies that is very true to the book. A must read, the movie is a must see.

I am only giving this book four stars, because it was completely outdone by the movie, it lacked power in some areas, and had a highly disappointing ending that leaves you hanging.

Yes, it is a good read that can crack a smile on your face or make you pity Andy Dufresne and feel his pain....but it simply lacked that *PUNCH*.

All in all, however, a good book. I'd say it was worth your time....

Well, I guess I'm just used to the movie...which -- and I swear this is probably the only time I'll ever say this in my life -- is better than the book.

I loved the movie and i loved the book. I would have really enjoyed the book if it had been about 500-1000 pages and it would have been GREAT i know it. I liked how the book had more detail and description, but it could have used about 700 more pages, I would advise everybody to read the book, and WATCH THE MOVIE.

As a story, a four or five star, with solid story telling that held my interest but I could not put aside its naive depiction of prisons and prisoners. Through the voice of Red, a most sympathetic narrator, Mr. King appears to express such antipathy toward the very premise of incarceration. The author does not even attempt to reconcile the book's representation of Red as the narrator/moral center of the story with the heinous crime that brought him there in the first place. Notwithstanding this problem, I really did enjoy the story and I would have wholly enjoyed it if Mr. King had conveyed Red's transformation from amoral killer to the sagely center of the tale.

My recipient was so pleased with this book. Hard to believe a book of it's size could be so costly even in the used version. My used book came from a library but I think it could have been in a little better shape compared to the "good condition" description it was sold under.

This novella by Stephen King is a fantastic story of hope, persistence, and survival in the worst of prison conditions. Ultimately too it's about an elaborate and successful escape with overtones of Alexader Dumas' 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. For those NOT into Stephen King's other works of horror fiction (like me), this story will be an exciting, uplifting, and welcome read from a master storyteller. I'd also highly recommend the movie made of it starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman called simply: 'The Shawshank Redemption'. Both deliver the highest form of entertainment magic that rarely comes around in either book or movie form these days.