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Carrie Mass Market Paperback – November 1, 2002
| Stephen King (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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Make a date with terror and live the nightmare that is...Carrie
- Print length272 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPocket Books
- Publication dateNovember 1, 2002
- Dimensions4.25 x 0.75 x 7.25 inches
- ISBN-100671039725
- ISBN-13978-0671039721
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Product details
- Publisher : Pocket Books; Edition Unstated (November 1, 2002)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 272 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0671039725
- ISBN-13 : 978-0671039721
- Item Weight : 4 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.25 x 0.75 x 7.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,876,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #87,366 in Horror Literature & Fiction
- #132,569 in Science Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, MR MERCEDES, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both MR MERCEDES and END OF WATCH received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.
King co-wrote the bestselling novel Sleeping Beauties with his son Owen King, and many of King's books have been turned into celebrated films and television series including The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald's Game and It.
King was the recipient of America's prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives with his wife Tabitha King in Maine.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviewed in the United States on August 29, 2021
Top reviews from the United States
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There's a back-and-forth with the books and studies about telekinesis and the prom-night horror. This was written in the days before the internet and cable TV pundits, who would have beaten the dead horse of an incident like this for all its worth and then some--if it were to happen in 2016. Oh, and cyberbullying! Can you imagine how the kids at school would have made Carrie's life hell on Facebook?
A must-read and the ultimate revenge tale for anyone who's ever been picked last in gym class, given a wedgie, been the butt of a cruel and horrifying group joke, or just tormented period (ugh, no pun intended). It is quite heartbreaking every time when Carrie's world gets better for a couple of hours and then she has the rug yanked from under her once again. You want there to be a way out for her -- just like you want the coyote to kill and eat the damned roadrunner at least once -- but you know it's never going to happen.
The plot concerns Carrie White. Her mother is a crazy religious kook who torments Carrie and hates women and sex. Carrie begins to menstruate in a high school girls locker rom where she is taunted by her cruel classmates. Revenge is dealt in spades when Carrie brings down the house during her Senior Prom killing her tormenters and prom attenders. The story does have resonance with the revenge meted out by the blinded and enraged Samson a judge of Israel who is imprisoned by the enemies of Israel.
The King novel is never forgotten once read. A harbinger of all the great King novels which were to come from the prolific pen of an American genius.
“Carrie” focuses on a teenager, Carrie White, who lives alone with her mother, a religious zealot with a penchant for episodic, psychotic rants. She punishes Carrie, for instance, for having her period by locking her in a cupboard. She also grounds her repeatedly for committing offenses, however minor, against God. On top of that, her classmates in gym class taunt her in the shower when she starts menstruating by throwing tampons and napkins at her. Carrie is an outcast both at home and at school.
She finds, however, that she has a unique gift: the power of telekinesis. She can move things, make things happen with her mind alone. It’s an ability that could theoretically serve to her benefit. But it ultimately turns out to be more of a curse.
Carrie’s gym teacher, Miss Desjardin, tries to stop the bullying. After the shower incident, she scolds the girls and then sentences them to detention for a week. The reader can see early on that the incessant attacks on Carrie are destined to lead to catastrophe. Only Carrie’s classmate, Sue Snell, appears to experience any degree of remorse. She tries to make it all up to her by urging her boyfriend, Tommy Ross, to take her to the prom. Sue would stay home and let Carrie enjoy herself for once.
And then it happens. Sue’s attempt to bring a sense of normalcy into Carrie’s life backfires when Chris Hargensen, Carrie’s chief tormenter, engineers a practical joke. She has her boyfriend, Billy Nolan, along with some buddies of his to fill a couple of buckets with pig blood. At the prom, the smiling Carrie is surprised when Chris spills the blood over her, drenching her clothes – and igniting a torrent of fires, explosions and carnage, thanks to her telekinetic powers. Soon, the school and much of this small town is ablaze.
The book is a powerful indictment of school buying. Children can be so cruel – that becomes evident throughout the book. The message resonates even today, as authorities try to put a stop to cyberbullying. This is really a must-read for all age groups.
Top reviews from other countries
I'm a massive fan of Stephen King,pretty much read all his books,am in the process of 're-reading them all in order.
This his first novel is a great read,love the way he incorporates graffiti,manuscripts and interviews into the story,you can't help but feel so sorry for Carrie as that is Kings strength,his character building,I've had people tell me they can't get on with Kings books because there is too much character building,which is insane as you wouldn't get anything out of the books if you didn't have a vested interest in the characters,nobody does it better than King in my book.
So I highly recommend this book,read this and you will want to read everything else he has written.
This is only my second Stephen King’s book ever read and I really enjoyed it!
The plot and the narrative are highly compelling, shifting from newspapers articles and witnesses’ statements to characters POVs, catapulting the reader entirely in Carrie’s world and the events surrounding Prom’s night.
Some of the references used by SK in this book , have been used as well in The Institute (which was the book that introduces me to this genius of an author), but in a completely new and innovative way. I was surprised and pleased to finally discover why the author is referring to Samson in a couple of his novel, and this is when I came to realisation that SK is a brilliant genius!
I can’t wait now to dive into Salem’s lot!
It was shorter than I expected (having read many of King's other books) and whilst good, I can tell it was an early book.
Written from varying points of view during the build up, after and during the events of 'prom night'. King uses eye witnesses and media articles to tell the story of Carrie, a girl from an abusive background who has telekinetic powers and who is cruelly bullied by her peers at high school.
It's unputdownable from the beginning. I find it ironic that Stephen King screwed his first chapter up and binned it (to be rescued by his wife) thinking it no good when in actual fact he had combined some of the most traumatic events that could happen to a teenage girl.
The absolute horror of having to be naked in a communal shower with a group of your peers who you know hate you; the even worse horror of starting your first period in front of said peers...never mind not even knowing what a period is!!
****SPOILER ALERT ****
Mrs White's death is more violent in the original film version and whilst that would also have worked in the book, I feel Carrie still loved her mother however appalling she was (I cringed every time the expression 'dirty pillows' was used) and it seemed more in character that she provided a quieter, more controlled death for her.
I found the shifting mediums and perspectives clever rather than jarring, although others may disagree. What I found most jarring was King's depiction of menstruation; never in my entire life have I heard of a female gushing blood from that area unless it's actually a medical emergency or a miscarriage. I understand that the scene was meant to stand out but I do wonder if King actually spoke with any females before writing it. That said, I found the novel as a whole brought the tension levels up well and addressed topics like bullying and religious indoctrination well. The academic texts throughout bring a layer of realism to the novel and it certainly drew me in.
For a debut novel this is undeniably strong. It attacks taboo issues head on and refuses to flinch at unpleasant realities and utter carnage.
One thing I will say about Carrie is that it really does excel in showing the cruelty of school kids. That is something that he definitely got right.
I plan to read more of King’s novels to see if this was just a one off.
Carrie by Stephen King is available now.












