Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Christine Paperback – November 7, 1983
It was love at first sight. From the moment seventeen-year-old Arnie Cunningham saw Christine, he knew he would do anything to possess her.
Arnie’s best friend, Dennis, distrusts her—immediately.
Arnie’s teen-queen girlfriend, Leigh, fears her the moment she senses her power.
Arnie’s parents, teachers, and enemies soon learn what happens when you cross her.
Because Christine is no lady. She is Stephen King’s ultimate, blackly evil vehicle of terror…
- Print length528 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBerkley
- Publication dateNovember 7, 1983
- Dimensions4.25 x 1.25 x 6.75 inches
- ISBN-100451160444
- ISBN-13978-0451160447
- Lexile measure840L
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
Similar items that may ship from close to you
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Vintage King…breathtaking…awesome. Carries such momentum the reader must force himself to slow down.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Dazzlingly well-written.”—The Indianapolis Star
“Terrifying…King is a terrific storyteller.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Truly gripping…some of the best writing King has ever done…the master has returned with a vengeance.”—Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Berkley; Reissue edition (November 7, 1983)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 528 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0451160444
- ISBN-13 : 978-0451160447
- Lexile measure : 840L
- Item Weight : 8.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.25 x 1.25 x 6.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,111,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #45,471 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books)
- #58,557 in Horror Literature & Fiction
- #69,774 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
Important information
To report an issue with this product or seller, click here.
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.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
The Ugly: The elephant in the room is the fact that in 1958 Plymouth only made the Fury in Beige. The reason this is “the ugly” is because of the change. I know why he made it red, and someone could have just as easily painted the car, but still. It kind of bothers me. Something as trivial as that as “the ugly” shows how much I like the book.
The Bad: I have to struggle to think of things I don’t like about this book. As I know it is anything but perfect, it is still had for me to think of what I don’t like about the book. If anything, I would say this. Not really a spoiler to the end of the book, but there is a point in the book when a few of Arnie’s enemies are destroying the car. If the car can rebuild by itself and drive by itself why didn’t it just destroy the greasers’ right then? I know it’s because of the suspense and horror of the story, but still.
The Good: See, I had to struggle to think of something bad about this book. Now, for the good. And I don’t even know where to begin. The characters: they could have easily been one dimensional from the start, but they weren’t. Arnie’s slow change the typical nerd to the greaser was told through the eyes of others, and it only helped. Dennis could have easily been considered the dumb jock. He wasn’t. And the fact that he was still friends with the awkward Arnie all the way through high school tells a lot about him. Leigh was the typical pretty, new girl of the school, but once we started to get to know her we find out that isn’t all there is to her. The car was the best part of the characters. It is its own character. It has its own character development.
Final Thoughts: Mind you, King wrote this book while he still had a few monkeys on his back. And yes, I do see the semblance of the story to what his personal demons were at the time. All the same, I strongly recommend this book. I absolutely love it.
And with a bit of my own HS nostalgia mixed in, made it that much better.
The story goes like this: A young lad by the name of Arnie Cunningham is cruising the streets of his hometown with his pal Dennis ... When Arnie just happens to catch a glimpse of a vision of something that he never knew that he wanted. A 1958 Plymouth Fury sedan. The problem is, the car is a wreck, it is a rust bucket which shouldn't be on the road. And there is no way in hell that our Arnie can afford to fix it up. Dennis can see it for what it is but he cant make his pal Arnie see the wood for the trees. But Arnie buys it anyway. Because when Arnie looks at this particular Plymouth he doesn't see what everyone else sees. He sees a stud bucket on wheels. He sees success. He sees easy living. He sees everything he has ever wanted without ever realising he wanted it. In other words, the devil has come to Libertyville and he has set his sights on Arnold Cunningham as his first victim.
Stephen King has always been a delight to read. In CHRISTINE, his writing is suspenseful, compelling and at times down right addictive. Given that the book was written back in the 1980s it still holds up remarkably well today. At times, CHRISTINE is shocking, but in a good way. You switch on the kindle (or open your book) and see an innocent and innocuous looking chapter introduction that (so my kindle tells me) will take me 15 minutes to read but once you read this chapter you are faced with the choice of re-reading it for the simple joy of it, or rushing straight on to the next chapter even though it is a work day and it is well past your bed time. Personally, i tend to re-read them. His "shocking" chapters are classic Stephen King gore fests, which are gruesome, highly enjoyable rides of absolute terror and completely unexpected. Hence the shock factor. They can also be quite moving and emotional once your heart beat and blood pressure drop back to normal levels. And also once you have regained your grip on reality and your own sanity.
Reading CHRISTINE is like attending a master class in writing sophisticated horror fiction. As always with Mr King, his characterisation stands out like high powered fog lamps on a brand new 4WD motor vehicle. His plot is sufficiently complicated and complex that the book never seems long despite its 746 pages. I have already mentioned its gore factor, the shocks and the unremitting terror in the second half. And so to the ending. It is perfect. It is brilliant, shocking and yet, heartbreakingly sad. The perfect (horrific) ending to the perfect horror novel. Brilliant stuff.
BFN, Greggorio.
Top reviews from other countries
Contains some of the elements of the 1983 film, but most books, with more details and character development.
A great read
Reviewed in Spain on July 4, 2022















