♥   the shining by stephen king

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I once read in an article that Stephen King didn't like the movie adaptation of his book "The Shining" starring Jack Nicholson... I was dumbfounded! The movie was excellent, one of the better movies made from his books. But I had yet to read the novel...

When I did finally read it, I understood. In the movie you only see the father as a villain, you hate him, never pity him, never feel sorry for what has happened to the family. It's just the basic "bad guy let's hope he dies" scenario. But in the book you are saddened by what happens to this young family. You get to know the background of the father and his intentions. And when it all goes bad, you feel for him, you feel the loss.

This was one of King's books I read in my adult years, mid-twenties. I read a lot of his books in my early/mid teens, so I was able to read with more life knowledge and understand and appreciate what was written. I really enjoyed this book, a lot. The characters were alive, as King always seems to be able to do for his readers.