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Cover of Carrie by Stephen King

Carrie

  • 254 pages · about 4 hours
  • First published 1974
  • 120 editions

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1 About this book

Carrie is the debut horror novel by American author Stephen King, released in 1974. Set in the town of Chamberlain, Maine, the plot revolves around Carrie White, a friendless high school girl from an abusive religious household who has telekinetic powers. After a cruel prank pulled by one of her bullies on prom night, Carrie decides to take revenge.

King wrote Carrie with the intention of submitting it to be published originally as a short story for the men's magazine Cavalier following the suggestion of a friend that he write a story about a female character. Though King initially gave up on Carrie due to discomfort and apathy, and felt it would never be successful, his wife Tabitha persuaded him to continue writing, and rescued the first three pages of the story from the trash. He followed her advice and expanded it into a novel. King based the character of Carrie on two girls he knew in high school and enjoyed fabricating the documents for the narrative.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  • Horror
  • Psychological Thriller
  • Thrillers
  • Science fiction
  • Telepathy
  • Psychokinesis
  • Teenage girls
  • Social isolation

2 What to expect

King's first novel: a bullied girl with telekinetic powers and a fanatical mother, told partly through news reports and testimony. It builds to a violent climax.

Good for readers who want: horror, supernatural powers, and a short read.

3 About Stephen King

Born 1947

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror fiction and has also explored other genres, among them suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy, and mystery. In a career spanning six decades, he has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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