You are in a minority!
You are in a minority!
I loved IT. One of my all time favorite books. I agree with you Odetta, it should have ended after Pennywise. The gang bang was just too much for me. They were 11 and I just couldn't wrap by brain around why that was so important for them to have sex with her.
Anyways, I've told this story before but here it is again.
The first time I read it was about 4 years ago. I was reading mostly at night because I had a two year old who took up my days. Anyways, about halfway through the book I happened to take Dean to the Mall to play around. They were handing out free balloons and of course I got Dean one. Later that night I was deep in read when I felt like I needed to go check on him. I went into his room and about fell on the floor. In his room floating was the red balloon from the mall.
*shiver*
Lalalalaaaa, lalalalaaa
Lalalalaaaa, lalalalaaa
sugarpop <3
*shudders*
Buddy, you think you look strong? You’re wearing a cape.
excellent choice for Book of the Month! I loved IT. Have only read it twice, but the last re-read was fairly recent. Count me in on the controversy bc I never really understood why all those kids had to have sex. It seemed bizarre to me. i do love the book up until that point though.
also, i've never heard sarah's story before. that's f'd up!
IT was the second King book I ever read (my first being Cycle of the Werewolf). I think I was like...8 or 9. I remember getting in trouble because I read part of it to a kid on my block and they had nightmares or something. ha.
But like everyone else has said, I have never understood the point of having the kids have sex. When I first read it I didn't really know what I was reading but when I got older I was like, WTF? It is unnecessary.
But, since it was one of my first King novels it holds a special place in my heart.
It is hands down my favorite book. King did an excellent job of creating such an uneasy and creepy atmosphere throughout the book. It's the only book to really scare me.
And I agree with everyone else about the kids having sex at the end. I never understood why that was in there, it seemed kinda out place with the rest of the story to me.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
IT is my favorite book, by King or anyone else. I've read it at least 8 times. It is one of three books that have ever scared me. I liked the ending and the only reason I think the kids had to have sex was because King likes writing about sex.
The very ending was very sad to me though.Spoiler:That was hard for me to swallow when I was a kid reading that. Fantastic book!
Absolutely magnificent Book, and one I've read many,many times. It never loses its flavour.
The aforementioned controversial scene never bothered me too much somehow, which is kinda weird I guess. Just the fact they were all kids & all of an age, and it was Bev's idea to ....... center them all, and it saved their lives (in so far as they would have run scared & died down there otherwise - or so King would have it).
Great,great,great Book!
I think the sex was there to show the loss of innocence, a very big deal to King. That innocence is what allowed them to experience pennywise, play on his terms, and ultimately defeat him. I'm not saying that I agree with it or even appreciate it very much, but as much as we dislike the scene, it sticks in our minds, no? It was a very vivid way to portray that there lives would never be childlike again- they had defeated the embodiment of gratuitous evil.
I loved the Lovecraftian influences. Of course they are sprinkled throughout most of King's supernatural stories.
I have not read this book I want to but I will have to purchase It. I have saw the movie and was not very impressed. But books are always better than the movies
Milissa, that movie was pretty lame. The book was phenomenal, not just in terms of King's corpus of works, but in all of modern fiction. I think IT contains some of the most powerful characters that I've ever encountered in any work. I really think you'd enjoy it. Please don't be turned off about the scene we have been discussing. Should we mark spoilers in here?
No need for spoilers. I am very much looking forward to reading the book. I have not been dissatisfied with any of Stephen Kings books, just some of the movies, It being one of them. I have enjoyed reading what everyone has posted about the book. Makes me look forward to reading it more. Please don't use spoilers unless you really want to.
we're not a few days late, we're right in the middle of a month - don't our months go from 19th to 19th?
and I loved the ending a lot more than the anticlimatic spider denouement. I loved it how Bill beats the devil a second time, and all the rest of it... and the part which ends, "...and a block a two after that, he begins to whistle", and all the rest of it. Also, absurd as it may sound, I felt so happy for - who do you think? - the bartender, who pours Ben his drinks at the very beginning (the cartwhells, remember?). The guy was so worried and so sure he would never see Ben again - well, he will! What giant talent of storytelling must an author have to inspire in a reader such a sympathy for an episodic character and make that reader anticipate a meeting that won't even happen within a book as if it was something great waiting for him in his own real life?
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I reread IT last year and it didn't lose any of its magic.
I didn't dislike the sex scene, although I did initially wonder what the import of it was. I think Jayson, that you hit the nail on the head by saying it represented their loss of innocence, it was the conclusion that I also came to after rereading.
King focuses in alot of his works on that coming of age transition from child to adolescent. I'm sure alot of us experienced, as children, the quandry of wanting to be "grown up" whilst at the same time wanting to remain a child forever. Theres a kind of sadness in it, we're leaving behind a world in which we are allowed to be naive and innocent, for one where we are suddenly expected to be aware and responsible. I thought the scene reflected that very strongly, the image of loss (virginity) and gain (maturity).
I wasn't entirely surprised by the scene though, as I thought it was foreshadowed by Bev's father constantly chiding her for being in danger of becoming "one of those girls" - which made Bev's actions also some kind of rebellion against her father and in itself foreshadowed that Bev would have the strength to leave her abusive relationship with her husband years later.
IT is the very first SK book I read. I didnt have a problem with the sex scene when it came up. I didnt really think it was neccesary, but in order to escape they had to become close as possible so I can understand that.
Cry your pardon my dear
Its because we three share khef that I became confused
You need to be chastized, you're being very mischievious today
Where's a whip smilie when you need one?