Different Seasons (by Stephen King)
This is my second time reading Different Seasons by Stephen King. It’s the March selection for my in-person Constant Reader book club. First and foremost, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of novellas just as much as I did the first time five years ago. However, this re-read revealed something about my preferences for re-reading books. I’ll get to that in a moment.
Different Seasons is one of Stephen King’s finest collections of novellas. It includes Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, The Body, and The Breathing Method. The movie adaptation of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, titled The Shawshank Redemption, is an absolute masterpiece and one of my all-time favorites. In fact, I discovered the movie during a tour of the old Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, after its release. My fascination with prisons led my family and me to tour the historic prison during my undergraduate years. It was an incredible experience to witness the prison and the movie props and memorabilia.
So, about the novella. I’ve watched the movie adaptation countless times, so when I first read Rita Hayworth, I was eager to compare the book to the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the novella and felt my curiosity was satisfied. When my book club chose to read Different Seasons, I didn’t mind because I had already read and loved the collection. However, I found it challenging to finish Rita Hayworth on my second reading. While it’s a great story, I must admit that I still prefer the movie! It’s quite rare for me to have a preference for a book over its movie adaptation.
I thoroughly enjoyed rereading Apt Pupil, as I had forgotten a significant portion of the story. It’s a highly disturbing novella that delves into the extremely dark minds of its main characters. The plot’s trajectory kept me engaged throughout. The ending was both unexpected and satisfying. Surprisingly, I was unaware that there was a movie adaptation of Apt Pupil. Fortunately, social media users alerted me to the movie, and I watched it shortly after finishing Different Seasons. I found the movie to be well-executed, but the content was quite mild compared to the intricate and disturbing story crafted by King.
By the time I finished reading Rita Hayworth, I discovered that when I’ve seen a movie countless times, I enjoy reading the book at least once. This allows me to delve into additional details that are omitted from the movie and experience the story as the author intended. However, some of Stephen King’s movie adaptations are so exceptional that I don’t feel the need to read them more than once. The Shining stands as a notable exception to this observation, and I realize that there may be more such exceptions as I continue my journey with the Constant Reader book club.
Given my revelation, I decided to skip rereading The Body. As a child, I grew up watching the movie adaptation, Stand By Me. Every time I watch the movie as an adult, I’m filled with nostalgic memories of my best friend and me reciting lines from the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed The Body when I first read it and didn’t want to risk potentially tainting my experience with the story, just like I did with Rita Hayworth. Stand By Me is another excellent movie adaptation of King’s work.
The final novella in the collection, The Breathing Method, was another story I had forgotten many details about. Therefore, I had the opportunity to rediscover and love it all over again. The setting of the club that’s not really a club is dreamy. Imagine being surrounded by storytellers and books that can’t be found anywhere else. The final Christmas Eve story about the woman who would give birth regardless of the circumstances was mind-blowing. I’m surprised there isn’t a movie adaptation of this one yet.
In conclusion, this book review appears more like a personal journal entry as I’ve come to understand my preferences for rereading books, particularly those that hold significant personal meaning. Different Seasons remains an exceptional collection of novellas by the master storyteller.
Feel free to explore my reviews of other Stephen King books below!
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