Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Signet (1999), Edition: later pring, 560 pages
Description
Fiction. Horror. HTML:In The Shawshank Redemption, a man convicted of a bloody murder lives in a prison brutally ruled by a sadistic warden and secretly run by a con who knows all the ropes and pulls all the strings. He has more brains than anyone else in the sinister slammer, and has a diabolically cunning plan of revenge that no one can guess until it's far too late.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Mendoza
I don't think I can even do justice to this story in a review. It is simply an awesome story and suprisingly, the movie is almost better.
LibraryThing member emhromp2
What a beautiful story. This is surely one of the best books ever written about escaping from a prison. I saw the film first, and every detail from the book is in it. I loved it, and will definitely read it again.
LibraryThing member mpaolano
Simply put: Stephen King's Shawshank Redemption is legendary. Both the book and the movie are both beyond excellent. There have been many attempts by authors to write a compelling book about a prison break, but Stephen King's leads the pack. However, only on the surface is this book about a prison
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break. Shawshank Redemption contains an underlying theme of hope. After being wrongfully convicted, Andy's life was seemingly over. But by maintaining hope that one day he would see the outside world again and the beaches of the Pacific, Andy would find himself living in his past fantasy. A must read for anyone interested in a book that can be read over and over and still learn something new each time. Show Less
LibraryThing member booksandwine
I am willing to bet the majority of people reading this review have already seen the film version of The Shawshank Redemption. If you have not seen the movie, stop reading my review and go watch the film. It is amazing. I have recently discovered the 'free' audio-books on the library. (Thank you
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tax dollars). The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King is a relatively short book. It is also a short audio book, only 3 cassettes (my POS car has a tape-deck). Frank Muller narrates Stephen King's tale of prison life. Here's the thing, if you must audio a cassette, don't get an old cassette from the library, buy a new one. With me, it just skipped and pretty much stopped playing, so I had to plead with the powers that be to let me finish the story of Red and Andy Dufresne.Bitching and moaning aside, I thought Frank Muller's voice was perfect for the story. He sounds like a grizzled felon with a heart of gold. As audio-book connoisseurs know, the voice really adds or detracts from a book.I felt the characters were fascinating. I genuinely liked Andy Dufresne, disliked the corrupt guards known as screws, and Red - the man who can get you anything in prison. Andy embodies hope within the most confining circumstances, jailed for murder of his wife and her lover -- he really has little hope of parole. There's no way he'd ever get out, as the DA used Andy's case as leverage into a higher position. You have the guards who represent the institution, who do their best to exploit Andy's tax-preparing expertise, and try to squelch Andy's hope. You have Red who's been in jail for so long that it feels safe to him, he has a position of prominence within the prison as the man who can get anything. Red makes for an intriguing study of the psychological effect of institutionalization.I loved King's writing style, he can really make me guffaw, then feel broken hearted, then fit to burst with joy all on one page. I know some people hate King and his super-long books, but I am an unabashed King fan. I think there is a reason he is the king of horror, and I think his efforts to reach into other genres are fantastic (i.e. The Green Mile -- wasn't horror to me), so maybe I do have some bias. I love that King makes me contemplate the freedom of being able to see the night-sky unimpeded by bars.However, I will admit, I felt the movie was definitely better. There is a reason it is the number one user voted film on IMDB.com. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChelleBearss
This was an amazing movie and the story is just as great. One of the few movies that hold true to the book.
Narrated by Red, he tells the story of Andy Dufresne over the course of their life together inside prison. Andy was incarcerated for the death of his wife and her lover, a crime that he did
I won't tell much about the story as it isn't a long one and should be experienced by the reader in full.
One of the things that Stephen King does best is write horror without the obvious aspects. No one jumps out and goes BOO, no one gets murdered and there are no ghosts or ghouls. What Stephen King manages to do is show the horror of being an innocent in prison, showing the full weight of day after day and year after year. The horror of being raped and spending time in solitary for someone else's crime. The horror of wasting your life away inside when you know that you don't deserve to be there, and the horror of knowing there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it.
Narrated by Red, he tells the story of Andy Dufresne over the course of their life together inside prison. Andy was incarcerated for the death of his wife and her lover, a crime that he did
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not commit. I won't tell much about the story as it isn't a long one and should be experienced by the reader in full.
One of the things that Stephen King does best is write horror without the obvious aspects. No one jumps out and goes BOO, no one gets murdered and there are no ghosts or ghouls. What Stephen King manages to do is show the horror of being an innocent in prison, showing the full weight of day after day and year after year. The horror of being raped and spending time in solitary for someone else's crime. The horror of wasting your life away inside when you know that you don't deserve to be there, and the horror of knowing there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it.
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LibraryThing member RamzArtso
I absolutely loved every chapter, paragraph and sentence.
LibraryThing member alt229
One of my favourite stories of all time.
LibraryThing member hopefully86
One of my favorite books ever. The movie was great as well, which rarely happens with screen adaptations. The title really describes everything...Redemption. I could read this again and again!
LibraryThing member rain.e.drew
I am not denying that Stephen King is one of the greatest writers of modern time, because based on his success, I can't think of him in any other light. My three stars (according to Goodreads, three stars means, "I liked it") probably comes from the fact that I am more of a classics reader, and
The story was well done. I enjoyed that. My only problem was that the ending dragged on a bit, though it was by no means bad.
What has probably ruined it for me was that I saw the movie just two days after finishing the novella, and I have to say that this is the first time that I actually liked the movie better than the book. There was just so much that was included in the ending that would have given the book a more satisfying conclusion.
Overall, it did have a good story, solid characters, and adequate writing. I highly suggest this book for anyone wanting to beat away a few hours of their summer.
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therefore, may be a bit inaccurate to other bookworms. I apologize, however, I could not give it four stars. The story was well done. I enjoyed that. My only problem was that the ending dragged on a bit, though it was by no means bad.
What has probably ruined it for me was that I saw the movie just two days after finishing the novella, and I have to say that this is the first time that I actually liked the movie better than the book. There was just so much that was included in the ending that would have given the book a more satisfying conclusion.
Overall, it did have a good story, solid characters, and adequate writing. I highly suggest this book for anyone wanting to beat away a few hours of their summer.
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LibraryThing member PortM
Revisited this in audiobook form after having originally read it back when it was fresh on the bookshelf as one of the novellas in Different Seasons. This is one of those very rare (almost non-existent with Stephen King) occasions where the movie was better than the book. The best thing about this
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experience was again hearing Frank Mueller's wonderful narration. Show Less
LibraryThing member Edward.Lorn
It all starts with Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, wherein the Mangler is mentioned in passing.
Then you move on to Apt Pupil, wherein a banker who went up the river for killing his wife is mentioned by Dussander.
When you round the corner into The Body, you're gifted with
Until finally coming across The Breathing Method, a story that does not mention Shawshank, but the "club" herein does pop back up in a different story entitled "The Man Who Wouldn't Shake Hands" circa Skeleton Crew.
These are four of King's best novellas. Three of them have been turned into movies, and I would think that the final one will never be filmed. It's just not a cinematic story. I do love that King dedicated The Breathing Method to Peter Straub and Straub's wife, because the story reads and feels a great deal like Straub's masterpiece Ghost Story.
The afterword explains a great deal about how King became a "horror writer" and the time frames in which all these novellas were written. As an author myself, I liked the afterword quite a bit.
In summation: This is my favorite collection of King novellas, and you should read it. Highest recommendation.
Then you move on to Apt Pupil, wherein a banker who went up the river for killing his wife is mentioned by Dussander.
When you round the corner into The Body, you're gifted with
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four boys wondering if they're going to end up in Shawshank because they trespassed at the local junkyard.Until finally coming across The Breathing Method, a story that does not mention Shawshank, but the "club" herein does pop back up in a different story entitled "The Man Who Wouldn't Shake Hands" circa Skeleton Crew.
These are four of King's best novellas. Three of them have been turned into movies, and I would think that the final one will never be filmed. It's just not a cinematic story. I do love that King dedicated The Breathing Method to Peter Straub and Straub's wife, because the story reads and feels a great deal like Straub's masterpiece Ghost Story.
The afterword explains a great deal about how King became a "horror writer" and the time frames in which all these novellas were written. As an author myself, I liked the afterword quite a bit.
In summation: This is my favorite collection of King novellas, and you should read it. Highest recommendation.
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LibraryThing member Marc.Ciccarella.Jr.
I love SK. In this novella he gave perfect descriptions of everything. In particular the parts with Hadley are very very good. Even Hadley's dialogue is so freaking amazing.
LibraryThing member klack128
While I did read this AFTER having seen Shawshank Redemption, I still loved the book. I think this is Stephen King at some of his best, even if it's not his typical horror fare. I don't think I'll ever get tired of "Red" or Andy, and it was so easy to become absorbed in their world. There's also
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that thrill and satisfaction of the people you're rooting for getting something good in the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member Renzomalo
Stephen King's tale of redemption was a fast, easy read in which one cannot help but hear Morgan Freeman’s voice in the narration. It's what happens when you see the movie first. Still, it is a good read and a master class on how to do that sort of first person narration. It was a splendid few
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hours of literary entertainment with a few not-in-the-movie nuggets thrown in for good measure. Four stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member Micareads
Andy Dufresne is in Shawshank after being found guilty of killing his wife and her lover…a crime he says he is innocent of. During his time at Shawshank, Andy becomes friends with Red, the prison's go-to man. After years of getting to know each other, Red is surprised when Andy comes up missing,
Frank Muller did a wonderful job of telling Andy's story through Red's eyes. The different characters and demeanors of each character were fantastic. Muller made the story a joy to listen to and I hope to read more books in which he narrates.
Audio is still the best way for me to imbibe Stephen King and this book was no different. Having watched the movie several times I knew the premise of the story yet still enjoyed hearing the story play out. I am looking forward to my next Stephen King audiobook.
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Red thinks about the events leading up to the escape. This story details Andy's time in prison, how Red believes he escaped, and the possibility of what Andy is doing with his freedom.Frank Muller did a wonderful job of telling Andy's story through Red's eyes. The different characters and demeanors of each character were fantastic. Muller made the story a joy to listen to and I hope to read more books in which he narrates.
Audio is still the best way for me to imbibe Stephen King and this book was no different. Having watched the movie several times I knew the premise of the story yet still enjoyed hearing the story play out. I am looking forward to my next Stephen King audiobook.
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LibraryThing member Castlelass
Banker Andy Dufresne is wrongly convicted of murdering his unfaithful wife and her lover and sent to Shawshank State Prison in Maine. While imprisoned he meets Red, a man who can work the system to obtain contraband. Red and Andy become friends. Andy puts into action a long-term plan to shortcut
Once Andy is sent to prison, some pretty horrible things happen to him. I did not care much for reading this part, but it was necessary to establish him as a sympathetic character. The story is narrated by Red, and he brings the reader along through the difficulties of prison life.
I picked up this book to remind myself of it since I enjoyed the film so much and had read the book long ago. There are a few segments that have not aged well, but overall, I very much enjoyed it. It is one of those enduring storylines where a wrong is ultimately righted and it feels very satisfying.
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his sentence.Once Andy is sent to prison, some pretty horrible things happen to him. I did not care much for reading this part, but it was necessary to establish him as a sympathetic character. The story is narrated by Red, and he brings the reader along through the difficulties of prison life.
I picked up this book to remind myself of it since I enjoyed the film so much and had read the book long ago. There are a few segments that have not aged well, but overall, I very much enjoyed it. It is one of those enduring storylines where a wrong is ultimately righted and it feels very satisfying.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1982
Physical description
560 p.; 4.26 inches
ISBN
0451183940 / 9780451183941