Different Seasons by Stephen King

Includes the stories “The Body” and “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”—set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine

A “hypnotic” (The New York Times Book Review) collection of four novellas—including the inspirations behind the films Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption—from Stephen King, bound together by the changing of seasons, each taking on the theme of a journey with strikingly different tones and characters.

This gripping collection begins with “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption,” in which an unjustly imprisoned convict seeks a strange and startling revenge—the basis for the Best Picture Academy Award-nominee The Shawshank Redemption.

Next is “Apt Pupil,” the inspiration for the film of the same name about top high school student Todd Bowden and his obsession with the dark and deadly past of an older man in town.

In “The Body,” four rambunctious young boys plunge through the façade of a small town and come face-to-face with life, death, and intimations of their own mortality. This novella became the movie Stand By Me.

Finally, a disgraced woman is determined to triumph over death in “The Breathing Method.”
source: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Different-Seasons/Stephen-King/9781508216797

Executive Summary: I generally don't like short stories or novellas. However this collection has 3 stories that were converted into movies I enjoyed, especially Shawshank.

I'm a big fan of Stephen King, though I've read very little of his horror novels. He's often relegated to a horror writer, but this collection shows what I feel is his real strength: writing great characters.

There is very little horror to speak of here, save for some of the awful things humans do to one another, though little of it occurs in great detail.

Next to Dark Tower, Shawshank might possibly be the best thing he's ever written, though of course everyone will have favorites of their own.

This is a really good collection, that is definitely worth picking up, whether you're a fan of King's other work or not.

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
I don't know what to say about this one really. It's a prison story, but that's just the setting.

Really it's a story about strength and determination in the face of adversity. A lot of adversity. Andy Dufresne is a case study in making the best of a bad situation.

But really nothing I write will do this story justice. Read it. And watch the movie. The movie is excellent. Easily the best adaptation of any of King's work.

4.5 stars

Apt Pupil
This one is just too dark for me. I could only read it a little at a time. Then I'd have to watch something funny and light as a palate cleanser.

For fans of King's horror work, this one might be the most in that vein. However there are no evil clowns or demons here. It's just terrible people doing terrible things.

The story and the writing is quite good, it's just generally not the sort of story I enjoy reading. I know I watched the movie at some point, but don't really remember it. Unlike the others in this book, I don't plan to revisit the movie in the future though.

3.5 stars

The Body
My second favorite story of the collection. I remember seeing part of this movie what I was younger (probably too young to see the movie). The swimming scene has stuck with me all this time.

Reading the story made me appreciate the movie even more. The casting is so perfect. Maybe it colored my perception of the characters as I read it, but I think it's more a testament to the whoever cast the movie.

My only real complaint about the story, was the nested stories written by Gordie. The pie eating contest story was alright, but I can't even remember what the second story was about. That goes to show how unimportant it was to the overall plot.

I never had anything remotely close to the experiences of these four boys growing up, but that doesn't make it feel any less real to me. It's been long enough since I've seen the movie that I didn't really remember what happened.

Much like Shawshank, I'm hard pressed for what to say other than: read it, and watch the movie.

4 stars.

The Breathing Method
The weakest of the four stories, and maybe unsurprisingly the only one NOT to be made into a movie.

In fact I'm far more intrigued by the setting of the story, this mysterious club with books not found anywhere else. Old men gather to share strange and interesting stories.

The main story was certainly strange and interesting, but far less than the setting. As a big fan of the Dark Tower, it had me wondering if these books were from other levels of the tower. I kept looking around for Charlie the Choo Choo or something by Claudia y Inez Bachman.

I'd be very interested in reading a story that gives you more details about the club. I'll have to see if he ever wrote one.

3 stars.

An incredible good written book. It makes you appreciate life and freedom.

Precise rating: 2.5 ⭐

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
3 ⭐

Apt Pupil
2 ⭐

The Body
3 ⭐

The Breathing Method
2.5 ⭐

loved some stories more than others (especially apt pupil & shawshank : the storytelling, the tense atmosphere, the plot twists, everything was perfect ! apt pupil made me feel deeply scared of the human mind & the ending of shawshank restored my faith in humanity !!) but definitely a good reading experience!

gotta say though that stephen king just LOVES rambling and going on tangents, it gets very tiring at some point. like please get to the point i don't need to read an essay on the color of the sky

so -1 for that, but overall great book ^^