Review: The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

[Sally Balboa]

The Shawshank redemption is a book that left me with chills, and a deep sense of hope for all of the characters involved. Unfortunately I watched the movie long before I read the book, so I do have some mixed feelings about a lot of the things that happened. So let me just say that both are very enjoyable and worth your time and money.

This novella is about Andy Dufresne, and how he is sent to Shawshank prison when he is still a young man, he is convicted of killing his wife and her lover. Throughout the novel we meet other convicts some of which may be innocent others not so much. All of this is told from the perspective of Red, Andy's best friend in Shawshank. Let it be said now that Andy's doings and what Red knows are two different things. So don't be surprised by all the twists and turns that Andy makes while in prison.

I felt that a lot of things could have been done better in this novella, a lot of characters could have been given more depth or more meaning. Just a little bit more from this novella, in general.

I loved that everything Andy does is pieced together by Red, and that none it might be true. It could all just be the fancy of some institutionalized con. All that we really know is that Andy exists and may or may not have done some heroically stupid things during his time in prison.

[kasi33]

Did you find the "2nd person perspective" frustrating, or invigorating? I liked that the narrator was Red, and the story was about Andy.
It left a lot to the imagination. Also, did you read the book through the voice of Morgan Freeman? I certainly did!

[Sally Balboa]

Yeah, It was hard not to read it in Morgan Freemans voice, considering The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favorite movies ever

As for the perspective I found it extremely refreshing that the story wasn't all about the narrator. There's not many story's like that.

[kasi33]

I agree that the point of veiw was refreshing. We live in a very "Me first" society, and so is reflected through a lot of literary works. I love that there are still questions unanswered at the end of this book, because you are allowed to fill in the blanks. It also allows us to make our own opinions of what "really" happened. This book is definitely called a classic for a reason!

[LeighBee22]

I love this story, both its novella and movie incarnations. And I love, too, how the narrative plays with the reader's sense of reality (i.e. "unreliable narrator). For me, these are among the best kinds of stories, when you're not quite sure what is real and what is not, and yet you are connected at the heart, and deeply engaged in what you would like to be true for the characters.

[Sally Balboa]

I believe LeighBee22 said it better then me.

[LeighBee22]

I believe LeighBee22 said it better then me.

Aw, thanks Sally Balboa. It was your wonderful comment that inspired mine !

[Sally Balboa]

You're welcome

[MamaTheNurse]

I had read this years before the movie and it was one of my favourite Stephen King novellas - I'll still watch a minute or two of the movie if I see that it's on (it always seems to be on TNT) but I'll never be able to reconcile the picture of Red that exists in my mind with Morgan Freeman - the gent who played the warden, however, was EXACTLY as I pictured him...........

[Charlotte Reese]

I had read the story long before I saw the movie and I love both. The prisonbreak plot is exciting and I like the episodic quality of the storytelling but to me the novella is primarily a character study. Andy Dufresne is one of the most memorable fictional characters I have encountered. Red might be an unreliable narrator and Andy's reputation seems to have achieved almost fable-like proportions by the end of the story but I like to believe that everything Red described the indomitable Andy to be is essentially real.

[chrystal_vaughan]

This is another one of those King stories that translated well into film. I absolutely loved the story, and the movie is an all time favorite at my house. The characters are well written, but also well portrayed in the movie. Does it really get any better than Morgan Freeman? Not in my world. Now, if I could find a place where he's narrated the entire story for my listening pleasure, that would be my version of Xanadu.

[sahmoun2778]

I haven't ever read any Stephen King but have been thinking about it. I enjoyed the movie and after reading the comments here I think this may be a good first King story for me.