Serena and I are hosting a read-along of Stephen King’s IT, which will be held once a month through December. Our first discussion was held on Savvy Verse & Wit and covered Part 1 and the First Interlude. (Click here for my responses to Serena’s questions.)
This month, I am hosting the discussion of Part 2 and the Second Interlude. Please be advised that our discussions may contain spoilers.
I’ve come up with some questions to guide the discussion, but as usual, feel free to talk about whatever stuck out to you while reading. Feel free to respond on your blog (and put your link in the Mister Linky below) or in the comments.
1. What are your thoughts on the many characters, particularly the 7 main characters (Bill, Ben, Eddie, Richie, Bev, Stan, and Mike) who we see as both children and adults throughout the narrative? At this point, you’ve had 450 pages to get to know them. Do they seem real to you? Do you have a favorite?
King is great with characterization. Each character is different, yet they fit together well as a group. I feel like I’ve come to know each of them, but mostly as children at this point. With so many characters at the forefront, you’d think it would be easy to confuse them, but that’s not the case at all.
I think I like them all in some way, but I have a couple of favorites. Bill Denbrough, whose little brother is killed at the very beginning, has a stuttering problem that makes it difficult for him to communicate. When he tells Richie about the guilt he carries about Georgie’s death, I just wanted to reach into the book and hug him — then smack his parents for not seeing his pain. I also have a soft spot for Ben Hanscom, the overweight, lonely boy who blossoms when he makes friends with the rest of the main characters.
2. King provides a lot of details about his characters. Do you think some of it unnecessarily lengthens the book, or do you think the details will prove important at some point or are simply important in helping us get to know them better?
I must admit there were scenes in this section that I felt were too long and slowed down the book (Mike’s descriptions of Spring on his family’s farm comes to mind). I think these scenes help develop the characters to a certain extent, but that could have been accomplished with half as much detail. I guess I just have to wait and see whether all of these details are shown to be important later on.
3. It almost seems as though the setting is a main character as well. What do you think is going on in Derry, and what does the town itself have to do with the evil known as IT?
I have no idea what’s going on in this town, but I’m wondering whether the town itself plays a role in the murders. I’m wondering whether the characters as adults are scared of returning to Derry because of the evil that lurks there or whether it’s both the evil and the town itself that terrifies them. King describes the town’s topography in great detail, and it seems like a lot of the evil is centered around the river, the canal, and the barrens. I wonder if we’ll find out why the evil lurks in Derry and whether IT chose Derry or whether Derry itself is the evil.
4. Do you find the book scary? Is there one particular face of IT that you find creepier than the others?
I wouldn’t say it’s scary, at least not yet. It’s not keeping me up at night. However, it is pretty creepy, especially the clown. If I didn’t already have a fear of clowns, this book would give me one for sure! I think IT as The Creature from the Black Lagoon and a giant bird was somewhat lame. I think IT as a person, particularly a clown, is creepier than creatures that don’t exist in reality. The scene with Bill and Richie looking through Georgie’s photo album is the closest I have come to thinking the book is scary, but there’s a lot of book left!
5. What do you think of the structure of the book, particularly the shifts from the past and the present? Does it work in unraveling the tale, or do you think it makes it a bit confusing?
I wouldn’t say the structure is confusing, but it does seem choppy at times. However, I can see how it might be difficult to tell the story linearly, especially when many of the details of the evil are in the past, and the characters in the present are going back to Derry to face IT again.
6. We’re not quite halfway through the book, but what are your thoughts about it so far?
So far, it’s not bad. Parts of it are a bit long and maybe could have been cut, but I’ll reserve judgment on that until I finish the book. The clown is creepy, especially now that he’s not just a clown but a mummy and a leper. Most importantly, I’m enjoying King’s writing style and his ability to manage multiple main characters in such a way that each of them is unique, distinct, and really well rounded.
Please share your thoughts with us! And join us for the next discussion on Part 3 and the Third Interlude at Savvy Verse & Wit on Oct. 31!
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
It is great to revisit this book through your posts. Nobody can outdo King when it comes to building his characters. You finish the book knowing these people better than yourself almost. Yet King does go on. And on. And on. This is kind of what he is known for, and we allow him his digressions because its Uncle Stevie and we love him. I don’t know how many times I’ve turned to my husband and said “oh boy, here he goes again”. I will say that I think I was near heart failure in the last hundred pages of this book. I can’t wait to see if you feel the same way!
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I love that we all call him Uncle Stevie…I can’t wait to see if Anna is in heart failure at the end of this either.
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I agree that I’ll probably know them better than I know myself! I’m so glad to know I’m not the only one who thinks he goes on and on. I was getting a little bored there for a bit. I hope I don’t literally go into heart failure, but I’m looking for an exciting and hopefully scary ending!
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I apologize. I have done horribly with keeping up to reading this book. I hope to catch up in November!
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No worries! We hope you’ll catch up and join us, but if you can’t, we understand. It’s a huge book after all.
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I hope you do catch up. I’ve been doing horribly reading the Sookie Series like we had planned…have you kept up with that?
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Great questions. I was ready to participate last month, copy and pasted the questions and only had the iPad while away which did not let me, uggh and now I have thrown in the towel.
My last thoughts.
1) I didn’t have a favourite character yet, but definitely a couple favourite scenes. If I had to choose it would be Bill also.
2) I think SK writing is excessive and now I know is not my cup of tea.
3) Now this is the only part that actually made me consider finishing the book, I totally think IT is Derry or the feel of…. Perfect question and thoughts.
4) Not scary, I wanted it to be scary.
5) I think SK executes well but just far to much. The 1st part great, the 2nd great but how they fit together as a whole, its ok. Weird for me overall.
6) Well I have thrown in the towel, not enough to hold my interest for 60% more. SK is great with characters, I prefer plot.
It is hard for me to see my comment while typing, so sorry for any misspellings or spacing issues. The blocks with my name, email, etc are in the way.
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I totally agree that his writing style isn’t for everyone. Even I got a bit bored when he was going on and one. I don’t think it’s really scary at this point, and I’m also looking for scary…though the clown is pretty darn creepy! Thanks for giving it a try!
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I like your questions and answers but I HATE the button! Clowns: ACCCCKKK!!! :–)
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I hate clowns myself, and that button freaks me out…but you have to admit that it really suits our read-along!
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Great questions Anna, my answers will be up tomorrow. I totally agree, King is great with characterization and I do have a few favorites already. I’m enjoying IT.
The clown does scare me, however, as The Creature from the Black Lagoon and as the Werewolf, I thought that was corny.
I also found scene the Bill and Richie look thru Georgies photo album to be scary, and very descriptive, I enjoyed that.
I know what Serena means, King does drag it on and on and on….I found that second interlude to be a bit too long. Like I said, my answers will be up tomorrow 🙂
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I’m looking forward to your post tomorrow! Glad to know I’m not alone in thinking he droned on a bit in this section.
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Sorry, just found this and had to jump in, because It is my favorite book (bias alert!). I completely agree that parts of the book went too long and weren’t essential to the story (ie, parts of the interludes).
On the point of the werewolf, creature from the black lagoon, mike’s bird, etc, though, I have to disagree. Do they seem corny to us, sure, but these characters are growing up in the ’50’s. As illustrated in the books, these kids grow up seeing horror movies like the werewolf movies, creature from the black lagoon, mummy and such, movies that seem hopelessly cheesy to us today. But given the context of the book, and the idea that Pennywise shows itself as whatever will scare a particular child the most, it makes sense–Richie sees the werewolf movies, and then It is a werewolf for him, made real and horrifying. Mike watches Rodin with his dad, and It is a giant bird for him. I don’t think all the kids’ first encounters with It are necessarily so spot-on, but I do think SK was being thoughtful about the way It showed up in general, even if it doesn’t scare every reader. 🙂
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Hi Laura! Thanks for joining the discussion! I think you make a really great point, and I hadn’t thought of it that way. I was thinking about it in terms of whether the book scared me, but you’re right, those creatures certainly would be scary to the kids involved. And it does fit with the period in which the story is set.
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I agree with your point here about the monster being described as what scares each child most. I also agree that the creatures are not as scary to us as they may have been if we were born in the 50s or earlier.
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1. What are your thoughts on the many characters, particularly the 7 main characters (Bill, Ben, Eddie, Richie, Bev, Stan, and Mike) who we see as both children and adults throughout the narrative? At this point, you’ve had 450 pages to get to know them. Do they seem real to you? Do you have a favorite?
I just love Ben and Bill. I can’t remember who I enjoyed more as a kid, but I think it was Ben because I identified with him — not because I was hefty, but because I was often on the outskirts and picked on in school and had hidden crushes…nevermind that I spent a lot of time in the library. King is great with creating unique characters who are vivid…these people remind me of people I know from my small home town.
2. King provides a lot of details about his characters. Do you think some of it unnecessarily lengthens the book, or do you think the details will prove important at some point or are simply important in helping us get to know them better?
I’m not sure that the details are unnecessary per se, but I think that they do bog down the book’s narrative at times, but I think the details he provides are extremely interesting and provide readers with a more well rounded look at them. I have been wondering if these details were part of larger “interviews” with his characters that he did before writing the book but didn’t know what to edit out. 🙂
3. It almost seems as though the setting is a main character as well. What do you think is going on in Derry, and what does the town itself have to do with the evil known as IT?
In all of the King novels I’ve read, the towns are often characters. I agree that Derry here seems to be a character and that the evil of the town or what is seen as evil could be manifesting as it…and was it me or was Ben’s description of IT really disturbing?!
4. Do you find the book scary? Is there one particular face of IT that you find creepier than the others?
Ben’s description has always been creepiest to me. The clown/mummy with the bandages and the holes/eyes. ICK. The book isn’t scary yet for me, but it would definitely qualify as creepy.
5. What do you think of the structure of the book, particularly the shifts from the past and the present? Does it work in unraveling the tale, or do you think it makes it a bit confusing?
Strangely, I haven’t minded the structure of shifting between past and present…I think it helps to give readers a wider view of how IT has impacted these seven characters individually. I wonder why he selected 7 characters and whether he could have reduced the number and kept the integrity of the story.
6. We’re not quite halfway through the book, but what are your thoughts about it so far?
I’m enjoying it even more this time around after having read it at such a young age. I think now I am more appreciative of King’s writing and skill.
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1. My heart almost broke when Henry and his minions didn’t treat Ben’s library books with care!
2. Glad to know I wasn’t the only one who thought stuff could be cut from the narrative!
3. I think all the clown-related descriptions of IT are disturbing!!
4. Creepy, yes!
5. I wonder if when we’ve finished the book we’ll think all the main characters were necessary?
6. I cringe thinking about how you read this book when you were my daughter’s age!!
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I was into horror books then. I was reading Christopher Pike and all his vampire stories by that point. And clown’s don’t freak me out as much.
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Still, there is so much in this book that I think would be inappropriate for children. I read Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine and all those YA thrillers but didn’t find them scary. Honestly, IT would probably have bored me to tears at that age!
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I think I wanted something more frightening at the time, but the librarians in my hometown weren’t policing us…so there you go…and my parents didn’t care
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I also read books that my parents probably would have thought were inappropriate if they knew! I like that they weren’t policing you. As long as your parents didn’t care, I say read what you want!
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I haven’t read much Steven King. I think I read one book in high school. I’m not a huge horror fan…I have trouble sleeping. I can’t even watch CSI alone.
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The only movie that terrified me was The Strangers, and the only show that’s scared the Dickens out of me is A Haunting, particularly the demonic hauntings. I guess I’m trying to see whether I can be terrified by a book. No idea why I want to be scared, though. I think I’m asking for trouble!
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Some CSI episodes are down right freaky…I was recently freaked out by a Criminal Minds episode.
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Laura, you do make a good point there about those creatures scaring the kids. Plus the story is set in a different day and age, where the creature from the black lagoon and the werewolf were much scarier than they might seem today.
You know what else I forgot to mention Anna? What’s up with the Turtle? It keeps getting mentioned here and there. I think Bills broghter thought of it before he died in the start of the story. And it was quickly mentioned again during part two.
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You’re right! I did notice the turtle at the very beginning and it seemed like it was going to be important, and I do remember it being mentioned in this section again. I wonder if it’s another of King’s ramblings or whether it will come into play eventually?
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If I remember right, the turtle does come into play later on.
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Good! Because I’m really curious about its importance.
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Oh ok, I do hope the turtle comes into play later. It did have me wondering.
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Bills *brother
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I read Naida’s post before venturing over here. IT sounds scary to me. Anna, I also dislike clowns, but at the same time, I feel sorry for them as I think they are secretly (or not so secretly) sad. But I digress. How fun to do this read-a-long, which is like a book club discussion with a lot of discourse. I’ve only read a few books by Stephen King, but I think he does tend to write long fiction books with a great amount of detail (which is probably important for his purposes), so it may take a while to get accustomed to his style.
Have fun with IT! I think you already are. 🙂
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So far, I am having fun with IT. More fun that I expected, given my feelings about clowns. I try not to think about them, so whether they are troubled or not…I just don’t even want to go there. 😉
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It has been such a long time ago that I read this, that I wish I planned to revisit it with your group. I am enjoying reading your thoughts. enjoy
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Well, there’s still three months left, so you have some time to catch up! 😉
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I just wanted to second Diane in that it is SO fun to hear what people have to say reading the book for the first time! Whenever a friend is reading a book I’ve already read, I like to bombard them with questions along the way, so the structure of this readalong is perfect as far as I’m concerned! 🙂
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Glad you’re enjoying it! I hope you will join us for the remainder of our monthly discussions. 🙂
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ack! Each time I see that logo I get the shivers!
Glad you and Serena are enjoying the readalong (for the most part, it seems). I wonder what you’ll think about all those characters when you’ve wrapped up the reading and discussion.
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The button is pretty freaky! I can’t imagine how much more I’ll learn about those characters. I already feel like I know them so well.
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[…] The first discussion on Part 1 and the First Interlude was held on Serena’s blog, and the discussion on Part 2 and the Second Interlude was held here. […]
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[…] in August (my responses to Serena's questions are here), Part 2 and the Second Interlude was held here in September, and Part 3 and the Third Interlude was held on Savvy Verse & Wit in […]
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[…] (my responses to Serena’s questions are here), Part 2 and the Second Interlude was held here in September, Part 3 and the Third Interlude was held on Savvy Verse & Wit in October, and Part […]
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[…] I co-hosted with Diary of an Eccentric. Please visit the more in-depth discussions for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part […]
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[…] I co-hosted with Diary of an Eccentric. Please visit the more in-depth discussions for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part […]
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