Dead and Well-Read Society discussion

Hello Fiends!

Happy Friday!

We start our first discussion tomorrow. This discussion will probably last all day and most likely bleed over into Sunday. Here are some questions...

1.)How did you experience the book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to
"get into it"?
2.) In regards to the characters--How has the past shaped their lives?
3.) Do they remind you of people you know?
4.) Do you admire or disapprove of them?
5.)Is this a plot-driven book—a fast-paced page-turner?

Take your time. Marinate on these questions. Be sure to engage with other readers!

Hey all! Due to Hurricane Irma, I just got the book in the mail on Thursday (I ordered it like two and a half weeks ago!) but I already cannot put it down! As soon as I started reading it I was engrossed. I still see the characters playing out certain parts from the Tim curry version from back in the day and it's kinda weird (that movie traumatized me with clowns). It's kinda crazy how quickly I was engaged. It is a bit slow going it seems though because everything is so detailed. Gonna continue to read the book throughout the day and Come back for further thoughts and discussion.

Hey all! Due to Hurricane Irma, I just got the book in the mail on Thursday (I ordered it like two and a half weeks ago!) but I already cannot put it down! As soon as I started reading it I was engrossed. I still see the characters playing out certain parts from the Tim curry version from back in the day and it's kinda weird (that movie traumatized me with clowns). It's kinda crazy how quickly I was engaged. It is a bit slow going it seems though because everything is so detailed. Gonna continue to read the book throughout the day and Come back for further thoughts and discussion.

1. As far as the book goes it took me awhile to get into it. Once I reached about page 200 or so I was pretty hooked. I'm almost finished actually and this is one of the largest books I've ever read! Haha wasn't sure I would even finish in a month

2. I think I'm ways they all ended up in pretty similar predicaments as they were in as children. Not to give too many spoilers but just look at who they married...

3. I definitely have known a few Richie's in my life who like to make light of every circumstance. But perhaps that's why he's my favorite character. And sweet Ben and his love for Bev... aww definitely have someone that came to mind when I thought of him.

4. I admire they honored their promise to each other after almost 30 years!

5. At first I didn't really like the way the book was written how it jumps back and forth in the time line. I think there's times when I can't put it down and was reading pretty quickly and other times I was dragging through it

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late response, I was at Son of Monsterpalooza all day.

For me, I didn't get into the book right away. I had to build up and get myself going to really be engaged in the writing. It's not because I thought it was bad, it's a really fantastic book (I'm re-reading it this time around), but I think its because I knew what to expect already. Despite my forced start, its an easy page turner once you get going.

The Loser Club doesn't really remind me of anyone per say, but they all have relatable characteristics and traits. I can see myself in Bev, I can see myself in Mike, or Eddie, etc. I like that relatability in terms of the characters. I also think that their experiences as children definitely shaped them into their adulthood, its only a subconscious thing until their memories come flooding back.

I adore this book. I like what Amber Lee said about it being almost addictive because that's how I felt about it as well. I HAD to find time to read it, I HAD to get back to that world. I would say that the past is their lives whether they know it or not. Everything that has happened after the first incident in Derry was simply filling in the time until they came back. Their successes in life were rendered meaningless the moment they crossed the city line. The Loser's Club in general reminds me of my childhood, which was thankfully clown free, but we would ride around on our bikes and explore creeks and such and always came up with some monster to fight.

Good morning all!

I'm really enjoying the book. I'm experiencing it as an audiobook this time around and it grabbed me right away. Steven Weber's performance is quite good.

In certain ways the characters' personality traits and experiences from childhood did shape their lives (as someone said above, look at who they married!). The financial and career success most of them experienced as they grew up, and the distance from Derry that they traveled, also may have been spurred on by wanting to put their past very much behind them.

Aspects of each character remind me of people I know; that's probably part of why the book was so successful. You can relate to and get behind these characters.

There are things to admire and things to disapprove of in each character. Again, that's what makes them human and relatable.

I think whether the book is a quick page-turner or not depends on what you enjoy as a reader. This book is filled with detail, backstory, and tangents, which I find to be interesting and to make the book richer. Other people may prefer books that "stick to the point," as it were, and may find this one difficult to get through.

Okay so first I want to say sorry I am late posting this. Second, I am super self conscious over how long my reply is lmao so sorry in advanced.

1. I think I was pretty much hooked right away. I have never seen neither the original or new movie adaptation so I wasn’t really waiting for my favorite seen or anything like that. I also think that the death of George is a good attention grabber. I liked that we don’t have to wait until the climax for It to be revealed if that makes sense. On the other hand, I am a pretty fast reader so I just zoom through the less interesting parts, and I re-read part that I deem important which I know isn’t the best way to read sometimes but I had to last minute purchase this book so I’ve been reading it on my phone on the kindle app and you are able to highlight and review what you highlighted really easily so that's nice. I think another thing is that right off the bat I could tell that a major theme is this book is fear and that just was really interesting to me. I can see why this is one of King’s most popular books and the only other book I’ve read by him is the Shining, but I can see why he is rich lol. As I write this, I’m not sure where most of us are, but this is a pretty freaking long book, especially since I haven’t read in a long while, but I am currently just starting the Third Interlude, which I feel like I’m making good time.

2. So my first thought when I read this question (and I’ve glanced at others answers but I ultimately wanted to write my own answers before reading so I could reply and create more of a discussion and not influence my original thoughts lol) was that I kind of got Lost vibes, for those of you that have seen Lost. In Lost it's almost like the island chose them, and for the Loser Club it’s like Derry chose them. *SPOILER FOR PART 3/ THE REUNION* Especially when they come back together as adults and Mike starts pointing out to them the similarities between those who left; they all got rich and never had children. And the difference between them and Mike who stayed; He never became successful/ rich. It’s as if Derry, or maybe It, is saying “yeah I let you leave, but I’m still in control. Especially because none of them are incapable of having children, they just didn't by “chance”. Especially in the case of Richie who had a vasectomy and later finds out that it's almost like he never even got it in the first place, and could have been impregnating women for years. A quote that I really like from this book is when Bill tells Mike, “If there are certain preconditions for the use of magic, those preconditions will inevitably arrange themselves. Right?” I think that is certainly happening in Derry, magic because a neutral force, twisted evil maybe by It, and good by the Losers. I might just be rambling now lol. *END OF SPOILER*

3. I think this question is interesting. I can’t really say that the characters remind me of any specific person in my real life. I didn’t have anyone come to mind when reading it. However in a book about fear, I can that these characters are supposed to be relatable, as everyone feels fear the same, can relate to the feeling even if we all have very different fears.

4. I think the Losers are perfectly imperfect, so I’d say I’d admire them. I also realized I’ve been answering all these questions just focusing on the main-main characters ( the losers). Let me just say: *KINDA SPOILER has to do with Bev as an adult but I will put PART 3- 12*, not sure where exactly in the book* As far as disapproving characters, I hope Pennywise saves the worst most painful, torturous death for Tom Rogan. I will then spit on his grave. Yeah I could have a deep analysis about how she chose someone just like her father to marry but honestly I don't have the energy, I’m supposed to hate him and I hate him and honestly those parts of the book are the hardest for me to read. *END OF SPOILER*

5. I feel like this is both plot- driven and a page turner! Like I’ve said probably twice now throughout my answers, I think I’m making good time. I definitely love reading however I attempted two books earlier this year and I still haven’t finished them. I think its mostly because my heart truly lies with fantasy, whether it be romance or sci-fi or horror I need the fantasy and the supernatural and the paranormal. I am really looking forward to reading more horror in this book group (I’ve never read Neil Gaiman, not even Coraline! So I'm hoping maybe we’ll pick one of his sometime). Back to It, I really like how King weaves back and forth between childhood and adulthood, memories are secrets that we get hints of first. I think some people, myself included sometimes, might get impatient like JUST TELL US WHAT THE TURTLE IS ALREADY but I think at the same time it keeps us moving forward through the book.

Amber Lee wrote: "1.) I remember trying to read this book in middle school and had a hard time trying to get in to the story, but now that I'm older and more adjusted to better literature, I can admit I've finally g..."

I feel like if I tried to read this in middle school, even thought I was a mature reader for my age and that was the height of my reading life thus far, I feel like I would've been the same way. I'm really glad that I waited until now (I am 20 years old and Literature has always been my favorite subject and been what I'm good at however I flunked out community college English... well community college entirely lol). I'm also kind of glad I haven't watched either movie yet for this story. I feel like I will like the book for this story better, especially like how you said there's a lot of details and you just can't fit everything in to a movie.
For your reply to question 2 I like what you said about how they were affected until the memory was right in front of them again and I just really like what I think King was saying, like even though we grow up and we have our adult shield, when those memories penetrate that we are just kids again and this might be a *SPOILER from when they reunite* I think its Bill who says, when he walks in the room, that for a second he sees them all as their 12 year old selves. *end of SPOILER*

Ok so this book is pretty amazing... it has taken me a while to read it (started a few months ago) but I think it has to do more with me than with the boom per se. I was an adamant reader and then i stopped because of work and personal stuff but this book has taught me to love reading again...

1) the book grabbed me right away. I think the start of Georgie losing his arm was a real grabber for me. The way King describes the smells (the candies apples and the rotting flesh) let's you feel inside the book right away. I've never seen the show nor the new movie so I think being able to feel right in the middle of the street as Georgie is grabbed and then the development of how even the cop who found him he just couldn't even speak makes you more invested in the book and it's characters.

2) I think in this book the characters have been shaped mainly by their past even if they do not know it yet. It takes a little while to understand how Bill became a writer and Ben an Architect and even Richie with all of his voices but I think they all had that within them before meeting Pennywise. However, they were molded by that fateful meeting and stuck with their small and yet important characteristics which also helped them deal with the nuance of It

3) I think they all remind me of me in certain aspects and of people I am close to. I think this is one of King's best contributions to his writing. He helps people connect to his characters so that not only are you reading about them but you are invested in them completely. You feel their happiness and their pain. Just reading about Ben and Beverly and how he is in love with her and she is in love with someone else makes you feel that completely.

4) I admire all those kids. I think back to when I was a kid and being brace and overcoming things even knowing that it scares me was really hard to do. They have each others' backs which is why they might be able to take more risks and I find that pretty amazing. Only thing that ticks me off a bit is Beverly and how her relationships with men are the result of what happened to her with her dad. You would think that a person who was brace enough to go against a monster would know not to continue on that path. However, this makes sense with how King still wants to make his characters realistic and make people more involved into his characters.

5) I do believe this is a plot driven book. You are invested in what will happen to the characters so even if you o let want to read a couple of pages, 30 minutes later you have already read at least 50 pages and not willing to stop... it really is a great read.