Stephen King Fans discussion

While reading this book, go ahead and discuss it here. Please be sure to mark spoilers before you post them! Enjoy!

Just reserved my copy at the library, can't wait!

I first read this when I was 16. (I'm not going to say how long ago that was! lol) I loved it then and have been wanting to reread it for ages now. Thanks!

I'm going to try to pick up Cujo this month and join you folks this time. I read it only once, and all I remember was certain scenes involving the dog...and [NOT A MAJOR SPOILER MOMENT:]

somebody puking pink early on because of some nasty breakfast cereal. :P


The book, from what i gather, is about much more than a rabid dog, isn't it? When we get further into it, we could reflect on that...how do the other situations tie in with the Cujo main storyline itself, if at all?

I hope I get my copy this week. I have never read this one before so it will be all new to me.

This really isn't about the story, but about the writing itself, and the book's lack of chapters.

There are a lot of books out there which have no chapters, and the book is better for it. It gives you no chance to breathe or take a time-out, and reading it like that enhances the story itself.

But this book has no chapters and the fact that it doesn't feels forced to me. It jumps around from character to character, and gives us an all-over glimpse of what's going on in the neighborhood, which I love about Stephen King, but it seems to me that this format doesn't really lend itself well to being told in one long chapter.

Any thoughts?

Picked mine up from the library and will start it right after I finish the book I am reading now!

I am so behind on books this month! Since I get my books from the library I have to base my reading off when books are due back! So I will be reading this book next week probably!

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to get Cujo in my hands, either. These readings tend to fall apart, don't they? :(

I hope to join yall before the month is over but the library eather dosen't have a copy anymore.Or it could be checked out.

I am so far behind on books, I am finally reading this book now! It is very good so far!

I also kinda don't like that this book doesn't have any chapters. I like chapters to keep me organized. So far the story has surprised me. I thought the story was going to be more about Cujo but so far it is more about the lives of the people around Cujo (I am on page 106).

Yep, that's one of the main issues I had with the book too... This isn't the type of story that works in chapter-less form.

Has anyone seen the movie? How does it compare to the book? I just put in a request at the library to get a copy they currently don't have one. If they don't get one I'll just get it from BBV.

I saw the movie once, when I was probably about 12 maybe...? I remember the details being a bit different from the book in the run up to the end, and then the ending was very different.

Cujo is terrifying in the movie though. In the book, he is described and that's scary, but SEEING the foam dripping from his mouth and the utter insanity in his eyes is much scarier to me.

I am scared more by visual stuff, it seems! The Exorcist movie scares the crap out of me to this day, but I still love it. I read the book not long ago, and it was good, but not scary to me. *shrug*

Some interesting stuff about the movie:

Many times, a Rottweiler was used as Cujo, because they couldn't get a St. Bernard to look mean enough.

In one scene, you can see the dog's tail tied to his rear leg. The dogs playing Cujo were very friendly dogs and the director needed them to stop wagging their tails.

Just before Cujo kills the police officer you can clearly see him wagging his tail.

One of the St. Bernards accidentally bit off stunt woman Jeannie Coulter's nose while she was holding a toy too close to it; her nose was reattached at the hospital.

Has anyone read the Dead Zone? I guess that is a book that has a lot to do with Cujo which of course now I will have to read soon. Cujo is a semi-sequel to King's earlier work The Dead Zone. "Cujo" makes several specific references to the events and characters of "The Dead Zone," even so much as to lead the audience to believe that Frank Dodd (committed suicide in The Dead Zone) is possessing Cujo.

I've read The Dead Zone, and enjoyed it, although it was rather sad and bleak at times. But it is a good story.

Do you think people should read it before Cujo?

See, I think that in my review, I said that it didn't matter, but now, I'm thinking maybe it does. I can't recall whether Cujo says who Frank Dodd is from The Dead Zone...

If it did, then it does matter. My memory is shot these days, I tell ya!

Spoilers:

So I just finished the book. At the end of the book I felt bad for Cujo. I am big on animals and felt so bad for him to have rabies. Especially when the book was written from Cujo's point of view. He didn't even understand what was going on. I was surprised how much this book wasn't about Cujo but was about other people. I thought this was a dark book, meaning nothing positive happened really. Which makes it a good horror book to me.

I was so surprised when Tad dies! I really wasn't expecting that. I was also surprised that there really wasn't supernatural themes in this book except for maybe that Dodd was possessing Cujo (back to the Dead Zone). I do think Dead Zone probably plays a big part in this book and maybe should've read it first.

I never heard about anyone getting their nose bitten off during the movie, Cujo, but while watching a "making of the movie" thing, they did talk about how they used a sugar mixture to make it look like he was foaming at the mouth. Unfortunately, it tasted good and he kept licking it off. Lol. They kept having to reapply it. I thought that was cute.

There are many, many references to Dodd, but you don't need to read either first. I love how King peppers his characters throughout his novels so you feel as if you are hearing about old friends (?!), but very seldom, is familiarity neccesary to get the story. It's just a little bonus. Kind of like George Lucas' Easter Eggs.

I see a lot of you didn't like that Cujo wasn't the main focus for much of the book. I kind of took Cujo as a lesson. You never, ever know what might happen, so get straight and fly right!!!!!

I hated that Tad didn't die in the movie. It was such a cop-out. I read that they felt people would be too depressed by his death, but dammit! That's part of what makes it such a great story. Things DON'T always turn out for the best. There may always be a happily ever after, sometimes, though, it's not for you.

I have also always carried a "survival" kit of sorts in every car I have ever owned, due solely to this book! Not my dad's urging, but papa King's!!!

I find it interesting that even though Cujo was not the main focus of the book that he has become such a mainstream character. Taken a life of his own. Infact in my local newspaper yesterday a lady was walking her dog and turns out a coyote walked up to her and her little pooch and tried to take the take right out of his leash! Anyways... she was quoted in the paper saying :It was like Cujo coming after me." I find it interesting people use Cujo to describe things.

Chevy Chase's throwaway Cujo reference in "Fletch" is quite memorable to me. :D

What is the picture of on this book? The teeth?



Finally my library has ordered the movie so I should be able to see it soon.

Yeah, they are teeth... I forget what they call that technique, color inverting or something...

It is a weird cover. I don't really like it.

I don't like it either. The simpler the covers to his books are, the better, I think!

This is the one I have:

That one is much better the top book looks like someone wearing a crown or something.

Angie wrote: "While reading this book, go ahead and discuss it here. Please be sure to mark spoilers before you post them! Enjoy!

" Great, I first read it whilst pregnant with my second son (he's 6 months old now) & I loved it! There were times I felt for the human characters but I must admit I cried when Cujo died!

Angie wrote: "Spoilers:

So I just finished the book. At the end of the book I felt bad for Cujo. I am big on animals and felt so bad for him to have rabies. Especially when the book was written from Cujo's p..."Not read Dead Zone but I agree with you about the emotional side of the book.

Angie wrote: "What is the picture of on this book? The teeth?



Finally my library has ordered the movie so I should be able to see it soon. "Yep....Teeth!

I will always feel bad for Cujo. Before reading the book I thought he was going to be just an evil dog, but after finding out why he was evil makes him innocent. Just goes to show get your dogs vaccinated.

Sorry to revive a long-sleeping thread, but I finally read Cujo. I started reading King back when I was a kid (early 80s) but for some reason never read this one.

I've read virtually everything King's written, but Cujo was always a gap. I finally corrected that! His early stuff has such a different feel than the last decade or so!

Duke9700 wrote: "Sorry to revive a long-sleeping thread, but I finally read Cujo. I started reading King back when I was a kid (early 80s) but for some reason never read this one.

I've read virtually everything Ki..."

Angie wrote: "While reading this book, go ahead and discuss it here. Please be sure to mark spoilers before you post them! Enjoy!

"


this one book i cant find!

Becky wrote: "I saw the movie once, when I was probably about 12 maybe...? I remember the details being a bit different from the book in the run up to the end, and then the ending was very different.

Cujo is..."

Totally disagree, Cujo is way more terrifying in the book in my opinion. In the book, he is described as a monster, whereas one of the scene in the movie wipe off all the credibility of Cujo. I'm talking about the one with Gary Pervier); it looks as if Gary and Cujo are dancing...come on....

Kandice wrote: "There are many, many references to Dodd, but you don't need to read either first. I love how King peppers his characters throughout his novels so you feel as if you are hearing about old friends (?..."

Totally agree with you about the "hollywood" ending.

Cujo was my first SK book ever when I was in 3rd grade (my parents were probably just glad I was reading and not a Nintendo junkie like my brother). It's hard to remember exactly how I felt back then, but Cujo has always been one of my favorites. On recent re-readings, I feel like I get a clearer picture each time. Always, always though, I feel terrible for poor Cuje, he just wanted to be a good dog.

This has always been one of my least favorite King books. Something about the story just never stuck. I think I need to re-read it to see if I was in a bad mood that week.

Hey guys! If this is any help here's my review of the book:

jzhunagev's review of Cujo

Creepy cheers fellow Constant Readers! ^_^

I'm glad to read this thread, because I always thought I was the only one who felt so bad for Cujo. All he meant to do was chase a rabbit. I cry over animals anyway, but I felt especially bad in this case, because rabies is so unnecessary for pets, if their families just vaccinate them. Although this was fiction, I just thought about how many real-life cases of animal disease occur unnecessarily.

LOL at the person who learned to carry an emergency kit in the car from Stephen King! I can relate.
It's funny how all the serious news and dire warnings in the world won't make me think, but I read The Stand and I'm contemplating how prepared I am for a super flu that shuts down the world, etc.

SPOILERS AHEAD***************************************************************************** Ok, I thought I'd mark this because I mainly want to comment and compare the endings of Cujo the movie vs. Cujo the book. I rewatched the movie tonight and I think there is a trade off in the tragedy, book vs. movie. In the movie, Mom shoots Cujo and Tad lives (or at least he is breathing when they go to credits, implication being he lives). In the book, Tad dies and isn't the last part of the book Cujo going off into the woods to die of rabies? That part always made me cry because it drives home the point of Cujo being a good dog that had something bad happen to him turning him into something he couldn't control. In the book, Tad dies of heat exhaustion which seems like a parallel way to how Cujo is dying, slowly, painfully but kida quietly. I feel having Mom shoot Cujo in the movie was an injustice to the dog he was and was kinda mean. I know, twisted. :)

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Hmmm...if I remember correctly, Cujo dies because Donna stabs him in the eye/brain with the (sharp) remaining part of Brett's baseball bat.


SPOILERS!

Jc11king wrote: "SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Hmmm...if I remember correctly, Cujo dies because Donna stabs him in the eye/brain with the (sharp) remaining part of Brett's baseball bat.


SPOILERS!"

Actually, Donna stabs Cujo with the bat outside, then, after she goes in the house to revive Tad, Cujo jumps through the window and she shoots him dead with the Sheriff's gun. So, it was the shooting that kills him, not the stabbing with the bat.

Is that the ending of the book or movie? Movie she beats him with bat, shoots him outside, revives tad, Cujo bursts through window, she shoots him again. He dies in kitchen. I know in the book he at least gets the chance to slink off to the woods but he may have been mortally wounded.

Rachel wrote: "Is that the ending of the book or movie? Movie she beats him with bat, shoots him outside, revives tad, Cujo bursts through window, she shoots him again. He dies in kitchen. I know in the book he a..."

My description was of the movie ending. I don't recall Donna shooting Cujo first outside but I'll take your word for it since you just watched it and I have not seen it in a while.

Its kinda accidental anyway. She has the gun in her hands, he jumps her and it goes off. She thinks he's dead and that's why she moves Tad into the house.

Rachel wrote: "Its kinda accidental anyway. She has the gun in her hands, he jumps her and it goes off. She thinks he's dead and that's why she moves Tad into the house."
MOVIE SPOILER!!!!!
I watched Cujo last night and don't remember seeing her shoot the dog outside unless I blinked and missed it. I know she "shanks" him as he is diving on her. She picks up the gun and points it at Cujo. I remember yelling "Empty the clip Lady!!" She later shoots him in the kitchen.