lol "short stories" is probably not the right shelf, because they're not exactly short. They're what's called novellas in English, I believe. I don't know if we have a Swedish word for that, probably something that I learned in school and forgot.

The name "Different seasons" is just "Seasons" in Swedish, and they fucking went with it, translating all the titles to one season each. It does not work at all. The Body is named after autumn, despite taking place during summer vacation and the first two stories span several years. It's only the last one, about winter, that kinda hits the mark, but nah, I don't like it. I liked the book though.

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption Very good story. I've never seen the movie so I didn't actually know what to expect and I can't tell you if it's true to the novella or not, but all the same I truly did enjoy it. The ending was good, which is rare for something written by King (I say, loving most things he writes).

Apt Pupil This one is so fucking creepy, which, OKAY, it's a King novella, of course it's gonna be creepy, but it's not creepy because of anything supernatural, it's creepy because Todd is the worst character I've ever had to read about. Honestly the first 30 pages could've been a short story on their own, a really creepy one. The creepy vibe is kinda lost the longer it goes on, but I still enjoyed it and it was still truly a feel bad story.

The Body You know, I've seen Stand By Me a few times but I don't think I ever really "got" it before reading the novella. I'm not sure I get it now either, but I like it better than before. Everything except that scene with those gross creatures whose English name I can't remember or bother to look up (I don't wanna risk seeing pictures!!), but you all know what I'm talking about so it doesn't matter.

The Breathing Method This was not very good and honstely almost made four star it instead of five, but since it's such a short story I'll let it be. It's just so many men in it and it seems a bit misogynistic to write about pregnancy this way, so I just didn't like it. Then again it might not be about the pregnancy at all, it might be about a club, and then maybe it could have/should have been explored more. Maybe. ( )

This is definitely one of my favourite King stories. I loved the movie and I loved the novella just as much! ( )

Two of the best Stephen King short stories ever are in this book - The Shawshank Redemption and The Body, both of which became classic movies as well... ( )

Forty years on, early King novels are nearing 'classic' status in their genre (although nobody quite agrees on how old a book has to be, whether the author can still be living, etc.) This collection of four novellas deserves the status consideration, but whether it belongs to King's typical horror genre is debatable. Three of its four stories have made the leap to screen, two of which are classics in their own right. I've already read more of King's work than I intended to, but I didn't want to miss this one.

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption - the character Red in this story is named so for his red hair, so I'd imagine he's white, but I kept hearing Morgan Freeman's voice anyway. It goes much like the movie does, as far as I remember, with the absence of Andy's playing music and maybe some other things. Knowing the ending allows every bit of foreshadowing and dramatic irony to leap out, and there's quite a bit of that to enjoy. Funny to observe, this book is now older than Red's prison sentence is long.

Apt Pupil - gave me more than I expected, the most gripping read of the four. King offers a study of how easily anyone (anyone!) can be brought under the sway of evil, if they ask the right (wrong) questions and encounter the right (wrong) mentor. Granted, Todd's heart is in the wrong place from go. When I lost all sympathy for him I began to read this as a story about two King villains trapped in a room together, forced to cooperate but unable to trust.

The Body - four young friends in 1960 embark on their most memorable adventure together, managing to pack nearly every coming-of-age lesson into one 24 hour period. Stephen King is probably evoking his own childhood, including every common expression from that time and place. Some of those are still cute, while others are hopelessly politically incorrect sixty years later. If you're not a Western white male, prepare to get zapped.

The Breathing Method - this also exceeded my low expectations, which I'd based on its being the only story not transferred to film and its most strongly belonging to the horror genre. Despite its revolving around a central event of that type, the framing story that nests it is engaging and drew me right in. It isn't wrapped up neatly with a bow but leaves some lingering mysteries, making this a good note to end on.

I read the original 1982 hardcover. In "The Body", Chris tells Teddy and Vern about the pistol but later they don't know anything about it. I'm curious whether that mistake was fixed in a later edition. ( )

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption 5/5
Apt Pupil 4,5/5
The Body 3/5
The Breathing Method 3,5/5 ( )