In 1960s America, four young boys go on a journey to search for the body of a boy killed by a train. As they travel, they discover how cruel the world can be, but also how wondrous. "Penguin Readers" is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language, the...

The Body is my favorite story written by Stephen King, and perhaps one of my favorite stories of all time. After reading it during the course of two hours, I was left flabbergasted, enthusiastic and perturbed alike. King masterfully delved into the psyches of four young boys who are entering an adventure and have to overcome several obstacles.

The movie adaption "Stand By Me" is critically acclaimed wherever you are looking, with all of the four child actors delivering amazing performances. The short story remains my favorite in comparison to the movie though, maybe because I've read it first and was so stunned by the characters. I can only recommend you not wasting your time with reading this short review anymore and instead running to read this. ( )

This book was recommended as a great way to experience Stephen King's writing that's not his trademark horror genre. I'm not a big fan of coming-of-age novels, but this was very well written. Vivid descriptions and great quotes like "...words shrink things that seem limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out." ( )

3.5 stars. It wasn't amazing, but I liked it. It's not King's trademark horror but I wanted to give it a read because I really enjoyed the 1982 movie, Stand by Me. What attracts me to this book is its unique structure. It is a linear story with a clearly defined goal, but there's no villain. No antagonist even, really. It's a story about a group of 12-year-olds dealing with something difficult, something they shouldn't have to deal with as children. And it does an interesting and successful job at that.

That being said, I just couldn't really get into the book like I did the movie. I found myself skimming a lot of it. It was still really well written and I know the story is a good one, so I really have no idea why I couldn't get into. Maybe the film overshadowed it too much or something? I don't know. But I did like the fact that the ending gave you more details on everyone's futures. I'm still not really sure what to rate it as I know for a fact that the storyline itself is great, but seeing as I really struggled with it, I don't feel like I can give it any more than a 4. ( )

Detta är en så otroligt fin men tragisk berättelse. Jag känner igen mig i alla fyra pojkar, på olika sätt. Det är synd att den är så kort men det känns ändå okej med tanke på att det finns en film. ( )