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Hello, there!

Kandice and I are starting a buddy read of this book.

Please feel free to join in!

Just make sure you post what chapter you are on and hide any spoilers behind the appropriate tag.

Thank you!

So I went to the beach and figured I would get lots of reading done but ended up dozing up a lot hehe.

I am not sure what version you have, I have the one I linked, a total of 304 pages. I made it to 48. Since the book doesn't seem to be divided by chapters I figured I would just write the page number.

I think it started really well! (view spoiler)[I love that we immediately knew where the evil came from even though it was in a different context.

We got some background on the characters as well which was ok, but I have to admit all the advertising talk lost me a bit, I think it took too much space. (hide spoiler)]

Looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Oh and I absolutely love the way King voices children (view spoiler)[and now even the dog's thoughts are given a voice, that was awesome! (hide spoiler)]

One of my favorite things about this book and The Eyes of the Dragon is the amazing way King seems to capture the internal voice of dogs. Of course there's no way to be sure, but it feels very genuine to me.

You're right, there is no way to be sure but it definitely sounds accurate and is very fun to read.

I'm not sure if you know this already, but King has said, on numerous occasions, that this was written when he was heavily into cocaine and he doesn't remember writing it at all!

Page 3 (view spoiler)[ I love, love the lines when the Tadder first sees the closet monster and it says "your parents may come, but they will leave again.

Or something like that. Scary! (hide spoiler)]

Oh now that you mention it I do vaguely remember hearing something like that.

(view spoiler)[Yeah, that was so scary!
Oh by the way I meant to ask you before, what did you make of Tad's mom breaking up with her lover as a reaction to Vic announcing his trip? I figured she'd go hey more time for me to act up.

The pace has slowed down a bit for me now. There is much more side plot than I had anticipated. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[I don't think Donna broke up with Steve in reaction to the trip. I'm only about 100 pages in so that's pretty fresh for me.

I think Donna broke up with him because she had let it start out of fear and boredom. I think she realized, when their way of life was threatened by the cereal issue, that those were bull reasons. She really did love Vic, it was herself she was a bit disappointed in. I actually love that King has her blurt it out as soon as she knows she is caught. Having three children, I know this happens!

It was just horrible synchronicity that Steve's awful letter fell on Vic's desk right before the trip. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[That makes perfect sense.
What didn't make sense to me was Vic's reaction. I know he struggled for a bit and that he wanted to leave on good terms but boy what a sheep, appreciating two good moments in a morning after she cheated on him. I don't know, didn't make sense to me. He should still be resenting her and I just didn't see that.

I am on page 110/304. Looks like Cujo is finally showing his rabid dog colours. (hide spoiler)]

110(view spoiler)[We are in synchronicity! Something else I appreciated in the breakfast scene you described was Donna's turn from the one doing wrong to the (almost) aggressor. I feel it rang very true when she almost casually asked if Vic was going to sleep with someone else on the trip. You know it had to be a fear.

It's moments like that when I feel King is writing from real experience. Obviously, he can't have experienced every situation he writes about, but that just feels so genuine. I've never cheated or been cheated on (that I know of!) but wish there was someone I could ask. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[So true! Yes, I can only imagine the passive-aggressive feelings someone who has cheated will have. They can't deal with the guilt so they make themselves believe it's not their fault *sigh*

I am at the scene where Donna and Tad are on their way to Joe's farm to get their car fixed. I have a feeling they should have taken the groceries with them

She never did clean that ketchup, hmmm... (hide spoiler)]

165(view spoiler)[ We are in sync again! I am only a few pages past that portion. I have to say that as irritating as it seems it should be, I think the "no chapters" format is pretty effective for this book. It's a linear narrative told from an omniscient viewpoint, so it works.

I can't help feeling it's a bit silly that Adworx and the film company could both go out of business because of the stupid red dye. I'm not saying it's not realistic, just silly on the part of the public. We are not the smartest consumers. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[True... There seem to be a lot of coincidences in this book and it ticks me off when not only do I notice it but the characters point out, as Donna did. That doesn't make it okay, only more obvious. Most of all I feel the narrative is quite disconnected. We have this happening, then this happening and then there's this. I feel by now there should be more connection between, for instance, the monster in the closet being in Cujo. Tad could have at least tried to tell his mom, I don't know.
I am at page 182 and Vic just had this dream about his wife and son being trapped and attacked by a beast and totally forgot about it in the morning. In the meantime, Donna's pretty much eating all the food in the car because Tad doesn't really care for cucumbers *le sigh*

The mailbox thing was good though. I get that feeling a lot, like I am missing something important and obvious.
(hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[I am at the part where the police when to Trenton's place and found it vandalized by Kemp.

It is so annoying how so many characters had multiple times to check in their loved ones and they just didn't.... Hope this moves on faster now that Donna was bitten. (hide spoiler)]

The suspense is really mounting now!

(view spoiler)[ But don't you find that in real life, we often don't check on or in as often as we should? We expect our children to, or at least I do, but my husband and I are very lax about it with each other and that's probably in part due to cell phones. You don't have to because you could at any time.

This novel is one that would never work today because a cell phone would have been used 100 different times in the narrative to stop it all. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[Honestly no, I do check up a lot, guess why it irks me so much. Besides, days went by.
It just doesn't make sense to me that, in some situations where the pressure is mounting up, they wouldn't ask someone to check.
For instance, when Charity finally calls Alva, that makes sense to me, as did him not going because he lost his chicken. But at least she asked him.
I can appreciate the dichotomy of her wanting to know and not wanting to know at the same time but darn it, it's her son... He is upset and worried out of his wits.

Oh well. I just felt like up to this point the pace has been a bit off. Like the big shot detective guy brushing Donna going to Camper's off just because it didn't make sense they couldn't find her car. Why does it matter? It is one possibility of where she could be, the only actual clue they had, so why not just go there? Seems unnecessary.

And yep I agree, cell phones make things hard for writers and screenwriters for sure.

What part of the book are you at? (hide spoiler)]

Well, I am done with the book.

I have to admit I had expected more, (view spoiler)[particularly a stronger connection between the evil that plagued Cujo, the dog and the boy. For instance, Tad could have read the Monster Words out loud and produced an effect on Cujo. Instead we just know the Cujo was inhabited by the spirit of Frank Dodd because we were told, know what I mean?

I didn't even get to know how the dog's name was picked... And there was no further reference to the ketchup spill... Nor much reference at all to eating their scant provisions.

I guess I am spoiled by other King stuff that seems to wrap up more nicely. (hide spoiler)]

I still enjoyed it and the ending was unexpected. Now I am looking forward to watching the movie.

I’m finished and since you are too I am not going to hide spoilers, but...


Spoilers ahead****

Personally, I know I don’t check in as often as I should. I grew up in a family with four brothers and myself and most days we left at 7 a.m. and weren’t expected home until dark, no checking in. I just am not a “checking in� or “checking up� kind of person myself. Weird, because I enforce it with my children. They MUST check in from point A to B and always do.

I had no problem accepting the string of coincidences since I have found them in my own life often. I mention it in my review as well.

I am actually glad King did not show us actual evidence of Dodd’s evil inhabiting the dog. I don’t feel he came right out and told us it did. I feel more like the evil that was in Dodd had been hanging around Castle Rock and sort of tagged onto Cujo for the fun of the havoc his rabies would cause. Fun to an evil entity that is. If he had given us more clear evidence, such as the Monster Words working, I think I would have found that hokey. King seems to revisit the idea of places holding evil in many of his stories and that feels more real to me than there being an actual evil entity. Does that make sense?

The movie is so very good. Dee Wallace is amazing even if Danny Pintauro drives me crazy. I want to smack him! There is only a hint of the idea of supernatural ideas in the movie and I think it’s better because of that. I wish we could watch it together. I may need to force one of my children to watch it with me. :-)

My review: /review/show...

Thank you for the buddy read Kandice, I always find it refreshing to hear someone else's opinion, even if it is totally different than mine, I really appreciate hearing other points of view.

I intend to watch the movie as soon as I can!

Ana wrote: "Thank you for the buddy read Kandice, I always find it refreshing to hear someone else's opinion, even if it is totally different than mine, I really appreciate hearing other points of view.

I int..."

Did you review the book? I'm going to look. Please let me know when you watch because I would love to hear what you think.

Hi, sorry, work has been hectic.

Yes, I did review it.

Not sure when that will be but sure, we can then discuss the movie adaptation!