Deeply enthralling

this is a book that will continue to give you nightmares long after you have finished reading it. kinetically written, breathlessly laid out, dizzyingly scary, and oh-so humane. King makes sure you have a really, really scary ride from start to finish. brilliant!

Still love IT

I've read IT about 6 times. The first time I read it I was only 11, and to be honest, though I enjoyed IT in general, I didn't understand a lot of it (I was actually looking up the dirty words I didn't understand in the dictionary and wondering why they weren't there!). I was morbidly fascinated and afraid by the horror and the sex scenes; confused by the Derry Interludes. Weirdly enough though, I love the book today at 24 for the same reasons I loved it at 11: IT is a fantastic and intricately layered story with characters that you miss when the book is over, because you've been with them through their whole story as children and adults, best friends. IT leaves you emotional, wanting more, especially of the summer of '58.

I'm not sure what I thought about the ending. I agree that perhaps it was a bit anticlimactic. But when I think about it, what else could have been done? I'm not talking about the "Beverly & the boys" scene. Even I thought that to be unnecessary and very unbelievable. I was 11 when I first read the book and I found this part extremely weird and shocking. Other than that, I guess the kill had to be anticlimactic; King sort of wrote himself into a corner there. But I forgive the ending for the rest of the book.

To those who think that the book needed "slimming" a few hundred pages, I don't get it! I believe that every element of the story was essential to build a history of Derry, identifying with the book's characters (there were 7 after all). People don't seem to have any patience anymore. I don't see the book as sloppy. I don't see extra chapters as a "waste of time" if they're adding to the book.

I didn't want to mention the movie here, I saw it when I was little and it's sort of a kitch classic for my friends and I, and Tim Curry was great. But why did adult Bill have to have that stupid ponytail????? haha.

Terrifying

It is a book that will put goosebumps all over your body. For any squeamish types, beware of the scene where pennywise the clown kills little georgie.