Another month of reading has come and gone, and so another blog post is also done!
October was a CRAZY month! I didn't even start the book until five days before the meeting. (Shame on me.) But I did get up to the third section of the book, so I was able to have a good conversation with the rest of the ladies. Unfortunately, Carmen wasn't able to join us, and I think everyone was a little disappointed that we didn't get her views and opinion on this book.
The Exorcist was written in 1971 and was a novel like no other in its time. After it was published, Blatty almost immediately started writing the screenplay for the movie the very next year. The movie adaptation came out in 1973 and still holds a excellent 8.0 out of 10 on IMDB. Now, I know I boast about being all into adaptation and everything and reviewing them, but this is not a movie I was able to watch. Horror films are NOT my thing. Everyone said I should try it any way and some even said it was funny. As of the writing of this post, still haven't watched it. I honestly doubt I will. If that means I go down a few notches in the quality of my adaptation reviewing, then so be it.
First off, the ratings across the board were: 7, 5-6, 8 and 8. So pretty on par with Goodreads 4.2 stars out of five and IMDB's 8.0 out of 10 for the adaptation. That makes me really happy inside. Elissa said this is definitely not a book she would leave in the hallway with a sign that says 'free' and I would sure hope so, because if you read my last post, she picked this one!
Elissa started off by asking everyone if we were as scared reading it as we thought we would be. Janean and I both said it wasn't as scary reading it as it would have been watching the film. (Hence why I still haven't and probably won't watch it.) She explained that horror fiction is the practice of "taking the daily and corrupting it." This theme was evident throughout the book. Exorcism as a practice within the church has gone by the wayside, and has been for centuries, but The Exorcist brought all that mystery, the occult, demons and crisis of faith back into the spotlight in the 1970s. It truly was an extraordinary novel for its time.
The discussion revolved primarily around Blatty's writing and how immersive and stylized it was. Personally, I don't think I would have enjoyed the book as much had the writing not been so excellent. It had a flowing sense of time that took you from the 1900s, to the 20s, to 70s and back again. You were able to gauge a sense of depth of time that the characters and their stories embodied. The characterization was exemplary and I think we all agreed that Father Karras' was the best throughout. However, it was noted that the church desecration plot-line seemed added on as way of exploiting the safety net of the church and corrupting it. It didn't seem to add anything to the book, except allowing you to connect a couple of dots that could have been connected anyway.
A big part of the story in The Exorcist is obviously about the exorcism of a little girl. Jane enjoyed all the psychology and psychoanalysis around the adult characters trying to 'diagnose' the girl's 'condition.' Much of it evolved around the powers of suggestion and that it had to be all in her head. Jane noted that this is common in types of healing around the world - that if the practitioner and the client both believe it will work, then perhaps it will - and there has to be something to that way of thought.
The Exorcist, along with its film adaptation, is touted as revolutionizing the horror genre. This is not an understatement. The 1973 film and everything that came after it only serves to solidify this claim. Look at all the other possession and exorcist-like books and films that have come out over the years. Blatty took the Gothic and turned it into a Horror brand. This led to a discussion on Stephen King, Clive Barker, Dean Koontz and other horror fiction writers. Most agreed that Koontz is easier and more entertaining to read than King and that sometimes King can get a little more out there than others. I asked if I should try a Stephen King novel, but none of the girls really recommended anything by him that would measure up to Blatty. (Perhaps I'll try one of his novels one day anyway.)
I just realized that I didn't put anything at the start of the post about what the book is about like I normally do. . . I like the way the post reads though, so I'm going to leave it out.
Onwards!
I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this book to others. I already told my husband that I think he would like it. I'm glad Elissa picked it out for our October read.
UP NEXT: I got The Lost Queen as Christmas gift last year after hearing about it and adding it to my list. I've been dying to read it ever since, but haven't yet got around to it. Carmen also picked up this book when it came out, so she is also on the anticipatory train. The cover makes it look like a November-y read.
(I realize that it is already mid-November, and this is Carmen's pick, and I that haven't started the book yet again. . . but, as soon as I post this, its time for a bath and to start reading!)
