Hello friends and book lovers! đđ
I hope you are all doing very well. As you know, I love sharing my latest readings with you, and today I am back with a new review.
That of the novel Firestarter (or Charlie in the French version that I read) written by Stephen King, a book that has left its mark on the supernatural thriller genre.
It is a novel that was published in 1980 in the United States and in 1982 in France. It was also adapted for the cinema, a first time in 1984 and a second time, not long ago, in 2022 (with the actor Zac Efron, for fans of High School Musical).
In short, here is the synopsis:
The synopsis
The novel Charlie tells the story of little Charlie McGee, a little girl like no other. Very young, she develops a terrifying power: she is endowed with the power of pyrokinesis. This means she can start fires with the power of her mind alone.
Her parents, Andy and Vicky, havenât had an easy life either. They met during a somewhat shady government experiment, orchestrated by a secret agency called The Shop. From this experience, Andy inherited a strange power: he can influence peopleâs minds, even if it gives him monstrous migraines.
The secret agency never really let them out of their sight, especially after Charlie was born and especially when they discovered her incredible abilities. Moreover, Vicky, Charlieâs mother, is killed by agents and Andy and Charlie have no choice but to flee. They find refuge here and there, but The Shop never leaves them alone for longâŠ
Little Charlie must learn to control her destructive powers to protect her father⊠and herself. Especially to escape The Shop and its leaders. Will they be able to escape them and at what cost?
What I thought of the book
Actually, it was @genesisledger who made me want to read this book. He kept telling me: "this book is great" "you absolutely have to read it" "you're really going to like it, that's for sure"... Anyway, I decided to trust him!
And I did well!
This is not the first Stephen King book I read, in fact, I often enjoyed my readings, even if sometimes, some novels were quite long.
But this one, I particularly liked it!
What I particularly liked was the relationship between Andy and his daughter. We really feel the love he has for Charlie and the efforts he makes to protect her, even at the cost of his own health.
Charlie is also a very touching character. Beyond her powers, she remains a child, innocent, vulnerable, with emotions. A child who is terrified of her power and what it includes. I especially liked the evolution of her character throughout the pages.
The plot is pretty well done, there is suspense, moments of doubt. I went through many emotions throughout my reading: fear, excitement, sadness, joyâŠ
One of the strong points of the book is the way the author mixes the supernatural with science fiction and psychology. But if you know Stephen King, you know that this is one of his specialties.
I also really liked the message that the author wants to convey to us through this ending. (To know the end, I strongly invite you to read this novel ahah, I won't spoil it for you!)
My rating
âïžâïžâïžâïž / 5
I give it a rating of 4 stars out of 5. It's an excellent novel mixing the supernatural and psychology, with a well-constructed story and endearing characters. The tension is very present throughout the novel, that's what I like in Stephen King's books.
In short, if you like stories where supernatural powers are at the heart of the plot, I recommend this book! By the way, there is also the novel "Carrie" that you might like!
Have you ever read Charlie? What is your favorite Stephen King book? For my part, even if Charlie is a great read, I have a special affection for Carrie.
In short, I hope this little review will make you want to dive (or re-dive) into the world of Stephen King! đ
See you soon,
Johanna
PS: I used Google Translate to translate the part into English.
Hello les amis et les fans de lecture ! đđ
JâespĂšre que vous allez tous trĂšs bien. Comme vous le savez, jâadore partager mes derniĂšres lectures avec vous, et aujourdâhui je reviens avec une nouvelle revue.
Celle du roman Charlie (ou Firestarter en version originale) écrit par Stephen King, un livre qui a bien marqué le genre du thriller surnaturel.
Câest un roman qui est paru en 1980 aux Ătats-Unis et en 1982 en France. Il a dâailleurs Ă©tĂ© adaptĂ© au cinĂ©ma, une premiĂšre fois en 1984 et une seconde fois, il nây a pas trĂšs longtemps, en 2022 (avec notamment lâacteur Zac Efron, pour les fans dâHigh School Musical).
Bref, voici le synopsis :
Le synopsis
Le roman Charlie raconte lâhistoire de la petite Charlie McGee, une petite fille pas comme les autres. TrĂšs jeune, elle dĂ©veloppe un pouvoir terrifiant : elle est dotĂ©e du pouvoir de pyrokinĂ©sie. Cela veut dire quâelle peut dĂ©clencher des incendies par la seule force de son esprit.
Ses parents, Andy et Vicky, nâont pas eu une vie simple non plus. Ils se sont rencontrĂ©s lors dâune expĂ©rience gouvernementale un peu louche, orchestrĂ©e par une agence secrĂšte appelĂ©e la BoĂźte (The Shop en anglais). De cette expĂ©rience, Andy a hĂ©ritĂ© dâun pouvoir Ă©trange : il peut influencer lâesprit des gens, mĂȘme si ça lui donne des migraines monstrueuses.
Lâagence secrĂšte ne les a jamais vraiment lĂąchĂ©s des yeux, surtout aprĂšs la naissance de Charlie et surtout lorsquâils ont dĂ©couvert ses incroyables capacitĂ©s. Dâailleurs, Vicky, la mĂšre de Charlie, est tuĂ©e par des agents et Andy et Charlie nâont pas dâautres choix que de fuir. Ils trouvent refuge ici et lĂ , mais la BoĂźte ne les laisse jamais tranquilles bien longtempsâŠ
La petite Charlie doit apprendre Ă maĂźtriser ses pouvoirs destructeurs pour protĂ©ger son pĂšre⊠et elle-mĂȘme. Notamment pour Ă©chapper Ă La BoĂźte et Ă ses dirigeants. Pourront-ils leur Ă©chapper et Ă quel coĂ»t ?
Ce que jâai pensĂ© du livre
En fait, câest @genesisledger qui mâa donnĂ© envie de lire ce livre. Il nâarrĂȘtait pas de me dire : âce livre est gĂ©nialâ âil faut absolument que tu le lises âtu vas vraiment aimĂ©, câest sĂ»râ... Bref, jâai dĂ©cidĂ© de lui faire confiance !
Et jâai bien fait !
Ce nâest pas le premier livre de Stephen King que je lisais, dâailleurs, jâai souvent apprĂ©ciĂ© mes lectures, mĂȘme si parfois, certains romans Ă©taient assez longs.
Mais celui-ci, je lâai particuliĂšrement bien aimĂ© !
Ce que jâai particuliĂšrement aimĂ©, câest la relation entre Andy et sa fille. On sent vraiment lâamour quâil porte Ă Charlie et les efforts quâil fait pour la protĂ©ger, mĂȘme au prix de sa propre santĂ©.
Charlie est Ă©galement un personnage trĂšs touchant. Au-delĂ de ses pouvoirs, elle reste une enfant, innocente, vulnĂ©rable, avec des Ă©motions. Une enfant qui est terrifiĂ©e par son pouvoir et ce que cela inclut. Jâai surtout aimĂ© lâĂ©volution de son personnage au fil des pages.
Lâintrigue est plutĂŽt bien menĂ©e, il y a du suspens, des moments de doute. Je suis passĂ©e par de nombreuses Ă©motions tout au long de ma lecture : peur, excitation, tristesse, joieâŠ
Lâun des points forts du livre est la maniĂšre dont lâauteur mĂ©lange le surnaturel avec la science-fiction et la psychologie. Mais ça, si vous connaissez Stephen King, vous savez que câest une de ses spĂ©cialitĂ©s.
Jâai Ă©galement beaucoup aimĂ© le message que veut nous faire passer lâauteur Ă travers cette fin. (Pour connaĂźtre la fin, je vous invite vivement Ă lire ce roman ahah, je ne vais pas vous spoiler !)
Ma note
âïžâïžâïžâïž / 5
Je mets la note de 4 Ă©toiles sur 5. Câest un excellent roman mĂ©langeant le surnaturel et la psychologie, avec une histoire bien construite et des personnages attachants. La tension est bien prĂ©sente tout au long du roman, câest ce que jâaime dans les livres de Stephen King.
Bref, si vous aimez les histoires oĂč les pouvoirs surnaturels sont au cĆur de lâintrigue, je vous recommande ce livre ! Dâailleurs, il y a Ă©galement le roman âCarrieâ qui pourrait vous plaire !
Avez-vous dĂ©jĂ lu Charlie ? Quel est votre livre prĂ©fĂ©rĂ© de Stephen King ? Pour ma part, mĂȘme si Charlie est une super lecture, je garde une affection particuliĂšre pour Carrie justement.
Bref, jâespĂšre que cette petite revue vous donnera envie de plonger (ou replonger) dans lâunivers de Stephen King ! đ
Ă bientĂŽt,
Johanna
PS : Jâai utilisĂ© Google Translate pour traduire la partie en anglais.
I've read a few of King's, such as Carrie, Cujo, Pet Sematary, and Gerald's Game. I liked them a lot, I want to keep reading more about it, this one sounds interesting I will add it to my tbr (which continues to grow đ ) Thanks for sharing
I love most of Stephen King's novels too! Thanks for your comment. I hope you enjoy reading Firestarter đ
Ohh, I feel I'm going to love this book already. Imagine someone offends Carrie and before they know it, they're in flames. It'll be so nice. This is a very beautiful review you have written. I'll be sure to add this book to my readlist
Thank you so much for your comment! I hope you will enjoy reading Firestarter đ
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STOPIt's amazing how Stephen King manages to blend the supernatural with such human emotions. The relationship between Charlie and his dad sounds very touching. I will definitely put this book on my to-read list. thanks for the recommendation! đđ„