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SLOW READ: The Stand (Chapters 35 - 42)
Description
Welcome to SLOW READ, where we tackle the books you’ve always wanted to read at a pace you can handle.
Hosted by Sarah Stewart Holland and Laura Tremaine
We are currently reading The Stand by Stephen King (unabridged version)
You can find our full Reading Schedule here
Join the SLOW READ community on Substack for bonus episodes, book club meetings, and Side Quests with Sarah & Laura
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If you prefer to read instead of listen, below is a cleaned up transcript of the episodes as well as links to all the books and Substacks we mentioned in this episode…and several fun bonus links and videos!
Mentioned in this episode:
Knives Out Wake Up Dead Man (movie)
The Green Mile by Stephen King
Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
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Laura: This is Slow Read, where we tackle the books you’ve always wanted to read at a pace you can handle. We are already about a third into The Stand by Stephen King.
And today we’re going to be talking about chapters 35 through 42, which will bring us to the end of book one. And things are starting to come together or fall apart. I’m not sure which one.
Initial Impressions: The Lincoln Tunnel and Mother Abagail
Laura: Okay, Sarah, chapters 35 through 42, the end of book one. In this section, we get the infamous Lincoln Tunnel scene. We meet Mother Abagail for the first time, sort of. And to me, it feels like the threads of this story that we’ve been reading for 400 pages are finally starting to come together. What do you think?
Sarah: Well, I understand why that scene is infamous, because it was bananas. Bananas. Bananas. Oh, my Lord. I just was like, dude, there are other ways to exit the city. What are you doing? So that was very intense, even as a person who doesn’t get scared usually with text on a page. Very intense.
Sarah: And I was ready for Mother Abagail to show up. I know enough to know about her a little bit. I knew she was like the Randall Flagg—the hero to his villain, sort of. So I was like, okay, I’ve spent some time with Randall. When is the light going to show up in the face of all this darkness? So I was really excited for her to show up.
Sarah: And there is a little more grotesqueness than I expected. I don’t know why. Because I think when you hear about Stephen King and you hear “scary,” you think maybe just violence primarily. And so the gore and strong aversion I feel reading some of it... it hasn’t caught me in total surprise, but I guess it was a little unexpected. But it’s not taking me out. I’m fine. I’m not having nightmares.
Laura: That’s interesting though, that when you think of Stephen King, you