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Read I Know What You Did Last Summer (1999)

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1999)

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Rating
3.76 of 5 Votes: 6
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ISBN
0440228441 (ISBN13: 9780440228448)
Language
English
Publisher
laurel leaf

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1999) - Plot & Excerpts

As with many of you, I watched the movie 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' many years ago and didn't realise it was actually based on a novel. I say based loosely as the film doesn't really have much to do with the book - whereas the film is much more in the 'horror' genre, the book is just a light thriller.It was originally written in 1973 but I read the newly revised edition published by Atom. I'm not fond of revised books. I much prefer to read the original version, I don't like the idea of an author going back and changing aspects of the book that made it what is was. In this case 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' was a book rooted in the 70s, but the updates try and change it to current times by modifying certain elements. It didn't really work for me as the story and characters felt as though they were still very much from a different era and yet they were talking about mobile phones, emails and the internet.With this aside, 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' is an entertaining read. It does contain a certain amount of tension, although not as much as I would have liked, and I read it fairly quickly. I must admit that I didn't really like any of the characters, with maybe the exception of Ray. Julie, Helen and Barry all had many unattractive traits which prevented me from finding them likable in any way. Unfortunately the book isn't as intense as the movie and I did find this a little disappointing as I do like to be scared and given the willies...It maybe because nowadays we are saturated with high levels of blood, gore and violence (which I have no problem with, being a horror fan) and 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' just seems lame in comparison. I wonder if it created more of a reaction in 1973?It's a very short novel too, only 211 pages, so I think it was difficult to get enough character depth and suspense going in such a short space of time. I also saw the twist coming a mile away, as I so often do, and so the ending was predictable and also happened far too quickly. It would have been better if it was drawn out a little longer, especially when the characters were being tormented by the villain, but it was all over in a matter of pages.VERDICT:Despite all the negatives, 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' is a quick, entertaining bite-sized thriller (I say bite-sized as at only 211 pages it's a pretty short novel). However, it was disappointing to find that the thrills and chills were mostly kept for the movie and not the book. I also wish I had read the original work and not a revised edition.

In I know what you did last summer, the four main characters, Ray, Barry, Helen, Julie find themselves in a rather horrifying accident. The four college kids are driving late at night and they accidentally hit a young boy, who was crossing the street at that time. A year later, unexplainable murders begin to take place, this eventually takes a huge toll on them physiologically and one by one they become partly insane. I think Lois Duncan did a good job of setting up a suspenseful storyline especially when it came to adding in all of the correct literary mechanics in their respectful places. For instance, after the accident the four swore to secrecy to keep anyone from knowing about it; however each person begins to receive an anonymous letter simply stating "I know what you did last summer." This builds suspense in the story because each time a character receives the letter, an unfortunate event occurs and it leaves the reader guessing on how the story is going to play out for the character. I found it interesting how the author had the characters try to keep themselves sane by mentally rationing things out in their head. For example, one of the main characters, Barry tries to calm himself as he has just read the chilling letter, "Coincidence, Barry told himself impatiently. I'm acting as up-tight as those crazy girls." (Lois Duncan 21). This leaves a more humanizing effect on the character as well as giving the situation a bit of a surreal feeling, instead of having the characters posses the common ability to hold themselves together. One message that a reader could take from this novel is to be aware of who knows your secret because if it ends up being heard by the wrong person, the outcome could be devastating. I would rate this book a four out of five stars. I gave it that rate because I thought it was a good suspenseful book and I liked the characters in the book. I would recommend this book to a reader who likes suspense and drama. If a reader favors suspenseful horror books that were turned into movies, this book would be a great fit for that person.

What do You think about I Know What You Did Last Summer (1999)?

I fund this to be a really great story. I was not expacting much, because I had seen the movie, and thought it was rather dull. The book is far better. It differs signioficantly from m odern day books in good ways. The characters seem real. You don't have the super snarky nerdy guy. You don't have the butt kicking girl. Just real people. The atractive girl is also very nice, and in todays books good looking girls are almost always shown to be mean, as a way to relate to the (probably unattractive) readers. In the movie we have Julie as the main hero, but here it is not centered around one person. The parents are not useless, and the bad guy makes alot more sense. For one thing, the reason the bad guy does nothing until the next summer is addressed. I suggest this to anyone looking for a fun read.
—Martine

tI Know What You Did Last Summer centers around a group of four teenagers bound to their past - notwithstanding an attempt made to seal it away through the ordination of a hastily formed pact - by a night of carelessness gone horribly awry. But after only a year of fallacious peace comes the realization that they’re not the only ones that know what they’ve done, emblematic tokens besides their own unwanted memories slowly beginning to haunt their every waking moment despite the four’s desperate wishes for their sin to remain hidden.tI have to say I rather enjoyed the book’s suspense and trickery; you never quite know who’s lying or telling the truth, which makes attempting to discern the reality of the novel that much harder and more entertaining. No one likes a puzzle easily solved. The way in which the author describes the characters also makes any conclusion compellingly elusive, providing just enough information to avoid blatant frustration, but not enough to fuel any reasonable deductions. That’s what makes the ending so shocking; even if you did happen to suspect the culprit, you would still have gotten the completed verdict wrong - something I found to be quite clever and resourceful.tDespite the well-rounded conclusion, I must say I was still disappointed. I thought that the novel was going to be one of the versatile horror genre (or at least a decent thriller) by the eerie cover and synopsis. But I was, to my dissatisfaction, very wrong. I haven’t experienced anything particularly scary in some time, so I was prepared to be afraid, but not once did the feeling of fear even begin to surface. I’d say it was more of a mystery novel - definitely something I would consider when appraising this book for selection.
—Victoria

So this is an example in which the movie is better than the book. Like WAY better. I added this to my book club list because I Know What You Did Last Summer is one of my favorite horror movies. I just love the cast, and the story, and it's just SO good and a forever favorite. I thought that the book would be just as good, but in my opinion, it SO wasn't.Maybe it's the fact that it was written so long ago. I do think that things that were really scary back in the day probably aren't as scary now. And the things that they added in the movie, I think needed to have been added to the book. And I think that the characters are just so well developed in the movie, and in the book, you barely know them. And pretty much all the characters are unlikable in the book, and all the characters are likable in the movie except for Barry.This book was boring, in my opinion, and I very much so think the movie is better. I'm interested to see what else Lois Duncan has out though, but she is clearly very capable of coming up with good horror stories.. this one just didn't do it for me.
—Elizabeth

Ray Brunson, Julie James, Barry Cox, and Helen Shivers were fun, popular, outgoing high-school students returning from a rowdy party one dark summer night when something happened that would change their lives forever. With the effects of drugs and alcohol upon all of them, Barry took no notice of the outline of a bicycle straight ahead. Wham! The little boy, later identified as Daniel Greggs, was instantly killed. The cowardly, young kids decided not to report the hit-and-run and to never bring it up again. A few years later, however, they are forced to remember that horrid night. Someone knows. But who? All four friends begin to receive suspicious notes and phone calls. They try to brush if off, but they know that someone is watching them and knows their "little secret". In the end, their stalker turns out to be someone they all thought they knew very well. But they were mistaken. Though Lois Duncan never clearly reveals the setting, as a reader I inferred that the drama unfolds in a small town similar to Grove City. With all things considered, I rated this book a 4star. I don't normally pick up a suspense novel or mystery from the library. I tend to think they drag on too long. But, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I couldn't put it down. On the flipside, however, I didn't rate this book a 5star because I thought that some of the information included was irrelevant. A few parts bored me and the information supplied didn't seem of much importance to the plot. All in all, I would definitely recommend this book for a friend. It is a great suspense novel that makes your brain work to figure out clues. I'm interested to explore more into the mystery/suspense genre and see what other good books Lois Duncan has in store for her readers.
—Emma Lowers

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