Preview
  • Drunken Fireworks

  • By: Stephen King
  • Narrated by: Tim Sample
  • Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,644 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Drunken Fireworks

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Tim Sample
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $7.49

Buy for $7.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

2016 Audie Award Finalist for Original Work

A classic Stephen King short story from the best-selling collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams!

Alden McCausland and his mother are what they call “accident rich”; thanks to an unexpected life-insurance policy payout and a winning Big Maine Millions scratcher, Alden and his Ma are able to spend their summers down by Lake Abenaki, idly drinking their days away in a three-room cabin with an old dock and a lick of a beach.

Across the lake, they can see what “real rich” looks like: the Massimo family’s Twelve Pines Camp, the big white mansion with guest house and tennis court that Alden’s Ma says is paid for by “ill-gotten gains” courtesy of Massimo Construction. When Alden’s holiday-weekend sparklers and firecrackers set off what over the next few years comes to be known as the 4th of July Arms Race, he learns how far he and the Massimos will go to win an annual neighborly rivalry - one that lands Alden in the Castle County jail.

Read by beloved Down East storyteller Tim Sample - praised by Stephen King for his “wit and talent and good-heartedness” - Drunken Fireworks makes for explosive audio listening.

©2015 Stephen King. All rights reserved. (P)2015 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"[N]arrator Tim Sample unfurls the story of an escalating rivalry with precision.... Sample's sardonic delivery peppers a sordid narrative with moments of flippancy, and by grounding the dialogue and characterizations in specificity, he keeps a tight reign on King's kaleidoscopic sense of detail. An odd, enjoyable summer listen, and an excellent recommendation for non-horror fans who are interested in King's work." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Drunken Fireworks

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    822
  • 4 Stars
    453
  • 3 Stars
    256
  • 2 Stars
    82
  • 1 Stars
    31
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    912
  • 4 Stars
    330
  • 3 Stars
    150
  • 2 Stars
    49
  • 1 Stars
    36
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    727
  • 4 Stars
    381
  • 3 Stars
    259
  • 2 Stars
    70
  • 1 Stars
    33

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I'm a huge Stephen King fan

So I purchased this the very minute I saw it. Gleefully hoarded it for a few days savoring the anticipation.... Then started listening and ...wonk wonk wonk...boring! If you enjoy a sort of folksy tale told by a folksy New Englander that perhaps drives the ferry during the summer season then this is the short story for you. If you enjoy classic Stephen King tales your time is better served rereading The Stand or It. Or imagining the adventures of Molly aka "the Thing of Evil".

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not impressed

The story didn't really impress me. St least it was short.
Narrator did a good job with the voices.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love it! Fun for 4 th of July. A Big Bang

Wonderful narration. Great use of local color. Constant readers and others will love. Perfect characters with beliefs in keeping with their station.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

a soso book, average story, not what i expected,

like i said, average, a read mainly if ur a die-ish hard fan of King & dont want to "miss" any thing he has written.
oh, and glad to at least HEAR a story that DOES NOT have the word "NIGGER" in it.
Really, check back thru his older stuff....itz in there at least once in every story. Kunda makes me (yeah right, KINDA!)! makes me wonder about Maine, USA, or at least Kingz "world".

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Funny and Folksy Firework feud

What did you love best about Drunken Fireworks?

The good nature d camaraderie of Ma and her supportive son. The neighborly friendships and their folksy prejudices toward her wealthy rivals that live across the lake.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Drunken Fireworks?

The constant competition for having the best firework display and coming up short and voicing the discontent with hilarious dialog s.

Which scene was your favorite?

Every 4th of July competition.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The blowing bugle of triumph from their competition and reaction of Mom and Junior

Any additional comments?

This one had me laughing out loud and wanting to share this story with my friends and family. Laugh out loud Laughter throughout this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So good typical Stephen King.

loved it you can never go wrong with Stephen King my favorite author. The best.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, narrated well

You come to like the characters quickly, but only realize the full setting much later. Great short story, awesome narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Great - Funny Funny

Would you consider the audio edition of Drunken Fireworks to be better than the print version?

There is no print version. But if there was a print version, I'd choose the audio edition for one huge reason, the narrator Tim Sample. He is unbelievely excellent!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

It kept me laughing, so yes, you could say it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Have you listened to any of Tim Sample’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't. He is remarkable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I laughed and laughed so much. Stephen King is quite the comic!!

Any additional comments?

Even though this story is only 1 hour and 20 minutes long, it is worth the 1 credit and more. Loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fanfiretastic😎

Great story by the best storyteller. Mr samples accent. PERFECTION. If you like this one try JOYLAND a coming of age in an amusement park. Not scary. Just great characters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Blah.

I suppose that you have to be very hungry to write the way Stephen King used to write. This was entertaining, but I expect better from him. Steve needs to go on a hunger strike. Now, there's some inspiration for you, Mr. King.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful