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Misery

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Lindsay Crouse
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Publisher's summary

The number one New York Times best seller about a famous novelist held hostage in a remote location by his “number one fan.” One of “Stephen King’s best…genuinely scary” (USA Today).

Best-selling novelist Paul Sheldon thinks he’s finally free of Misery Chastain. In a controversial career move, he’s just killed off the popular protagonist of his beloved romance series in favor of expanding his creative horizons. But such a change doesn’t come without consequences. After a near-fatal car accident in rural Colorado leaves his body broken, Paul finds himself at the mercy of the terrifying rescuer who’s nursing him back to health - his self-proclaimed number one fan, Annie Wilkes.

Annie is very upset over what Paul did to Misery and demands that he find a way to bring her back by writing a new novel - his best yet, and one that’s all for her. After all, Paul has all the time in the world to do so as a prisoner in her isolated house...and Annie has some very persuasive and violent methods to get exactly what she wants...

“King at his best...a winner!” (The New York Times)

“Unadulteratedly terrifying...frightening.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Classic King...full of twists and turns and mounting suspense.” (The Boston Globe)

©1987 Stephen King, Tabitha King, and Arthur B. Greene (P)1992 Penguin Highbridge Audio
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Featured Article: Misery—Book vs. the Movie


In the pantheon of adaptations of the works of Stephen King, of which there are literally dozens, there is one that stands out at the top: Misery, the 1990 film directed by Rob Reiner, starring James Caan and Kathy Bates. The movie still holds the distinct honor of being the only adaptation of a Stephen King book to win an Oscar. That accolade went to Kathy Bates, who won an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her show-stopping portrayal of Annie Wilkes. Bates also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama for her shattering performance.

What listeners say about Misery

Average customer ratings
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Great job

The narrator did a great job with the voicing. There is a really subtle nod to Kathy Bates performance of the character. Love it!

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32 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Slow start, but great book

The book is great. However, the narration is almost monotone. The voices are not good and don't have much effort put into them. The sad thing is that it could have been great because the dialogue is so outstanding. BEWARE: This book has creepy music that is played during the entire novel. It is so annoying and was a huge mistake by who ever made that decision. Finally, I have one more problem with the narrator. She didn't not say the chapter numbers. That is a pet peeve of mine, but it is also important. It creates flow. Her flow was so bad because of this. She would just keep going right into the next chapter. I am still happy with the audiobook, but it was a let down in some aspects.

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22 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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The narrator sounds like a forensic files narrator

The book was pretty good but it was really hard to listen to this women. She honestly could read me to sleep. She sounds like she narrates forensic files tv shows or 60 minutes

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

An absolutely brilliant story, read with such conviction. Frightening yet immersive. Intense and impossible to put down. Simple in its structure yet beautiful in how rich the narrative is. Highly recommended!

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2 people found this helpful

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One of Stephen's Best

I love Stephen King, that's no secret. I have found absolute delight in both his modern work and especially his older. Misery is one that I absolutely devoured. It is fast paced and certainly scary. It takes your mind to the place you try to avoid at bedtime. 10/10 would read again.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing!

This book is incredible, I was fascinated and horrified by it every step of the way. It was never boring and the best/ most disturbing thing about it was how believable it was. The narrator and production quality were absolutely top notch, this may be the best audiobook I’ve ever heard just in terms of that alone. Wow!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Narration

This was the first King book I've read, and loved it. Lindsay did a great job portraying both Paul and Annie, and as one reviewer mentioned, puts a Kathy Bates flavor onto the character

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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My first adult novel

Misery was my first adult novel. Now after almost 30 years it's still a favorite.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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My only small issue was with the performance.

My only complaint is that it wasn’t always clear who was speaking. The narrator did a very good job. When things got heated between Paul and Annie, It took me a second to figure out who was saying what to whom.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing performance

I loved the dramatic reading, but the random music was annoying and unnecessary. Otherwise, really great.

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