Roadwork Audiobook By Stephen King cover art

Roadwork

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Roadwork

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: G. Valmont Thomas
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Only Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman, can imagine the horror of a good and angry man who fights back against bureaucracy when it threatens to destroy his vitality, home, and memories.

Barton Dawes' unremarkable but comfortable existence suddenly takes a turn for the worst. A new highway extension is being built right over the laundry plant where he works - and right over his home. Dawes isn't the sort of man who will take an insult of this magnitude lying down. His steadfast determination to fight the inevitable course of progress drives his wife and friends away while he tries to face down the uncaring bureaucracy that has destroyed his life.

This number-one national best seller includes an introduction by Stephen King on "The Importance of Being Bachman".

©1981 Richard Bachman (P)2013 Penguin Audio Crime Thrillers Genre Fiction Horror Literary Fiction Psychological Small Town & Rural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary

Critic reviews

"Under any name King mesmerizes the reader." ( Chicago Sun-Times)
Gripping Tale • Compelling Character Development • Stellar Performance • Thought-provoking Story • Emotional Depth
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I enjoyed the story, but the narrator was difficult to listen to when he did female voices. Other than that, it was fine.

Good book, not so great narration

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First, I thought I wasn't going to like this story very much. it was a bit slow to start but once it got rolling from about the middle on to the conclusion, you learned to care for the characters and the story always kept you wondering until the end how things would work out.This ended up being another fine story by Stephen King as Richard Bachman.

Slow Burning Suspense

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I didn't read this one for the longest time, but I finally decided to give it a chance. It's one of the best of the Richard Bachman era of Stephen King. It's really dark, like all the Bachman books. Not really horror, just a glance into someone who's been pushed too far. I definitely recommend it!

One of my favorite Bachman books!

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Not my fave.... at all...🤷
But, I'm part of a book club. We're reading them all.

ooof

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Do not read this book if you’re having a midlife crisis. The main character is far too relatable. Like a Greek tragedy, compelling to very last page,

RIP Richard Bachman lol

Like watching a train wreck in slow motion (Classic King)

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Some good King wordings, but not enough to call it one of his better works

Interesting, but not too deep

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I just could not get into this book and when it finally ended, I was glad it was over. The thing about Mr. King is that he can be great or bad. This one was dry and just not worth the effort.

I just couldn’t get into it.

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The narrator was good. There's always going to be that issue when men perform female voices, but it did not take away from the overall presentation.
It's a typical Stephen King outing, minus the horror elements of his usual style. By that, I mean that the story goes on and on and on. But in this case, every page felt like it had a purpose.
Stephen King is an avid Big Government supporter, so writing under Richard Bachman, you wouldn't expect such a mostly-Conservative viewpoint in this book.
The main character, Bart Dawes, can be a very relatable if you've ever felt like you're miserable and angry at the world with no way to probably solve your problems without going to the extreme.
Not going to lie, this story resembled a lot of Marvin Heemeyer and the actions that he took in real life.
#ReReleaseRage

A Story About A Man At His Breaking Point

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This book along with The Running Man have become my all time favorite King books. Or is it Bachman? Whatever the case, I would have most likely never made it through either book if it was fifteen or twenty years ago due to relatability whereas being in your thirties or forties really makes the difference for me, and why the Bachman books are so damn good.

They are dark. They are sad. They are manic and sardonic. You can tell King was going through a rough patch in life. Skipping the supernatural to focus on something even more frightening, THE IMPOTENCE OF LIFE WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE AN OUTSIDER, A STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND

Either you will love this or hate it

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Roadwork isn't universally loved in the Stephen King circles but in my opinion it's one of the best Bachman books. It's definitely a slow burn but pays off

One of Bachman's Best

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