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Hearts in Atlantis cover art

Hearts in Atlantis

Written by: Stephen King
Narrated by: Stephen King, William Hurt
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Publisher's Summary

Each of these five interconnected, sequential narratives, set in the years from 1960 to 1999, are deeply rooted in the 60s culture and the haunting images of the Vietnam War. "Low Men in Yellow Coats" is the story of 11-year-old Bobby Garfield who discovers a world of predatory malice in his own neighborhood. Bobby also discovers that adults are sometimes not rescuers but at the heart of the terror. In the title story, a bunch of college kids get hooked on a card game when they discover the possibility of protest. In "Blind Willy" and "Why We're in Vietnam," two men who grew up with Bobby in suburban Connecticut try to fill the emptiness of the post-Vietnam era in an America which sometimes seems as hollow - and haunted - as their own lives. And in "Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling," this remarkable work's denouement, Bobby returns to his hometown where one final secret, the hope of redemption, and his heart's desire may await him.
©1999 Stephen King, All Rights Reserved, (P)1999 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved

What the critics say

"We now know what Stephen King, the master of horror, is afraid of. The Vietnam War...scares him so bad he won't let his hero act imprudently." (The New York Times)
"...Hurt skillfully evokes pathos from the story's fine detailing...." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Hearts in Atlantis

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great book, bad useless music

the music is awful and destroys immersion. Also listening to stephen king read is painful at best

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3 people found this helpful

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

Good Story Collection

I put this book off for a long time, as it was a short story collection. I am glad I finally picked it up. Each of the stories are good on their own, but I like how they intertwine within themselves and in one case with another King series. But to be honest I am not a fan of King's reading and wish he would leave it to others. Also I found the constant playing of music to be annoying, not needed and takes away from the book, This is why I gave the performance 3 stars. #Audible1

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3 people found this helpful

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

The narrator is bad

I couldn’t listen because of the narrator and that music! I have the book and DVD but wanted the audio for when I’m too busy or when I’m driving. But I am going to try and return it

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1 person found this helpful

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

Mixed feelings

I am struggling to make it through this book. The narrator is annoying. When I start getting into the story either the way he narrator or the music pulls me out of it and takes me a while to get back into the listening zone.
Overall the story is good. So much ties into the Dark Tower series. It is like mortar, filling in gaps with info.
I wish there was another audiobook version with different narrator.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Better if William Hurt narrated whole book

This book is a collection of 5 somewhat connected stories. Hurt narrates 1, 4 and 5 and King narrates 2 & 3. Hurt's narration is fantastic, the way he uses pace really makes everything believable. I wish he did the whole book.

As for the stories themselves:
Low Men: great story, good length, Dark Tower tie-in, ending was fine but I wished it went another way.
Hearts in Atlantis: seemingly pointless story, good characters, I love the hearts card game so it wasn't terrible, this is the worst of the 5.
Blibd Willie: surprisingly good, small little twists, shorter but the right length
Why we're in 'Nam: decent story involving PTSD, good narration
Whatever the last one was called: acts sort of like an epilogue to Low Men in Yellow Coats and honestly this made me more OK with the chosen ending for Low Men.

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1 person found this helpful

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

avid readers will enjoy this one ;)

absolutely amazing, I'm on a mission to read every Stephen King book I can get my hands on. and let me tell you that all of these intermingling stories got my heat. I mean it. Fantastic!

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

A few hits, a few not quite hits.

LowMen in Yellow coats, is part of the Dark Tower series and as such I ADORED it. I also adore Hurt's narration. He speaks impeccably well and takes his time, I thoroughly enjoyed him.
My least favourite was Hearts in Atlantis, it was funny, and sweet and So much what I remember of the 60s, and Hearts. (He also played Wist) We fondly remember Oches's I'm not marching anymore. I've got used to
Stephen's narration, but it's not polished like Hurt's.
John Hurt's back for Why We're in Vietnam, another one I like a great deal.
Hoping for Bobby to bring it all home in the last story. He did and that makes this a success.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not worth it.

couldnt finish. i liked the first narrator, but then after a third of the book Stephen King himself narrates and while I like his books, he is not a good narrator. The music is fun and I kind of like it. Although even that changes when King takes over. I'm just not a fan at all.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • JB
  • 2022-11-14

Great story but…

The production of this audiobook is STUPID. The loud music all over the place is insane and obnoxious. I love the narrator and the story itself but man that music ruins it. I can’t listen to it when I’m falling asleep because I have to shoot up to turn the volume down.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Crap

This story had very little to do with the dark tower and everything to do with Kings experience in college and his feelings about Nam.
You could save yourself 15 hours plus and watch the movie.

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