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Misery cover art

Misery

Written 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

Featured Article: Stephen King’s 32 Best Audiobooks: The Definitive List

Stephen King is one of the most prolific authors of all time. He has published 61 novels, more than 200 short stories, and six nonfiction books—and he shows no sign of stopping. With such an extensive portfolio, choosing one audiobook can be daunting. We’ve compiled a list of the 32 best Stephen King audiobooks to make the choice easier. Whether you’re looking to get stuck into one of his creepy, classic stories or a sci-fi novella, you’ll find a title on this list that will get your heart racing.

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What listeners say about Misery

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Voice-over

Lindsay Crouse reads this book fantastically. I like that this story isn't supernatural the way most Stephen King can be and I am confident in saying it's my favorite King horror story. I am really here for that voice-over though. This was really well done.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Good book, great narrator.

Like the title says. A classic from King, and a welcome early departure from the supernatural that makes it all the eerier. An absolutely fantastic narrator.

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2 people found this helpful

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

Heart-stopping Suspense

Stephen King is an unbelievably prolific author. To be certain, the plots in most of his books aren't particularly clever - but that "drawback" allows him to publish 1-2 engrossing novels/year.
King is absolutely capable of complex plots (see 'The Stand' or 'It'), but the beauty of his writing is that he can weave even a superficial idea into an incredibly captivating read. 'Misery' is no different. The plot is: "A mentally unstable woman kidnaps her favorite author".. Yep. That about covers it.

Fortunately, King flexes his literary muscles in this book. His characters are shockingly realistic, dialogue is true-to-life, and descriptions are incredibly - almost uncomfortably - vivid. In this book, frumpy Colorado recluse Annie Wilkes completely terrorizes author Paul Sheldon after finding him at the scene of a remote car accident. She keeps him locked in a bedroom and forces him to write a sequel for her - while getting him addicted to painkillers, letting the world think he's dead, and violently punishing him for any little resistance to her psychopathic will.
Don't read this book expecting vampires, hidden horrific monsters, or psychic powers. What you will get is a top-notch psychological thriller with occasional shocking violence and a mortifying sense of helplessness in the face of insanity
..and it's undeniably affecting. I occasionally felt nauseous reading this book.. out of sheer dread.

The performance from Lindsay Crouse adds to the visceral impression I got from this book..  it's outstanding. Her diction, timbre, cadence, pacing, and especially tone are nearly perfect for the text. Her voice-acting, however, is the pièce-de-resistance: her interpretation of Annie Wilkes ("you dirty-birdie..You Dirty-Birdie! YOU DIRTY!! BIRDIE!!") is *terrifying*.
Less fortunately, Simon & Schuster Audio insert oddly-timed musical bits when scenes or character POVs change. I understand the producers trying to be helpful, but it gives the impression that they don’t trust the listener to catch up.

Despite the unusual editorial decisions, this is a quality audiobook. The novel is easily Top-5 in the King catalogue, the performance of the characters is unsurpassed, and the production values in the recording are commendable. I give this iteration of 'Misery' 9.5 stars out of 10. Do Not hesitate to spend the Credit on this one.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Shocking and Amazingly written

what a fantastic, and all around great and thrilling story. definitely keeps you on your toes

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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

Top 5 King Story

So I loved this book and think it's a must listen. That being said I didn't love the audio ques either. I also didn't care for one of the sub-plots but the main story is so good that it's still 5 stars

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1 person found this helpful

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

Beautifully crafted and narrated

While many can be fans of Kathy Bates amazing performance via film, the real psychopathic qualities of Annie Wilkes shines in written form. Lindsay Crouse does a fantastic job of differentiating Annie from her narration of Paul’s POV. The way she narrated her made my skin crawl so easily at points because I could imagine it so well, like I was Paul and Annie was right in front of me.

When I first started it, I honestly did not know how this was going to stay interesting for over 12 hours but man King sure knows how to just put a story together so well. I began to crave to know Paul’s every movement, thought and feeling, I wanted to see Annie from his eyes and feel the almost (albeit VERY twisted) romantic connection he had to endure to save his own life. The climax had me holding my breath because I honestly have never seen the movie and had no idea what Paul was going to do. So glad I picked this one up and I’m sure you will be too.

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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

It was amazing

I love all the Stephen King audibles. They are so well read by each and every author

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

GREAT STORY !

I would of loved it if there would of been both Lindsay as Annie and a man as Paul but all-in-all it was a great story to listen too !!!!

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

Skip it, go for another book

I found the story incredibly boring and fell asleep a lot.
Not a fan of the narration. Something about the narrators voice pissed me off

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

Suspenseful

I really enjoyed this novel. It had me listening for hours and sitting on the edge of my seat.

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