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    Misery
    Misery
    Misery
    Audiobook12 hours

    Misery

    Written by Stephen King

    Narrated by Lindsay Crouse

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The #1 New York Times bestseller 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).

    Bestselling 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
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJan 1, 2016
    ISBN9781508217145
    Author

    Stephen King

    Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Never Flinch (May 2025), the short story collection You Like It Darker (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. 

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    Reviews for Misery

    4.5/5

    1,507 ratings63 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a gripping and well-written psychological thriller. The voice actress brings the characters to life and the story keeps readers on the edge of their seats. While some find the book too gory or unsettling, others appreciate the suspense and the detailed narrative. Overall, this is a highly recommended novel that showcases Stephen King's talent and is worth the read.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Terrifying book! I've read this every two or three years since it was published, but now some time has passed. The narrator Lindsay Crouse does a fantastic job as Annie Wilkes! The first time Annie lost her cockadoodie temper I jumped! Paul Sheldon and Annie Wilkes are two characters you will never, ever forget.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Excellent story, but I wish the reader didnt read with such a repetitive melody, or read Annie's lines with a Kathy Bates impression.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      EXCELLENT! Thrilling and vivid, one of Stephen King's best! The metaphors and imagery are very poignant.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      It’s a Stephen King classic! Kept my interest throughout. Narration was fantastic! Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      Much better than the movie with parts and backstory not provided by film
    • 4/5
      I think the book was better than the movie. Narrator was good. Definitely a claustrophobic & terrifying story.
    • 5/5
      Loved the book and the narrator gave a fantastic performance.
    • 4/5
      Good book , classic. I Highly recommend to other readers.
    • 5/5
      The narration is fabulous. What a wonderful way to revisit “old friends.”
    • 4/5
      This wasn't my favorite Stephen King book, but it was really well-written (and well-narrated) with lots of suspense, and that lady was crazy! I mean you can't understand how a crazy woman can be described in a way that you can feel until you've read this.
    • 5/5
      One of the best! Never underestimate the power of the words.
    • 5/5
      A masterpiece, never lost the grip, from start to finish!!
    • 1/5
      I think the book is great but I'm curious why the audiobook quality is so poor.
    • 5/5
      1000/10 on the edge of my seat the whole way through
    • 4/5
      The story was pretty good. I felt like the narrator had a nice voice, however she could have been a bit more animated with the characters. Some times I felt like I was listening to a bedtime story...
    • 5/5
      I listened to this audio book while being an at home caregiver… a little too unsettling for this environment lol.
    • 5/5
      All I can say is that this book was amazing. This was my first Stephen King novel, and it was such a good introduction to his work. I was at the edge of my seat through most of it.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely fantastic! Crouse does an amazing job bringing the characters to life.
    • 5/5
      That was very gruesome. I almost threw up. Annie truly is a monster only rivaling Pennywise the clown.
    • 5/5
      Awesome book, so well written. My first time reading King and I was not disappointed
    • 5/5
      There’s not much to say about Misery that hasn’t been said before. This is classic King from start to finish. If you haven’t gotten around to reading this yet, I highly recommend you do.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorites by King also one of my favorite books all time highly recommended
    • 3/5
      Very suspenseful, very scary but this novel was really too gory for my taste.
    • 5/5
      A classic psychological thriller! One of the best I have ever read.
    • 4/5
      The story is great but what is with all these weird chimes and sound effects? It’s very distracting.
    • 4/5
      I was reading this with the book and if not for this audio book, I wouldn't have finished it. I found Stephen King's prose too wordy at times, and this really helped me understand it without having to read through a passage multiple times. Kudos to the narrator for a job well done.
    • 5/5
      Good as always. The story is so creepy, and such a full narrative built from two characters is fascinating. The end is such a well written scene.
    • 5/5
      What an amazing novel. So much more to add than the movie. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Definitely worth the read. Having seen the movie first, I constantly pictured Kathy Bates as Annie while listening.
    • 5/5
      Great story and storyteller. So far one of my favorite King novels.
    • 5/5
      How do you write a review for this crazy, scary, thrilling, twisty book within a book within a book? I .... can.... Sort of stole that from the book. I loved the movie version of this book so I really wanted to listen to the audiobook. The narrator was fantastic and really brought the characters to life. The story of course gives you the inner workings of Paul Sheldon's mind, something a movie cannot do. Annie of course is bat crap crazy but I think she also becomes a bit of an inspiration to the author, she is after all his bee goddess. Thank you Stephen King for sharing your talent with your humble readers and number one fans.