Misery Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Stephen King (Author), Lindsay Crouse (Narrator), Hodder & Stoughton (Publisher)

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Misery Chastain was dead. Paul Sheldon had just killed her - with relief, with joy. Misery had made him rich; she was the heroine of a string of best sellers. And now he wanted to get on to some real writing.

That's when the car accident happened, and he woke up in pain in a strange bed. But it wasn't the hospital.

Annie Wilkes had pulled him from the wreck, brought him to her remote mountain home, splinted and set his mangled legs. The good news was that Annie was a nurse and had painkilling drugs. The bad news was that she was Paul's Number One Fan. And when she found out what Paul had done to Misery, she didn't like it. She didn't like it at all. And now he had to bring Misery back to life. Or else....

Listening Length

12 hours and 12 minutes
Author

Stephen King
Narrator

Lindsay Crouse
Audible release date

19 May 2016
Language

English
Publisher

Hodder & Stoughton
ASIN

B01FG761HC
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	12 hours and 12 minutes
Author	Stephen King
Narrator	Lindsay Crouse
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com.au Release Date	19 May 2016
Publisher	Hodder & Stoughton
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B01FG761HC
Best Sellers Rank	2,190 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 6 in Contemporary Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) 171 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction 2,568 in Genre Fiction (Books)

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Top reviews from Australia

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Erin Witt

Couldn't put it down

Reviewed in Australia on 20 August 2017

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For fans of Stephen Kings work (and let's face it, who isn't a fan) this ones a little more unusual because it only has two characters. But, as always, King is brilliant and Misery is fast paced and terrifying. I awoke at all hours of the night to continue reading. King really is the master of horror and Misery is no exception.

One person found this helpful

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Irene Wallace

Stephen King masterpiece

Reviewed in Australia on 19 December 2021

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I love this book. Read it years ago and purchased for another family member

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Hana Starobova

Awesome story !

Reviewed in Australia on 2 July 2020

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Awesome story! As Always Stephen King is The master of stories. Love the book.

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Tegan

Cute

Reviewed in Australia on 17 June 2018

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Bizarrely suitable as a post-op recovery read. Clever, funny and horrific. It shows its age a bit through overt racism & sexism.

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Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in Australia on 19 April 2016

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Fantastic book love Stephen king

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Pat McDonald

An audio book not to be missed!

Reviewed in Australia on 25 March 2018

I read this books years ago and obviously have seen the film adaptation many times. I just listened to the audio book narrated by Lindsay Crouse, which has made me wonder if this isn’t a different book entirely, there are scenes that I don’t remember. It is the unabridged version and had me riveted, all eleven hours of it. One of King’s classic books, fascinating to any writer, is about being made to write a book you never intended. Paul Sheldon is kept prisoner by his number one fan, someone who has lost all hold on reality; psychotic and completely obsessed by a character ‘Misery’ and the writer who created her and has killed off. He has just finished his first alternative life’s work and is made to burn the only copy of the manuscript he has and to resurrect Misery once again, knowing that when he finishes it Annie Wilkes will kill him. Her obsessions and cruelties provoke in him the need to survive in order to kill her and escape. This is a version full of wonderful dark imaginary and made all the more exciting by the narrator who at times sounded like Kathy Bates (of the film version) and makes the film pale into insignificance. This is King at his best. Pat McDonald British Crime Author

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A TERRIFYING CLASSIC OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR!!!!!!!!!

Reviewed in Australia on 19 May 2015

There is no doubt that this now-classic release from the world’s Master of Suspense and the Supernatural is an unequivocal masterpiece of psychological terror and suspense in its own right. The story is based principally on two characters - popular writer Paul Sheldon, who is caught trying to drive through a heavy snow storm in Sidewinder, Colorado. He loses control of his car trying to take a bend, and damn near loses his life in the process. The second major character of the book is Annie Wilkes, a former professional nurse who, quite literally, brings Sheldon back to life with on-the-spot CPR and other life saving skills before dragging Sheldon back to her home for 'recuperation'.

Strange facts are revealed about Wilkes as the reader progresses through the opening salvo of the book. For instance, hints at Wilkes’ doubtful past and performance as a Nurse, and legal action taken against her, which is only hinted at by Mr King, cast doubts over the nature of the “care” being given to her famous patient whilst he lies at death’s door.

Mr King takes only a few dozen pages to prove that psychologically, the woman is not sound. She has a violent temper, and is prone to lose control of her wits at the slightest provocation. And yet it is only a few paragraphs into the book that Mr King has his reader by the throat. A life saving gesture, one which is almost second nature to those familiar with basic first aid in the 21st century, is given virtual shock treatment by the author in a parallel universe kind of way, with four brilliantly gripping and terrifying paragraphs on pages four and five of the 2011 UK Paperback edition. I won’t reveal them here, but seriously, read these pages for the first time, and YOU. WILL. BE. HOOKED.

Somehow our demented nurse manages to discover how it all ends for her favourite character in literature, and she is not pleased. Not pleased at all. I wont say what happens, or how she responds, but it is certainly not good news for Paul Sheldon, writer extraordinaire.

The first part of the book ends with a spine tingling, breath-catching escapade of exultation and terror for Our Paulie as he dares to venture beyond the walls of his cell and begins to explore THE HOUSE. Salvation is found - albeit temporarily - when a healthy supply of pain killers is located in a pantry cupboard, but of course the Book’s Baddie - Nurse Annie, who is on a shopping trip into town for writing materials, of all things - comes home far too soon for our liking, and that is when your pulse will hit the roof as Sheldon learns what true terror is as he races back to bed before Satan (sorry, Nurse Annie) finds him in a state of relative freedom.

This book is relatively small for a King novel. It comprises a total of four parts, and sits rather easily in the hand at 369 magnificent pages. In summary, however: This much-fabled fable is awesome. It is frighteningly real in its representation of domesticity, and the times when the relationship sours into one of horrific cruelty and terror, the reader (who is comfortable with the genre) will love every single moment. Constant Readers will thank their lucky stars for their good sense and decision making abilities when they decided to become Stephen king fans. And Newbies may well decide to jump on the SK band wagon, too.

There is violence here, folks. And terror. And, believe it or not, sprinkles of joy and happiness, not to mention satisfaction for a job well done. But none of these lighter emotions belong to the book’s principal character. But for how long? Will Paul Sheldon find peace, happiness, or even freedom from the deranged nurse that forced him back to life from the brink of death way back in chapter one? And what about Nurse Annie? Paul Sheldon’s Number One Fan? Will she be saved from herself, given the chance at redemption in a safe place, or will she learn too late that her number has come up?

Read this horrific work of art and see for yourself.

A perfect full marks from moi.

BFN Greggorio!

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Top reviews from other countries

RebeccaAdams

Couldn’t put it down

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 January 2020

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is the first Stephen King book I’ve read and I can’t wait to read more. One of the best books I’ve ever read. The way he tells the story is just amazing.

Synopsis: Misery Chastain is dead. Paul Sheldon has just killed her - with relief, with joy. Misery has made him rich; she was the heroine of a string of bestsellers. And now he wants to get on to some real writing.
That's when the car accident happens, and he wakes up in pain in a strange bed. But it isn't hospital. Annie Wilkes has pulled him from the wreck, brought him to her remote mountain home, splinted and set his mangled legs.
The good news is that Annie was a nurse and has pain-killing drugs. The bad news is that she has long been Paul's Number One Fan. And when she finds out what Paul had done to Misery, she doesn't like it. She doesn't like it at all.
Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now he's writing to stay alive.

Thoughts: I don’t want to spoil the book, but there is so many twists and turns even later on in the book after 200 pages and there’s a huge one right at the end nearly. You can’t help but like Paul and feel sorry for him locked up in Annie’s house. I really liked Paul and Annie’s relationship even though she made him do horrendous things, they’d be polite to eachother and Annie would even act loving towards him. Until her mood changed that is. This was one of them books where you can’t stop thinking about it when you go to sleep, wondering what’s going to happen next. Will Annie kill Paul? Will Paul kill Annie? Will Paul ever get out? Loved it, highly recommend.

10 people found this helpful

Alyssia Cooke

Darkly frightening

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 March 2020

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Boy is this one a weird one. A darkly frightening read, but engrossing all the same. There's nothing supernatural here; it is simply about the darkest and most nightmarish aspects of the human constitution. It's a very closely centred novel, focusing nearly entirely on one room of a house and two characters, yet the undeniable malice lurking behind even the most innocuous of pages ensures that it never becomes tedious or boring. Admittedly, the most innocuous writing is never that far away from something ghoulishly horror stricken, which also serves to provide a layer of tension and malice throughout.

The characters are undeniably well done; Stephen King writes a fantastically frightening insane character in Annie and how her personality veers and shifts in unpredictable ways. Paul Sheldon is more of a gradual character development as his personality is warped by the situation he finds himself in. The absurdity of the situation is undeniable, but the issue is that you can imagine someone who is quite as far gone as Annie behaving in such a manic and unpredictable fashion. From Paul's perspective, kept in captivity with someone who has no issues whatsoever with punishing him via grievous bodily harm and doesn't seem to see that what she is doing is wrong, his motivations and his personality changes in response.

This is gritty, dark and gruesome and it kept me guessing all the way up until the last few pages. There were several moments within the novel that made my stomach churn, more still that I had to read two or three times in order to truly grasp that this truly happened. The depictions of the pain and agony that Paul is made to go through are stunning in how realistic they are, from the shock and confusion of the initial accident to the grinding despair of everything that comes after it. You also see quite well just how the captive relationship subtly changes as you go through the novel and the impact this has on Paul's psychological state.

You could never say this is an easy read, it most certainly isn't. Indeed at points it comes across as actively grim and hard work at points - many points in fact. But it's worth the effort. It's excellently written and even if it isn't my usual cup of tea, I have to admit that the way Stephen King has done this book is expert. Am I likely to read it again? Probably not. But I'm glad I read it.

7 people found this helpful

Michael X Smith

Rewriting the Gothic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 October 2021

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Many readers or would-be readers of Misery will already know the book from the excellent 1990 film adaptation starring James Caan and Kathy Bates. Misery takes a familiar Gothic story of kidnap and imprisonment, traditionally of a vulnerable female by a powerful male, and reverses the gender roles. When the drunk writer, Paul Sheldon, crashes his car in a remote area of Colorado, he is rescued by the psychotic, serial-killer ex-nurse, Annie Wilkes, his self-declared number-one fan. She keeps him prisoner and, like some demonic muse, forces him to write a book for her starring Paul’s creation, her favourite literary character Misery Chastain.
King fans will already recognise a parallel with the writer’s own experience, described in his book On Writing, where he details his struggles to write after a horrendous road accident. In fact, as the picture of a typewriter on the front cover of the paperback edition suggests, the real subject of Misery is writing, its sources and influences, its techniques, the creative process and importance of story, for King the primary literary value, and the role of readers and critics. There is a parallel here with The Usual Suspects, ostensibly a heist movie, really about the power of storytelling. Misery is an exploration of these issues, focussed by the intense situation in which Paul writes. Ultimately, the struggle for survival, with Paul as Scherezade telling a story to prolong or maybe even save his life, is a writing contest: Who will write the ending of Misery, Paul Sheldon or Annie Wilkes?
Throughout, tension is maintained by the increasing extremism of Annie’s behaviour, which includes cutting off parts of her prisoner’s body, a symbolic castration, and by Paul’s growing desperation and determination to survive. Events climax in a graphically bloody duel between the two main characters, with an ending where what survives all the misery and mess is the writer’s instinct and its imperative to create story.
Misery is an intelligent and highly readable addition to the Gothic genre, a book which successfully adapts a standard scenario for both an exciting story of physical and psychological intensity, and a homage to the centrality of reading and writing to human identity.

4 people found this helpful

amysreading_nook

Traumatising but so good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2020

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I read this as part of a thriller book club over on Instagram and this is actually the first Stephen King book that I have ever read... I know... and I call myself a reader.

I was honestly pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I am always wary with such big named authors when they are so hyped because i'm always wary that I just won't enjoy them so this was a plus for me. That is not to say though, that I was not incredibly disturbed, SO MANY TIMES. I can recall one vivid moment where I literally had to slam the book shut and almost flung it across the room. It was such a physical reaction and I have never had such a reaction to a book before. I honestly had to take a few breaths it pick it back up because I was so horrified by what I head just read. If you've read it, and want to know what bit it was... when she absentmindedly slurps the rat blood from her fingers. Even typing that made me feel nauseous. And I thought it couldn't get more disturbing AND THEN AND THEN she cut off his thumb and stuck a candle in it and sung happy birthday to him. I'M SORRY MR KING WHAT ARE YOU DOING. I legit considered putting it in the freezer where it belonged.

But, despite that awful disturbing terrifying moments... I did enjoy this book. I think it was crafted well and the plot was interesting but satisfying simple. There were no real late minute twists or reveals; Annie Clark was mentally unwell. That was that and this is why she did what she did.

I did have some issues with some of the words he used and just felt it was unnecessary.

Overall I liked this read and would probably read some of his others, but i'm not going to race out and get them.

4 people found this helpful

West-side of the Dee

Great characterization here with a few brilliantly unsettling moments

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 June 2022

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What has struck me, after now having read a few Stephen King novels, is the musicality of his prose. It’s definitely the element of King’s oeuvre I enjoy most. Like your favourite vocalist, they could probably sing most things, although any writer would be hard pressed to get away with just reciting a list. Misery is by no means perfect. It’s not the best King novel I’ve read to date. Yes, I found the Misery’s Return excerpts slightly grating. And the book could have been a lot cock-a-doodie shorter. However, from my experience of King’s work, he doesn’t seem to be a writer overly concerned with plot but focuses more on character and situation. And, for me, he excels in this. There's great characterisation here and a few brilliantly unsettling moments. Yes indeed, Mr Stephen King smarty pants.

One person found this helpful

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