Helpful Score: 4
As always Stephen King manages to frighten us. This is my chosen method of horror, more psychological than gore. What a mind he has.
Helpful Score: 4
Not sure why other members claim this isn't hardcover, it certainly is. Perhaps the UPC codes were mixed up somehow, the book that arrived was hardcover.
On another note, this is an excellent book. My grandfather was a huge fan and collector of Stephen King books- now at the ripe age of twenty-one I am beginning to enjoy his work (both movies and books) more and more. I will admit that the books I have read have been lengthy and somewhat hard to get through, but very well worth it. A very talented man who is a huge inspiration to me. Some day I hope to write books even half as well as Mr. King does. I can't wait to collect everything I possibly can by this genius. I HIGHLY recommend this as a starter book if you are new to Stephen King, it is one of my favorites.
On another note, this is an excellent book. My grandfather was a huge fan and collector of Stephen King books- now at the ripe age of twenty-one I am beginning to enjoy his work (both movies and books) more and more. I will admit that the books I have read have been lengthy and somewhat hard to get through, but very well worth it. A very talented man who is a huge inspiration to me. Some day I hope to write books even half as well as Mr. King does. I can't wait to collect everything I possibly can by this genius. I HIGHLY recommend this as a starter book if you are new to Stephen King, it is one of my favorites.
As posted by another member, this is not a hardcover book, but a large paperback. Excellent example of Stephen King's genius! If you have seen the movie, you should read the book - it's much better.
Helpful Score: 3
The monster in "Misery" is human, not supernatural. A crazed fan, obsessed with her favorite author, decides to keep him all to herself.
This story involves imprisonment, physical and psychological abuse, shackles and weapons. This is not a nice lady. It gives you insight into what can happen to famous people when they are stalked by an obsessed fan.
This story involves imprisonment, physical and psychological abuse, shackles and weapons. This is not a nice lady. It gives you insight into what can happen to famous people when they are stalked by an obsessed fan.
Helpful Score: 2
Love's Company, January 24, 2006
Reviewer: sandalista
I divorced Mr. King in 1990 or 1991. About 100 pages into his doorstop du jour, The Dark Half, I concluded that his critics are right: life's too short and many King novels ('salami,' he called them) are much too long. Breaking up was hard to do because his short & almost flawless novel Misery had seduced me.
Misery is Scheherazade with an eponymous hog and a butane torch. Misery is a number-one fan club and the Annie Wilkes Travelers' Aide Society. Misery, above all, is Annie Wilkes with the butane torch and an axe.
It was said, before Misery, that the most horrifying element of King's horror novels was the portrait of Stephen King on the dust jackets of the novels. Annie Wilkes changed that. Neither a killer Plymouth nor a Tommyknocking telekinetic prom queen, Nurse Wilkes is ultimate horror: she's someone like someone we might know. Although she wears a vampire cross in the ridiculous Kathy Bates movie, King's Annie Wilkes is human and utterly helpful, joined in mysterious union with someone like someone we might become, someone almost utterly helpless. Helplessness, not vampires or Micmac monsters or killer cars, is our deepest secret fear. Although he doesn't understand Colorado winters, Stephen King understands the horror of helplessness, a heart of darkness darker than death.
Our divorce is final, but I still go back sometimes to the creative destruction of Mr. King's Blowtorch Annie or to the Apt Pupil, just to remember what might have been, two decades ago, before Salami was King.
Reviewer: sandalista
I divorced Mr. King in 1990 or 1991. About 100 pages into his doorstop du jour, The Dark Half, I concluded that his critics are right: life's too short and many King novels ('salami,' he called them) are much too long. Breaking up was hard to do because his short & almost flawless novel Misery had seduced me.
Misery is Scheherazade with an eponymous hog and a butane torch. Misery is a number-one fan club and the Annie Wilkes Travelers' Aide Society. Misery, above all, is Annie Wilkes with the butane torch and an axe.
It was said, before Misery, that the most horrifying element of King's horror novels was the portrait of Stephen King on the dust jackets of the novels. Annie Wilkes changed that. Neither a killer Plymouth nor a Tommyknocking telekinetic prom queen, Nurse Wilkes is ultimate horror: she's someone like someone we might know. Although she wears a vampire cross in the ridiculous Kathy Bates movie, King's Annie Wilkes is human and utterly helpful, joined in mysterious union with someone like someone we might become, someone almost utterly helpless. Helplessness, not vampires or Micmac monsters or killer cars, is our deepest secret fear. Although he doesn't understand Colorado winters, Stephen King understands the horror of helplessness, a heart of darkness darker than death.
Our divorce is final, but I still go back sometimes to the creative destruction of Mr. King's Blowtorch Annie or to the Apt Pupil, just to remember what might have been, two decades ago, before Salami was King.
Helpful Score: 2
This is my most favorite Stephen King book ever. I don't think he could have done better than with Misery
Helpful Score: 2
Much better than the movie.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is all kinds of creepy. Imagine being famous in any way imaginable and being held hostage by a crazy fan of your work. Annie Wilkes is so determined to make author Paul Sheldon live up to the ideal she's set for him, that she will do anything--and I mean ANYTHING--to make him live up to it. When he kills off her favorite character, she forces him to write a new book bringing her back. Buried in amongst the horror is a story of what it means to be a writer and a storyteller, and how Paul Sheldon continued to write, not just for his survival, but for his life. This book is fascinating in many ways, though it's not for the squeamish. Well-written and well-constructed. This is my first Stephen King novel, and it seems a good enough introduction to the author's work.
Helpful Score: 1
I rarely hate books. I threw this book across the room. (don't worry, it's still in one, solid piece!) I read once that Stephen Kind said that if he couldn't get the scare, he'd go for the "gross out" - well... he sure did that with this one. This one is not scary - it's gross. It's simply a woman gone insane, we watch her lose her mind and torture a man. There's enough grief in the world.
Helpful Score: 1
Lots better than the movie. Typical Stephen King book.
Helpful Score: 1
A SK standard - sets the suspense bar high!
Helpful Score: 1
Book is so much better than the movie. It's a must read!
Helpful Score: 1
Very good Book I reccomend reading it
This is a classic King Novel full of twists and turns and suspense beyond belief. Nerve Wrecking and Razor keen.
I wish I hadn't seen the movie first, because the book was SO much better. I love how King develops his characters. Annie Wilkes is so demented and poor Paul goes through the worst experience of his life. I read this book in 2 days - couldn't put it down!
All right - yes, I'm a rabid King fan. I think I have all of his books on my shelf now (and even some books about him). This one is SO good! Even the movie was great, although there were some significant changes in it that I wasn't crazy about. This is one that ties you to your chair, and you read on and on and on . . . into the dark!
Deliciously chilling - one of King's best.
A number one fan who takes it way too far. AWESOME
One of King's greatest!!
story of a woman obsessed with her favorite author who gets stuck at her house...
Do you like horror? Do you like Stephen King? Then hang on for one of his best novels! If you have ever considered yourself an author's #1 fan, you might soon hesitate to call yourself that again! The back of the book's tale:
"Paul Sheldon. He's a bestselling novelist who has finally met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a rabid reader-she is Paul's nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house. Now Annie wants Paul to write his greatest work-just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an ax. And if they don't work, she can get really nasty..."
"Paul Sheldon. He's a bestselling novelist who has finally met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a rabid reader-she is Paul's nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house. Now Annie wants Paul to write his greatest work-just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an ax. And if they don't work, she can get really nasty..."
Creepy and suspenseful.
Wow, this book is so much better then the movie. It got to the point I couldn't put it down. There is a little wear and tear but all in all good condition, and a great read!
The movie was phenomenal, and of course the book just sweeps it away. It's a great read. It seemed like it went fast for me, but I saw the movie 12-million times before picking up the book. That and I was so enthralled I couldn't put it down and finished it the same day.
It's Stephen King. Are you really needing to read the reviews to see if its good? Of course it's good.
It's Stephen King. Are you really needing to read the reviews to see if its good? Of course it's good.
Intensely disturbing read
One of Stephen Kings best. All you want in a horror book, creepy, suspensful, and not for the faint of heart. This book will cause nightmares. It is a must read.
My copy of this book does not have the dust jacket.
Great book! Annie in the novel makes Annie in the movie look nice! This is from when Stephen King was still putting out original works.
like the movie so much better
One of King's best works, especially if you're into psychological horror versus the more fantastical elements of standard "horror," such as vampires, werewolves, etc.
ISBN 0-670-81364-8 *is* indeed a hardcover.
ISBN 0-670-81364-8 *is* indeed a hardcover.
This was a great book, exactly what I would expect from S. King.
Better than the movie - keeps you on your toes!
Misery is one of Stephen King's best stories ever. Edge of your seat, page turning thriller. It is what nightmares are made of.
If you like Stephen King, you'll like the book. It was made into a very poplar movie with James Cann and Kathy Bates. If you don't like King, then you may do as one reviewer did and throw it across the room. Please note, this is not the copy that was thrown!
THis is one of Stephen King's best. A true classic.
A famous author decides to end a series of books he has written about a character named Misery, but he has an accident and falls into the hands of a demented fan who doesn't want Misery to end. Nothing supernatural, but plenty of suspense.
A creepy story that kept my attention from the very start!
annie wilkes is my worst nightmare. great pace, great story.
One of my favorite reads of Stephen King to this day : ) Very eerie read...
I read this one three times. If you're a Stephen King nut, you'll love it!
WONDERFUL!!! CHILLING!!!!! SCARY!!!!
This is another great book for King fans. This is a book about a nurse who once took the hypocratic oath to "First do no harm" and yet all she did was terrorize her home patient "Paul", if that is not incentive for a quick recovery...
A King Classic, Wonderfully Horrifying. King makes horroe just a half step away from reality. A Book of Month Club Main Selection
Although Misery was a page turner, I did find some areas difficult to keep up with. But overall I really enjoyed the book.
A chilling story from beginning to end. One of Stephen King's best.
Much better than the movie. More gruesome (of course!). Fast plot, you'll get thru it quick but with a whopping punch. Great book.
Better than the movie!
I love all King book. But I do have favorites. Salems Lot, The Shinning, and Misery all time tops--could read them over and over. Makes you wonder when you read this where in the heck Mr. King comes up with this stuff!! Thank goodness he does--he has been keeping me awake for years and i love it!!!
The book kept me glued to my seat and hey the movie was good too.
alot better than the movie
Worth every second.
Good story. My wife enjoyed Annie a little too much for my comfort...
Keep me wanting to read more
Misery - - a book of horror and suspense at a level that makes you hesitant to turn the page. But you are compelled to do so. It taunts you to 'come along' as the tension and unimaginable horror unfolds. Each page you turn along this dark road will take hold of your runaway imagination and pull you into a story that will make you shutter,forgetting its a work of fiction, after all. This book once again proves why Stephen King is the Master of his craft.His plotting and mind-gripping prose is brilliant in this tale of evil incarnate, and he finishes with a razor sharp climax. A real scary book, but you wont know that unless you read it.
P.S. If darkness scares you, turn on the lights - Gery
P.S. If darkness scares you, turn on the lights - Gery
Paul Sheldon, a bestselling novelist has met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a reader-she is Paul's nurse, tending to him after an auto accident. Bust she is also his captor, keeeping him prisoner in her isolated house.
This book is well read but still in fair condition.
This book is well read but still in fair condition.
Name speaks for itself. Another Stephen King Classic
Really good older S K. book!
I was only able to read parts of this book. I have read what I thought were some pretty violent mystery/crime novels but this one was too much for me. I read parts of the beginning,middle and end, enough to get the gist of the story but that was about all I could handle.
Amazon.com: "A writer is trapped in an evil house during a Colorado winter...Paul Sheldon, the hero of Misery, sees himself as a caged parrot who must return to Africa in order to be free. Thus, in the novel within a novel, the romance novel that his mad captor-nurse, Annie Wilkes, forces him to write, he goes to Africa--a mysterious continent that evokes for him the frightening, implacable solidity of a woman's (Annie's) body. The manuscript fragments he produces tell of a great Bee Goddess, an African queen reminiscent of H. Rider Haggard's She.
He hates her, he fears her, he wants to kill her; but all the same he needs her power. Annie Wilkes literally breathes life into him.
Misery touches on several large themes: the state of possession by an evil being, the idea that art is an act in which the artist willingly becomes captive, the tortured condition of being a writer, and the fears attendant to becoming a "brand-name" bestselling author with legions of zealous fans. And yet it's a tight, highly resonant echo chamber of a book--one of King's shortest, and best novels ever." --Fiona Webster
He hates her, he fears her, he wants to kill her; but all the same he needs her power. Annie Wilkes literally breathes life into him.
Misery touches on several large themes: the state of possession by an evil being, the idea that art is an act in which the artist willingly becomes captive, the tortured condition of being a writer, and the fears attendant to becoming a "brand-name" bestselling author with legions of zealous fans. And yet it's a tight, highly resonant echo chamber of a book--one of King's shortest, and best novels ever." --Fiona Webster
a must read for stephen fans.
This is a large paperback
(From Amazon.com)
In Misery (1987), as in The Shining (1977), a writer is trapped in an evil house during a Colorado winter. Each novel bristles with claustrophobia, stinging insects, and the threat of a lethal explosion. Each is about a writer faced with the dominating monster of his unpredictable muse.
Paul Sheldon, the hero of Misery, sees himself as a caged parrot who must return to Africa in order to be free. Thus, in the novel within a novel, the romance novel that his mad captor-nurse, Annie Wilkes, forces him to write, he goes to Africa--a mysterious continent that evokes for him the frightening, implacable solidity of a woman's (Annie's) body. The manuscript fragments he produces tell of a great Bee Goddess, an African queen reminiscent of H. Rider Haggard's She.
He hates her, he fears her, he wants to kill her; but all the same he needs her power. Annie Wilkes literally breathes life into him.
Misery touches on several large themes: the state of possession by an evil being, the idea that art is an act in which the artist willingly becomes captive, the tortured condition of being a writer, and the fears attendant to becoming a "brand-name" bestselling author with legions of zealous fans. And yet it's a tight, highly resonant echo chamber of a book--one of King's shortest, and best novels ever. --Fiona Webster
In Misery (1987), as in The Shining (1977), a writer is trapped in an evil house during a Colorado winter. Each novel bristles with claustrophobia, stinging insects, and the threat of a lethal explosion. Each is about a writer faced with the dominating monster of his unpredictable muse.
Paul Sheldon, the hero of Misery, sees himself as a caged parrot who must return to Africa in order to be free. Thus, in the novel within a novel, the romance novel that his mad captor-nurse, Annie Wilkes, forces him to write, he goes to Africa--a mysterious continent that evokes for him the frightening, implacable solidity of a woman's (Annie's) body. The manuscript fragments he produces tell of a great Bee Goddess, an African queen reminiscent of H. Rider Haggard's She.
He hates her, he fears her, he wants to kill her; but all the same he needs her power. Annie Wilkes literally breathes life into him.
Misery touches on several large themes: the state of possession by an evil being, the idea that art is an act in which the artist willingly becomes captive, the tortured condition of being a writer, and the fears attendant to becoming a "brand-name" bestselling author with legions of zealous fans. And yet it's a tight, highly resonant echo chamber of a book--one of King's shortest, and best novels ever. --Fiona Webster
Paul Sheldon. He's a bestselling novelist who has finally met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a rabid reader--she is Paul's nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house. Now Annie wants Paul to write his greatest work--just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an ax. And if they don't work, she can get really nasty...
Different cover
Jacket slightly worn but otherwise book in good condition.
One of the classic Steven King novels - this book is registered with Bookcrossing.com
