Misery

I have read several of Stephen King’s books, and this one, is the best one I have read so far. Warning, do not read it at night, unless you want to induce nightmares.The story follows Paul Sheldon, a successful writer of a series of books about Misery Chastain. Paul is involved in a vehicular accident, and as luck would have it, he is rescued by his number one fan, Annie Wilkes. Annie is certifiably crazy, insane, demented, and evil. Annie is upset that Paul killed off Misery in his last novel, so she holds him hostage, forcing him to write another Misery novel, bringing Misery back to life. Annie is a former nurse with a sordid background and “nurses” Paul back to health, at least healthy enough to complete a new Misery novel. Paul has broken legs and is in poor health as a result of the accident and Annie feeds him enough pain medicine to keep him stable enough to finish the Misery novel.I won’t give anything away, but the book becomes extremely gruesome, in typical Stephen King style. I could not stop reading the final hundred pages wanting to know how the story ended, if Paul survived the evil Annie Wilkes.The book contains a tight cast of characters and completely takes place in Annie’s house of nightmares. The characters of Paul and Annie are well developed, especially Annie.If you have not read this King book, you need to, NOW! It is an older King book, but for some reason I never read it before now. This may be the best book I’ve read this year. Get it now and read it. You won’t be disappointed.

Lots of scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved the plausibility of the scenario and the raw emotions of a victim fighting to survive. No guessing needed, it may be gruesome but detailed appropriately. Satisfying throughout with a solid ending.

Great characters, though only two, who carry the story. King’s imagination is remarkable and the book will keep you hooked to the end.

This is my first Stephen King novel, and it was fantastic. I was on edge by I don’t know how many times. The way he builds up to suspenseful moments it’s just amazing. And along with that, this was also a character piece. A slow burn, but definitely worth it.

This was another awesome read, kinda gory but excellent story. The book itself is well printed, a standard sized paperback that easily fits in my purse or tote bag, which is super important to me. Also looks great on my book shelf!

Now I have to watch the movie again for the 3rd time. The book keeps you on the edge of your seat.

WHAT. A. RIDE! This book is INTENSE! The first half is a bit of a slow build but when you think things can’t get any worse….oh they doodily-do! The second-half is worth the wait though as it ramps up the tension to 11. I’ve never read a book that left my heart racing like this did.What it did well:👍Mood & Tone - The book pulls you along through the emotions that Paul is experiencing. King has such a way of describing scenes that I found myself almost living through the unease of Annie’s kindness and the horror/fear of her cruelty along with Paul. Whenever I put the book down to take a break I’d notice the tension in my shoulders and this gnawing sense of claustrophobia and fear in my mind. When a book can make me FEEL like that, it’s a good one.👍Characters - Paul is a solid protagonist. He’s realistic and you can see and understand how his responses to his predicament change over time. You’re rooting for him the whole way but in the times when he feels hopeless, you truly can’t blame him. Annie….she’s horrific. I think she may be one of my favorite villains of any story I’ve read.👍Really interesting insights into the writing process. Since Paul is a writer, we learn quite a bit about his writing process and how he thinks. I can’t help but assume that these nuggets are pretty candid pieces of King’s own experience writing.👍It’s a great, albeit dark, exploration of abuse and trauma. Paul goes through hell and I think it’s incredibly powerful to see how the abuse he endures effects him. Too many stories about torture are 1. committed by men and 2. upon women. So turning that trope on its head was refreshing, especially since it didn’t lean on Paul being ‘wimpy’ or less manly to justify how he ‘let this happen to him’.👍It knew when to end. It didn’t feel like it dragged on any longer than it needed to. Suspense and tension cannot be built up and maintained forever and the plot knew just the right moment to swing for the fences.What it could have done better:👎I wish there was more backstory about Paul; who he was, what his life was like. You do get a sense of him over time and you learn little things about him here and there but he feels lacking in depth compared to other Stephen King protagonists.👎I wasn’t the biggest fan of the pages-long passages from the book Paul is writing. I don’t think they should have been removed necessarily (they make sense to the narrative) but I still kinda dreaded slogging through them.If you’re a fan of King’s writing and want a good, tense, knuckle-biter of a story. Misery is the book for you. Even if you’re not a constant reader, I would honestly recommend this book as a great chance to see why he is the KING of horror.

Such a degree of sardonic madness kept me tensely enjoying turning each page. It's hard for me to understand how anyone cannot see the talent and imagination it takes to put a creepy story like this together. The ending did not surprise me but I held my breath hoping escape was imminent. One of my favorite Stephen King's.

Bon produit.

... mais dans le bon sens. Si la sous-histoire est l'art et la création, l'écriture même, il me faudra peut-être un moment avant de le découvrir. La lecture m'a rendu malade et m'a tenu en haleine, m'a privé de sommeil parce que je ne pouvais pas m'arrêter avant de connaître la fin, mais va sans doute agiter mes nuits à force de terreur. Une merveille d'horreur qui plonge toujours plus profond et vous tord les boyaux. Un truc pénible. Un truc dérangeant..

This ain’t a new SK title but I’m getting it still… horrifying

かなり以前になりますが、この小説を原作にした映画を見たことがあり、大体のストーリーを知っていたので、それほど怖い思いはしないのでは、と予想して読み始めました。確かに、最初は知っている通りだと思いながら、ややのんびりと読んでいたのですが、途中からは映画よりも詳しい情景、心理描写に引き込まれ、英語の本としては異例のスピードで読み進みました。映画自体もとても怖い作品で、スリラーとして傑作であることは疑いありませんが、とても映像化できないような残酷シーンや詳しい心理描写はさすがに巨匠で、映画よりも原作の方が怖い作品に仕上がっています。　もしもスリラーファンなのにまだ読んでいない方がいれば、必読というべき作品でしょうし、私のように英語の本を最後まで読むのが多少なりともつらい方にも適していると思います。

A condition de posséder un très bon niveau en Anglais vous ne serez pas déçu par le livre. Si vous avez apprécié le film, vous retrouverez l'ambiance avec encore plus de détails et surtout tous les sentiments que le film ne peut rendre entièrement. C'est évidemment très "américain" mais cela a un charme particulier que j'ai apprécié aussi. C'est probablement aussi le seul roman de Stephen King dont l'histoire est vraisemblable même si, bien sûr, il s'agit d'une fiction.