Misery: A Novel

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.

When it 1st came out, I was a kid. My supervisor at a job had the hardback, new of course, the book was new itself. She had been reading & it freaked her out too much, she knew I devoured books, asked me if I wanted to read it, yes, I did. It freaked me out too, but I also couldn't put it down. I had already read many of King's books prior, I read Cujo when I was in the 8th grade. I have seen this film so many times, I can probably recite it. I remembered the book was different, better, more in depth, always, right? I bought it. There r a number of things I had forgotten that r indeed different. The hobbling for one, I totally remembered the addiction, no spoilers, sorry. Final analysis being it's great still, any book that is well written, w/great story + characters, u can re-read ad nauseam. Cheers 😊 p.s. Gerald's Game is an all time fav of mine, I wanted to write the screenplay for it. Alas, it's been done now. Not to the level I wanted or would do it myself, but done all the same. I have my own writing to finish anyhow. 😊🐦

I read this book probably 20 years ago? I've seen the movie many times so when I started reading it again I realized it was really the same book as the movie, but more gruesome! I couldn't put it down, I had to see the differences between both. The vividness of his journey made me feel sad for Paul and loathing Annie. She was so much worse! Her obsession with him and the lengths she'd go for her obsession. Definitely read this!! I am a huge fan of Stephen King but I could NEVER do anything to him or any other person. I would never claim to be his "number one fan" because that's too Annie. The King of great stories is definitely shown on track!!!!

I’ve never read a Stephen King book before. I didn’t think he was my type of author until one of my buds recommended Misery and I couldn’t stop reading it the moment I started it. Safe to say, King is DEFINITELY my type of author! I’m looking forward to reading as many of his books as I can. Misery was just awesome. It kept you turning to pages to see what was going to happen next. I loved the HELL out of it!!

This books starts fast, and never slows down! I loved every word in this one. King shows why he is the master. His greatest feat in this one, is making Annie, one of the most horrible, despicable, and evil characters of all-time, actually LIKEABLE! You can’t help but feel for her at some points and want to see her happy. Annie Wilkes might be one of the most well-written characters I have read. I couldn’t get enough. The back and forth between her and Paul was excellent. Since I have been reading more books this year, this is my first 5 star read. While some have come close, this is the first one where I found no flaws whatsoever. It is one of, if not my absolute favorite book I have ever read.

What a page turner. This book was horrifying. Horrifying in the best way. To see into the mind of a prolific writer such as Paul and then so the fears of Stephen King himself and how his mind operates and won’t let himself go when you keep thinking the worst that could have happened to this writer has happened, more still can happen. The art of Stephen King is that he can bring you along with him into the descent of someone who is going steadily mad, and you can follow the descent with your own. Reading his books makes flight attendants and people smiling across a restaurant terrifying beings that light your livid imagination on fire with horrifying ideas of what could happen in a story where everything goes wrong. This book lit some kind of match (pun-intended) for my brain of what the imagination can do, and what being a writer, a really dedicated and passionate one might look like, and despite the horrifying context surrounding the novel, it was really a breathtaking adventure with both Paul and Misery, as well as the looking ever stronger and more heavily, Annie. What a villain. What a broken hero. Really a great book of storytelling.

This was my second King Novel and I really enjoyed it. I'm noticing that his writing is unique, as he has a way of skillfully building tension and setting up the characters. In other words, he takes his time lol.

The book opens up with Paul Sheldon in and out of consciousness after being rescued by a very deranged Annie Wilkes, following a horrific car crash. Immediately the tone of the book takes on an atmosphere of dread and foreboding, as readers get a sense of how unstable Annie really is.

It did take a while for things to pick up but in that time, the level of unease I felt throughout the book was palpable. The unpredictability and instability of Annie, made for one of the most unhinged and unsettling books I've ever read. As a reader I was completely transported into this story and felt like I was right there in the room with these characters.

I really enjoyed Paul's inner dialogue and the inclusion of the actual Misery story. I was completely unprepared for just how sharp of a turn this book would actually take. I'm not complaining though. Every discovery that was made about Annie, added to the overwhelming sense of dread and doom as you realize just what this woman is capable of.

The scenes of torture and murder were really executed well; they had just enough descriptions without it being too gory or gruesome. The ending was brilliantly crafted and the build up to it was phenomenal as well. The only reason I'm not rating 5 stars, is because some parts seemed to be drawn out a little too much. However, as mentioned before, this seems to be a thing with King and you either love it or hate it.

Overall, a seriously enjoyable thriller read and, I will be exploring more of his work.