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Misery
12 hours and 12 minutes
Paul Sheldon is a bestselling novelist who has finally met his number one 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 furious that the author has killed off her favorite character in his latest book. Annie becomes his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house.
Annie wants Paul to write a book that brings Misery back to life—just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an axe. And if they don’t work, she can get really nasty.
Paul Sheldon is a bestselling novelist who has finally met his number one 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 furious that the author has killed off her favorite character in his latest book. Annie becomes his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house.
Annie wants Paul to write a book that brings Misery back to life—just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an axe. And if they don’t work, she can get really nasty.
Audible Audio
Published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
December 2, 2022
Keeping readers/listeners interested for 370 pages/12 hours with only two protagonists is difficult. It's very hard - and I can't say Stephen King nailed it.
The plot of Misery is simple: a well-known writer Paul Sheldon was rescued from a car accident by his biggest fan Annie Wilkes, slash ex-nurse, slash ex-angel of death (meaning, a person in the medical field who kills out of mercy). Annie keeps Paul hidden in her house and forces him to write the next book in the Misery series, Annie's favorite of Paul's. Misery is Paul's main heroine in the book series. It's also the desperate situation in which Paul finds himself, dependent on the whims of one crazy lady. As he writes the novel about Misery in exchange for pain medication and food, Annie's mental state worsens fast.
Readers see the situation through Pau's eyes, with multiple repetitions of one thought, with a sports announcer's voice, foreseeing the possible future scenarios. And, of course, with chapters that represent the novel, Paul is writing for Annie. If I hadn't been listening to an audio version, I would have probably stopped after the book's first quarter: the description of the car accident and following Paul's physical condition takes around 2 hours. I still need to learn how Africa and cockatoos represent Paul.
The moments when gruesomeness borders the almost unbearable disgust stand out as ingenious brainchildren of a sick imagination. For example (and avoiding further spoilers), an early scene where Annie makes Paul drink dirty water with soap (and soup) from a bucket. These striking findings appeal to readers' most primitive, dark core. They fascinate and amaze, especially in contrast with an overall sluggish plot.
Summarizing all the above, I recommend Misery in its audio version. I wonder if the plot's slowness feels so much on paper as it is on audio.
The plot of Misery is simple: a well-known writer Paul Sheldon was rescued from a car accident by his biggest fan Annie Wilkes, slash ex-nurse, slash ex-angel of death (meaning, a person in the medical field who kills out of mercy). Annie keeps Paul hidden in her house and forces him to write the next book in the Misery series, Annie's favorite of Paul's. Misery is Paul's main heroine in the book series. It's also the desperate situation in which Paul finds himself, dependent on the whims of one crazy lady. As he writes the novel about Misery in exchange for pain medication and food, Annie's mental state worsens fast.
Readers see the situation through Pau's eyes, with multiple repetitions of one thought, with a sports announcer's voice, foreseeing the possible future scenarios. And, of course, with chapters that represent the novel, Paul is writing for Annie. If I hadn't been listening to an audio version, I would have probably stopped after the book's first quarter: the description of the car accident and following Paul's physical condition takes around 2 hours. I still need to learn how Africa and cockatoos represent Paul.
The moments when gruesomeness borders the almost unbearable disgust stand out as ingenious brainchildren of a sick imagination. For example (and avoiding further spoilers), an early scene where Annie makes Paul drink dirty water with soap (and soup) from a bucket. These striking findings appeal to readers' most primitive, dark core. They fascinate and amaze, especially in contrast with an overall sluggish plot.
Summarizing all the above, I recommend Misery in its audio version. I wonder if the plot's slowness feels so much on paper as it is on audio.
May 15, 2023
I love this book! The characters are awesome, and the story line of a writer being trapped by a crazed number one fan is just so good. Annie Wilkes is one of my favorite villains. I feel sort of sorry for her but was glad Paul got the last laugh.
May 2023: This is one of my favorite Stephen King stories, and the narration is excellent. I'm rooting for Paul...
May 2023: This is one of my favorite Stephen King stories, and the narration is excellent. I'm rooting for Paul...
January 14, 2017
"Annie was not swayed by pleas. Annie was not swayed by screams. Annie had the courage of her convictions."
It's a classic. Why? Three reasons: artistic candor, originality, horror.
Artistic candor. Where to begin? The references to Scheherazade, to artists being captives to their art. The musings on creativity and the contrasting sharp/hazy/deafening struggles between pain and painkillers. The irony that the cure to the torture of writers block is actual torture.
I loved it all... I think maybe... I am your number one f-
Actually the early Misery insertions had me bored to sleep and what about Annie's ex husband? How could you just leave that dangling out there?!?! Lol, everyone's a critic.
Original? How many thousand stories, and sad truths, are out there of men abducting women? The men usually want sex but sex isn't Annie's gotta. The men normally overpower the women, often with nothing more than inherent advantage. King creates a situation where Annie has completely overpowered Paul. He is at her mercy, so much so Paul starts to see her as a goddess. I think this book sent an icy shiver through men who fear nothing.
Horror. I saw this labeled as psychological horror. I'd called it gory pain filled psychological horror. We'll leave it at that.
Five stars. Best of genre.
Did not finish
February 26, 2025dnf at 6% lmfao no thank you
September 27, 2016
Eu ouvi falar muito desse livro logo antes de começar a ler.
Tinha gente elogiando super e gente criticando o ritmo do King.
Então já entrei na história pensando: dificilmente isso vai passar batido por mim.
E aí acabou, e eu sinto que se eu mesmo que eu relesse esse livro 10 vezes eu ainda não conseguiria abraçar a dimensão desses personagens. Porque, a história é legal, o enredo é redondo, bem feito, razoavelmente previsível (mas considerando que foi lançado há 30 anos, talvez na época não fosse), e a trama tem uma cadência interessante, mas o que me impressionou mesmo aqui foi a construção do Paul Sheldon e da Annie.
Ele, por ser nosso ponto de vista, influencia tudo que nós vamos ver, e talvez nem precisasse influenciar nada, porque as situações que ele passa são tão absurdas que eu tava sentindo tudo junto com ele. E para mim em especial porque um dos meus maiores medos na vida acontece com ele no livro.
Mas o King consegue ser incrível na maneira como ele prepara a mente do Sheldon para resistir a tudo que está acontecendo, lidar com as situações que vão ser apresentadas para ele, e detestar a Annie enquanto tenta entender quem ela é para poder usar isso contra ela. A mente do Sheldon é uma base muito forte que dá margem para gente sacar qual é a onda dessa história, e é escrita numa competência absurda. Tudo sendo muito bem justificado o tempo inteiro com a situação ao redor, com o passado dele, com a relação dele com essa mulher.
E a joia desse livro certamente é a Annie, que é um estereotipo de vilã muito reproduzido hoje em dia, a enfermeira do mal, o anjo da morte, a pessoa que tem sua vida nas mãos e pode te matar quando ela quiser. Essa é a primeira vez que eu consigo admirar uma antagonista sem necessariamente ver o ponto de vista dela. Tudo que a gente sabe sobre Annie vem dos olhos do Sheldon. E ainda assim, ela é frágil, violenta, paranóica, perigosa, vulnerável, explosiva, sensível e assustadora, tudo ao mesmo tempo, o tempo inteiro. Desde a primeira cena em que ela surge, ela já carrega uma tensão muito presente que vai se arrastar até a última página.
Se eu tiver alguma crítica é que talvez fosse interessante ver mais justificativas do passado dela. Mas também acho que pra história era mais importante que o Sheldon construísse a própria interpretação ao redor dessa mulher tão complexa ao invés de alimentar empatia por ela.
O mito da Annie é mais importante que a Annie.
E o mito dela é esse livro inteiro.
Tinha gente elogiando super e gente criticando o ritmo do King.
Então já entrei na história pensando: dificilmente isso vai passar batido por mim.
E aí acabou, e eu sinto que se eu mesmo que eu relesse esse livro 10 vezes eu ainda não conseguiria abraçar a dimensão desses personagens. Porque, a história é legal, o enredo é redondo, bem feito, razoavelmente previsível (mas considerando que foi lançado há 30 anos, talvez na época não fosse), e a trama tem uma cadência interessante, mas o que me impressionou mesmo aqui foi a construção do Paul Sheldon e da Annie.
Ele, por ser nosso ponto de vista, influencia tudo que nós vamos ver, e talvez nem precisasse influenciar nada, porque as situações que ele passa são tão absurdas que eu tava sentindo tudo junto com ele. E para mim em especial porque um dos meus maiores medos na vida acontece com ele no livro.
Mas o King consegue ser incrível na maneira como ele prepara a mente do Sheldon para resistir a tudo que está acontecendo, lidar com as situações que vão ser apresentadas para ele, e detestar a Annie enquanto tenta entender quem ela é para poder usar isso contra ela. A mente do Sheldon é uma base muito forte que dá margem para gente sacar qual é a onda dessa história, e é escrita numa competência absurda. Tudo sendo muito bem justificado o tempo inteiro com a situação ao redor, com o passado dele, com a relação dele com essa mulher.
E a joia desse livro certamente é a Annie, que é um estereotipo de vilã muito reproduzido hoje em dia, a enfermeira do mal, o anjo da morte, a pessoa que tem sua vida nas mãos e pode te matar quando ela quiser. Essa é a primeira vez que eu consigo admirar uma antagonista sem necessariamente ver o ponto de vista dela. Tudo que a gente sabe sobre Annie vem dos olhos do Sheldon. E ainda assim, ela é frágil, violenta, paranóica, perigosa, vulnerável, explosiva, sensível e assustadora, tudo ao mesmo tempo, o tempo inteiro. Desde a primeira cena em que ela surge, ela já carrega uma tensão muito presente que vai se arrastar até a última página.
Se eu tiver alguma crítica é que talvez fosse interessante ver mais justificativas do passado dela. Mas também acho que pra história era mais importante que o Sheldon construísse a própria interpretação ao redor dessa mulher tão complexa ao invés de alimentar empatia por ela.
O mito da Annie é mais importante que a Annie.
E o mito dela é esse livro inteiro.
August 24, 2024
I have wanted to read this novel for years, and I'm glad I finally did. I think my experience as a reader was made even better by the fact that I chose to buy the audiobook instead, the narrator reminded me of Kathy Bates in some way (who plays Annie Wilkes in the movie). While reading this novel, I really wanted to find out the context of this novel, why Stephen King wrote this novel; it was believed that King wrote Misery as a metaphor as he felt chained to writing horror fiction by his fans as well as his struggles with his addictions to drugs and alcohol.
This is probably the most gruesome book I had read in a long time but I just could not stop listening to it, King does a wonderful job with the detail in this novel which made me feel like I was watching the movie. And he does this everytime I read one of his novels and that is what makes him a great storyteller.
This is probably the most gruesome book I had read in a long time but I just could not stop listening to it, King does a wonderful job with the detail in this novel which made me feel like I was watching the movie. And he does this everytime I read one of his novels and that is what makes him a great storyteller.
June 1, 2025
Okay, oh my god. First I’ll say I listened to the audio book which was incredible and also difficult because that meant I couldn’t skim any of the things that really grossed me out like Annie covered in food! Listening to this running and at the gym was like double torture. I’m sure the faces I was making were… interesting.
What a gruesome tale! What a scary woman! When the cops went into the room and she wasn’t there I screamed NOOOO as I was driving home. Oh my god I really didn’t think he would get out of there. “I love you Paul, you know that right?” Oh my fucking stop!! Dirty birdie 😭 I can’t spell it but cockadoodle? The way her not swearing made her even scarier and more horrible to listen to. Like I’m a serial killer but don’t you dare say fuck in my house Paul you dirty birdie!!
When she cut his leg off! Cut off his thumb! When she went to her “laughing place”? When she ran over the fucking trooper with her big ass lawnmower. Can I just say. I know a book will be written by an author (please I know I sound stupid) but an author writing this book. Like it’s so crazy to me “I’m your biggest fan” good god stop.
The most disgusting thing was when she came in his room in her catatonic-adjacent state all covered in food and he described how she smelled like gravy and ice cream and stuff, I was gagging on a train surrounded by people. The second most disgusting thing was when he’d shoved all the paper down her throat and the narrator did this INCREDIBLY CONVINCING thick choking sound oh my god I was in the locker room at my gym GAGGING. Fuck and she refused to die!
I liked that. Now I look forward to reading more pleasant things for a bit 😂😂
What a gruesome tale! What a scary woman! When the cops went into the room and she wasn’t there I screamed NOOOO as I was driving home. Oh my god I really didn’t think he would get out of there. “I love you Paul, you know that right?” Oh my fucking stop!! Dirty birdie 😭 I can’t spell it but cockadoodle? The way her not swearing made her even scarier and more horrible to listen to. Like I’m a serial killer but don’t you dare say fuck in my house Paul you dirty birdie!!
When she cut his leg off! Cut off his thumb! When she went to her “laughing place”? When she ran over the fucking trooper with her big ass lawnmower. Can I just say. I know a book will be written by an author (please I know I sound stupid) but an author writing this book. Like it’s so crazy to me “I’m your biggest fan” good god stop.
The most disgusting thing was when she came in his room in her catatonic-adjacent state all covered in food and he described how she smelled like gravy and ice cream and stuff, I was gagging on a train surrounded by people. The second most disgusting thing was when he’d shoved all the paper down her throat and the narrator did this INCREDIBLY CONVINCING thick choking sound oh my god I was in the locker room at my gym GAGGING. Fuck and she refused to die!
I liked that. Now I look forward to reading more pleasant things for a bit 😂😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2025
WOW! My first Steven King novel!! It did not disappoint! I was NOT ready for the bloodshed though. Annie did not play around. And poor Paul. I’m glad he broke through in the end and found his writing hole again.
January 28, 2025
Audiobook version. All I could picture was Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes, which is perfect because she was amazing in the role.
Not sure why it took me so long to read this book from Uncle Steve. That ending was so stressful and good.
Not sure why it took me so long to read this book from Uncle Steve. That ending was so stressful and good.
June 11, 2018
Pretty sure this is the most disturbing book I’ve ever read. Annie Wilkes is the most terrifying character I’ve ever encountered. COCKADOODIE CRAZY
November 16, 2019
Reviewed in my October Wrap Up with timestamps for titles in the description bar
https://youtu.be/rk2PIboA0ek
https://youtu.be/rk2PIboA0ek
September 23, 2021
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Stephen King. A famous author with an enormous fan base. He is someone I have always regarded to be an excellent writer; however, I do not connect with his works—at least for most of what I have read—until I have read Misery.
There is no denying that I have a sort of admiration for the way King writes. Despite the fact that it does not really work well for me, I see the specialty in it. The way he uses words to convey the emotions he wants his readers to feel. In light of that, I had an epiphany with trying his work in the form of audiobook. Suffice it to say, I gobbled it up and lived in the dreadful story of Paul Sheldon.
An immense portion of why I enjoyed this novel extremely is all thanks to its narrator—Lindsey Crouse. Doing such a phenomenal job in showcasing the mania of our secondary main character, Annie Wilkes.
Annie is more than just a reader. She is a psychopath willing to do anything to get the ending she wants for her favourite book. And given the chance, she did what any normal people would do when they stumble upon their favourite author in the midst of a snow storm where he’s been in a car accident…she kidnaps and nurses him back to health and have him rewrite the ending of his book.
The gruesome terror Paul has to go through in this novel is absolutely horrendous. He spirals from one emotion to the next. Losing hope and getting it back all over again. It provided a kind of fervor to the reader. An excitement as to what might happen. Will he let himself be consumed by his fear? Of the knowledge that there might not be anything left for him? Or, will he come up with a plan? What will Annie do to him? Will she let him go after he writes his nove? Or, will she kill him after? No one knows but the ending.
King did a marvelous job in executing this novel. He abruptly put chapters to a stop, giving you the dissonance in the events that is happening. A huge contributor to the dread the book offers. He paced the book well enough to not lose you in your train of thoughts. Instead grasping you and propelling you to a feat of horror.
Misery is such a powerfully written novel. For horror and thriller fans, this is really something to look out for. I have been meaning to read this for the longest time and I am so glad I finally did it. A huge thanks to Ross (@dublin_book_review). If not for him, I would not have had the energy to subscribe back to Audible. He is an instigator with my reading of this novel.
Stephen King. A famous author with an enormous fan base. He is someone I have always regarded to be an excellent writer; however, I do not connect with his works—at least for most of what I have read—until I have read Misery.
There is no denying that I have a sort of admiration for the way King writes. Despite the fact that it does not really work well for me, I see the specialty in it. The way he uses words to convey the emotions he wants his readers to feel. In light of that, I had an epiphany with trying his work in the form of audiobook. Suffice it to say, I gobbled it up and lived in the dreadful story of Paul Sheldon.
An immense portion of why I enjoyed this novel extremely is all thanks to its narrator—Lindsey Crouse. Doing such a phenomenal job in showcasing the mania of our secondary main character, Annie Wilkes.
Annie is more than just a reader. She is a psychopath willing to do anything to get the ending she wants for her favourite book. And given the chance, she did what any normal people would do when they stumble upon their favourite author in the midst of a snow storm where he’s been in a car accident…she kidnaps and nurses him back to health and have him rewrite the ending of his book.
The gruesome terror Paul has to go through in this novel is absolutely horrendous. He spirals from one emotion to the next. Losing hope and getting it back all over again. It provided a kind of fervor to the reader. An excitement as to what might happen. Will he let himself be consumed by his fear? Of the knowledge that there might not be anything left for him? Or, will he come up with a plan? What will Annie do to him? Will she let him go after he writes his nove? Or, will she kill him after? No one knows but the ending.
King did a marvelous job in executing this novel. He abruptly put chapters to a stop, giving you the dissonance in the events that is happening. A huge contributor to the dread the book offers. He paced the book well enough to not lose you in your train of thoughts. Instead grasping you and propelling you to a feat of horror.
Misery is such a powerfully written novel. For horror and thriller fans, this is really something to look out for. I have been meaning to read this for the longest time and I am so glad I finally did it. A huge thanks to Ross (@dublin_book_review). If not for him, I would not have had the energy to subscribe back to Audible. He is an instigator with my reading of this novel.
September 30, 2019
Misery is easily my favorite Stephen King book (of the five or so that I've read so far—I have not delved very deeply into his work yet). You might know the premise, partly because of that movie that won Kathy Bates an Oscar: a popular novelist drinks and drives on an icy, isolated road and is severely injured in the resulting crash, breaking both of his legs. He's rescued by a strong, resourceful woman who he gradually learns is (a) a trained nurse, currently unemployed for various disturbing reasons, (b) a violent psychopath, and (c) a deeply devoted fan of his most famous fictional character, Misery Chastain, whom he killed off in a just-published book. His savior/captor would like him to please rectify that unbearable loss, not just by bringing Misery back to life, but by writing a convincing, well-written return from the grave for her. That's not too much to ask of a helpless, pain-ridden writer, is it?
What results from this tense situation is unmistakably a horror story, but it's also a gripping drama about a battle between two stubborn, obsessive minds, not to mention a clever, truthful depiction of the creative process. Staring at a blank white surface for hours; becoming convinced that your writing implement is an asshole that hates you; pulling a story together with the weirdest, most unexpected connections that you didn't even know you were there in your head—every writer knows those moments, and King shows them more vividly and entertainingly than most nonfiction books on similar subjects. He also interrogates the facile distinctions between "popular" and "serious" fiction with the skill and ambivalence of, well, a veteran popular fiction author.
If I have a problem with this book, it's just the same problem I usually have with King: that he abruptly turns up the bloody ultraviolence in a way that distracts from the exquisite psychological horror rather than building on it. It's like watching a brilliant surgeon pause halfway through a sensitive procedure, throw the scalpel in the trash, and pull out a dull-bladed meat cleaver. When the lady brings out the axe, it just kind of gets in the way.
Even with the gory excesses, though, Misery makes it easy to understand King's appeal. I will definitely read further.
What results from this tense situation is unmistakably a horror story, but it's also a gripping drama about a battle between two stubborn, obsessive minds, not to mention a clever, truthful depiction of the creative process. Staring at a blank white surface for hours; becoming convinced that your writing implement is an asshole that hates you; pulling a story together with the weirdest, most unexpected connections that you didn't even know you were there in your head—every writer knows those moments, and King shows them more vividly and entertainingly than most nonfiction books on similar subjects. He also interrogates the facile distinctions between "popular" and "serious" fiction with the skill and ambivalence of, well, a veteran popular fiction author.
If I have a problem with this book, it's just the same problem I usually have with King: that he abruptly turns up the bloody ultraviolence in a way that distracts from the exquisite psychological horror rather than building on it. It's like watching a brilliant surgeon pause halfway through a sensitive procedure, throw the scalpel in the trash, and pull out a dull-bladed meat cleaver. When the lady brings out the axe, it just kind of gets in the way.
Even with the gory excesses, though, Misery makes it easy to understand King's appeal. I will definitely read further.
May 24, 2024
May 2024
Audible audiobook
6h 36m (1.85x speed)
This was a reminder that I should be reading blurbs before starting a book. I picked this one because I was recommended Baby reindeer to watch. I can't watch things like that, but I did see an article somewhere where it was compared to Misery, so thought I'd give that a go instead. I hated this book from the beginning. It was everything I hated, confinement and torture. I kept messing with the speeds because I'd brought the book, I wanted to get through it. Eventually I landed on 1.85x with a whole lot of breaks. I got through it so that was a win.
Annie was off her rocker and things start off grim. She was bitter, angry and the whole thing was really painful to listen to. The way Paul was hooked on drugs even before he knew where he was. I stopped at one point and moved onto Finder's keepers, which was funny because it was along similar lines with the obsessive fan after books. This one was much harder to stomach.
Things calmed down with Paul being able to move around and then when he was left to his escapism typing Misery. That was a nice little break from Annie. She was horrifying. Maybe that was why it was shocking when she turned and 'operated' on him. It was intense, with more of a resigned feeling towards the end. It was good but awful. Confinement, drug abuse, torture, rats, mental illness, serial killer etc. I felt sorry for the cop that started the chase. Another one I never want to read/listen to again.
Audible audiobook
6h 36m (1.85x speed)
This was a reminder that I should be reading blurbs before starting a book. I picked this one because I was recommended Baby reindeer to watch. I can't watch things like that, but I did see an article somewhere where it was compared to Misery, so thought I'd give that a go instead. I hated this book from the beginning. It was everything I hated, confinement and torture. I kept messing with the speeds because I'd brought the book, I wanted to get through it. Eventually I landed on 1.85x with a whole lot of breaks. I got through it so that was a win.
Annie was off her rocker and things start off grim. She was bitter, angry and the whole thing was really painful to listen to. The way Paul was hooked on drugs even before he knew where he was. I stopped at one point and moved onto Finder's keepers, which was funny because it was along similar lines with the obsessive fan after books. This one was much harder to stomach.
Things calmed down with Paul being able to move around and then when he was left to his escapism typing Misery. That was a nice little break from Annie. She was horrifying. Maybe that was why it was shocking when she turned and 'operated' on him. It was intense, with more of a resigned feeling towards the end. It was good but awful. Confinement, drug abuse, torture, rats, mental illness, serial killer etc. I felt sorry for the cop that started the chase. Another one I never want to read/listen to again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Annie Wilkes cements herself as one of horrors most iconic villains of all time.
Paul Shields is a famous author of a romance series that he just recently put an ending on. When he unexpectedly ends up in a devastating car accident that lands him with 2 shattered legs he thinks his life couldn’t get much worse. However, when he comes to after the violent accident, he’s not in a hospital bed. But locked in a bedroom under the watchful care of his “number one fan”. A woman, who worships Paul and his talents, but has no intention of letting him leave without writing a new novel for his series.
I wanted to read Misery as I felt it added to a perfect winter TBR. The setting is essentially one location, the Wilkes farm. It adds to the isolating atmosphere of the book but can come across uneventful. The characters are minimal but memorable (particularly our villain Annie). The horror was good, as Annie was the main focus of delivering the scariness & disturbing. You can tell, that King was battling his demons while writing this too. I very much saw Paul as King himself at points, feeling trapped, and battling addiction. I can imagine it all felt very cathartic for him when he was writing this. But in typical King fashion, this was lengthy, and wordy. Also, I did listen to this on audio, and while the narrator really impressed me, the different breaks and random guitar riffs made the whole experience bizarre at times.
Annie Wilkes cements herself as one of horrors most iconic villains of all time.
Paul Shields is a famous author of a romance series that he just recently put an ending on. When he unexpectedly ends up in a devastating car accident that lands him with 2 shattered legs he thinks his life couldn’t get much worse. However, when he comes to after the violent accident, he’s not in a hospital bed. But locked in a bedroom under the watchful care of his “number one fan”. A woman, who worships Paul and his talents, but has no intention of letting him leave without writing a new novel for his series.
I wanted to read Misery as I felt it added to a perfect winter TBR. The setting is essentially one location, the Wilkes farm. It adds to the isolating atmosphere of the book but can come across uneventful. The characters are minimal but memorable (particularly our villain Annie). The horror was good, as Annie was the main focus of delivering the scariness & disturbing. You can tell, that King was battling his demons while writing this too. I very much saw Paul as King himself at points, feeling trapped, and battling addiction. I can imagine it all felt very cathartic for him when he was writing this. But in typical King fashion, this was lengthy, and wordy. Also, I did listen to this on audio, and while the narrator really impressed me, the different breaks and random guitar riffs made the whole experience bizarre at times.
June 13, 2021
Me ha sorprendido muchísimo, y me ha pasado como con el resto de los libros de King. Tengo en la cabeza que son libros de terror porque las adaptaciones al cine se encajan en ese género, pero yo creo que no se encajan en ese género al 100% y que son mucho, mucho más. Como este.
No me gusta el cine de terror, así que creo que debo ser la única persona de este mundo que no sabía de qué trataba el libro, a parte de que es una fan que secuestra a un escritor y lo que leí que el propio King decía en On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft . Pero oooooh si es mucho más que todo eso! Para mi,
Lo recomiendo muchísimo y, si tienes la suerte de no saber mucho sobre la historia, yo te diría que lo leyeras sin investigar demasiado.
Yo he escuchado la versión audiolibro narrada por Lindsay Crouse, y un 10 por su manera de interpretar a Annie. Madre mía, Annie,
No me gusta el cine de terror, así que creo que debo ser la única persona de este mundo que no sabía de qué trataba el libro, a parte de que es una fan que secuestra a un escritor y lo que leí que el propio King decía en On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft . Pero oooooh si es mucho más que todo eso! Para mi,
Lo recomiendo muchísimo y, si tienes la suerte de no saber mucho sobre la historia, yo te diría que lo leyeras sin investigar demasiado.
Yo he escuchado la versión audiolibro narrada por Lindsay Crouse, y un 10 por su manera de interpretar a Annie. Madre mía, Annie,
March 21, 2022
*Audiobook*
Ahhhhh, just as horrifying as I’d hoped it would be! The narrator sounds alarmingly like Kathy Bates, and I could literally see her as I was listening to this. Not scenes from the movie (I’ve only seen it once as a kid and hardly anything stuck except the *one* dreaded scene we ALL remember), but a picture forming in my head as she read and the tale weaved its spell through my mind. What a fantastic book!!!
Ahhhhh, just as horrifying as I’d hoped it would be! The narrator sounds alarmingly like Kathy Bates, and I could literally see her as I was listening to this. Not scenes from the movie (I’ve only seen it once as a kid and hardly anything stuck except the *one* dreaded scene we ALL remember), but a picture forming in my head as she read and the tale weaved its spell through my mind. What a fantastic book!!!
April 20, 2018
I've read it as a young teenager and was very fascinated by it.
Now, having read it as an adult, I discovered so much more in the book. The interaction between the two main characters, the way Paul Sheldon falls apart and adapts more and more of Annie.
It's a masterpiece!
Now, having read it as an adult, I discovered so much more in the book. The interaction between the two main characters, the way Paul Sheldon falls apart and adapts more and more of Annie.
It's a masterpiece!
May 4, 2021
Top five SK books so far! I enjoyed this read from start to finish, it was the perfect length, the story kept rolling. My goodness, this book will stay with me for a while! No unnecessary caca doody details to water the story down, I must be a dirty birdie for enjoying this so much! 😂
April 8, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
I wanted to like this more than I did because I really enjoy the movie. Overall I thought it was a great story but I hated all of the extra Misery book chapters. IMO they were distracting and boring and unnecessary.
I wanted to like this more than I did because I really enjoy the movie. Overall I thought it was a great story but I hated all of the extra Misery book chapters. IMO they were distracting and boring and unnecessary.
March 31, 2024
My first King—which I've seen isn't considered a good first, but it was exactly what I expected (misogyny and racism included), and I enjoyed myself despite all the things I knew I would hate. Annie Wilkes is a delight; patron saint of crazy fangirls and atypical femme fatales—I love you, Annie.
January 9, 2025
I’ve seen the movie and loved it (I mean it’s Kathy Bates and James Caan, how can you not?) but WOW. 🙌
This might be my favorite Stephen King Novel. Absolutely BRILLIANT. Annie Wilkes is fucking terrifying… 😳
I listened to the audiobook version and Lindsay Crouse was perfect for this!
This might be my favorite Stephen King Novel. Absolutely BRILLIANT. Annie Wilkes is fucking terrifying… 😳
I listened to the audiobook version and Lindsay Crouse was perfect for this!
December 5, 2019
My first Stephen King! This was a great book to listen to. Quite scary and gruesome at parts.
May 28, 2021
Am I going to be scared of sharp objects for a little bit now? Absolutely. This is what I wished The Troop would’ve been like. Definitely going to read more King.
October 28, 2021
No lo disfruté tanto como otros de King, pero estuvo bueno.
July 14, 2023
2.5⭐️
I appreciated The Shining reference but good goddess, the man stretches a story like he’s being paid per word.
I appreciated The Shining reference but good goddess, the man stretches a story like he’s being paid per word.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2024
Book exceeded my sky-high expectations. Flawless, brutal, visceral, dark, no esoteric paranormal stuff and a happy-not-so-happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2026
Even with my re-re-re-read of this novel, I still find it incredible how King can completely and utterly evoke the sheer terror of being controlled by a crazed bipolar superfan at the same time as being controlled by the agony of excruciating pain and being at the mercy of the drugs, all while realizing he still can't stop his addiction to writing, even when it is writing something he hates.
This is a book about suffering and what you will do to make it stop - or what you're willing to suffer through for the things you need. King knows a whole lot about both of those things. After writing this novel, he learned even more about both. (He kicked his drug habit first. Then his body was crushed when a van hit him as he was walking on the street. Kathy Bates sent him a get well card saying just "Got Novril?" Then, of course, he had to kick the prescription painkiller habit all over again.)
It is easy to picture Annie Wilkes as the perfect villain. To do that, though, discounts the fact that she is fucking nuts. King does an exquisite job of portraying a person who has ethics. She has rules that she is following that make sense to her. Much of the horrible stuff in the book is done in a way to teach a lesson or to follow a rule. She just doesn't care about the repercussions. She thinks that because THIS happened, then THAT has to happen so that THIS won't happen again. She isn't rationale, but she is trying to do what she thinks is right or justified.
This is a book about suffering and what you will do to make it stop - or what you're willing to suffer through for the things you need. King knows a whole lot about both of those things. After writing this novel, he learned even more about both. (He kicked his drug habit first. Then his body was crushed when a van hit him as he was walking on the street. Kathy Bates sent him a get well card saying just "Got Novril?" Then, of course, he had to kick the prescription painkiller habit all over again.)
It is easy to picture Annie Wilkes as the perfect villain. To do that, though, discounts the fact that she is fucking nuts. King does an exquisite job of portraying a person who has ethics. She has rules that she is following that make sense to her. Much of the horrible stuff in the book is done in a way to teach a lesson or to follow a rule. She just doesn't care about the repercussions. She thinks that because THIS happened, then THAT has to happen so that THIS won't happen again. She isn't rationale, but she is trying to do what she thinks is right or justified.
July 29, 2016
Stephen King is an excellent storyteller. I'm always cautious about choosing a book of his though, because I don't like true horror. I do enjoy a good psychological thriller, and with Misery, King is in top form.
Misery was published almost thirty years ago. I did not see the movie. However, when I started to listen to it, my husband told me that Kathy Bates plays Paul's nurse in the movie. Then I started to hear Bate's voice, instead of the narrator's, and see her in my mind.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Misery during my morning and evening walks - it kept me moving despite the heat and humidity. The plot and characterizations are very well done. Other psychological thrillers I've listened to or read in the past few years pale by comparison. Misery and King set a new standard for me. I'm going to be brave and try another of King's thrillers.
I assumed, incorrectly, that Misery was written after King was hit by a car while jogging, but it was written years earlier. I wonder if he thought about Misery, and his care, as he recovered from somewhat similar injuries.
I'm not sure what the technical differences are between horror and psychological thriller, but if it is realistic, with no flying objects or spreading goo, etc, it is a thriller. The Stand was a thriller, The Shining was horror. End of Watch became horror.
Misery was published almost thirty years ago. I did not see the movie. However, when I started to listen to it, my husband told me that Kathy Bates plays Paul's nurse in the movie. Then I started to hear Bate's voice, instead of the narrator's, and see her in my mind.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Misery during my morning and evening walks - it kept me moving despite the heat and humidity. The plot and characterizations are very well done. Other psychological thrillers I've listened to or read in the past few years pale by comparison. Misery and King set a new standard for me. I'm going to be brave and try another of King's thrillers.
I assumed, incorrectly, that Misery was written after King was hit by a car while jogging, but it was written years earlier. I wonder if he thought about Misery, and his care, as he recovered from somewhat similar injuries.
I'm not sure what the technical differences are between horror and psychological thriller, but if it is realistic, with no flying objects or spreading goo, etc, it is a thriller. The Stand was a thriller, The Shining was horror. End of Watch became horror.
December 11, 2025
Vilken shitshow… Kändes som att det var tänkt (och hade passat mycket bättre) som en novell. Att han sen gick in och la till massa onödigt bös, var långt ifrån behövligt.
Har aldrig varit med om någon tidigare bok som direkt hoppar in i handlingen och fortsätter därefter. Väntade på att vi skulle hoppa tillbaka i tiden och gå därefter, men det skedde aldrig. Blev så förvirrad att jag till och med trodde jag hade missat en del. Därefter är boken så jäkla hoppig (vi pratar i mitten av meningar) att jag inte fattar någonting. Trodde Storytel hade hackat upp sig. Kanske att den passar sig bättre som skrivet format än som ljudbok?
Tycker det är en intressant story och känner att jag vill prata om den, vilket är nog det enda positiva med boken.
Läste några recensioner som sa att om du har läst baksidan av boken, så har du läst hela boken och kan bara instämma. Helt värdelösa sex timmar (hade på dubbel hastighet för att bli klar med skiten).
Har aldrig varit med om någon tidigare bok som direkt hoppar in i handlingen och fortsätter därefter. Väntade på att vi skulle hoppa tillbaka i tiden och gå därefter, men det skedde aldrig. Blev så förvirrad att jag till och med trodde jag hade missat en del. Därefter är boken så jäkla hoppig (vi pratar i mitten av meningar) att jag inte fattar någonting. Trodde Storytel hade hackat upp sig. Kanske att den passar sig bättre som skrivet format än som ljudbok?
Tycker det är en intressant story och känner att jag vill prata om den, vilket är nog det enda positiva med boken.
Läste några recensioner som sa att om du har läst baksidan av boken, så har du läst hela boken och kan bara instämma. Helt värdelösa sex timmar (hade på dubbel hastighet för att bli klar med skiten).
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