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| Purchase: Amazon | Chapters |
Published: 1987
Pages: 338
ISBN: 9780451169525
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Started on: Mar. 20, 2011
Finished on: Mar. 25, 2011 (6 days)
Where Found: Chapters-Indigo
Why Read: I love Stephen King books and this was an obvious oversight!
Read for: Stephen King Challenge (2/6)
Summary: A popular writer is held captive by a deranged fan after a car accident leaves him helpless to escape her wrath unless he can write a sequel to reverse the death of her favourite character.
Review:
Misery turns out to be a more meaningful title than it initially seems. Misery is not only a state of being for Paul Sheldon, kept barely alive by the tyrannical, completely psychotic "number one fan" Annie Wilkes until he writes a sequel just for her that reverses the death of her favourite character, also named Misery.
King's novels usually involve paranormal activity or other phenomena, something that doesn't occur here, which makes it all the more real and even more frightening. It starts off rather suddenly with the whys and hows of the story slowly building from there. It reads like a slow burn, gets quite addictive, and suddenly brings forth one unexpected curve after another up to the end. I didn't know until only a few pages from the end
I haven't seen the 1990 movie with Kathy Bates and James Caan, but it was obvious from the book that Kathy Bates is perfect for the role and could really pull off every horrifying, disgusting, and even sickly sweet sides of Annie. I could also picture James Caan as Paul--not sure why, but probably because of his tough guy demeanor with a touch of suave smoothness, like in The Godfather.
This was a hard book to rank. I was so close to giving it an A+, but while I can't quite bring myself to place it in the same league as my favourite Stephen King books (The Green Mile, Different Seasons, Carrie and The Shining), it is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.
Rank: (A)- Incredible, Highly Recommend
Ah, I remember reading Misery many years ago - you're right, it was very good. And, as you suspected, Kathy Bates is PERFECT in this role - the movie adaptation was actually quite good.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it -
Sue
I have a copy of Misery, but I'm actually a little nervous to read it. I feel like the realness of it would frighten me more than other King books.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Kathy Bates is perfect in this role. Thanks for bringing this all back... I love early Stephen King, too.
ReplyDeleteOh Boy, I had a hard time with the movie. That movie really scared me more than the Shining. Don't know if I can read this.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of Under the Dome, Hearts in Atlantis, and Bag of Bones?
The movie was great! You have to watch it this weekend. Promise! LOL.
ReplyDeleteThis is my favourite Stephen Kind by a mile. And you must watch the film, it's an excellent adaptation.
ReplyDeleteThis and The Green Mile are my two favorite Stephen King books (for very different reasons because the books are sooo different). But man oh man does this one terrify me! And Kathy Bates is a perfect Annie! The movie was great.
ReplyDeleteI can't read these kind of books, they scare me, way more than I want to be scared. I like nice quiet cozy reading... hee, hee.
ReplyDeleteThis was the first Stephen King book that I really loved, so, weird as it may seem, this book has a special place in my heart. I highly recommend the movie. Kathy Bates was perfect as Annie. :)
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