I’ve been trying to get into Stephen King, but it’s been hit or miss. I’ve read The Institute – 2 stars. Thinner – 4 stars, but my memory is more in the 2-star range. Probably because I hated the main character. Of course, I’ve read The Shining and Doctor Sleep, but I never gave these ones ratings (re-reads coming soon with ratings). Hmm… may I’ve liked him more than I realized. At any rate, if you want to make yourself into a Stephen King fan, read Misery!
Misery
Author: Stephen King
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Published: June 8, 1987
Publisher: Scribner
View on Goodreads
Date Completed: September 12, 2024
My rating: 
Thoughts
The one thing I’ll say about Stephen King is that he’s not a hard read. By that I mean, he never speaks over the reader’s head. In the particular case of Misery, the premise is simple – a bestselling author crashes his car, he’s saved by a woman who happens to be his number one fan, and then all hell breaks loose.
Something I really loved about this book is it takes place entirely from the point of view of Paul Sheldon, the aforementioned author. It could easily have been done in first person, but I do like that it was in third person. It almost makes you forget that it’s all his point of view. But when you remember that for over 350 pages you’re in his head while all the $#!+ is happening to him, it really amps up the suspense.
Where is she? Can Paul hear her? She’s gone. Can he get out in time?
I’ve only seen bits and pieces of the film adaptation prior to reading this. But let me tell you something: James Caan and Kathy Bates were perfectly cast. As I was reading, they fit so perfectly in my mind’s eye.
King does a great job of describing characters, situations and settings to put the reader right there with the characters. That right there for me is what can turn an okay book into a great one. And luckily for this book, the story was great too. Oh and side note – I love that this takes place in the Shining-verse… the SLU… the Shining Literary Universe. It’s more-or-less subtle. Not quite blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, but more of a nod. A tip of the hat, if you will.
Okay, so it’s a little far-fetched that this huge fan just happens across his car crash. Or is it? Can I hear a “stalker” from the crowd?
This isn’t really a scary book for me. Of course, I have yet to read a book that truly scares me. Perhaps my next Stephen King will be one that is mean to be scary.
This book is a suspense thriller for sure, though! There were times I was on the edge of my seat (figuratively) and just flipping through the pages as fast as I could read (literally).
For some, okay for a lot of people, this book is pretty gruesome. The hobbling scene is different from the movie, I can tell you that much. And let’s just say, I prefer the book’s scene even though it’s way more gory and vomit-inducing than what was shown in the movie.
This was such an easy 5 out of 5 stars for me that it’s not even funny. No really – there’s not a lot of humor in the book. But seriously, this book didn’t have any of the weird child fetish stuff that’s shown up in a few of his other books that I’m familiar with. Just a great, well-written, horrific (but not exactly horror) story that you’ll want to gobble up faster than Annie Wilkes gobbles up those Misery novels.
