Misery by Stephen King
He's a famous writer. She's his number one fan. Misery Chastain is dead. Paul Sheldon has just killed her - with relief, with joy. Misery has made him rich; she was the heroine of a string of bestsellers. And now he wants to get on to some real writing. That's when the car accident happens, and he wakes up in pain in a strange bed. But it isn't hospital. Annie Wilkes has pulled him from the wreck, brought him to her remote mountain home, splinted and set his mangled legs. The good news is that Annie was a nurse and has pain-killing drugs. The bad news is that she has long been Paul's Number One Fan. And when she finds out what Paul had done to Misery, she doesn't like it. She doesn't like it at all. Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now he's writing to stay alive.
This terrifying story of imprisonment by a demented fan is one of the greatest thrillers ever written -- James Smythe
Not since Dickens has a writer had so many readers by the throat * Guardian *
King's new novel, about a writer held hostage by his self-proclaimed "number-one fan,'' is unadulteratedly terrifyingPaul Sheldon, a writer of historical romances, is in a car accident; rescued by nurse Annie Wilkes, he slowly realizes that salvation can be worse than death. Sheldon has killed off Misery Chastain, the popular protagonist of his Misery series and Annie, who has a murderous past, wants her back. Keeping the paralyzed Sheldon prisoner, she forces him to revive the character in a continuation of the series, and she reads each page as it comes out of the typewriter; there is a joyously Dickensian novel within a novel here, and it appears in faded typescript. Studded among the frightening moments are sparkling reflections on the writer and his audience, on the difficulties, joys and responsibilities of being a storyteller, on the nature of the muse, on the differences between "serious'' and "popular'' writing. Sheldon is a revealingly autobiographical figure; Annie is not merely a monster but is subtly and often touchingly portrayed, allowing hostage and keeper a believable, if twisted, relationship. The best parts of this novel demand that we take King seriously as a writer with a deeply felt understanding of human psychology. * Publishers Weekly *
One of the greatest thrillers ever written * GUARDIAN *
It's being on this familiar territory that makes his fictions so addictive. It's so good you just want more * Evening Standard *
A writer of excellence * The Sunday Times *
King at his best . . . a winner * The New York Times *
A writer of excellence...King is one of the most fertile storytellers of the modern novel * Sunday Times *
One of the great storytellers of our time * Guardian *
'America's greatest living novelist' * Lee Child *
'[A] genius for storytelling' * Daily Mirror *
Not since Dickens has a writer had so many readers by the throat * Guardian *
King's new novel, about a writer held hostage by his self-proclaimed "number-one fan,'' is unadulteratedly terrifyingPaul Sheldon, a writer of historical romances, is in a car accident; rescued by nurse Annie Wilkes, he slowly realizes that salvation can be worse than death. Sheldon has killed off Misery Chastain, the popular protagonist of his Misery series and Annie, who has a murderous past, wants her back. Keeping the paralyzed Sheldon prisoner, she forces him to revive the character in a continuation of the series, and she reads each page as it comes out of the typewriter; there is a joyously Dickensian novel within a novel here, and it appears in faded typescript. Studded among the frightening moments are sparkling reflections on the writer and his audience, on the difficulties, joys and responsibilities of being a storyteller, on the nature of the muse, on the differences between "serious'' and "popular'' writing. Sheldon is a revealingly autobiographical figure; Annie is not merely a monster but is subtly and often touchingly portrayed, allowing hostage and keeper a believable, if twisted, relationship. The best parts of this novel demand that we take King seriously as a writer with a deeply felt understanding of human psychology. * Publishers Weekly *
One of the greatest thrillers ever written * GUARDIAN *
It's being on this familiar territory that makes his fictions so addictive. It's so good you just want more * Evening Standard *
A writer of excellence * The Sunday Times *
King at his best . . . a winner * The New York Times *
A writer of excellence...King is one of the most fertile storytellers of the modern novel * Sunday Times *
One of the great storytellers of our time * Guardian *
'America's greatest living novelist' * Lee Child *
'[A] genius for storytelling' * Daily Mirror *
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the No. 1 bestsellers Sleeping Beauties (co-written with his son Owen King), and The Outsider, which received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller (2018).
Many of King's books have been turned into celebrated films, television series and streamed events including Carrie, Misery, The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald's Game and It.
King is the recipient of the 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781529311143 |
| ISBN 10 | 1529311144 |
| Title | Misery |
| Author | Stephen King |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Year published | 2019-09-19 |
| Number of pages | 384 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |