What do you think?
Rate this book
Misery
Librarian's note: This an alternate cover for: B018ER7K76 and 9781501141249
The #1 national bestseller about a famous novelist held hostage by his “number one fan” and suffering a frightening case of writer’s block—that could prove fatal.
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.
The #1 national bestseller about a famous novelist held hostage by his “number one fan” and suffering a frightening case of writer’s block—that could prove fatal.
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.
433 pages, ebook
First published June 8, 1987
15827 people are currently reading
509066 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 28,639 reviews
November 13, 2007
'Misery' is a gruesome story of torture with blood, guts, and a psychopath. It's a well told tale, the characters are well developed and the fact that there are only two of them never gets boring. It's a real page turner, in fact I finished it tonight after getting off the subway on the platform before I walked home. But, this book is more than just a thriller, just like King is more than just a pulp writer.
I read an article by the ever optimistic and cheerful Harold Bloom in college about how dismayed he was that young people like Stephen King so much. All the literature crtics I've read hate King and it seems like it's just because people actually enjoy reading his work. Yeah, Bloom, I said 'work' just like I would about Tolstoy's 'work' because Stephen King as damned hard worker. Think of all the books he's churned out over the last few decades. I'd like to see Harold Bloom show enough imagination to write fiction instead of just criticizing it all the time.
I'm actually new to Stephen King's fiction. I've read a few of the essays and articles he's written and a really great graduation speech he gave at UMaine awhile ago in which he extolled the virtues of our mutual home state, but this is only my 3rd novel by him. I like this guy, and I know why too. It's not just because he makes me scream and I have a hard time putting his books down, it's because King loves writing. He has a real and self-aware relationship with what it means to be a writer. He knows he's not Tolstoy or Faulkner, he doesn't try to write that way. He knows how to tell a good god damned story and he has a passion for it. I appreciate his self awareness as a writer and the fact that he ackowledges how difficult the whole process is while not making us feel like he's somehow superior because he's figured out how to do it.
In 'Misery' it's almost like we get to watch King write this story. He doesn't just set us up for a crazy story and watch us discover things about his characters, it feels like he actually comes with us and makes the discoveries at the same time we do. That's what makes a good storyteller. And I don't give a damn if Bloom likes him or not.
I read an article by the ever optimistic and cheerful Harold Bloom in college about how dismayed he was that young people like Stephen King so much. All the literature crtics I've read hate King and it seems like it's just because people actually enjoy reading his work. Yeah, Bloom, I said 'work' just like I would about Tolstoy's 'work' because Stephen King as damned hard worker. Think of all the books he's churned out over the last few decades. I'd like to see Harold Bloom show enough imagination to write fiction instead of just criticizing it all the time.
I'm actually new to Stephen King's fiction. I've read a few of the essays and articles he's written and a really great graduation speech he gave at UMaine awhile ago in which he extolled the virtues of our mutual home state, but this is only my 3rd novel by him. I like this guy, and I know why too. It's not just because he makes me scream and I have a hard time putting his books down, it's because King loves writing. He has a real and self-aware relationship with what it means to be a writer. He knows he's not Tolstoy or Faulkner, he doesn't try to write that way. He knows how to tell a good god damned story and he has a passion for it. I appreciate his self awareness as a writer and the fact that he ackowledges how difficult the whole process is while not making us feel like he's somehow superior because he's figured out how to do it.
In 'Misery' it's almost like we get to watch King write this story. He doesn't just set us up for a crazy story and watch us discover things about his characters, it feels like he actually comes with us and makes the discoveries at the same time we do. That's what makes a good storyteller. And I don't give a damn if Bloom likes him or not.
December 26, 2021
man sure does like his words
October 8, 2025
4.25 stars! Reallyyyy enjoyed my first Stephen King book!! This entire book (mostly) takes place in one room with two characters. It’s so impressive to be able to write an entire novel with such limited number of settings and characters. It was also soo cool and eerie and unsettling to see how Annie’s mental state changed and got worse throughout the book and sometimes moment to moment. There were quite a few big moments that were also so gruesome and hard to read in the best horror filled way 🫣
And the ending!!! I was soooooo hooked and on the edge of my seat the entire ending.
The only reason I didn’t rate it higher is some moments in the beginning middle moved a little slow for me but overall great read! And the perfect start to spooky season 🎃
And the ending!!! I was soooooo hooked and on the edge of my seat the entire ending.
The only reason I didn’t rate it higher is some moments in the beginning middle moved a little slow for me but overall great read! And the perfect start to spooky season 🎃
October 17, 2021
One room, a strange couple, and lots of innovative ideas to deal with writers' block and stop procrastinating fast. Or…
The most captivating thing about this novel is how permanent fear is escalating to more and more shocking and horrifying revelations, actions, and torture methods and how the feeling of insecurity and not knowing what comes next is slowly eating away the mental sanity of the protagonist while Annie is entering ultra bonkers mode.
Reminiscing about the art of writing. As so often, King is putting much of the über stoned, paranoid, maybe hearing voices, himself into it, especially about the creative process that, spoiler warning, duh, isn´t just unicorns and free floating creativity through rainbow colored sirup rivers that make one handsome, immortal, and smart when drinking from it, but thousands of years old (once something Aristotle didn´t get completely wrong and obstructed scientific process for millennia, incredible, what a fraud, he single handedly caused as much suffering in the humanities and even some hard sciences as a flying spaghetti monster ideology), often revolutionized rules, discipline, and training until perfection by writing every freaking day and edit and rewrite and cut and again from the beginning. As Brandon Sanderson, a kind of Stephen King of fantasy who also studied creative writing said, it´s possible to say after a few pages if this is a highly professional writer who does it for decades or a complete rookie. Just as with painting, music, etc., one can see or hear after a few moments if it´s a prodigy or an incompetent bumbler. People just seem to have a kind of romantic glorification of writing as an easygoing hobby and just don´t see the work behind it.
And here comes Annie, who may be crazy as heck, but does know how to distinguish between easy made, loveless garbage, and real art. These passages, especially the novel inside the novel the poor protagonist is forced to write, are especially precious for people who are interested in creative writing. Annie immediately detects each attempt to do average or bad work, giving a kind of short workshop about how to detect errors or logical fallacies. Better don´t try to chisel…
Strong female psycho characters are sadly so underrepresented in our modern culture and I jay at each mass murdering, raping (however), and torturing lunatic psycho goth succubus (damn hot too, although it may have been a male incubus before which makes me feel kind of irritated regarding my sexual identity and preferences), who leads emancipation to new levels. Men have been eating and mutilating females for millennia, so now is really the badly needed payoff day for femininity. Just, please, consume the other males, ok? Damn, I should definitively get my VPN and antivirus software pimped, I´m a bit hot too, thereby a not so unlikely target. Maybe one of these attractive monsters is reading this just now and tracking my IP address, planning the trip… But at least a good way to go, I hope, maybe it gets at least a bit naughty too so that it´s worth death.
I´m sorry for each poor forensic psychiatrist who will try to get behind the functioning of my psychopathological background in sociopathy and filth and maybe lose her/his mind by the way. Welcome to the club. Lols and rofls madly. Short commercial break…
However, I lost track in my sadomasochistic exreme horror torture porn fantasies again, sorry, I´m finished now, I mean, damn, facepalms, back to the show. (T)his talking about myself third person perspective style really escalated quickly…
I´m pretty sure that I mentioned how Tabitha King owned her husband by saying: „First, you wrote this novel about a writer caught by a mad fan. Then you wrote a book ( Geralds´game) about a woman chained to a bed. Next, you´ll write a book about a couch without anything happening.“ And I would totally buy it, thank you, mister King! I hope he gets bitten by a vampire and lives and writes forever, I would bring him victims so that he doesn´t have to starve. And become a vampire myself too, of course.
I´ve kind of a highly subjective feeling that Kings´drug and alcohol problems played in big here too, because the whole setting, the inability to escape, getting hooked on by a maniac, feeling trapped, and this immensely dense atmosphere of despair and fear could be seen as indicators of a soul haunted by addiction. Although it would have been much cozier for the protagonist if he would have been permanently high so that the suffering wouldn´t have mattered that much, as long as he got his shots, spliffs, and sniffs.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
The most captivating thing about this novel is how permanent fear is escalating to more and more shocking and horrifying revelations, actions, and torture methods and how the feeling of insecurity and not knowing what comes next is slowly eating away the mental sanity of the protagonist while Annie is entering ultra bonkers mode.
Reminiscing about the art of writing. As so often, King is putting much of the über stoned, paranoid, maybe hearing voices, himself into it, especially about the creative process that, spoiler warning, duh, isn´t just unicorns and free floating creativity through rainbow colored sirup rivers that make one handsome, immortal, and smart when drinking from it, but thousands of years old (once something Aristotle didn´t get completely wrong and obstructed scientific process for millennia, incredible, what a fraud, he single handedly caused as much suffering in the humanities and even some hard sciences as a flying spaghetti monster ideology), often revolutionized rules, discipline, and training until perfection by writing every freaking day and edit and rewrite and cut and again from the beginning. As Brandon Sanderson, a kind of Stephen King of fantasy who also studied creative writing said, it´s possible to say after a few pages if this is a highly professional writer who does it for decades or a complete rookie. Just as with painting, music, etc., one can see or hear after a few moments if it´s a prodigy or an incompetent bumbler. People just seem to have a kind of romantic glorification of writing as an easygoing hobby and just don´t see the work behind it.
And here comes Annie, who may be crazy as heck, but does know how to distinguish between easy made, loveless garbage, and real art. These passages, especially the novel inside the novel the poor protagonist is forced to write, are especially precious for people who are interested in creative writing. Annie immediately detects each attempt to do average or bad work, giving a kind of short workshop about how to detect errors or logical fallacies. Better don´t try to chisel…
Strong female psycho characters are sadly so underrepresented in our modern culture and I jay at each mass murdering, raping (however), and torturing lunatic psycho goth succubus (damn hot too, although it may have been a male incubus before which makes me feel kind of irritated regarding my sexual identity and preferences), who leads emancipation to new levels. Men have been eating and mutilating females for millennia, so now is really the badly needed payoff day for femininity. Just, please, consume the other males, ok? Damn, I should definitively get my VPN and antivirus software pimped, I´m a bit hot too, thereby a not so unlikely target. Maybe one of these attractive monsters is reading this just now and tracking my IP address, planning the trip… But at least a good way to go, I hope, maybe it gets at least a bit naughty too so that it´s worth death.
I´m sorry for each poor forensic psychiatrist who will try to get behind the functioning of my psychopathological background in sociopathy and filth and maybe lose her/his mind by the way. Welcome to the club. Lols and rofls madly. Short commercial break…
However, I lost track in my sadomasochistic exreme horror torture porn fantasies again, sorry, I´m finished now, I mean, damn, facepalms, back to the show. (T)his talking about myself third person perspective style really escalated quickly…
I´m pretty sure that I mentioned how Tabitha King owned her husband by saying: „First, you wrote this novel about a writer caught by a mad fan. Then you wrote a book ( Geralds´game) about a woman chained to a bed. Next, you´ll write a book about a couch without anything happening.“ And I would totally buy it, thank you, mister King! I hope he gets bitten by a vampire and lives and writes forever, I would bring him victims so that he doesn´t have to starve. And become a vampire myself too, of course.
I´ve kind of a highly subjective feeling that Kings´drug and alcohol problems played in big here too, because the whole setting, the inability to escape, getting hooked on by a maniac, feeling trapped, and this immensely dense atmosphere of despair and fear could be seen as indicators of a soul haunted by addiction. Although it would have been much cozier for the protagonist if he would have been permanently high so that the suffering wouldn´t have mattered that much, as long as he got his shots, spliffs, and sniffs.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
January 5, 2020
Please don't come at me with your torches and pitch forks, but for me, this was just fine. 🤷 I promise I'll explain!
February 11, 2021
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH
Na madrugada quente e sebosa do dia 8 de fevereiro do calendário gregoriano, fazendo a meleca de 24 graus, ao lado de sua esbelta e dengosa esposa, deitado horizontalmente, editheus, homem fenotipicamente branco de 27 anos finaliza com dores emocionais o livro Misery by Stephen King.
Posso explanar com precisão que esta obra se resume a uma faca cutucando uma ferida exposta sem a presença de relaxantes musculares. Durante toda a leitura de meus olhos castanhos sem lentes de contato e com alto grau de miopia, senti um grande desconforto agonizante que precedia gotículas de água deslizando a pele superior da minha face frontal. Tive muita reluta em ler este livro devido ao alto nível detalhista do tio Stephen, mas garanto a você, pessoa com capacidade de leitura e acesso a internet, que essa característica apenas aflora ainda mais os momentos agoniantes.
Ponto positivo que também prendeu este jovem leitor quase calvo devido ao hereditarismo, foi a presença de capítulos curtos, que facilitam minha dificuldade de dar atenção às sentenças formadas por letras do alfabeto português.
Eu clamo perante a sua pessoa que pegue seus dedos posicionados nas mãos ligadas ao braço e tronco, que leia este livro, é uma história que com certeza agrada todo tipo de leitor.
Stephen King é nada mais que um gênio, merecedor dos lendários 5 edilikes, uma obra prima que com certeza deixará marcas em minha existência. Recomendo muito para você que procura uma obra de fácil leitura com profundidade e detalhismo que nos fazem ficar destrambelhado a cada chapter.
Para mais resenhas me siga na cube.tv, e caso queira mandar uma carta provisória editheus@forbes.gov.ed, agradeço a vossa atenção concedida nesse ambiente digital composto por números binários.
Na madrugada quente e sebosa do dia 8 de fevereiro do calendário gregoriano, fazendo a meleca de 24 graus, ao lado de sua esbelta e dengosa esposa, deitado horizontalmente, editheus, homem fenotipicamente branco de 27 anos finaliza com dores emocionais o livro Misery by Stephen King.
Posso explanar com precisão que esta obra se resume a uma faca cutucando uma ferida exposta sem a presença de relaxantes musculares. Durante toda a leitura de meus olhos castanhos sem lentes de contato e com alto grau de miopia, senti um grande desconforto agonizante que precedia gotículas de água deslizando a pele superior da minha face frontal. Tive muita reluta em ler este livro devido ao alto nível detalhista do tio Stephen, mas garanto a você, pessoa com capacidade de leitura e acesso a internet, que essa característica apenas aflora ainda mais os momentos agoniantes.
Ponto positivo que também prendeu este jovem leitor quase calvo devido ao hereditarismo, foi a presença de capítulos curtos, que facilitam minha dificuldade de dar atenção às sentenças formadas por letras do alfabeto português.
Eu clamo perante a sua pessoa que pegue seus dedos posicionados nas mãos ligadas ao braço e tronco, que leia este livro, é uma história que com certeza agrada todo tipo de leitor.
Stephen King é nada mais que um gênio, merecedor dos lendários 5 edilikes, uma obra prima que com certeza deixará marcas em minha existência. Recomendo muito para você que procura uma obra de fácil leitura com profundidade e detalhismo que nos fazem ficar destrambelhado a cada chapter.
Para mais resenhas me siga na cube.tv, e caso queira mandar uma carta provisória editheus@forbes.gov.ed, agradeço a vossa atenção concedida nesse ambiente digital composto por números binários.
July 15, 2016
To celebrate completing a novel, writer Paul Sheldon goes on a champagne-fueled drive in the Rocky mountains. He winds up in a near fatal car crash, but never fear. He's rescued by Annie Wilkes, his #1 fan...
I watched the film version of Misery in those antediluvian days before Goodreads, hell, before the Internet, and decided to finally read the novel when it showed up on my BookGorilla email one day. It was $2.99 very well spent.
Misery is a tale of obsession, addiction, and obsession. I wrote "obsession" twice but it's a such a big theme I thought it was justified. Annie Wilkes is obsessed with her favorite series of books starring Misery Chastain, written by that dirty birdie Paul Sheldon. Paul is obsessed with finishing the book Annie has demanded of him and probably addicted to writing. Also to codeine.
I've said it before but I'll say it again. If Stephen King wasn't addicted to scaring the bodily fluids out of people, he'd be a literary writer of some renown. The guy can flat out write. Just because he cranks out a best seller more often than most of us go to the dentist doesn't mean he's the real deal.
The scariest horror stories are the ones that could actually happen and Misery is one of those. Who among us hasn't had visions of being held captive when driving through a remote locale? Annie is so much more than the scene-chewing maniac she could have been. She has dimension and believes she's in the right, which is the mark of a great villain. Her background is very fleshed out and my heart sank as I learned her past along with Paul. How the hell was he going to escape that monster?
Paul's journey is painful, both to him and to the reader, thanks to King's skill. I had to make sure my foot was still attached a couple times. Annie puts him through hell and he finally gives her a taste of her own medicine but the ending is far from happily ever after.
As is usually the case, the book was a notch better than the movie. I've been easy with the 5's this year but I'll give this one a cockadoodie 5 out of 5 stars just the same.
I watched the film version of Misery in those antediluvian days before Goodreads, hell, before the Internet, and decided to finally read the novel when it showed up on my BookGorilla email one day. It was $2.99 very well spent.
Misery is a tale of obsession, addiction, and obsession. I wrote "obsession" twice but it's a such a big theme I thought it was justified. Annie Wilkes is obsessed with her favorite series of books starring Misery Chastain, written by that dirty birdie Paul Sheldon. Paul is obsessed with finishing the book Annie has demanded of him and probably addicted to writing. Also to codeine.
I've said it before but I'll say it again. If Stephen King wasn't addicted to scaring the bodily fluids out of people, he'd be a literary writer of some renown. The guy can flat out write. Just because he cranks out a best seller more often than most of us go to the dentist doesn't mean he's the real deal.
The scariest horror stories are the ones that could actually happen and Misery is one of those. Who among us hasn't had visions of being held captive when driving through a remote locale? Annie is so much more than the scene-chewing maniac she could have been. She has dimension and believes she's in the right, which is the mark of a great villain. Her background is very fleshed out and my heart sank as I learned her past along with Paul. How the hell was he going to escape that monster?
Paul's journey is painful, both to him and to the reader, thanks to King's skill. I had to make sure my foot was still attached a couple times. Annie puts him through hell and he finally gives her a taste of her own medicine but the ending is far from happily ever after.
As is usually the case, the book was a notch better than the movie. I've been easy with the 5's this year but I'll give this one a cockadoodie 5 out of 5 stars just the same.
December 27, 2022
Isn’t it so good that you have a devoted fan encourage you to write a new book of the series that made you famous? And she also gives you free health service?
Well, Misery was one of the most disturbing plot lines KING crafted. Most of the people remember sweet Kathy Bates’ transition to very scary, obsessive fan Annie Wilkes. That performance earned her a golden statue that highly deserved. In Broadway Laurie Metcalf gave life to the complex, dangerous, thrilling character but she wasn’t as great as dear Kathy.
And KING collaborated with Sam Shaw to create Hulu series Castle Rock to show us the early days of Annie: younger, a single mother, trying to start a fresh life in the wrong place at the wrong time. The series also give us the background story of Annie help us understand she’s not born as villanelle, she turns into one later!
I enjoyed to read this book that tells us how far fans can confuse thin line between real life and the illusionary worlds the authors created! True obsession, confusion, violence, claustrophobic tones, the brilliant characterization allure you!
It’s gripping and effective story just like other works of the author! But it’s really spin tingling and so disturbing! You may forget the name of famous author Paul Shelton! But I am so sure you never forget cold blooded villanelle Annie Wilkes!
Well, Misery was one of the most disturbing plot lines KING crafted. Most of the people remember sweet Kathy Bates’ transition to very scary, obsessive fan Annie Wilkes. That performance earned her a golden statue that highly deserved. In Broadway Laurie Metcalf gave life to the complex, dangerous, thrilling character but she wasn’t as great as dear Kathy.
And KING collaborated with Sam Shaw to create Hulu series Castle Rock to show us the early days of Annie: younger, a single mother, trying to start a fresh life in the wrong place at the wrong time. The series also give us the background story of Annie help us understand she’s not born as villanelle, she turns into one later!
I enjoyed to read this book that tells us how far fans can confuse thin line between real life and the illusionary worlds the authors created! True obsession, confusion, violence, claustrophobic tones, the brilliant characterization allure you!
It’s gripping and effective story just like other works of the author! But it’s really spin tingling and so disturbing! You may forget the name of famous author Paul Shelton! But I am so sure you never forget cold blooded villanelle Annie Wilkes!
November 22, 2021
Two Sundays ago our family experienced a rather harrowing emergency situation. I'm thrilled to report that tragedy was averted; I'm less excited to share that my arm was broken in the process.
A broken arm is a perfectly acceptable price to pay for a whole family, but it is also a painful pain in the ass. And, because I'm a classic overachiever, I broke my arm in the “most painful way possible,” and I have been relegated to bone broth, limited mobility (to prevent the need for surgery) and left handed, one finger typing (damn it!).
As my convalescence began (10 long days ago), I found myself not only in pain and discomfort, but surprisingly more and more weepy as well. Melancholic, I believe they call it. So not my norm. A chipper friend quickly became flustered by my new, dark voice and demeanor and contributed that she bring me some “upbeat romantic comedies and light, humorous reads from the library.”
“Fuck that,” I cheerfully responded. “I'm reading Stephen King's Misery.”
Misery, in case you crawled out from under a rock or were just born, is one of Mr. King's most famous novels. Though I am a devotee of the King (and a total literary snob, by the way), I have always avoided his “horror” novels. I had assumed a “been there, done that,” attitude with Misery, having watched the movie. But, I'm so happy I finally read it. As usual, the book is an entirely different experience.
The basic premise, without any overt plot spoilers is this: A 42-year-old, twice divorced novelist named Paul Sheldon, who has become famous for a series he created (but loathes) called Misery, finishes a new manuscript (in a hotel about 15 minutes from my house!), and celebrates his original, not Misery related writing achievement by drinking copious amounts of champagne. He mistakenly heads out, drunk, into a winter storm and badly crashes his car on a mountain road near the fictional town of Sidewinder, Colorado.
Paul is badly injured. Left on his own in the storm, without immediate medical attention, he'd have most likely died. Lucky for him, a former nurse discovers his recently crashed car, brings him home and nurses him back to consciousness. When Paul “wakes” to his new reality, he is grateful to the nurse, the indomitable Annie Wilkes, but he is terrified and confused when he sees his mangled legs. Why hasn't she called for help?
Turns out Annie's a real psychopath. She's his “number one fan,” and no outside help will be needed for Paul's poor legs, which are pointing every which way but loose.
Mr. King introduces us to Annie:
She was a big woman who, other than the large but unwelcoming swell of the cardigan sweater she always wore, seemed to have no feminine curves at all—there was no defined roundness of hip or buttock or even calf below the endless succession of wool skirts she wore in the house (she retired to her unseen bedroom to put on jeans before doing outside chores). Her body was big but not generous. There was a feeling about her of clots and roadblocks rather than welcoming orifices or even open spaces, areas of hiatus.
Paul quickly realizes he's “in a jam,” but he also mistakenly believes himself to be in the worst mental and physical pain of his life: There comes a point when the very discussion of pain becomes redundant. No one knows there is pain the size of this in the world. No one. It is like being possessed by demons. (I hear you, Paul!).
It doesn't take Paul long to understand that the current pain he's in is child's play compared to what will come. He's barely begun his journey with Annie before he recognizes that she was a woman full of tornadoes waiting to happen, and if he had been a farmer observing a sky which looked the way Annie's face looked right now, he would have at once gone to collect his family and herd them into the storm cellar.
But Paul doesn't have family. Not really. He's got 2 ex-wives, no kids, no siblings, and parents who are only mentioned in the past tense. He's a loner, a lonely writer who wonders if anyone out there will even care enough to conduct a search for him.
And here's the meat for me: I fell in love with him.
Paul's sadness, his journey, the span of his suffering and grief are so tenable, so credible, too. We go deep into his psyche, learn his foibles and flaws and get taken along on some keen writing lessons, too.
Mr. Sheldon quickly earned a place in heart as my second favorite “King character” (second only to Jake Epping from 11/22/63.
So, you may be wondering. . . how gruesome does this get?
Gruesome, but only one scene made me truly sick to my stomach.
And, you may be wondering. . . Five stars, Julie? Really? Is it really that good?
Yes. Other than one cheesy lag in the middle, when the reader gets taken down Memory Lane, and most of Annie Wilkes's backstory is too conveniently spoon-fed to us, it's that good.
It's not 11/22/63, and it's not Lonesome Dove, but storytelling doesn't get much better than this, nor does it need to.
(Entire review typed with the pointer finger of my left hand.)
A broken arm is a perfectly acceptable price to pay for a whole family, but it is also a painful pain in the ass. And, because I'm a classic overachiever, I broke my arm in the “most painful way possible,” and I have been relegated to bone broth, limited mobility (to prevent the need for surgery) and left handed, one finger typing (damn it!).
As my convalescence began (10 long days ago), I found myself not only in pain and discomfort, but surprisingly more and more weepy as well. Melancholic, I believe they call it. So not my norm. A chipper friend quickly became flustered by my new, dark voice and demeanor and contributed that she bring me some “upbeat romantic comedies and light, humorous reads from the library.”
“Fuck that,” I cheerfully responded. “I'm reading Stephen King's Misery.”
Misery, in case you crawled out from under a rock or were just born, is one of Mr. King's most famous novels. Though I am a devotee of the King (and a total literary snob, by the way), I have always avoided his “horror” novels. I had assumed a “been there, done that,” attitude with Misery, having watched the movie. But, I'm so happy I finally read it. As usual, the book is an entirely different experience.
The basic premise, without any overt plot spoilers is this: A 42-year-old, twice divorced novelist named Paul Sheldon, who has become famous for a series he created (but loathes) called Misery, finishes a new manuscript (in a hotel about 15 minutes from my house!), and celebrates his original, not Misery related writing achievement by drinking copious amounts of champagne. He mistakenly heads out, drunk, into a winter storm and badly crashes his car on a mountain road near the fictional town of Sidewinder, Colorado.
Paul is badly injured. Left on his own in the storm, without immediate medical attention, he'd have most likely died. Lucky for him, a former nurse discovers his recently crashed car, brings him home and nurses him back to consciousness. When Paul “wakes” to his new reality, he is grateful to the nurse, the indomitable Annie Wilkes, but he is terrified and confused when he sees his mangled legs. Why hasn't she called for help?
Turns out Annie's a real psychopath. She's his “number one fan,” and no outside help will be needed for Paul's poor legs, which are pointing every which way but loose.
Mr. King introduces us to Annie:
She was a big woman who, other than the large but unwelcoming swell of the cardigan sweater she always wore, seemed to have no feminine curves at all—there was no defined roundness of hip or buttock or even calf below the endless succession of wool skirts she wore in the house (she retired to her unseen bedroom to put on jeans before doing outside chores). Her body was big but not generous. There was a feeling about her of clots and roadblocks rather than welcoming orifices or even open spaces, areas of hiatus.
Paul quickly realizes he's “in a jam,” but he also mistakenly believes himself to be in the worst mental and physical pain of his life: There comes a point when the very discussion of pain becomes redundant. No one knows there is pain the size of this in the world. No one. It is like being possessed by demons. (I hear you, Paul!).
It doesn't take Paul long to understand that the current pain he's in is child's play compared to what will come. He's barely begun his journey with Annie before he recognizes that she was a woman full of tornadoes waiting to happen, and if he had been a farmer observing a sky which looked the way Annie's face looked right now, he would have at once gone to collect his family and herd them into the storm cellar.
But Paul doesn't have family. Not really. He's got 2 ex-wives, no kids, no siblings, and parents who are only mentioned in the past tense. He's a loner, a lonely writer who wonders if anyone out there will even care enough to conduct a search for him.
And here's the meat for me: I fell in love with him.
Paul's sadness, his journey, the span of his suffering and grief are so tenable, so credible, too. We go deep into his psyche, learn his foibles and flaws and get taken along on some keen writing lessons, too.
Mr. Sheldon quickly earned a place in heart as my second favorite “King character” (second only to Jake Epping from 11/22/63.
So, you may be wondering. . . how gruesome does this get?
Gruesome, but only one scene made me truly sick to my stomach.
And, you may be wondering. . . Five stars, Julie? Really? Is it really that good?
Yes. Other than one cheesy lag in the middle, when the reader gets taken down Memory Lane, and most of Annie Wilkes's backstory is too conveniently spoon-fed to us, it's that good.
It's not 11/22/63, and it's not Lonesome Dove, but storytelling doesn't get much better than this, nor does it need to.
(Entire review typed with the pointer finger of my left hand.)
July 25, 2024
Misery was the next book on my re-read list whilst on my journey to reading all SK books in publication order. Easily one of my favourite books of all time and one of the best Stephen King books I've ever read.
The book starts so quickly and it's quite disorientating we follow our main character Paul who is in an accident and is slipping in and out of consciousnesses. We quickly realise that our main characters 'saviour' isn't what she seems. I think it is described perfectly in this line 'I am in trouble here. This woman is not right' wow what an understatement.
Paul is an author and we get to see into his mind quite intimately which is fascinating, Paul's imagination is both beautiful and terrifying. It does feel as if Stephen King is writing about himself at times because it feels so personal. If someone told me this had really happened to SK I think I would believe him - he describes everything with such clarity and emotion.
The descriptions of Annie are so amazing, her physical descriptions are very well done and you can come up with a clear picture in your mind. I think that the way SK describes her mentally though is perfection, its scary and horrifying but sometimes I can't help but feel sorry for Annie and wonder why she is the way she is.
The writing in this book is some of Stephen Kings best, it is so unnerving and suspenseful I never wanted to put this book down, I never knew what was coming or how it was all going to end. I can see why this is SK's biggest fear. He often has ending that fans don't agree with - I mean this could really happen to him, people do crazy things when there your number one fan and you do something that they don't agree with.
We also get to read a book inside a book which I think is so much fun! I would absolutely read Misery Returns. I don't want to go into spoilers, but some of the body horror in this is amazing and so vivid. If I had to recommend one Stephen King book it would be this one for sure.
The book starts so quickly and it's quite disorientating we follow our main character Paul who is in an accident and is slipping in and out of consciousnesses. We quickly realise that our main characters 'saviour' isn't what she seems. I think it is described perfectly in this line 'I am in trouble here. This woman is not right' wow what an understatement.
Paul is an author and we get to see into his mind quite intimately which is fascinating, Paul's imagination is both beautiful and terrifying. It does feel as if Stephen King is writing about himself at times because it feels so personal. If someone told me this had really happened to SK I think I would believe him - he describes everything with such clarity and emotion.
The descriptions of Annie are so amazing, her physical descriptions are very well done and you can come up with a clear picture in your mind. I think that the way SK describes her mentally though is perfection, its scary and horrifying but sometimes I can't help but feel sorry for Annie and wonder why she is the way she is.
The writing in this book is some of Stephen Kings best, it is so unnerving and suspenseful I never wanted to put this book down, I never knew what was coming or how it was all going to end. I can see why this is SK's biggest fear. He often has ending that fans don't agree with - I mean this could really happen to him, people do crazy things when there your number one fan and you do something that they don't agree with.
We also get to read a book inside a book which I think is so much fun! I would absolutely read Misery Returns. I don't want to go into spoilers, but some of the body horror in this is amazing and so vivid. If I had to recommend one Stephen King book it would be this one for sure.
March 6, 2020
I've been saying for the last year, since I originally read this, that I would come back and write a full review, but honestly, the immediate post-read reaction I wrote below sums it up pretty well. I absolutely freaking loved everything about Misery and I think Annie is one of the most terrifying villains I've ever read in my life. As someone who doesn't tend to enjoy most of King's longer works, please let me know in a comment if you have any recommendations for books of his that are closer to this one in length and overall feeling!
—————
original "review": march 2019:
me, a week ago: I dunno man I've tried a few King books and collections and maybe they're just not meant for me
also me, a week ago: I'm gonna give Misery a try but I'm not expecting too much tbh
me, now: WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THE OLD GODS DID I JUST READ, WOW
Full review coming soon! Thank you so much to the eternally beloved Ellyn for buddy reading this with me and motivating me to finally give it a try! 💗💗💗
—————
original "review": march 2019:
me, a week ago: I dunno man I've tried a few King books and collections and maybe they're just not meant for me
also me, a week ago: I'm gonna give Misery a try but I'm not expecting too much tbh
me, now: WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THE OLD GODS DID I JUST READ, WOW
Full review coming soon! Thank you so much to the eternally beloved Ellyn for buddy reading this with me and motivating me to finally give it a try! 💗💗💗
November 16, 2019
I know I have an unpopular opinion on this one, but I thought this was just okay. I have a weird relationship with Stephen King books, I tend to either LOVE them or feel very meh about them, and unfortunately this one left me feeling very meh. The concept of of this book is great, and I love the idea of it: a huge fan of this author finds him in a car wreck and kidnaps him, forcing him to write the next book in a series about a girl named Misery which he has previously ended, and she's forcing him to re-write her story. Annie is an incredibly fascinating character to read about, she's one of those classic psychotic characters like Norman Bates or Hannibal Lectur. She was entertaining to read about, but I feel like because this book is told from Paul, the author's POV, it felt like it dragged at times for me.
I struggled through the first 50% of this book, I found it very slow and boring. Maybe this is because I read thrillers all the time, it's one of my favorite genres, but this book just didn't really thrill me the way I wanted it to. The story got a lot better towards the end and I really ended up liking the last third of it a lot, but it still isn't my favorite from Stephen King, and I guess I just went into it with too high of expectations.Pet Semetary remains as my favorite Stephen King novel. This was my buddy read for the month of November with my friends Jacqueline and Zoe!
I struggled through the first 50% of this book, I found it very slow and boring. Maybe this is because I read thrillers all the time, it's one of my favorite genres, but this book just didn't really thrill me the way I wanted it to. The story got a lot better towards the end and I really ended up liking the last third of it a lot, but it still isn't my favorite from Stephen King, and I guess I just went into it with too high of expectations.Pet Semetary remains as my favorite Stephen King novel. This was my buddy read for the month of November with my friends Jacqueline and Zoe!
November 9, 2025
It’s a bit strange, but it’s kind of a life hack to write a book first and then read "Misery". That way, the impact hits much harder.
The novel “Misery” by Stephen King is at once a thriller, a psychological drama, and a powerful metaphor for the relationship between an author and their audience. It is not just a story about a writer held captive by his obsessed fan; it is a tale about the power to create and to destroy, about the thin line between inspiration and fear.
The main character, Paul Sheldon, is a novelist who becomes the victim of his biggest fan, Annie Wilkes. She rescues him after a car accident but gradually transforms from a kindhearted nurse into a sadistic jailer, consumed by his work. Their relationship forms the core of the story, a painful dance between creator and admirer, control and dependency.
Annie Wilkes is one of the most terrifying characters King has ever created precisely because she is entirely human. She is not a monster from another world or a supernatural being. She is an ordinary person consumed by fiction, and that is where the true horror lies: sometimes the monsters come with a face that could caress you before it destroys you.
Paul, on the other hand, is a metaphor for the author himself. Through him, King explores the fear of becoming a prisoner of one’s own success. Annie represents the audience that demands the same thing over and over again, the familiar story, the familiar hero, the familiar ending. But for an artist who wants to be free, he must “kill his Misery,” both literally and symbolically.
One of the novel’s most striking themes is the idea of pain as a source of inspiration. Paul writes to survive, literally. The act of storytelling becomes a fight for life; creation itself becomes salvation. In this way, King turns writing into both physical and spiritual survival, and horror into a form of catharsis.
Stylistically, “Misery” is lean, focused, and psychologically precise. King abandons his usual supernatural motifs; the terror here is purely human. The confined setting of the house, the physical agony, the dependency, and the slow disintegration of sanity give the novel the feel of an intense stage play, where every gesture and every silence adds to the nightmare.
Ultimately, “Misery” is a novel about obsession, not only that of fans, but of the artist himself, who cannot escape the need to create. It is a story about the power of words and about the fine boundary between inspiration and madness.
Pre_read:
It’s Stephen King season, so of course I have to do a marathon! I’m starting with this book — you have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to read it, and it’s finally in my hands!
The novel “Misery” by Stephen King is at once a thriller, a psychological drama, and a powerful metaphor for the relationship between an author and their audience. It is not just a story about a writer held captive by his obsessed fan; it is a tale about the power to create and to destroy, about the thin line between inspiration and fear.
The main character, Paul Sheldon, is a novelist who becomes the victim of his biggest fan, Annie Wilkes. She rescues him after a car accident but gradually transforms from a kindhearted nurse into a sadistic jailer, consumed by his work. Their relationship forms the core of the story, a painful dance between creator and admirer, control and dependency.
Annie Wilkes is one of the most terrifying characters King has ever created precisely because she is entirely human. She is not a monster from another world or a supernatural being. She is an ordinary person consumed by fiction, and that is where the true horror lies: sometimes the monsters come with a face that could caress you before it destroys you.
Paul, on the other hand, is a metaphor for the author himself. Through him, King explores the fear of becoming a prisoner of one’s own success. Annie represents the audience that demands the same thing over and over again, the familiar story, the familiar hero, the familiar ending. But for an artist who wants to be free, he must “kill his Misery,” both literally and symbolically.
One of the novel’s most striking themes is the idea of pain as a source of inspiration. Paul writes to survive, literally. The act of storytelling becomes a fight for life; creation itself becomes salvation. In this way, King turns writing into both physical and spiritual survival, and horror into a form of catharsis.
Stylistically, “Misery” is lean, focused, and psychologically precise. King abandons his usual supernatural motifs; the terror here is purely human. The confined setting of the house, the physical agony, the dependency, and the slow disintegration of sanity give the novel the feel of an intense stage play, where every gesture and every silence adds to the nightmare.
Ultimately, “Misery” is a novel about obsession, not only that of fans, but of the artist himself, who cannot escape the need to create. It is a story about the power of words and about the fine boundary between inspiration and madness.
Pre_read:
It’s Stephen King season, so of course I have to do a marathon! I’m starting with this book — you have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to read it, and it’s finally in my hands!
October 30, 2021
“[I]t was still a long time before he was finally able to break the dried scum of saliva that had glued his lips together and croak out ‘Where am I?’ to the woman who sat by his bed with a book in her hands. The name of the man who had written the book was Paul Sheldon. He recognized it as his own with no surprise.
‘Sidewinder, Colorado,’ she said when he was finally able to ask the question. ‘My name is Annie Wilkes. And I am – ’
‘I know,’ he said. ‘You’re my number-one fan.’
‘Yes,’ she said, smiling. ‘That’s just what I am…’”
- Stephen King, Misery
Stephen King’s Misery was published all the way back in 1987. It was later made into a near-classic movie that won Kathy Bates an Academy Award. It has been parodied, referenced on The Simpsons, made into memes, and otherwise entered the bloodstream of pop culture, from which it has never left. For all that, having just read it for the first time, it still feels fresh, surprising, and audacious.
It is also absolutely iconic.
Only the briefest of summaries is in order, not just because of Misery’s ubiquity, but because it is so devilishly simple. This is not a sprawling King epic with extensive world building, intricate supernatural systems, or complex mythologies. This is – to use television parlance – a bottle episode, with almost all the action taking place inside a single bedroom.
That bedroom belongs to a former nurse named Annie Wilkes. Annie is a huge fan of a series of historical romance novels featuring a protagonist named Misery Chastain. The author of those books is Paul Sheldon who – despite his fantastic success – feels creatively stifled, and has decided to kill off Misery and write a “serious” novel. Just after finishing this new opus, Paul gets drunk, hops in his car, and ends up in a wreck near Sidewinder, Colorado (a place familiar to fans of The Shining). He is rescued – in a coincidence that is never dwelled upon – by superfan Annie. At first Annie seems well meaning. Then she discovers that Paul has killed Misery, a bit of news that she takes poorly. Annie essentially takes Paul hostage and forces him to write a new Misery book, one that brings the character back to life without any narrative cheating.
King tells the story in the third-person, from the limited perspective of Paul. Much has been read into this character, as it contains more than a few autobiographical details. Like King, Paul feels that he had been relegated to a specific genre, and yearns to stretch his literary muscles. Like King (at the time), Paul has some rather serious substance abuse issues. It is impossible not to feel like many of Paul’s beliefs, especially about the nature of fandom, is King talking – and, frankly, whining – to his own audience. One is even tempted to say that in making Annie – unstable, possibly deranged, and degenerating – the villain, King is borderline insulting the masses who line up to purchase every new title.
Of course, a lot of what gives Misery its punch is the specificity of Paul’s observations about the writing life. Generally, I dislike it when writers focus on writers. It feels too much like navel-gazing. King comes close to that line here, especially when he hammers at the notion that Paul is suffering – quite literally – for his craft. Still, I liked King’s venom, especially since Paul is otherwise very much a stock figure from his multiverse: glib; given to lengthy internal monologues; imbued with an encyclopedic knowledge of rock ‘n roll, movies, and television; and prone to laughing out loud at jokes that are simply not funny.
Facing off against Paul is Annie, one of the more memorable baddies of King’s career. Unlike some of King’s other famed antagonists, such as the Overlook in The Shining, the nightmare-shifting clown from It, and the burial ground in Pet Sematary, Annie is a human being, not a mystical entity. She has no extraordinary powers or connection to dark magic. She is not a vampire or werewolf or alien. Aside from some rudimentary surgical abilities, Annie’s main talent is an absolute conviction towards seeing things through to the end. Though we never get inside her head, King does good work in tracing an interesting arc, one in which Annie is given shifting dimensions. That’s not to say that she is nuanced, only that she is not pure evil. If one wanted, one might even find some sympathy for a woman whose crumbling mental state seems beyond her ability to control. In any event, Annie is frightening and unforgettable.
Misery is psychological horror, bounded by the physical reality of the real world. For much of its length, King relies on tension over every other element. Ultimately, though, King is King, and things get gross. Like many of his vintage novels, Misery walks right up to the line of bad taste, pauses for a moment, and then gleefully hops over. Even with foreknowledge of some of the things that happen, I was still surprised at the graphic, forensic detail that King deploys in executing his set pieces. The violence is limited, the body count relatively low, but there are still buckets of blood spilled in these pages.
This is often cited among King’s upper-tier works. While this is a defensible ranking, I’ll admit that Misery is not among my favorites. The main problem is that I simply didn’t like Paul Sheldon all that much. Since the whole project rests on the question of whether Paul escapes or remains captive, lives or dies, that’s sort of an issue. I also had some quibbles with the pacing. Normally – as many of you know – I am in the bigger-is-better camp when it comes to novels. But in this instance, the 368-page Misery (trade paperback edition) feels a bit bloated. A lot of this comes from King’s puckish decision to excerpt long sections of Paul’s new Misery entry. This book-within-a-book conceit is funny at first, then quickly outstays its welcome. In short – pun intended – Misery might have packed more punch had it been a bit more economical and efficient. Finally, King relies on quite a few cheap tricks and jump scares, especially towards the end, so that the climax of Misery starts to mirror one of the lesser Halloween or Friday the 13th sequels.
These criticisms are rather minor, especially given King’s propensity for creating enduring images. It is not surprising that so many of his novels have been turned into movies, because he is a cinematic writer. Even confining his tapestry to a small room in an isolated farmhouse, with a dramatically pared-down dramatis personae, King effortlessly creates a tableau that is vivid, grotesque, and unforgettable. Misery could have felt like a writing exercise from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, an experiment in minimalist settings and cast lists, something approaching a two-person play. Instead, in King’s assured hands, it is another minor masterpiece.
‘Sidewinder, Colorado,’ she said when he was finally able to ask the question. ‘My name is Annie Wilkes. And I am – ’
‘I know,’ he said. ‘You’re my number-one fan.’
‘Yes,’ she said, smiling. ‘That’s just what I am…’”
- Stephen King, Misery
Stephen King’s Misery was published all the way back in 1987. It was later made into a near-classic movie that won Kathy Bates an Academy Award. It has been parodied, referenced on The Simpsons, made into memes, and otherwise entered the bloodstream of pop culture, from which it has never left. For all that, having just read it for the first time, it still feels fresh, surprising, and audacious.
It is also absolutely iconic.
Only the briefest of summaries is in order, not just because of Misery’s ubiquity, but because it is so devilishly simple. This is not a sprawling King epic with extensive world building, intricate supernatural systems, or complex mythologies. This is – to use television parlance – a bottle episode, with almost all the action taking place inside a single bedroom.
That bedroom belongs to a former nurse named Annie Wilkes. Annie is a huge fan of a series of historical romance novels featuring a protagonist named Misery Chastain. The author of those books is Paul Sheldon who – despite his fantastic success – feels creatively stifled, and has decided to kill off Misery and write a “serious” novel. Just after finishing this new opus, Paul gets drunk, hops in his car, and ends up in a wreck near Sidewinder, Colorado (a place familiar to fans of The Shining). He is rescued – in a coincidence that is never dwelled upon – by superfan Annie. At first Annie seems well meaning. Then she discovers that Paul has killed Misery, a bit of news that she takes poorly. Annie essentially takes Paul hostage and forces him to write a new Misery book, one that brings the character back to life without any narrative cheating.
King tells the story in the third-person, from the limited perspective of Paul. Much has been read into this character, as it contains more than a few autobiographical details. Like King, Paul feels that he had been relegated to a specific genre, and yearns to stretch his literary muscles. Like King (at the time), Paul has some rather serious substance abuse issues. It is impossible not to feel like many of Paul’s beliefs, especially about the nature of fandom, is King talking – and, frankly, whining – to his own audience. One is even tempted to say that in making Annie – unstable, possibly deranged, and degenerating – the villain, King is borderline insulting the masses who line up to purchase every new title.
Of course, a lot of what gives Misery its punch is the specificity of Paul’s observations about the writing life. Generally, I dislike it when writers focus on writers. It feels too much like navel-gazing. King comes close to that line here, especially when he hammers at the notion that Paul is suffering – quite literally – for his craft. Still, I liked King’s venom, especially since Paul is otherwise very much a stock figure from his multiverse: glib; given to lengthy internal monologues; imbued with an encyclopedic knowledge of rock ‘n roll, movies, and television; and prone to laughing out loud at jokes that are simply not funny.
Facing off against Paul is Annie, one of the more memorable baddies of King’s career. Unlike some of King’s other famed antagonists, such as the Overlook in The Shining, the nightmare-shifting clown from It, and the burial ground in Pet Sematary, Annie is a human being, not a mystical entity. She has no extraordinary powers or connection to dark magic. She is not a vampire or werewolf or alien. Aside from some rudimentary surgical abilities, Annie’s main talent is an absolute conviction towards seeing things through to the end. Though we never get inside her head, King does good work in tracing an interesting arc, one in which Annie is given shifting dimensions. That’s not to say that she is nuanced, only that she is not pure evil. If one wanted, one might even find some sympathy for a woman whose crumbling mental state seems beyond her ability to control. In any event, Annie is frightening and unforgettable.
Misery is psychological horror, bounded by the physical reality of the real world. For much of its length, King relies on tension over every other element. Ultimately, though, King is King, and things get gross. Like many of his vintage novels, Misery walks right up to the line of bad taste, pauses for a moment, and then gleefully hops over. Even with foreknowledge of some of the things that happen, I was still surprised at the graphic, forensic detail that King deploys in executing his set pieces. The violence is limited, the body count relatively low, but there are still buckets of blood spilled in these pages.
This is often cited among King’s upper-tier works. While this is a defensible ranking, I’ll admit that Misery is not among my favorites. The main problem is that I simply didn’t like Paul Sheldon all that much. Since the whole project rests on the question of whether Paul escapes or remains captive, lives or dies, that’s sort of an issue. I also had some quibbles with the pacing. Normally – as many of you know – I am in the bigger-is-better camp when it comes to novels. But in this instance, the 368-page Misery (trade paperback edition) feels a bit bloated. A lot of this comes from King’s puckish decision to excerpt long sections of Paul’s new Misery entry. This book-within-a-book conceit is funny at first, then quickly outstays its welcome. In short – pun intended – Misery might have packed more punch had it been a bit more economical and efficient. Finally, King relies on quite a few cheap tricks and jump scares, especially towards the end, so that the climax of Misery starts to mirror one of the lesser Halloween or Friday the 13th sequels.
These criticisms are rather minor, especially given King’s propensity for creating enduring images. It is not surprising that so many of his novels have been turned into movies, because he is a cinematic writer. Even confining his tapestry to a small room in an isolated farmhouse, with a dramatically pared-down dramatis personae, King effortlessly creates a tableau that is vivid, grotesque, and unforgettable. Misery could have felt like a writing exercise from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, an experiment in minimalist settings and cast lists, something approaching a two-person play. Instead, in King’s assured hands, it is another minor masterpiece.
October 15, 2022
Misery was my first ever Stephen King novel.
There I was, an impressionable 14-year-old girl drunk on romances with none-fade-into-black sex scenes. Then my favorite English teacher recommended I read Misery. "Your life will never be the same," he said.
He was right.
Misery is about the kind of fan that loves their chosen celebrity a little too much. Like the man who shot John Lennon. Or stalkers that drive to Miley Cyrus's house with a bouquet of roses and a foam finger. The odd buttons that spoil a fandom.
In this case, Paul Sheldon was rescued from a car crash by his number one fan, Annie. She loves his books, so when she finds out Paul killed her favorite character in the latest installment, she gets a little... upset.
But no matter, she has the brains behind the masterpiece right here! Paul is going to bring his character back from the dead for one last encore or she'll get upset again. And you do not want to make Annie upset.
You scared yet?
King's writing has a way of putting you directly in a character's shoes. Only he can make the abhorred third-person into first-person, so you're there with Paul every second of the way. You feel his terror when he realized his caretaker is not quite right in the head. You feel his pain from drug withdrawal. You feel the resignation of burning your only first-draft manuscript in order to obtain said drugs.
The shame. The rage. The hate.
This is horror at its finest. One human imprisoned in a house by another. No cheap jump-scares. No bloody gore factor. No dime-store costume. This is nail-your-balls-to-the-wall psychological shit, and damn if you don't lie awake at night wondering if the dark shape in the corner is Annie with a chainsaw in hand.
So come along with me, dear Constant Reader. And be King's number one fan.
There I was, an impressionable 14-year-old girl drunk on romances with none-fade-into-black sex scenes. Then my favorite English teacher recommended I read Misery. "Your life will never be the same," he said.
He was right.
Misery is about the kind of fan that loves their chosen celebrity a little too much. Like the man who shot John Lennon. Or stalkers that drive to Miley Cyrus's house with a bouquet of roses and a foam finger. The odd buttons that spoil a fandom.
In this case, Paul Sheldon was rescued from a car crash by his number one fan, Annie. She loves his books, so when she finds out Paul killed her favorite character in the latest installment, she gets a little... upset.
But no matter, she has the brains behind the masterpiece right here! Paul is going to bring his character back from the dead for one last encore or she'll get upset again. And you do not want to make Annie upset.
You scared yet?
King's writing has a way of putting you directly in a character's shoes. Only he can make the abhorred third-person into first-person, so you're there with Paul every second of the way. You feel his terror when he realized his caretaker is not quite right in the head. You feel his pain from drug withdrawal. You feel the resignation of burning your only first-draft manuscript in order to obtain said drugs.
“The work, the pride in your work, the worth of the work itself...all those things faded away to the magic-lantern shades they really were when the pain got bad enough.”
The shame. The rage. The hate.
This is horror at its finest. One human imprisoned in a house by another. No cheap jump-scares. No bloody gore factor. No dime-store costume. This is nail-your-balls-to-the-wall psychological shit, and damn if you don't lie awake at night wondering if the dark shape in the corner is Annie with a chainsaw in hand.
So come along with me, dear Constant Reader. And be King's number one fan.
September 17, 2021
My first time reading stephen king and I didn't hate it. Yeah me 😂, also yes i'm going to read more stephen king.😏
Can't stop thinking about this book, so changing it to 5 stars.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Can't stop thinking about this book, so changing it to 5 stars.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
September 3, 2018
i can tell this my favourite book of Stephen king so far
October 25, 2025
I read this book when it first came out, many years ago. Since then, I’ve seen the movie several times, so my memories of the book were a bit hazy, replaced by Kathy Bates yelling “cockadoodie,” and the changes to the infamous hobbling scene because of the inability at the time to CGI what’s described in the book.
The movie is good, especially the performances by Kathy Bates and James Caan, and it does a good job with the surface story. But rereading the book reminded me how much richer the book is, how it’s about so much more than just an author falling prisoner to his “number one fan.” Beneath the plot, Misery is about the craft of writing itself. How the ideas come, or are manufactured, and the emotional feel of writing a compelling story. It’s about the tension in the relationship between the writer—for whom writing is a largely selfish act—and the readers. It’s King arguing that the type of popular fiction he writes is every bit as important, challenging, and worthy of praise as so-called literary fiction (an argument King would ultimately win, by the way, given the numerous career awards he’s won over the last 10-15 years).
Of course, none of those secondary themes would matter very much if the main story was not so effective and terrifying. Annie Wilkes is a unique villain, and a special kind of crazy. And it all comes together to make Misery into one of King’s best novels. Highly recommended.
The movie is good, especially the performances by Kathy Bates and James Caan, and it does a good job with the surface story. But rereading the book reminded me how much richer the book is, how it’s about so much more than just an author falling prisoner to his “number one fan.” Beneath the plot, Misery is about the craft of writing itself. How the ideas come, or are manufactured, and the emotional feel of writing a compelling story. It’s about the tension in the relationship between the writer—for whom writing is a largely selfish act—and the readers. It’s King arguing that the type of popular fiction he writes is every bit as important, challenging, and worthy of praise as so-called literary fiction (an argument King would ultimately win, by the way, given the numerous career awards he’s won over the last 10-15 years).
Of course, none of those secondary themes would matter very much if the main story was not so effective and terrifying. Annie Wilkes is a unique villain, and a special kind of crazy. And it all comes together to make Misery into one of King’s best novels. Highly recommended.
October 19, 2022
OMG for Annie Wilkes! What a character she is. Keeping your favorite author prisoner in your house after a terrible car accident and making him rewrite his novel because it just dont work for you… Annie is so disturbing and gets even more creepier as time goes by. She is a nut case and if it was reality she’d probably give me a taste of her medecine just for saying that.
I thought it was a good SK, he told this story brilliantly and I can see why he is a great storyteller despite my love/hate relationship with some of his books. Although I did not enjoy the parts involving Misery and could have done without it, I mostly had a great time diving into this story.
I thought it was a good SK, he told this story brilliantly and I can see why he is a great storyteller despite my love/hate relationship with some of his books. Although I did not enjoy the parts involving Misery and could have done without it, I mostly had a great time diving into this story.
February 12, 2020
I read this when I was in College. I found Carrie as a senior in high school and from there I started to plow through his catalog. I read this somewhere between 1995 and 1998. That's over 20 years ago.
I love seeing all the Stephen King videos of the constant reader fandom. When I read those, there wasn't that and I read them for myself and didn't get to share with a community. I am considering doing a re-read of my favorite ones.
I still remember reading this and feeling chills all over my body. I remember Kathy Bates winning the Oscar for her role and then seeing the movie, which had me reading the book next. The book is wonderful and in my top 10.
If you are looking for scary and getting creeped out, then this will do it. It's a masterpiece for certain.
Spoilery ahead:
The book is a bit different from the movie. The movie has her sledge-hammering the authors ankle while the book has her chop it off. I thought the book was actually more human as it was a clean break. The shattered ankle would just be horrible.
It came out around the time of Silence of the Lambs and both those books and movies are just creepy intense.
I love seeing all the Stephen King videos of the constant reader fandom. When I read those, there wasn't that and I read them for myself and didn't get to share with a community. I am considering doing a re-read of my favorite ones.
I still remember reading this and feeling chills all over my body. I remember Kathy Bates winning the Oscar for her role and then seeing the movie, which had me reading the book next. The book is wonderful and in my top 10.
If you are looking for scary and getting creeped out, then this will do it. It's a masterpiece for certain.
Spoilery ahead:
The book is a bit different from the movie. The movie has her sledge-hammering the authors ankle while the book has her chop it off. I thought the book was actually more human as it was a clean break. The shattered ankle would just be horrible.
It came out around the time of Silence of the Lambs and both those books and movies are just creepy intense.
July 29, 2022
3.5 stars
This book was creepy to say the least. I enjoyed most of it except for the passages of Misery, how much he talked about Fast Cars, and when he imagined a different scenario and got carried away with it (nothing wrong with the latter, he is a writer, but a few times it went on and on and I was losing interest rapidly). As intrigued as I was, I was bored many times throughout this book, hence the 3 stars rating.
Other than that, Misery is brilliant, the characters were fleshed out, and Annie! I loved her characterization, how she’s all sweet one moment, the other she’s holding an axe. How she knows things Paul might be planning. She truly is one of the most iconic King’s creations. I also like the part where he shared a writer’s struggle which King knows firsthand.
So overall it was an interesting read and I totally get the hype. Sadly however I was bored from time to time enough that it took me longer than it should’ve had to finish the book.
This book was creepy to say the least. I enjoyed most of it except for the passages of Misery, how much he talked about Fast Cars, and when he imagined a different scenario and got carried away with it (nothing wrong with the latter, he is a writer, but a few times it went on and on and I was losing interest rapidly). As intrigued as I was, I was bored many times throughout this book, hence the 3 stars rating.
Other than that, Misery is brilliant, the characters were fleshed out, and Annie! I loved her characterization, how she’s all sweet one moment, the other she’s holding an axe. How she knows things Paul might be planning. She truly is one of the most iconic King’s creations. I also like the part where he shared a writer’s struggle which King knows firsthand.
So overall it was an interesting read and I totally get the hype. Sadly however I was bored from time to time enough that it took me longer than it should’ve had to finish the book.
February 20, 2022
Finally, I’ve read my first Stephen King novel, and now I can’t wait to read more of his work! I cannot imagine the things that go on in his head to come up with this stuff. Misery is disturbing and Annie is just batshit crazy. This is one of those book that will stick with me for a long time.
May 10, 2024
Misery is a cockadoodie-oogie-good book split into bite-size chapters that makes it eminently accessible. Some of these chapters are just a few words or pages long.
Actually, it's a disturbing tale about an author held against his will by a crazy ex-nurse called Annie Wilkes. Annie suffers from severe mental health issues and depression and although not always scary or disturbing, look away now if body horror is a trigger as well as concerns about mental health.
A book about suffering in so many ways, physically due to injuries and psychologically due to the cruelty and threats of another person. Annie is severely ill, but also very lucid and competent when she wants to be, who subjects Paul Sheldon to the worst case of psychological gaslighting you could ever imagine. He doesn't know what to say or do, but survives as best he can for as long as it takes.
Because there is scarier horror literature out there, Misery feels a bit tame because of how slow paced it is and the way it jumps into the 'Misery Returns' story written by captured Paul while under duress. Although this procrastination isn't particularly thrilling, it's an essential part of the plot, but further slows down an already drawn out narrative.
The section about 'having' and 'getting' an idea is particularly well done and inspiring. If a story has plot holes, some people will let these annoying details go while others will not, resulting in loss of credibility and readership, which is why Paul can't make up any old nonsense just to keep Annie Wilkes happy, who is far too clued in for that. At the same time, Annie can't completely dispense with Paul because of her reliance on finding out what happens next in Misery Returns and through her emotions for him.
There's a distinct sense of duality and contradiction, derived from mental health issues that makes for an intriguing book with more going on inside than obvious horror and gore.
Many books have too many characters and interconnections and become confusing, which is one of the things that makes Misery such a breath of fresh air for only having two main people to worry about.
Even though Misery is depressingly bleak due to the plight of entrapment and the constant threat of mistreatment, it's also madly comical in places through Paul's accumulated hatred and cynicism at unstable Annie as a demented type of Eminem taking a chainsaw to his abusive mother, and Annie's cockadoodie ranting at the whole world. She thinks Paul should be grateful to her for giving him house and board and honestly believes that.
I loved the reference to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper plus lots of other retro references to bands and music from the 1980s and before.
However, I can't absolutely rave about Misery, maybe because I knew what was coming next and perhaps because there's better shocking horror literature out there and also because it's so slow paced. It's a psychological horror book rather than a fast-paced thriller, although there are some magnificent sections at times.
This is a classic horror book and recommended, although Stephen King has written better. There's something a bit stodgy about the writing style and its overall lack of scope to deserve five stars.
Actually, it's a disturbing tale about an author held against his will by a crazy ex-nurse called Annie Wilkes. Annie suffers from severe mental health issues and depression and although not always scary or disturbing, look away now if body horror is a trigger as well as concerns about mental health.
A book about suffering in so many ways, physically due to injuries and psychologically due to the cruelty and threats of another person. Annie is severely ill, but also very lucid and competent when she wants to be, who subjects Paul Sheldon to the worst case of psychological gaslighting you could ever imagine. He doesn't know what to say or do, but survives as best he can for as long as it takes.
Because there is scarier horror literature out there, Misery feels a bit tame because of how slow paced it is and the way it jumps into the 'Misery Returns' story written by captured Paul while under duress. Although this procrastination isn't particularly thrilling, it's an essential part of the plot, but further slows down an already drawn out narrative.
The section about 'having' and 'getting' an idea is particularly well done and inspiring. If a story has plot holes, some people will let these annoying details go while others will not, resulting in loss of credibility and readership, which is why Paul can't make up any old nonsense just to keep Annie Wilkes happy, who is far too clued in for that. At the same time, Annie can't completely dispense with Paul because of her reliance on finding out what happens next in Misery Returns and through her emotions for him.
There's a distinct sense of duality and contradiction, derived from mental health issues that makes for an intriguing book with more going on inside than obvious horror and gore.
Many books have too many characters and interconnections and become confusing, which is one of the things that makes Misery such a breath of fresh air for only having two main people to worry about.
Even though Misery is depressingly bleak due to the plight of entrapment and the constant threat of mistreatment, it's also madly comical in places through Paul's accumulated hatred and cynicism at unstable Annie as a demented type of Eminem taking a chainsaw to his abusive mother, and Annie's cockadoodie ranting at the whole world. She thinks Paul should be grateful to her for giving him house and board and honestly believes that.
I loved the reference to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper plus lots of other retro references to bands and music from the 1980s and before.
However, I can't absolutely rave about Misery, maybe because I knew what was coming next and perhaps because there's better shocking horror literature out there and also because it's so slow paced. It's a psychological horror book rather than a fast-paced thriller, although there are some magnificent sections at times.
This is a classic horror book and recommended, although Stephen King has written better. There's something a bit stodgy about the writing style and its overall lack of scope to deserve five stars.
August 19, 2019
An intense, graphic, horrifying story that will keep you at the edge of your seat throughout it's entirety. I've read a few thrillers this year and let me tell you, nothing comes near this. Not even CLOSE.
He was a writer. She was his number one fan. She’d pulled him out of the car-wreck, brought him home, splinted and set his mangled legs. All he had to do in return was to write a very special book, just for her, all about her favourite heroine from his novels.
There were so many layers to this story. The story (the one which Paul writes) within the plot, Annie's backstory and also several metaphors used by King throughout the book. There was also a good amount of humor present. Almost the entire story takes place inside a room, inside a house. Paul remains confined to a bed for a good amount of time so we also follow Paul's thoughts and conscience. Never, for once did I feel that the story was being stretched or boring even though nothing was happening for a while, it still felt engaging. Even though there were no supernatural elements involved, it was actually scary at times.
The characterisation in Misery is spot on. The two main characters are Annie Wilkes and Paul Sheldon. Annie is a monster all right – a flesh and blood monster and those are the worst kind. She’s crazy. King brings her to vivid, unforgettable life. She was so real I expected her to step off the page. Paul Sheldon is also a very well written character. I felt real empathy for him as he was trapped in the house as Annie came apart. I found the scenes when they both interacted so intense.
I found the plot in Misery very believable and quite frightening. It easy to imagine what would happen if a writer or someone famous became a prisoner of their ‘number one fan’ who also happened to be psychotic. In some way I found Misery even more disturbing because there’s nothing supernatural in it. The plot is plausible and even more unsettling because of this. There probably is a crazy fan a lot like Annie Wilkes out there.
This was my first Stephen King book and what an incredible ride it was! King ticks all the boxes with this one. The characterisation is great and King turns it into something special. There are a few gory scenes that make me cringe but even these moments are compelling and well written. I think the execution of this book was as perfect as it could have been.
He was a writer. She was his number one fan. She’d pulled him out of the car-wreck, brought him home, splinted and set his mangled legs. All he had to do in return was to write a very special book, just for her, all about her favourite heroine from his novels.
There were so many layers to this story. The story (the one which Paul writes) within the plot, Annie's backstory and also several metaphors used by King throughout the book. There was also a good amount of humor present. Almost the entire story takes place inside a room, inside a house. Paul remains confined to a bed for a good amount of time so we also follow Paul's thoughts and conscience. Never, for once did I feel that the story was being stretched or boring even though nothing was happening for a while, it still felt engaging. Even though there were no supernatural elements involved, it was actually scary at times.
The characterisation in Misery is spot on. The two main characters are Annie Wilkes and Paul Sheldon. Annie is a monster all right – a flesh and blood monster and those are the worst kind. She’s crazy. King brings her to vivid, unforgettable life. She was so real I expected her to step off the page. Paul Sheldon is also a very well written character. I felt real empathy for him as he was trapped in the house as Annie came apart. I found the scenes when they both interacted so intense.
I found the plot in Misery very believable and quite frightening. It easy to imagine what would happen if a writer or someone famous became a prisoner of their ‘number one fan’ who also happened to be psychotic. In some way I found Misery even more disturbing because there’s nothing supernatural in it. The plot is plausible and even more unsettling because of this. There probably is a crazy fan a lot like Annie Wilkes out there.
This was my first Stephen King book and what an incredible ride it was! King ticks all the boxes with this one. The characterisation is great and King turns it into something special. There are a few gory scenes that make me cringe but even these moments are compelling and well written. I think the execution of this book was as perfect as it could have been.
April 13, 2018
Wow! Imagine having a nasty car accident and being rescued by your number one FAAAN!
A fan who happens to be a complete lunatic. This book is gripping. An accomplished author killing off his main character because he is stuck in a rut. Held prisoner by his number one fan. Many times he tries to escape and gets mutilated and hobbled. Coerced into writing his novel and not to dare finish the character off. Drugged and tied to a bed. What a book. Also a film starring Kathy Bates and James Caan. Good film but not as good as the book. I did not give it five stars because King has written better ones but, most of his work is 4+ stars🐯👍
A fan who happens to be a complete lunatic. This book is gripping. An accomplished author killing off his main character because he is stuck in a rut. Held prisoner by his number one fan. Many times he tries to escape and gets mutilated and hobbled. Coerced into writing his novel and not to dare finish the character off. Drugged and tied to a bed. What a book. Also a film starring Kathy Bates and James Caan. Good film but not as good as the book. I did not give it five stars because King has written better ones but, most of his work is 4+ stars🐯👍
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2021
'𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘾𝘼𝙉'𝙏 𝘽𝙐𝙍𝙉 𝙈𝙄𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙔, 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘾𝙊𝘾𝙆𝘼𝘿𝙊𝙊𝘿𝙄𝙀 𝘽𝙍𝘼𝙏, 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘾𝘼𝙉'𝙏 𝘽𝙐𝙍𝙉 𝙈𝙄𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙔!' 🔥
Well shit, what can I say? This book was simply amazing and i loved every single page; it just flows fast and doesn't slow down once.
Well developed, great characters and very atmospheric. It was a pleasure to read and such a page-turner.
I loved the movie also, it was adapted very well; they softened Annie Wilkes up though but it was still great.
Well shit, what can I say? This book was simply amazing and i loved every single page; it just flows fast and doesn't slow down once.
Well developed, great characters and very atmospheric. It was a pleasure to read and such a page-turner.
I loved the movie also, it was adapted very well; they softened Annie Wilkes up though but it was still great.
September 8, 2020
Paul Sheldon, Misery:
August 22, 2021
There was a time when horror, for me, meant ghosts and demons and vampires and everything paranormal. But under the able tutelage of horror-loving friends, I've learnt that this genre covers a vast range of subgenres. And not every subcategory is related to the inexplicable or the otherworldly. "Misery" comes in the psychological horror category. So it makes for a great beginner glimpse into Stephen King's vast repertoire, especially for one who doesn't like reading supernatural stories.
The plot is deviously simple. Paul Sheldon writes, to use his own words, "novels of two kinds, good ones and best-sellers." Annie Wilkes is one of the biggest fans of his best-selling series featuring a character named Misery Chastain. When Paul finds himself in a major car accident, Annie, who is an ex nurse, "rescues" him and tends to his broken body at her home in quite insidious ways. But when she discovers that he has bumped off Misery Chastain in his latest novel, she turns even more maniacal than before.
What converts this simple, somewhat straightforward storyline into an absorbing read is the author's approach. With twists and turns and troubles and traumas at the right places, I was hooked on to the story, even though I wasn't really "enjoying" it. And that ending! If for nothing else, the book is worth reading for its finale.
As this was my very first Stephen King novel, I didn't know what to expect from it. And I think that helped tremendously because incorrect expectations can kill the actual experience. The initial few pages were quite tough on me. The writing doesn't allow you the luxury of a gradual foray into traumatising events. You are right in the vortex of the problem from the very first sentence. I felt a sort of claustrophobic uneasiness at the start when Paul Sheldon was in the mind fog. But things soon became better (or at least, as better as they could be in this type of novel) and I began to relish the read.
The characters of Paul Sheldon and Annie Wilkes are really well-sketched. While Paul definitely deserves sympathy for the situation he is in, you soon realise that he isn't a whiny victim in spite of his terrible circumstances but does his best to manipulate Annie into a good mood day. Thus both are playing mind games with each other: one to survive, the other to get her favourite character resurrected at the hands of her favourite author. As I've mentioned before, I enjoy books that make me wonder how I would have reacted were I in the same situation. If I were in Paul Sheldon's place, I honestly have no idea what I would have done. That's where Stephen King got me hooked and spooked.
My feelings for the story kept alternating between spellbound captivation and horrifying disgust, especially during the rat scene 😕 and the lawn mower scene. 😱 Then again, I know such nauseating scenes are a staple in horror, so I'm just glad King wrote them well. Though there is some gore, nowhere does he use gore for the sake of it. In Misery, gore is a natural extension of the story and is treated as such. It never becomes the focus or highlight of the plot. A lesson for all contemporary horror writers to remember!
Over the years, I've seen critics saying that King's writing is populist and not of "literary" quality. But in this book, I could see the intelligence in his craft. The way he correlated the piling on the beach with Paul's situation, his use of the imaginary horse race announcer or sports commentator praising Paul's tiny moves against Annie Wilkes, his use of similes and metaphors (I'm not usually a big fan of these figures of speech because many authors overuse them to sound fancy and imaginative. They ought to learn from King how to incorporate comparisons in the natural flow of the story), his crisp chapters, the refusal to provide an initial background for the characters but allowing the story to unveil their traits,... All point to an author who has his finger on the pulse of the audience. I also loved getting a look at a writer's life through Paul Sheldon's character, and enjoyed the barbs he indirectly pokes at editors and book critics.
That's not to say that this was a 5 star read for me. The book does have its shortcomings. It is quite slow-paced at the start (though it does keep things moving. The story isn't stagnant at any point.) There are too many Americanisms in the content. (I had to Google to see who was "Joe Blow from Kokomo".) There's a fair bit of repetition in the writing. (I can't help but feel that this was deliberate.) And some of his word usage struck me as odd, especially his use of the word "rape". (But I must keep in mind that this was written in 1988, long before the use of right terminology was focussed upon.) None of these were major shortcomings, but they somewhat sullied my reading experience.
Overall, I did enjoy my first Stephen King a lot more than I had anticipated. It delivered what it promised. And it provided a great ending. And it showed me not to be scared of everything in the horror genre. 😄 I'll give this book 4 stars because as per the Goodreads rating scale, 4 stars means that I "really liked it."
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
The plot is deviously simple. Paul Sheldon writes, to use his own words, "novels of two kinds, good ones and best-sellers." Annie Wilkes is one of the biggest fans of his best-selling series featuring a character named Misery Chastain. When Paul finds himself in a major car accident, Annie, who is an ex nurse, "rescues" him and tends to his broken body at her home in quite insidious ways. But when she discovers that he has bumped off Misery Chastain in his latest novel, she turns even more maniacal than before.
What converts this simple, somewhat straightforward storyline into an absorbing read is the author's approach. With twists and turns and troubles and traumas at the right places, I was hooked on to the story, even though I wasn't really "enjoying" it. And that ending! If for nothing else, the book is worth reading for its finale.
As this was my very first Stephen King novel, I didn't know what to expect from it. And I think that helped tremendously because incorrect expectations can kill the actual experience. The initial few pages were quite tough on me. The writing doesn't allow you the luxury of a gradual foray into traumatising events. You are right in the vortex of the problem from the very first sentence. I felt a sort of claustrophobic uneasiness at the start when Paul Sheldon was in the mind fog. But things soon became better (or at least, as better as they could be in this type of novel) and I began to relish the read.
The characters of Paul Sheldon and Annie Wilkes are really well-sketched. While Paul definitely deserves sympathy for the situation he is in, you soon realise that he isn't a whiny victim in spite of his terrible circumstances but does his best to manipulate Annie into a good mood day. Thus both are playing mind games with each other: one to survive, the other to get her favourite character resurrected at the hands of her favourite author. As I've mentioned before, I enjoy books that make me wonder how I would have reacted were I in the same situation. If I were in Paul Sheldon's place, I honestly have no idea what I would have done. That's where Stephen King got me hooked and spooked.
My feelings for the story kept alternating between spellbound captivation and horrifying disgust, especially during the rat scene 😕 and the lawn mower scene. 😱 Then again, I know such nauseating scenes are a staple in horror, so I'm just glad King wrote them well. Though there is some gore, nowhere does he use gore for the sake of it. In Misery, gore is a natural extension of the story and is treated as such. It never becomes the focus or highlight of the plot. A lesson for all contemporary horror writers to remember!
Over the years, I've seen critics saying that King's writing is populist and not of "literary" quality. But in this book, I could see the intelligence in his craft. The way he correlated the piling on the beach with Paul's situation, his use of the imaginary horse race announcer or sports commentator praising Paul's tiny moves against Annie Wilkes, his use of similes and metaphors (I'm not usually a big fan of these figures of speech because many authors overuse them to sound fancy and imaginative. They ought to learn from King how to incorporate comparisons in the natural flow of the story), his crisp chapters, the refusal to provide an initial background for the characters but allowing the story to unveil their traits,... All point to an author who has his finger on the pulse of the audience. I also loved getting a look at a writer's life through Paul Sheldon's character, and enjoyed the barbs he indirectly pokes at editors and book critics.
That's not to say that this was a 5 star read for me. The book does have its shortcomings. It is quite slow-paced at the start (though it does keep things moving. The story isn't stagnant at any point.) There are too many Americanisms in the content. (I had to Google to see who was "Joe Blow from Kokomo".) There's a fair bit of repetition in the writing. (I can't help but feel that this was deliberate.) And some of his word usage struck me as odd, especially his use of the word "rape". (But I must keep in mind that this was written in 1988, long before the use of right terminology was focussed upon.) None of these were major shortcomings, but they somewhat sullied my reading experience.
Overall, I did enjoy my first Stephen King a lot more than I had anticipated. It delivered what it promised. And it provided a great ending. And it showed me not to be scared of everything in the horror genre. 😄 I'll give this book 4 stars because as per the Goodreads rating scale, 4 stars means that I "really liked it."
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
October 28, 2019
October is all about the spooky for me, and King is my preferred supplier. I’ve read roughly a third of his body of work and, while I’ve enjoyed all of them for the most part, most of them have been suitably creepy without actually scaring me. Exceptions to this have been Revival and IT the first time I tried to read it. I can now add Misery to that list. This book legitimately gave me nightmares while I was reading, because, though not probable, every event in the book is actually possible.
For the majority of the book there are only two characters present: Paul Sheldon, severely injured writer extraordinaire; and Annie Wilkes, former nurse and Paul’s number one fan. When Paul has a terrible car accident while driving through a snow storm, he is discovered and rescued by Annie, his aforementioned biggest fan. Instead of taking him to a hospital like any normal person would, she brings him home with her and becomes his caretaker. Over the course of the novel Paul grows to dearly wish that he had died on impact. As these two characters comprised the bulk of the narrative, I’m going to spend a bit of time breaking them down.
Let’s talk baddies first. Annie Wilkes is perhaps the most terrifying villain King ever penned, and there’s nothing supernatural about her. Which just makes her all the more terrifying. King’s description of her as unnaturally solid, with no room for blood vessels and organs, like an idol from some ancient civilization, was incredibly disturbing. I’m of the firm belief that, should Annie Wilkes and Pennywise meet in some back alley, the sometimes clown would flee in mindless terror. I known I was petrified of her. She is a deeply disturbed woman and every artist is terrified of picking up such a fan over the course of their profession. And yet she was sometimes difficult for me to read, not because she was disturbing so much as the fact that her manner of speaking when enraged made me groan and roll my eyes. Which is the only reason this book wasn't a 4.5 star read.
I think that Paul Sheldon is the personification of some of King’s deepest, darkest fears. Every artist is afraid of getting trapped by their own creation, sentenced to recreating the same popular story or song over and over and over again instead of being given the freedom to craft something new. And every artist is afraid of the critics, of being relegated to the popular fiction corner where pedestrian fluff resides instead of being respected for their work. Paul Sheldon is an incredibly popular author who has just killed off his cash cow, so to speak, in hopes of writing something with a little more class and finally being taken seriously. Over the course of literary history this has happened time and again, the most famous example being Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s decision to kill off Sherlock Holmes. After the immense public outcry he felt forced to resurrect the character, finding himself once again boxed into writing stories about a character he had come to despise. Sheldon totally feels Doyle’s pain, and though the fury he faces is on a much smaller scale, it’s also deadlier.
Something that King kept repeating through Sheldon’s character was the knowledge that he wrote stories first and foremost for himself, as do all authors. While the plot itself was incredibly compelling and disturbing, what I loved the most about this book was the raw honesty about himself that King allowed to shine through his protagonist. What he has to say about writing and being an author resounded with truth. I found these passages impactful and moving, which I honestly wasn’t expecting from this book. King has this openness in his writing that I really respect, and the way he lets himself shine through and be known even in his most disturbing fiction feels like a gift to his readership.
I didn’t expect this particular King book to become one of my favorites from him. But here we are. Misery is incredibly scary, far scarier than King’s more supernatural works. And the things this book had to say about writing and what makes a good story and the dangers of becoming or attracting radical fans are thoughts that will be staying with me for a while. If I ever manage to become a famous writer or musician, I know that the words “I’m your number one fan” will fill me with dread and make some part of me want to run away screaming. Anonymity seems so much safer.
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.
For the majority of the book there are only two characters present: Paul Sheldon, severely injured writer extraordinaire; and Annie Wilkes, former nurse and Paul’s number one fan. When Paul has a terrible car accident while driving through a snow storm, he is discovered and rescued by Annie, his aforementioned biggest fan. Instead of taking him to a hospital like any normal person would, she brings him home with her and becomes his caretaker. Over the course of the novel Paul grows to dearly wish that he had died on impact. As these two characters comprised the bulk of the narrative, I’m going to spend a bit of time breaking them down.
Let’s talk baddies first. Annie Wilkes is perhaps the most terrifying villain King ever penned, and there’s nothing supernatural about her. Which just makes her all the more terrifying. King’s description of her as unnaturally solid, with no room for blood vessels and organs, like an idol from some ancient civilization, was incredibly disturbing. I’m of the firm belief that, should Annie Wilkes and Pennywise meet in some back alley, the sometimes clown would flee in mindless terror. I known I was petrified of her. She is a deeply disturbed woman and every artist is terrified of picking up such a fan over the course of their profession. And yet she was sometimes difficult for me to read, not because she was disturbing so much as the fact that her manner of speaking when enraged made me groan and roll my eyes. Which is the only reason this book wasn't a 4.5 star read.
I think that Paul Sheldon is the personification of some of King’s deepest, darkest fears. Every artist is afraid of getting trapped by their own creation, sentenced to recreating the same popular story or song over and over and over again instead of being given the freedom to craft something new. And every artist is afraid of the critics, of being relegated to the popular fiction corner where pedestrian fluff resides instead of being respected for their work. Paul Sheldon is an incredibly popular author who has just killed off his cash cow, so to speak, in hopes of writing something with a little more class and finally being taken seriously. Over the course of literary history this has happened time and again, the most famous example being Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s decision to kill off Sherlock Holmes. After the immense public outcry he felt forced to resurrect the character, finding himself once again boxed into writing stories about a character he had come to despise. Sheldon totally feels Doyle’s pain, and though the fury he faces is on a much smaller scale, it’s also deadlier.
Something that King kept repeating through Sheldon’s character was the knowledge that he wrote stories first and foremost for himself, as do all authors. While the plot itself was incredibly compelling and disturbing, what I loved the most about this book was the raw honesty about himself that King allowed to shine through his protagonist. What he has to say about writing and being an author resounded with truth. I found these passages impactful and moving, which I honestly wasn’t expecting from this book. King has this openness in his writing that I really respect, and the way he lets himself shine through and be known even in his most disturbing fiction feels like a gift to his readership.
“Writers remember everything...especially the hurts. Strip a writer to the buff, point to the scars, and he'll tell you the story of each small one. From the big ones you get novels. A little talent is a nice thing to have if you want to be a writer, but the only real requirement is the ability to remember the story of every scar.
Art consists of the persistence of memory.”
I didn’t expect this particular King book to become one of my favorites from him. But here we are. Misery is incredibly scary, far scarier than King’s more supernatural works. And the things this book had to say about writing and what makes a good story and the dangers of becoming or attracting radical fans are thoughts that will be staying with me for a while. If I ever manage to become a famous writer or musician, I know that the words “I’m your number one fan” will fill me with dread and make some part of me want to run away screaming. Anonymity seems so much safer.
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.
November 14, 2022
4.5
Pocos libros tienen el poder de hacer que mi ansiedad se vaya al tope y que ya no pueda soltarlos. Esa sensación entre asco, horror y adicción es algo que solo he experimentado con Misery. Lo devoré. Hay algunas cosillas que no han envejecido tan bien, pero la verdad es que el terror que me provoca Annie Wilkes nunca va a cambiar. Voy a estar lista para volverlo a leer en algunos añitos.
Pocos libros tienen el poder de hacer que mi ansiedad se vaya al tope y que ya no pueda soltarlos. Esa sensación entre asco, horror y adicción es algo que solo he experimentado con Misery. Lo devoré. Hay algunas cosillas que no han envejecido tan bien, pero la verdad es que el terror que me provoca Annie Wilkes nunca va a cambiar. Voy a estar lista para volverlo a leer en algunos añitos.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 28,639 reviews