Georgia

I surprise myself by saying I would listen again, 40+ hours is a big commitment. But especially if I had a long road trip to make, this is one story that will keep you awake with anxiety and anticipation about what happens next. It reminds me of a story told around the campfire so you can enjoy it on that level alone or you can also take it as a cautionary tale. The lessons learned here are a natural result of the consequences of everyone's actions. I also came to care for many of the characters and wouldn't mind spending time with them again even knowing who won't make it.

Early in the story a car filled with very sick people is careering toward a gas station where several men are together talking. The suspense of that scene as the car comes toward them and the terror of the aftermath as they think they have had a narrow miss is riveting. During this phase of the story, I was so drawn in that every time someone at work sneezed I immediately thought in horror Oh NO!

Mr. Gardner was brilliant in the daunting task of portraying this huge cast and sustaining the personality of each one for over 40 hours. His energy never flagged. Sorry, inside joke.

It wouldn't be possible to listen to this book in one sitting and not only because of time. I would be totally terrified and bone tired if I tried it. The breaks were the only thing that gave me time to refresh myself enough to believe I could have been a survivor. These are hardy folk.

Because the name Stephen King suggests supernatural and because I usually stick to the classics, I didn't think I would be interested. (Afterward, I remembered that Dolores Claiborne is one of my favorite movies ever.)Yes, there were supernatural elements here. But the things that scared me the most were actions made with the free will of the characters and only the smiling approval of You Know Who.