Bag of Bones

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King

Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Even four years after the sudden death of his wife, best selling novelist Mike Noonan can't stop grieving, nor can he return to his writing. Now his nights are plagued by vivid nightmares of the house by the lake. Despite these dreams, or perhaps because of them, he decides to return to Sara Laughs, the Noonans' isolated summer home. In his beloved Yankee town, he finds himself falling in love with a widowed young mother, who struggles to keep custody of her 3-year-old daughter. He is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs, now the site of ghostly visitations, ever-escalating nightmares, and the sudden recovery of his writing ability. What are the forces that have been unleashed here - and what do they want of Mike Noonan?

©1998 Stephen King, All Rights Reserved (P)1998 Simon & Schuster, Inc., All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

"The witty and obsessive voice of King's powerful imagination." (Amy Tan)
"What King lacks in professional polish he makes up for with an infectious enthusiasm that will lock in listeners for the long haul." (Publishers Weekly)

Excellent Story! I love Stephen King's narration.

Would you listen to Bag of Bones again? Why?

No, because I generally only listen to audio books one time.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that he never stopped loving his wife, even though he was clearly attracted to Maddie Devor.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Mike finally sees his wife near the end and knows she's been with him all along.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Extreme? Not really, but it was a great story and had its funny moments. I especially liked Mike Noonan's inner dialog, which I felt added a lot to the story's movement.

Any additional comments?

I would highly recommend this book to any Stephen King fan!

Author's narration is fabulous

Narration of this incredile work by Stephen King dramatically increased my enjoyment of this novel. Not all authors should narrate their own novels... However, this is NOT the case with Stephen King! It is amazing to experience the story exactly how the author intended - with all of the undertones, meaning and complexity of emotion that can be expressed through his voice, pace and diction. I wish that more Stephen King novels, narrated by King, were available.

Great story

I love Stephen King. I don't know any other writer who manages to deliver such a vast array of story genres, and each of them so well. This is a "Green Mile" type story with a ghost twist to it - and a love story in there as well. Not quite as well rounded as other stories but definitely worth a "read". Stephen King narrates it himself and although that is an interesting add-on, he is not an actor and it shows. But definitely worth a go!

Awesome Story!

If you could sum up Bag of Bones in three words, what would they be?

Oh. My. God.

What other book might you compare Bag of Bones to and why?

I don't really think any other books compare to Bag of Bones. I really think this book is unique. I wasn't really reminded of any other books when I was reading this, because Stephen King writes so uniquely. It wouldn't be a good Stephen King book if it reminded me of another book I'd recently read. So, in short, there are no other comparison books.

What does Stephen King bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Stephen King does some pretty awesome accents that I really enjoyed, ones that helped me get "into" the characters.
He gave me a certain feel for the characters I wouldn't have got if I was reading the book on my own.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

YES!!!! This book starts out rather predictably, I'll admit that the ending had a lot of different twists that made me feel very emotional. Some parts made me laugh hysterically, while others made me cry uncontrollably for a while.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed spending time with Mike Noonan, and the story really held me from start to finish. If you're a fan of classic ghost stories, this one is great for you!

Surprisingly Good!

I loved this!
This is one of my favorite novels written by Stephen King but, when I saw he was narrating, I wasn't sure. I had heard him narrate a Foreword in another book and found him to be sort of monotone, and yet I found myself really wanting to hear him tell his own story.
I was pleasantly surprised!! He was not monotone at all and I enjoyed every word. I was not disappointed. He gave the characters their own personalities and I loved hearing him tell the story as he meant it to be read.

Mr. King MUST stop reading his own books.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, but see title.

Would you be willing to try another one of Stephen King’s performances?

Yes, it is Stephen King's writing that is great. His lack of breath control, monotone voice and mouth noise just pulls me out of the story. Not something that's good when you need to stay in the fantasy zone to enjoy the narrative.

Any additional comments?

Mr. King MUST stop reading his own books. Mr. King MUST stop reading his own books. Mr. King MUST stop reading his own books. Please, if you know him, pass this message along. Stop reading your own books.

Good book

Would you consider the audio edition of Bag of Bones to be better than the print version?

I've never physically read this book. I've seen the movie, but it was like they weren't the same. I remember the movie, but the book for me was better.

What about Stephen King’s performance did you like?

I didn't think King is the best narrator, but I do think that he gave the characters and scenes just the right touch.

Scare Me

If you enjoy being scared, especially by mundane occurances, ie, a trip into the basement, then you will love this story. No understands the simple things that can freighten like Stephen King. If there exists an achetype for fear in the collective unconscious of humanity, then King has tapped into those forces. His narration of this story is perfection. I have listened to many of his audiobooks and thus far this is my favorite.

Great story as you'd expect from Stephen King!

This audio book was extra good seeing as King read it himself. The story was very good as much as you'd expect from Stephen King. The overall story turned out quite differently than I obyriginally thought it would be about. He kind of went in a different direction than I originally thought which is great do as not to be too predictable. And the relationship that the main character Mike has with the baby girl Kyra was adorable. Reminds me of my baby girl. Overall the story was classic King!!! Very good listen!

Excellent to the very end.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, hard to put down, layered story with lots of spooks.

What did you like best about this story?

The layers woven into the story.

Did Stephen King do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

He did well. He is no actor as I've heard him admit but he does a good job of communicating the energy of his book though his reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, very much so.