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)

I'm so glad I gave the audible version a chance! No regrets!

I have tried reading this book twice; I own the hardback. However, both times I set it aside and never finished. As a Constant Reader that embarrasses me to say so! When I found it on Audible and read by SK himself I thought "hey, that's something". I'm SO glad I did! If you've ever been skeptical about reading this novel, take my advice and listen to it instead. It is now one of my new King favorites.

Tragic and Beautiful

Any additional comments?

Stephen King is a master of the written word, and Bag of Bones is one of my favorites in his portfolio. I love how Mr. King uses the horror genre to speak to the deep human issues. Bag of Bones, like most of his novels, has both depth and suspense, and I always end up "haunted" by the scenes and ideas he transmits, thinking about them for a long time after I finish the book. The only problem is that, once I pick up a SK novel, I am unable to put it down until the end. That's why I love SK in the audio format - it allows me to keep reading no matter what else I'm doing.

The Best Stephen King Novel Ever

This book is one of Stephen King's few books that don't leave you feeling like the book justed ended. The story is drags you in and holds you all the way to the end. It has all of the elements I look for in a book: paranormal, romance, and a good scare. Great book and Stephen King does an awesome job as the narrator. You really believe he is Mike Noonan.

what a twist

loved this book. Will recommend to all my friends. what a surprising twist, it was.

This is one for Stephen King fans!

Stephen King novels are like Lays Potato Chips, you just won't be satisfied with one. SK's books really have become my guilty pleasure, and this one is another that I just couldn't stop listening too! This book kept me on my toes! If you enjoy The King then you have to have this one in your collection. This is a great book! It is always hard for me at first when Stephen King narrates his own book, but to be honest, as much time as it takes to get used to it, I am actually kind of disappointed now when I listen to one and he doesn't narrate it.

There's so much in there

If I see the word "ghost" in a book summary, I stop there & move on. Don't know why I got this one-- maybe just because I like Stephen King. Anyway, it turns out, it's not about ghosts & poltergeists. but about how the past lives on in families & communities until somebody faces up to it. Also that it can't be done alone. But there is so much more there, getting deeper as the story moves on. There are thoughts and truths that don't immediately impact the story but King interweaves them in a way that strengthens it -- they aren't just appendages used to propound some idea... he makes them part of the whole.

Lol, there are so many reviews that I doubt anybody will see this one at the bottom of the pile, but I just had to talk about it a little :)

The secrets will come out

When Joanna was suddenly killed in a car accident Mike has issues dealing with her loss. Four years later he is still having issues with the loss of his wife, he is having writer block and issues with continuing to write anything because he is grieving all the time. When he moves into his summer house he meets a nice local woman in an unusual situation, for some reason this woman and her child stay on his mind, he has strong feelings for them and he can’t explain where those feelings came from and why he is having them. At the same time, he starts hearing voices and having bad dreams while he has been staying in the house at Sarah Laughs, he is encountered by a ghostly figure that seems to want to tell him something but what? What does this ghostly figure want from him or want to help him with? When Mike starts asking questions about the past and the families that were first on the land he starts finding out more than what he bargained for. Is this whole town trying to hide the past from him, who can he trust? This book is a great listen. And the favorite part to me is that Stephen King himself is reading it.

Great book

Music a bit distracting. But overall it was a good story. Another great King book.

Loved it.

Awesome story and narration!! Really enjoyed listening to this book. I will surely listen to it again.

Why didn’t I read this earlier?

Bag of Bones by Stephen King takes you on a journey between the “present” time and events that happened 100 years ago. It is a supernatural thrill ride with a number of interesting characters. If you like King you will enjoy this novel. Only criticism is the performance. The book is read by the author, and while he is a great writer he’s not the best performer. There is not much variation in his delivery Still, it is a good ride—and a long one at that (21 hours+). #KingistheKing #Horror #NewEngland #creepy #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes