Carrie

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Sissy Spacek, Margaret Atwood

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY MARGARET ATWOOD • Stephen King's legendary debut, the bestselling smash hit that put him on the map as one of America's favorite writers • In a world where bullies rule, one girl holds a secret power. Unpopular and tormented, Carrie White's life takes a terrifying turn when her hidden abilities become a weapon of horror.

"Stephen King’s first novel changed the trajectory of horror fiction forever. Fifty years later, authors say it’s still challenging and guiding the genre."—Esquire

“A master storyteller.”—The Los Angeles Times • “Guaranteed to chill you.”—The New York Times • "Gory and horrifying. . . . You can't put it down."—Chicago Tribune

Unpopular at school and subjected to her mother's religious fanaticism at home, Carrie White does not have it easy. But while she may be picked on by her classmates, she has a gift she's kept secret since she was a little girl: she can move things with her mind. Doors lock. Candles fall. Her ability has been both a power and a problem. And when she finds herself the recipient of a sudden act of kindness, Carrie feels like she's finally been given a chance to be normal. She hopes that the nightmare of her classmates' vicious taunts is over . . . but an unexpected and cruel prank turns her gift into a weapon of horror so destructive that the town may never recover.

©1974 Stephen King (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Stephen King has built a literary genre of putting ordinary people in the most terrifying situations. . . . he’s the author who can always make the improbable so scary you'll feel compelled to check the locks on the front door.”—The Boston Globe

“Shivering, shuddery, macabre evil!”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Eerie and haunting—sheer terror!”—Publishers Weekly

Soothing voice

I enjoyed Sissy Spacek’s reading of Carrie. I like listing to books as I don’t have time to sit and read. This is my 2nd book by Stephen King. I have watched most of the book to movie adaptations.

I love Carrie

So gooooood I loved this story so much suspense was so great I was only so nervous.

Holy Moly

Holy moly. I can certainly see why it propelled his career into the stratosphere. This was King's first published novel and it didn't disappoint. As a matter of fact, it was incredible. The dark mysterious tone that he created throughout the book was clearly years ahead of its time.

I loved the depth he brought to the main character and her mother. The conflict was real and was very deep. I felt it all the way.

I also felt the sadness of the book, king captured it so well.

My only criticism is that the end of the book talks about the town as though it was another character but nowhere else in the book. did it do that. I would have liked some depth given to the town earlier on in the novel. But honestly, that's the only thing I have to say. amazing.

I will add that sissy spacek narration was a little weird. When she was narrating the story it was not that good but when she was acting out characters lines it was fantastic.

So much better than I thought it would be

King is so good at his narration and character development/dialog. I always thought this was a pretty hokey premise for a story, but I was so wrong. And the narrator was simply fantastic.

Pleasantly Surprised

I was familiar with the movie, of course, and have read many of the later Stephen King novels. As this wss his first published novel, I was expecting it to be less well done than the later books. While you can tell he DID improve in later works, this book has held up well over so much time.

Sissy Spacek did an excellent job reading the story with feeling, there were a couple of things that would sometimes take me out of the story. First, it was often difficult to hear the difference in each character. The other thing is not really her fault, but does jar the listener a bit, and that is Spacek's accent. She's from Texas and it shows. The story is, unfortunately for Spacek, set in Maine.

Over all I enjoyed it very much!

Amazing as expected!

Finally got around to Carrie. My SK journey has been all over the place. I figured I had to listen to this one as being one of SK first. It’s amazing. Sissy Spacek narrating is perfect. From watching the movie many times to finally listening to actual book with her narrating. Chefs kiss 😘 it was so good! Funny this book is like a prequel to The Institute. If you haven’t read that yet do it!!!!

Great Performance

This performance was top notch. Will listen to anything she does. Very well done. Stayed engaged.

I loved this story and love Stephen King

I loved this story and love Stephen King. fantastic book, one of kings, finest, especially because it was his first

Good Book

Cool having Sissy read. She has such a natural country freshness in her voice. I would have liked to have seen Sissy in a cameo of the rebooted version of the movie. She will always represent the true Carrie!

Brilliant

Listening to Sissy Spacek read Carrie is a real treat. She portrayed Carrie so brilliantly in the original film, and it's a joy to hear her read the full novel.