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Lisey's Story

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Mare Winningham
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Publisher's summary

Now an Apple TV+ limited series starring Julianne Moore and Clive Owen

The “haunting...tender, intimate book that makes an epic interior journey” (The New York Times), Lisey’s Story is a literary masterpiece - an extraordinarily moving and haunting portrait of a marriage and its aftermath.

Lisey lost her husband, Scott, two years ago, after a 25-year marriage of profound and sometimes frightening intimacy. Scott was an award-winning, best-selling novelist and a very complicated man. Early in their relationship, before they married, Lisey knew there was a place Scott went - a place that both terrified and healed him, could eat him alive or give him the ideas he needed in order to live. Now it’s Lisey’s turn to face Scott’s demons, to go to that terrifying place known as Boo’ya Moon. What begins as a widow’s effort to sort through the papers of her celebrated husband becomes a nearly fatal journey into the darkness he inhabited.

“Intricate...exhilarating” (The New Yorker), perhaps Stephen King’s most personal and powerful novel ever, Lisey’s Story is about the wellsprings of creativity, the temptations of madness, and the secret language of love. It is a beautiful, “rich portrait of a marriage, and the complicated affection that outlives death” (The Washington Post).

Don't miss more from Stephen King.
©2006 Stephen King (P)2006 Simon and Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"As much about the facets of longtime marriage as it is about the characters themselves, Lisey's Story offers a poignant glimpse at abiding love and the tides of grief, and the internal language of relationships of all kinds." (Atlantic Monthly)

"In Lisey's Story, Stephen King makes bold, brilliant use of his satanic storytelling gift, his angelic ear for language, and above all his incomparable ability to find the epic in the ordinary." (Michael Chabon)

"Lisey's Story is bright and brilliant. It's dark and desperate. While I'll always consider The Shining, my first ride on King's wild Tilt-A-Whirl, a gorgeous, bloody jewel, I found, on this latest ride, a treasure box heaped with dazzling gems. A few of them have sharp, hungry teeth." (Nora Roberts)

Featured Article: We're Your #1 Fans—A Stephen King Character Guide


With a mind-boggling portfolio of 62 novels and more than 200 short stories (and counting!), Stephen King undeniably reigns supreme over literary horror. From Danny Torrance to the dreaded Pennywise, check out some of his most iconic characters with this comprehensive look. (But beware: there are spoilers ahead! So, much like when you press play on a Stephen King audiobook, you should proceed with caution.)

What listeners say about Lisey's Story

Average customer ratings
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    2 out of 5 stars

A little hard to follow

The story started off a bit slow and was very confusing actually. About Mid story it picked up and started to make sense. It ended very good though. Not my Favorite King book but not terrible either. Middle of the road. 11.22.63 is still my favorite. If you haven't read it, go read it instead of this one!

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<3

I’m ashamed to say that I put off reading this book for more than a decade because love stories just aren’t my thing. Im glad I relented because I loved this love story. Only Stephen King could find a way to weave such an intimate love into a truly scary story. This book gutted me. It reached right into my chest and gave my soul a squeeze- I loved every minute of it. The narration was perfect, I loved this book tremendously.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Stephen King is a Godsend

Honestly I read this back in 2008 and I didn't like it, but I got it to listen to at work to pass time, which was a bad idea. This audio book captivated me allowing me to see this book in a whole new way. It really is an epic tale of love, paranormal, and all sorts of emotions. Kudos to King on this one.

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Great narration

The actor performing this story is superb King developed the characters very realistically
Loved the plot

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Stephen King never fails

The narrator was perfect. Great story. Loved it! Very imaginative. Felt like an adventure. Fun, creepy, moving.

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Lisey's Story

loved it, especially Mare, telling me a story, but I love anything Stephen King. I cant wait to be told another story.

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interesting read

this book was oddly enthralling... not scary, just intriguing and made you want to continue listening.

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a homerun for Stephen King

I loved it it was awesome their story was great the characters was real and you could really feel their anguish and their sympathy and real ability to connect with them

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hmmmm, different.

The story was hard for me at first. The narrator is the main reason I kept listening. She did an amazing job. The story turned out to be good I appreciated its subtle references. At times I found myself thinking, "where does he come up with this stuff?" Then I realize, he has drank the water of the pool ;)

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable King Novel

I really like most Stephen King stories and this one, while not my favorite, was a very good listen. The reader was excellent and I got lost in the story (which is what I like best about King's stories). It was definitely a slower build, which doesn't bother me, and it was a bit of a tear jerker at times too.

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