Hearts in Atlantis

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King, William Hurt

Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Each of these five interconnected, sequential narratives, set in the years from 1960 to 1999, are deeply rooted in the 60s culture and the haunting images of the Vietnam War. "Low Men in Yellow Coats" is the story of 11-year-old Bobby Garfield who discovers a world of predatory malice in his own neighborhood. Bobby also discovers that adults are sometimes not rescuers but at the heart of the terror. In the title story, a bunch of college kids get hooked on a card game when they discover the possibility of protest. In "Blind Willy" and "Why We're in Vietnam," two men who grew up with Bobby in suburban Connecticut try to fill the emptiness of the post-Vietnam era in an America which sometimes seems as hollow - and haunted - as their own lives. And in "Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling," this remarkable work's denouement, Bobby returns to his hometown where one final secret, the hope of redemption, and his heart's desire may await him.

©1999 Stephen King, All Rights Reserved, (P)1999 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

"We now know what Stephen King, the master of horror, is afraid of. The Vietnam War...scares him so bad he won't let his hero act imprudently." (The New York Times)
"...Hurt skillfully evokes pathos from the story's fine detailing...." (Publishers Weekly)

Great writing, but I was disappointed with story

Let me start by saying that I love Stephen King novels. This definitely feels different for him, but still it's fantastic writing. To be fair I did not know that this was a collection of short stories. The cover art is a reference to the the first story and the movie (which I never saw), but 'Hearts in Atlantis' is actually the 2nd short story, so maybe that is where my confusion came from. They really should have called the movie something else. The first story I absolutely loved and wanted to see it continue. I wish we could have followed the men in the yellow coats. I am also reading The Dark Tower series and was excited when King tied these stories together. But after the 1st short story, I couldn't get into the rest. I forced myself to get through it because a lot of people really love this book. Also I am sad to say that I while I really liked William Hurt's voice for audio, I did not care for Stephen King's voice work as much.

woohoo

So glad I listen to this. A lot more "information" than the movie. So good.

Intriguing mystery with the story

I like the character depth. It pulled you into the story. I didn't like the foul mouth language. I like the different angles,twist and turns. William Hurt was excellent in his storytelling.

Just alright

I was very delighted to learn how much this tied into the Dark Tower series

Stephen king sucks as a narrator

OMG! I’m a major fan of Kings work but i couldn’t finish listening to his narration of this book! King!!! Please stick to writing these wonderful books for us and NEVER EVER narrate another audiobook!!!

Great story, amazing narration.

It was hard to see how these stories would all come together, but he did it. Some powerful writing by King. He really knows how to paint a word picture like nobody else.

Heartwarming and Frightening

I listened to this in an effort to get all of the good prequel books before reading the Dark Tower Series, and wow, am I glad I did! The first story is an incredibly heartwarming tale of friendship and childhood love. As with most King novels, it tells a story of a loss of childhood innocence. The rest of the stories tell about individuals stories through a progression of the Vietnam War, from kids in college making a decision to go to school to avoid the draft, deciding to serve, or getting passionate about protesting. It progresses through the war and after and tells a horrifying story of what Veterans of "The Green" have to deal with as the remember the the horrific events they experienced.

All of the stories have a different protagonist, but their stories are all intertwined together.

Stephen King narrates a few of the stories and he's a pleasure to listen to. However, I don't know that I have ever heard a better narrator than William Hurt. He reads a little slow, but the way he tells the story makes you get lost in his words.

As far as the Dark Tower series goes, I'm very glad I listened to this book, because it's evident there will be a lot of characters reoccurring in the Dark Tower books.

Excellent! A must read!

From story to to performances by Hurt and King. Pure Excellence! This book transports you through time. Loved it!

What's with the music?!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The book is okay and it ties into the Dark Tower series but this production had this crazy Benny Hill- style music that really took you out of the story. Stephen King readers are used to crazy timelines so I can't imagine it was to aid in the understanding the gaps in time in the plot. I don't know, it was terrible.

If you’ve listened to books by Stephen King before, how does this one compare?

It was okay.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Stephen King and William Hurt ?

Mr. Hurt. While this was a far better reading that "Wind Through the Keyhole", Mr. King should stick to writing the stories.

well...

I love William Hurt, but this was not his best performance. The story is great though, especially if you've read the Dark Tower series.