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)

Short stories are always hit or miss

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

I'm not sure. The first story was great! The second was pretty good. The last 2 were just plain weird!

Would you be willing to try another book from Stephen King? Why or why not?

I like his novels, but am beginning to feel like his short stories aren't worth getting. I loved his earlier short stories, but the ones I have bought lately have been too strange.

Needed to do it again😎

I read this book before and I just finished the audio version! Three stories in one and I enjoyed each story for it’s worth ! I especially liked the last story about Willie the blind vet.Steven King’s movie of the same name came very close with the book except a few altered scenes that weren’t written in the book ! Usually most screen play writers make havoc on his books “lawn Mower man” for an example!😎enjoy Wizardcatcher

Great piece of work

Masterful story - King managed to not stick spoilers into the narrative which I think worked well for this story.

William Hurt is absolutely great.

Well directed, effective music.

One of the great King books imho.

William Hurt is fantastic! And it's a great Book!

What made the experience of listening to Hearts in Atlantis the most enjoyable?

William Hurt was fantastic in his reading of King's novel. By far the best performer I've run across and I will search out any other work he's done. Highly recommend this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hearts in Atlantis?

King builds a story like no one else. His description of Vietnam was both familiar and chilling. Love the interwoven stories.

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

I think it's great to hear the writer "tell" his own story and the addition of William Hurt helps to make this work a home run.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Willie's redemption was very touching. Kudos to King and that magnificent imagination of his.

Any additional comments?

Stephen King has too often been pigeon-holed as a horror author when in fact he is a master-craftsman of story telling. His talent is far underappreciated in my opinion.

Another interesting and oddly woven story

I read this book when it first came out. I relistened because I remember how much I loved this story. So rich with interwoven themes and characters. The narrator grew on me as the story developed. Having SK read his story is the best.

Excellent listen

The narrator was a bit breathy and quiet, but the story was so rich it wasn't too distracting. Excellent listen, this is top 3 King for me.

Great job with this... :)

Loved it - followed a bit sluggishly until I caught the rhythm and the 'who the hell is this now? worked itself out... And I believe that was just me being my normal, dense self... Total 5 of 5.

Mostly a tale of drama.

I am a big King fan, but I tend to gravitate towards his horror writing more than anything else.

Hearts in Atlantis is a collection of short stories that all tie in together by the characters introduced in the first story, "Low men in yellow coats".

It is by far the longest and most interesting of the stories as it not only sets up all of the characters for the rest of the stories, but also contains the majority of plot, as well as tying in to the Dark Tower series.

Unfortunately, the rest of the short stories are really nothing more than stories about all of the other characters, how they grew up and what happened to them.

If I'm being honest, I feel like Low men in yellow coats is really the only worthwhile story to read or in this case, listen to.

Too wonderful!!

I’m almost sorry I read this because I wish I could read it again.. that will have to wait for some time. Stephen King is BRILLIANT. A truly captivating and amazing author. I have enjoyed William Hurt as an actor for years. Mr. King could not have paired up with anyone more perfect for the narrative. WOW! What a team. And the music was perfect. For anyone who lived through those times the selections are incredibly “right on”. Kudos also to the great musicians. I had absolutely no trouble hearing the dialogue as some have said…don’t know why they did. It’s not a horror story per se, but it has great suspense. I loved it. Wish they would make a movie out of all three books, although just like IT they’d have to break it up. But maybe not. A movie is never as good as a book. Keep those grey cells in good shape Mr. King and continue to provide us such great literature and entertainment. To my Audible friends, you won’t regret buying this one in my humble opinion.

Sublime in parts

Parts 1 & 5 of this book are some of the best writing ever in my opinion - particularly Part 1 which had me gasping with its brilliance at times. They are a sublime combination of King at his descriptive best and Hurt’s amazing performance of that prose.
The middle Parts of the book fall short of Parts 1 & 5 in their enjoyment, partly because King himself narrates most of it (though in truth they do need a different voice than Hurt’s to help with the juxtaposition of character and setting).
Overall it’s a very good book with a mixture of brilliant writing and moments of ‘Why are we going there?’
Like a lot of King’s books the characters are the main triumph rather than the story, this is another example of that and the success in bringing those characters into such vivid life is a huge success over any failings of the story.