A Face in the Crowd

By: Stephen King, Stewart O'Nan

Narrated by: Craig Wasson

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

The writing team that delivered the bestselling Faithful, about the 2004 Red Sox championship season, takes listeners to the ballpark again, and to a world beyond.

Dean Evers, an elderly widower, sits in front of the television with nothing better to do than waste his leftover evenings watching baseball. It’s Rays/Mariners, and David Price is breezing through the line-up. Suddenly, in a seat a few rows up beyond the batter, Evers sees the face of someone from decades past, someone who shouldn’t be at the ballgame, shouldn’t be on the planet. And so begins a parade of people from Evers’s past, all of them occupying that seat behind home plate. Until one day Dean Evers sees someone even eerier….

©2012 Stephen King and Stewart Nan (P)2012 Simon & Schuster Audio

Perfect Match

After listening all of Stephen King's books that have ever been published, I am still excited to read another title from SK, even if its just a very short story. As a SK's follower, the constant reader knows that King have a passion for baseball.

I even read the "Faithful", about the Red Sox winning in 2004. It's not a surprise that he would write a story on the game, but what is surprising, that he had a co author for "A Face in the Crowd." Maybe because Stewart O'Nan was a co author of the "Faithful" also.

It is a perfect match between the two authors because they are both die hard into baseball.

Nevertheless, SK's novels and his novellas never gets old.

Unless you are a huge Red Sox fan, skip "Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season", because its a baseball diary between Stephen King and his friends.

As for "A Face in the Crowd", its a classic writing, short and demented.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Short and Though Provoking, Disappointing Ending..

Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan combine to create a haunting tale of baseball and ghosts in A Face in the Crowd. Have you ever watched a game of baseball and paid attention to the people in the crowd sitting behind home plate? Probably not, but after listening to this story you might look a little bit closer.

Dean Evers is a baseball fan, newly moved from New England to Florida. While watching baseball on his new HDTV, he starts to notice people from his past sitting behind home plate. He sees his childhood dentist, a kid he used to make fun of in school, his deceased wife, his business partner. Through these characters we explore Dean's life and learn his story. His story is haunted and interesting. I was genuinely excited to see who would show up behind home plate next, and what this character would teach us about Dean.

This setup is very well done, but unfortunately it doesn't follow through to the end of the story. The ending was a major disappointment. It's so abrupt, that I honestly thought my iPhone hadn't downloaded the complete audiobook or something. There was a lot of potential in this story, and I think I'd have a much higher opinion of it with a stronger ending.

Craig Wasson's performance is excellent, and fits the style of this novella very well.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Kept me reading

This is not one of Stephen Kings best but it was interesting enough to keep me reading.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

It's ok<br />

very predictable, good narration. It was a nice read, could have been better. Ok read.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Short Story

This was an interesting little short story, a surprising ending to an old mans life, written beautifully, and narrated well.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Short.... but thought provoking

What made the experience of listening to A Face in the Crowd the most enjoyable?

Good story, but way too short. Wish the whole this was fleshed out in the usual style.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Life Revealed ~ Between the Pitches

A clever tale, wonderfully told, ably narrated, uncharacteristically brief (at least for Steven King).

This is a great one-hour (or so) listen ~ a morality play of sorts ~ with BASEBALL.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

We're talking Baseball

As always, Stephen King (this time with Stewart O' Nan) can create a great character, and he does so once again here. The premise is the main character Dean Evers is seeing faces from his life in the crowd of a televised baseball game. Many of them are deceased and it doesn't seem possible. He is determined to get to the bottom of it. There is a nice surprise in here and its a fun quick listen with Craig Wassen giving a very strong performance. As is sometimes the case with a Stephen King book, the ending is a bit anti climactic, but overall I found it enjoyable.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

King as sole writer is better

The spotting of the third person in the crowd was a 'tell' for me. Mr. Wasson was great and the story was OK. I would not discourage any King fan from this story because there is a message here.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Excellent story, excellent narration!

it was an engaging story. As with all truly engaging stories, it was over far too soon. The narration was top-notch!