Gwendy's Button Box

Includes Bonus Story "The Music Room"

By: Stephen King, Richard Chizmar

Narrated by: Maggie Siff

Length: 2 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

The little town of Castle Rock, Maine, has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told...until now.

There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974, 12-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by strong (if time-rusted) iron bolts and zigzag up the cliffside.

At the top of the stairs, Gwendy catches her breath and listens to the shouts of the kids on the playground. From a bit farther away comes the chink of an aluminum bat hitting a baseball as the Senior League kids practice for the Labor Day charity game.

One day a stranger calls to Gwendy: "Hey, girl. Come on over here for a bit. We ought to palaver, you and me."

On a bench in the shade sits a man in black jeans, a black coat like for a suit, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small, neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat....

Journey back to Castle Rock again in this chilling new novella by Stephen King, best-selling author of The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, and Richard Chizmar, award-winning author of A Long December. This book will be a Cemetery Dance Publications exclusive with no other editions currently planned anywhere in the world!

INCLUDES A CONVERSATION BETWEEN STEPHEN KING & RICHARD CHIZMAR!

©2017 Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. All rights reserved. "The Music Room" copyright 2016 Stephen King. All rights reserved. (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Maggie Siff narrates with touches of nostalgia, wonder, and insecurity that beautifully capture Gwendy's adolescence. Though the horror elements are effective, it's Gwendy's coming-of-age that truly resonates. Siff characterizes Farris as blandly likable but with intangible menace - listeners, like Gwendy, will be both wary and intrigued. In the bonus short story, 'The Music Room,' Siff's highfalutin accents perfectly complement the story's mix of black humor and wickedness." ( AudioFile)

Surprised

No crazy climax, jump out surprised or horror here, interesting, makes you think type of story. Very short but I don't feel it would have added anything to the story for it to be longer. A lot of people feel this story falls short and after reading the reviews I wasn't expecting much. I was very intrigued and pleasantly surprised however. I would recommend it but don't go in expecting typical Stephan King work.

Palaver...

Was excited to see this pop up under King! I enjoyed the whole Monkey Paw vibe. I do wish it was longer so that we had more back story from Ferris to David to Olivia. I know it was a quite burn bit I liked the character buildup - hence the want for more development. I did love the idea if The Suicide Stairs.

short story with a kick

this is my first short story read from Stephen King. I thoroughly enjoyed it lots of drama things happen quickly story shaped up very fast and a very good ending.

Loved this short story!!

Also LOVED the Music Room! Wish that one was a novella as well! Absolutely loved Maggie Siff reading this! Overall Stephen King is awesome! Happy I'm starting to read some of his works that I would of normally read! Also....LOVE Castle Rock 😝😝

Loved it!

Another great story from the King! This was my introduction to Chizmar and I cannot wait to read some of his work.

Enjoyable

A good collaboration between King and Chizmar. Weak at times but a good story just the same. Maggie Siff did an excellent job narrating.

Amazing

I love this story and Maggie Siff. It couldn't have been written or read better.

I Mean, It's Stephen King, So...

I can't imagine ever rating Stephen King less than perfect, although I would if I had reason to. The narrator for this was good, which helps a lot. The story is pretty unique, and I just realized there are two authors and that is probably why. The ending was satisfying, which is important to me, and the main character was very well written. As with almost everything SK writes, I was invested within a couple of sentences, and remained so throughout.

1st Audible to keep my attention til the end

This is the only audible that has ever been able to captivate me, keep my attention til the end.
Usually I veer off into something else in an ADD frenzy, often listening to the same chapter over and over again, my brain is too loud.
Of course, Stephen King can keep my attention like no other, sticks to the story like him, at no expense of flair or style.
This story is actually a collaboration, he started emailing with a fan named Richard, and sent him an a story he had sitting around that he had not finished, propositioned him- if he thought he could finish it, then here ya go, have at it. Have at it he did, and the result was surprisingly readable.
This is the first collaboration I've read with King that I can't discern where one author sets down and the other picks up. Their voices blend to make a third voice, "much as when you're recording a song and people harmonize".
Very good story, seamless & smooth writing, pure story without tripping up on windfalls of language or back story. No fluff, just story.
This would be my first recommendation to try Audibles.

5 stars with a but...

The story itself is so very interesting but the read through seems so short, like there was story missing.