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Bag of Bones

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Bag of Bones

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Stephen King
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About this listen

The number one best seller: King at the peak of his powers - at once a first-rate suspense novel, a legal thriller, a haunted house story and a love story.

When Mike Noonan's wife dies unexpectedly, the best-selling author suffers from writer's block. Until he is drawn to his summer home, the beautiful lakeside retreat called Sara Laughs.

Here Mike finds the once familiar town in the tyrannical grip of millionaire Max Devore. Devore is hell-bent on getting custody of his deceased son's daughter and is twisting the fabric of the community to this purpose.

Three year old Kyra and her young mother turn to Mike for help. And Mike finds them increasingly irresistible.

But there are other more sinister forces at Sara Laughs - and Kyra can feel them too....

© Stephen King; Recording © and (P) Simon & Schuster Inc. Ghosts Horror Supernatural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Paranormal Haunted Fiction Law
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One of my favourite books by Stephen King that I have read countless times but to listen to it being read by the author himself added an extra dimension to the story.

Great book

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A beautiful and haunting love letter from the author to the reader, as well as the characters to each other.... Oh, and an excellent ghost story!

Love and Ghosts

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The Master in full flight. This is a very high quality production that ticks all of the boxes - a well-told spooky story, read by the author, very well recorded and produced with some light musical interludes, nice interview at the end. Run, Tabby run!

An exemplary audiobook

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Aug 2025: Contrary to what I wrote in my original review, I HAVE gone ahead and re- listened to Bag of Bones. In consequence of this second listen, I have added one star each to my overall rating and to Stephen King's narration, but not the story itself. I was more invested and interested in the book this time and I STILL value the interview following the reading more than the story.
Here's what I wrote after my first listen:

This may be damning with faint praise, but here goes: the aspect or element I most appreciated in this audiobook was the interview with Stephen King which followed his reading of his novel (and one had to listen to the novel in order to fully appreciate the interview). It was interesting to hear King's comments and explanations of his process and the influences informing his work. I was already aware of King's wide-ranging literary interests, and of recurring themes in his works over the decades, but it is still gratifying to recognize shared passions as one reads (Bradbury, Salinger, Robert Johnson, Munch, Beach Boys, Steinbeck.....). The interviewer was very skillful and clearly appreciative of King's work as well, enhancing that interview further.
About the book itself, and the narration and musical interludes, I feel less enthusiastic. I have several of King's books in my Audible library and I "re-read" them periodically (just as I re-read favourite written works, again and again ). Bag of Bones is NOT one that I want to revisit. I experienced both dread and boredom while listening and more than once was tempted to abandon it entirely. I am glad in the end that I persisted, in part because I came to appreciate King's voice and emotion as the story progressed, but primarily because it led to those 28 minutes which followed the conclusion of the book.

Bag of Bones - Updated review 2025

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What did you like most about Bag of Bones?

I liked the idea behind the story - about the wife finding out about something and trying to keep her husband safe, and then dying and him thinking she'd been cheating but she wasn't...

Would you recommend Bag of Bones to your friends? Why or why not?

No. It's too long winded. I also didn't feel the ending was right.
And definitely not the audio book - omg Stephen King's voice can rival nails down a blackboard

Would you be willing to try another one of Stephen King’s performances?

Nope. While I can see mega benefits of having the author reading his (or her) own novels, I just can't listen to Stephen King's voice.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were a few times I laughed and cried. But I'm not going to say when, as that would give away spoilers

Any additional comments?

If you don't mind Stephen King's voice then you might be happy to listen to this audio book.

Hmm - not convinced.

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love when the author reads the story. It's one that draws you in to the very end. A ride with so many twists and turns it makes it hard to let go.

exceptional

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Great ghost story
Don’t usually love the addition of music in audiobooks but this was really well done
Loved the interview with SK at the end of the recording too
Good production

Ghost Story

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Great story with a tragic twist. The music to break up the narrative is a welcome addition.

Interesting ghost story

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I always love it when Stephen reads his own books. The use of instruments in this particular recording were second to none. The producer and the band should be applauded!

Perfect

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This is a terrific book, which I had read before and thought was one of his best. He reads and tells a story beautifully, and the music woven sporadically through was just right. A haunting and lovely tale that builds and grows and seeps into your bones.

Quintessential Stephen King.

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