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Hearts in Atlantis

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Hearts in Atlantis

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

 Hearts in Atlantis is composed of five interconnected, sequential narratives, set in the years from 1960 to 1999. Each story is deeply rooted in the sixties, and each is haunted by the Vietnam War.

In Part One, "Low Men in Yellow Coats", 11-year-old Bobby Garfield discovers a world of predatory malice in his own neighbourhood. He also discovers that adults are sometimes not rescuers, but at the heart of the terror.

In the title story, a group of college students get hooked on a card game, discover the possibility of protest...and confront their own collective heart of darkness, where laughter may be no more than the thinly disguised cry of the beast.

In "Blind Willie" 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 as haunted -- as their own lives.

And in "Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling", this remarkable book's denouement, Bobby returns to his hometown where one final secret, the hope of redemption, and his heart's desire may await him.

Full of danger and suspense, most of all full of heart, Hearts in Atlantis will take some listeners to a place they have never been, and others to a place they have never been able to completely leave.

©1999 Stephen King (P)1999 Simon and Schuster Inc. Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Genre Fiction Horror Short Stories War & Military Scary Heartfelt

Critic Reviews

"An incredibly gifted writer, whose writing, like Truman Capote's, is so fluid that you often forget that you're reading." ( Guardian)
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I have loved Stephen Kings books for a coons age they have always brought me. grate joy and Hearts in Atlantis is 1 of those books The nation was awesome Thank you Willism Hert And Stephen king Loved it 💖💖💖💖💖🔥

Hearts in Atlantis

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I loved this book when I read it years ago, and I have absolutely loved listening to it. I didn't want it to end. It's been a good while since an audiobook has made me laugh out loud - even longer since one made me cry, but Hearts in Atlantis did both.
William Hurt did a fantastic job with the narration (and great to hear the author too).
Stephen King may be lauded as the master of horror, but in my humble opinion, he is a master at writing about our humanity... our fallibility, our moments of heroism, our fears, our hearts. And he's a master of nostalgia. I just love it when he writes kids.
Thanks, Mr King. Thanks, Mr Hurt.
My heart may be a little bent after that one..

Hearts in Atlantis

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Couldn't wait to get in my car to listen to the next chapter. Great story and excellent narrator!

How to play the card game Hearts?

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This is an amazing book which gives strange insights into the Vietnam War experience from a range of perspectives. The narration is spot on, suiting all characters strangely well. I always love King’s character development and this is another prime example of his abilities in this space.

Glorious text, perfectly aligned narration

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Well where to start? William Hurt does a wonderful job, he reads the first and last stories in this collection. He reads in a relaxed way but when it calls for it he really fires up with passion and emotion. Stephen King himself reads the middle tale, always good to hear an author read his own work.
The tales are all interwoven, the first is the one the Film was based on but as I said they are all connected. The Dark Tower connection makes this part of a much bigger story, although reading of that is not necessary, but definitely recommended. True King fans will love this, it's all together a beautifully crafted tale.Enjoy

Brilliant

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I didn’t experience the sixties but the book took me to a place where I certainly could experience what it was to have been there. King certainly captures the essence of the time and accompanies it with his famous storytelling. Read beautifully. Thank you.

Magic

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A bit of a different beat for King, in some parts at least, but a complete journey through the lives of multiple characters and their critical events. Only wish would be to maybe halve the musical interludes, but only because of how it affects listening at higher speeds. Think I need to re-read Dark Tower again now to understand the greater depth behind some of the later events.

Great interwoven collection of stories!

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Loved the first story the most, as I had been wanting the DT tie in.
SK narrating the 2nd & 3rd was better than the first time I heard him, but was a bit weird changing narrator in the middle.
Overall, enjoyable short story book.

Good Book

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Love it, it's slow at point and it may feel odd as you read, but worth it

A story of life itself...

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I remember trying to read "Hearts in Atlantis" over 20 years ago but unable to continue with the book beyond the novella, 'Low Men....' that first story was so evocative, beautiful and painful and I couldn't bear the disconnect with the subsequent story, 'Hearts in Atlantis.' Soon after, I saw the film directed by Scott Hicks, starring Anthony Hopkins, having read that it was based almost solely on the novella - I had such high hopes but found the film unrecognizable and disappointing.
Years passed and now I am returning to some King works and discovering new ones (I'm 3 years younger than King and female, but I grew up in the States and he writes what I know/knew in Texas in the 60's-'70's ).
So, I came back to 'Hearts in Atlantis,' in audiobook format this time, with memories of those earlier times, but a lot of change and living added on. This time, I 'read' the whole thing, listening to William Hurt's perfect performance of the first and last stories, interposed with Stephen King's dissonant, grating but also perfect narration of his own writing, the second and third stories. And, this time, this format, it works - I get it - the 'disconnect' is gone, or it's there and it works.
Hurt's voice contrasted with King's voice, the music, the rich, complex history of those tortured years told through Bobby, Carol, Sully, Pete, Willy, LBJ, Mama San, Wheelock, Mickey and Sylvia....
Memorable and now my favourite King novel, maybe my favourite Audible, too.

King wrote the stories, Hurt's narration is sublim

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