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  • Lisey's Story

  • Lisey's Story (Unabridged)
  • By: Stephen King
  • Narrated by: Mare Winningham
  • Length: 19 hrs and 21 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (701 ratings)
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Lisey's Story

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Mare Winningham
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Summary

Includes an Exclusive Interview with Stephen King and Apple TV+

Perhaps Stephen King's most personal and powerful novel and audiobook, LISEY'S STORY is a beautifully textured suspense narrative about the wellsprings of creativity, the temptations of madness and the secret language of love. Read by Mare Winningham.

Every marriage has two hearts, one light and one dark.

Lisey knew it when she first fell for Scott. And now he's dead, she knows it for sure.

Lisey was the light to Scott Landon's dark for twenty-five years. As his wife, only she saw the truth behind the public face of the famous author - that he was a haunted man whose bestselling novels were based on a terrifying reality.

Now Scott has gone, Lisey wants to lock herself away with her memories. But the fans have other ideas. And when the sinister threats begin, Lisey realises that, just as Scott depended on her strength - her light - to live, so she will have to draw on his darkness to survive.

©2006 Stephen King (P)2006 Simon and Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"Seriously creepy stories are more frightening heard than read. Your eye can skim the page, minimising the effect of the nasty bits, but such horrors become aqonisingly long and drawn out when narrated unabridged. Unabridged listening is the only way to do jsutice to the style and skill of such masters of the macabre as Stephen King." (The Times)

"Stephen King at his finest...a dazzling novel." (Nicholas Sparks)

"In Lisey's Story, Stephen King makes bold, brilliant use of his satanic storytelling gift, his angelic ear for language and, above all, his incomparable ability to find the epic in the ordinary." (Michael Chabon)

"Lisey's Story is bright and brilliant. It's dark and desperate. While I'll always consider The Shining, my first ride on King's wild Tilt-A-Whirl, a gorgeous, bloody jewel, I found, on this latest ride, a treasure box heaped with dazzling gems. A few of them have sharp, hungry teeth." (Nora Roberts)

What listeners say about Lisey's Story

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

great!

I haven't read a Stephen King book since 'Pet Sematary' more than 10 years ago. But the reviews of this book encouraged me to give it a go and I'm glad I did.

The narrator was wonderful and really brought all the charaters to life.

I listen to my books on the way to and from work and I have sometimes sat in the staff car park just to get to the end of the chapter.

Highly recommended

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Lisey's Story

As a huge Stephen King fan - and a 'constant reader' of his novels this was my first audio version of one of his books. I have to say that when it first started I was a little disappointed as I wasn't really sure which way it was going. However, I soon became enthralled as ever. In fact I got so enthralled - I normally have a 15 minute book slot to and from work - that I deliberately waited until going on a long car journey one weekend so that I could listen to the last section as I found that I couldn't cope with Mr Dooley's second visit in small snippets. Normally with a hard back book I'd sneak a peak at the end just to see how it turned out. No chance of that with an audio version.

Since reading the book I have found myself avoiding looking in mirrors at night - which is really rather silly..... but still....


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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Hard work

I persevered with this until the end because I'm stubborn and had read about other people giving up on the paper version of the book. I was expecting more, but this was Stephen King on auto-pilot. Perfectly competent. Shades of the Talisman/Territories, but without the true magic. It's a great way to while away a long, long drive, but felt a bit like hard work towards the end. Possibly for die-hard King fans and completists?

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

I love all (well, almost all) of Stephen King novels. This is one of his best. I felt such pity for the boyhood of Scott Langdon and for Lisey's loss of a husband, lover and friend. The insight into Scott's boyhood, adult mind and subsequent novels was brilliant. Will have to listen to it again and again and again.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Some good bits but mainly boring

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I love Stephen King but have got to say I was disappointed with Lisey's Story, I found myself drifting off frequently and had to keep rewinding because it just didn't keep my attention. To be honest I was relieved when it finished.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

I do not have the vocabulary to describe how much I loved this book, 5 stars are not enough.
From the first 30mins I was hooked, and really struggled to turn it off every time. I would get home from work and walk round my flat listening for just a bit longer, completely ignoring my boyfriend!
It?s so good, and it?s read so well, that you?re right there, with Lisey, all the way.
This is my favourite book of all time, not just of my audible book collection.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

loved it!

i really enjoyed this - quite different from some of his other stories - it was totally beliveable. at first the reader annoyed me but after a short time it seemed the right choice - this story suited her. i can almost believe that there is such a place as 'Boo'ya Moon' the sadness of his brothers life and of his own plus the despair - all conveyed masterly by King. however this is still quite a dark novel as are most of his - so it wont disappoint!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring!

I really wanted to enjoy this. I started listening to it straight after 23.11.63 which I was absolutely blown away by. That had been my foray back to King who I'd not read since the early 1990's. I knew the content of Liseys Story was different, but I hoped that I would still enjoy it. I'd read other reviews which said it was slow to start and to keep with it, but I confess - I've given up. I kept at it right into part 2 of the download but I just can't do it any more. It's depressing. The readers voice is borderline monotone and it just isn't going anywhere. I dare say that by part 3 it may actually begin to tell a coherent story, but I just can't bring myself to continue with it any further!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Worth sticking with it

There have been comments on the Amazon site that this book is overlong and way too wordy. There was only one point fairly early on where I felt this to be true; in the account when happened when Scott Landon planted a tree to mark the opening of a building or department at a university (sorry - bit hazy on the exact details!) This seemed to me to last for ever and I nearly gave up on the book at that point but am relieved I didn't as the rest of the book was excellent.
So, stick with it, fast forward through that part if you're tempted to give in, and you won't be disappointed.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Definitely King's worst

Would you try another book written by Stephen King or narrated by Mare Winningham?

Based on this book, I wouldn't read another King. Thankfully, I've read many of his other books so realise this is probably his blip rather than his regular output. Mare Winningham gives a great performance reading this book but cannot save it from being a dull story.

Has Lisey's Story put you off other books in this genre?

No. I have read other works by Stephen King and can clearly see this is the exception rather than the norm.

Which character – as performed by Mare Winningham – was your favourite?

They were all pretty dull but Winningham managed to put some life into all of them. I guess Lisey would be my favourite but her story and character left me wanting something more.

Did Lisey's Story inspire you to do anything?

After giving up twice on reading it before deciding to persevere just so I can claim I've read all his books, I guess it inspired me to read something else.

Any additional comments?

If anyone is wanting to read Stephen King's work, please leave this book as either one of the last ones or in the middle. If you read this first, you'd have avoided his other work like the plague. I'd recommend "The Stand" or "It" as a solid first book. Maybe "Skeleton Crew" or "Four Past Midnight" if you don't want to commit to a large novel or just want to try small nibbles.

Don't get me wrong, the story is solid but, compared to his other works, the characters are weak, the basic premise is a rehashing of "Rose Madder" which is significantly better and the 'married language' like replacing f**k with smuck starts off quaint but becomes tedious and annoying very quickly. More so when it's on practically every page. Do yourselves a favour and read one of his better works which, after reading this, is any of them.

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3 people found this helpful