Fantastic

An outstanding book made into an equally outstanding audiobook. Whether a Stephen King fan or not this book is a must. Despite reading this a few years ago I could hardly turn it off once I started listening. The magic I remembered from reading it was still there. Cannot recommend it enough.

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16 people found this helpful

Endearing and engaging

King on top form here with a beautifully constructed narrative spanning 5 novellas. As is often the case his characters truly feel alive. Narrated expertly by both King and Hurt.

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2 people found this helpful

Cosy King at its best

I read this I’m the middle of reading the Dark Tower books (after Wolves of the Calla) looking to continue the DT universe but wanting something with a bit of a change of pace. Hearts was spot on - Cosy King (as they call it) at its very best. Don’t view it as short stories that can be read in any order however as they all really make up the same big story so read all five in order and back to back.

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Amazing

Heart breaking coming of age story to the cruel reality of growing up. Brilliant book.

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William Hurt. Oh Dear Oh Dear.

Wonderful story. In my opinion it's Stephen King's best, and he's produced some very good books over the years. But dear oh dear. What possessed Audible to have William Hurt as the narrator? The man seems barely able to read. I thought he was an actor but his delivery is all wrong. He gets all the inflections and stresses in the wrong places and punctuation seems to be a bit of a mystery to him.

Ok, I accept that not everybody can be as good as Stephen Fry for example but this bloke just hasn't got it at all. Such a disappointment.

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8 people found this helpful

Window into American Souls

William Hurt's performance is superb. A gripping and personal insight into a period of modern American history, laced with surreal / magical moments. Vietnam is laid bare.

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2 people found this helpful

Good but dragged on a bit

If was a well written story, just went on for what belt like forevert! Not one of his best

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Remarkable story telling - NOT HORROR

What made the experience of listening to Hearts in Atlantis the most enjoyable?

Stephen King is an amazing story teller. I enjoyed the characters and the drama. I'm not saying I wouldn't have enjoyed more mystery but it could have taken over the book for the harm of the literary enjoyment, which I'm afraid happened for me in Shining. (I'm not bashing Shining it was good but the last few chapters veered off into so much horror there was little room left for literature.)
This is not only not horror, or supernatural thriller, there is very little of the supernatural in it. And that too only in the first story, the other ones have none.
It is made up of five stories, which could be read independently of each other but they are inter-connected by the characters. The first story is read by William Hurt, the next two by Stephen King and the last two by William Hurt again.

What other book might you compare Hearts in Atlantis to, and why?

Stephen King has published another collection of short stores called Different Seasons where among some others he published a novella called "The Body" (the original of the brilliant movie called Stand By Me) and Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (the original of the brilliant movie called Shawshank Redemption). I'm sure anyone that liked Hearts in Atlantis would enjoy that one too.

What does William Hurt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

As I said, the book is made up of five stories, which could be read independently of each other but they are related in the characters. The first story is read by William Hurt, the next two by Stephen King and the last two by William Hurt again. This has caused some frustration for some people as I have seen in several reviews because the title information only mentions William Hurt and some were very disappointed. One of them even called one of the narrators "irksome", which to me sound like a very bold exaggeration.
The two narrators could not sound any more different from each other. In style, in pace, in voice, in atmosphere, they communicate very differently. Hurt, melancholic, contemplative, slow, sometimes very VERY slooow, King cool, very relaxed, (an excellent impersonator too), I had to get used to both. At the very beginning of the first story where Hurt starts to narrate and then at the beginning of the second story where King takes over, there was a lot of rewinding because I found it difficult at first to even pay attention and hear the story. But once I got used to them I started enjoying the listening and realised that they were both excellent narrators.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If not all in one sitting, I found myself very motivated to keep listening. I found it helpful to know that the stories are connected because I wanted to know who will turn up in the next one and what I'll get to know about them.

Any additional comments?

If you're looking for a supernatural thriller or horror, this is not it! Don't buy it because you will be disappointed. But if you enjoy good story telling, very well developed and detailed characters and drama, you will probably like this audiobook.

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16 people found this helpful

Just fabulous narration

William Hurt narrates this strange and intriguing story so well that I just wanted to listen to him just as much as this typically odd story written by Stephen King. I haven't heard him narrate anything else but I will keep in eye out. Stephen King also narrates but nowhere near as enthralling as Hurt.

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9 people found this helpful

Great story, brilliantly read.

I blow hot and cold with Stephen King - some of his stories are just too weird for me but this, apparently disjointed set of tales, was evocative and beautiful in its own way. I've read what others have said about William Hurt's narration - for me, I thought it was brilliant; like someone describing what's in front of them. I'd like to hear more from him! Even the music was appropriate and added to the story.
A great listen - highly recommended.

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