Bag Of Bones
Written by Stephen King
Narrated by Stephen King
ratings:
4.5/5 (261 ratings)
Length:
21 hours
Description
Stephen King's most gripping and unforgettable novel, Bag of Bones, is a story of grief and lost love's enduring bonds, of a new love haunted by the secrets of the past, of an innocent child caught in a terrible crossfire.
Set in the Maine territory King has made mythic, Bag of Bones recounts the plight of forty-year-old bestselling novelist Mike Noonan, who is unable to stop grieving even four years after the sudden death of his wife, Jo, and who can no longer hear to face the blank screen of his word processor.
Now his nights are plagued by vivid nightmares of the house by the lake. Despite these dreams, or perhaps because of them, Mike finally returns to Sara Laughs, the Noonan's isolated summer home.
He finds his beloved Yankee town familiar on its surface, but much changed underneath -- held in the grip of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore, who twists the very fabric of the community to his purpose: to take his three-year-old granddaughter away from her widowed young mother. As Mike is drawn into their struggle, as he falls in love with both of them, he is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs, now the site of ghostly visitations, ever-escalating nightmares, and the sudden recovery of his writing ability. What are the forces that have been unleashed here -- and what do they want of Mike Noonan?
As vivid and enthralling as King's most enduring works, Bag of Bones resonates with what Amy Tan calls "the witty and obsessive voice of King's powerful imagination." It's no secret that King is our most mesmerizing storyteller. In Bag of Bones -- described by Gloria Naylor as "a love story about the dark places within us all" -- he proves to be one of our most moving.
Set in the Maine territory King has made mythic, Bag of Bones recounts the plight of forty-year-old bestselling novelist Mike Noonan, who is unable to stop grieving even four years after the sudden death of his wife, Jo, and who can no longer hear to face the blank screen of his word processor.
Now his nights are plagued by vivid nightmares of the house by the lake. Despite these dreams, or perhaps because of them, Mike finally returns to Sara Laughs, the Noonan's isolated summer home.
He finds his beloved Yankee town familiar on its surface, but much changed underneath -- held in the grip of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore, who twists the very fabric of the community to his purpose: to take his three-year-old granddaughter away from her widowed young mother. As Mike is drawn into their struggle, as he falls in love with both of them, he is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs, now the site of ghostly visitations, ever-escalating nightmares, and the sudden recovery of his writing ability. What are the forces that have been unleashed here -- and what do they want of Mike Noonan?
As vivid and enthralling as King's most enduring works, Bag of Bones resonates with what Amy Tan calls "the witty and obsessive voice of King's powerful imagination." It's no secret that King is our most mesmerizing storyteller. In Bag of Bones -- described by Gloria Naylor as "a love story about the dark places within us all" -- he proves to be one of our most moving.
About the author
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, and Doctor Sleep are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
Reviews
What people think about Bag Of Bones
4.4261 ratings / 75 Reviews
Reader reviews
- (5/5)Having read a lot of vampire stories lately, I loved that while this book is not exactly a vampire story, it is related, a sort of ghost-vampire hybrid tale. I also was amused by the idea that maybe in this story Stephen King is drawing on his own nightmares, sharing his deepest fears to provide substance for his book, using his dread of writer's block to provide the words that keep him writing long enough to provide his readers with a new book.
Some of the scenes in this book do get pretty graphic, including a murder-rape, so this is not a good book selection for readers with 'trigger' issues in that area, but for the average thriller reader I definitely recommend this book. - (5/5)I know that King often gets criticism for his longer stories, his large novels, because they're so darn long. But, for me, those are some of my favorite stories and Bag of Bones is no exception.I think that this is quite possibly the creepiest full-length novel of King's that I've read so far. More than once the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and the fine hairs along my arms followed right along. I kept telling myself I'd stop reading it at night, but I never adhered to that promise. The man knows how to write a ghost story and I think even if I'd read it in broad daylight next to a sun-facing window I would've been just as creeped out at some parts. And the chills start pretty close to the beginning of the book and then sneak up on you afterward.The characters are compelling and I found myself invested in all of them, including the ones who barely got any page-time.I will definitely say that there are parts in this book that are not for the faint of heart. There are a lot of things that happened in this book which I was not expecting and which were quite disturbing. That's not a complaint, but I don't think it'll ruin the book or the experience of it to give that bit of caution.I also find this to be maybe the most satisfying book that I've read from King so far, as odd as that may be to say about a story like this one.While there were some parts that were a little bit slow, they didn't last long and nothing actually felt like it dragged. I think this is definitely a book that I'll always save from the donate bin and take down from the shelf again from time-to-time.Heck, who knows. Maybe I'll even be buried with it one day. ;)
- (5/5)One of his best. I think it takes you through every emotion.
- (5/5)Such a fantastic ghost story. Every chapter was intense l.
- (5/5)Bag of Bones is less scary, and a lot less horrific than many of King’s novels. It is more of a ghost story and a little bit thriller. There are some gruesome pieces and a little torture, which is rough, but milder than many others in his collection.
It is one of my favorite King audiobooks. It’s so nice to hear him telling the story, and with the perfect Maine accents, of course. - (2/5)The book was decent. My bad review is for the audiobook itself. Makes a skipping noise and the narrator sounds like he is speaking in to a tin can. Glad to be done with it.