Bag of Bones

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Bag of Bones

Editorial Review

Here is Stephen King's most gripping and unforgettable novel -- a tale of grief and lost love's enduring bonds, of haunting secrets of the past, and of an innocent child caught in a terrible crossfire.

Four years after the sudden death of his wife, forty-year-old bestselling novelist Mike Noonan is still grieving. Unable to write, and plagued by vivid nightmares set at the western Maine summerhouse he calls Sara Laughs, Mike reluctantly returns to the lakeside getaway. There, he finds his beloved Yankee town held in the grip of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore, whose vindictive purpose is to take his three-year-old granddaughter, Kyra, away from her widowed young mother, Mattie. As Mike is drawn into Mattie and Kyra's 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 and escalating terrors. What are the forces that have been unleashed here -- and what do they want of Mike Noonan?

It is no secret that King is one of our most mesmerizing storytellers. In Bag of Bones, he proves to be one of our most moving as well.

No longer content to be the prolific provider of text, King grabs the audio reigns to recount this haunted tale of grief, young love, and otherworldly visits. When 40-year-old bestselling novelist Mike Noonan returns to his lakeside cabin to process his wife's death, he finds the place a beacon for nightmares and ghoulish visits. But there's hope in Kingsville, as this struggling writer falls in love with a young widow named Mattie and her 3-year-old psychic daughter, Kyra. If you've never heard King speak, be warned: 19-plus hours of his western Maine, nasal-drenched tones may be more than some listeners can bear. But there's a certain warmth and believability to King's voice--after all, it's his book and he is a middle-aged bestselling novelist--that jive well with Noonan's character. And since King rarely reads his own work, perhaps his doing so indicates that he's especially pleased with Bag of Bones; most listeners should be as well. (Running time: 19.5 hours, 14 cassettes) --Rob McDonald

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
• Good Reading on Three Levels
  I'll risk looking gushy and amateurish according to the standards of book reviewing (see The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing) by giving Bag of Bones 5 stars. So be it--I'll leave the literary analysis to those more qualified. I'll skip a plot summary, too, since there's a nice one-pager for this book on Wikipedia. Bag of Bones stands out from three different perspectives. If you connect with even one of them, the read is well worth your time.
  First, it's a solid ghost story. The protagonist, Mike... more info
• My Personal favorite Stephen King Book
  I love this book. I have read nearly all of King's works and this is my all time favorite. I was reading late at night, and scared half to death! It was great!! Everyone else leaving reviews has left details about the plot line, so I will not go into it, except to say that I found it brilliant. I love the Dark Tower Series, but for a great ghost story that is totally "fit for a King", this is a terrific story. I am sure that anyone looking for an eerie thrill will enjoy reading this book, even if they are... more info
• The only book good enough for me to read all the way through
  This is a great book, and Kings most underrated stories. It was easy to read through, but still gave just enough detail to paint a picture. The story bittersweet, one of both tragedy and triumph. The characters seemed real, vivid, and people you could actually feel for.
  This is the only book in my whole life that I've actually read all the way through, which should tell you something. I'm not going to give to much of the storyline, but it is about a guy approaching middle age, and lonely because his... more info
• Nope, nothing wrong here
  I've always known that King had the writing chops and even a literary streak with such knock-outs as "The Dead Zone", "Pet Sematary", and "Misery", but "Bag of Bones" is by far the pinnacle of his achievements. He has alot to say about grieving, marriage, and the secret act of writing. I've always thought King was at his best when his main characters were writers, not only because he knows what he's talking about, but they each seem to reveal to the reader bits and pieces of Stephen King himself.
  ... more info

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