Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Misery

Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Misery by Stephen King

174 reviews

blue_paz05's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

King is known for his books filled with cruelty and hateful characters, completed with detailed bloody scenes and tense scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat while reading. Misery is not the exception but the rule, and i couldn't love it more for it.
If you were trying to get into King's works but couldn't decide on which first, this is the option i'd recommend; Classic among his works, loved by fans, and pretty short. Perfect for a starting point.

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nathan_ryan's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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peppypenguin's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I can see why this is a classic. It’s an intense thriller that I had so much trouble putting down. The suspense in many scenes was incredibly painful, and I loved it. Paul's internal dialogue is great—it feels real, and it’s essential to understanding his actions as well as how the reader interprets what’s happening to him, bringing us closer to his pain. His understanding and terror of the situation make this book so good.

Annie is an interesting character herself. King does a good job of describing her as a complete monster while also giving her an intelligence that Paul and the reader can’t help but respect. The build-up to discover more about her, and the descriptions of how she zones out into her psychotic states, add a lot to the suspense and horror.

The pacing is perfect and while the setting is simple the goings on certainly are not. Even if it’s not a chapter moving the plot forward, each one is interesting, there’s never a lull. Strongly recommend it, though it’s not for the squeamish.

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cardan_greenbriar_1's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

J'ai beaucoup aimé. Les personnages sont vraiment très bien écrits et très intéressants. Il y avait des moments où je trouvais que c'était long mais je comprends que c'est important, pour montrer à quel point l'enfer que vivait Paul était long.

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cmacmahon's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I read misery in a single weekend. I truly felt transported into the horrific and small world that Paul was trapped in. The premise feels a bit silly, 'a writer is kidnapped and forced to write their series sequel by a violent super fan' but King manages to make it, not just believable, but frightening. Although I will say this book was not as scary as some of the other King novels I've read -a positive in my opinion!

At times the book can feel very meta, the main character mentions how plot points wouldn't happen in a book, moments like this challenged me as a reader to question my own engagement with the story, how it was made and who it is made for. Another interesting theme the story explores is escapism as a coping mechanism. Ultimately Paul's escape from Annie through drugs and writing is effective in the moment, but nonetheless exposes uncomfortable truths about himself that he struggles to cope with. Reading as an activity itself is inherently escapist, so the exploration of escapism held a mirror up to me as the reader and forced me to question myself. It's truly great writing that manages to find the balance between changing the reader and entertaining them.

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josiah17's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Well, that was a ride. I honestly was not entirely captivated by the first third or so of this book. I was certainly intrigued, but not hooked and on the edge of my seat yet like I was kind of expecting. However, the remainder of the book does just that and I was hooked. This story quickly becomes amazing suspenseful, intense, and insane. King evokes all the right emotions and atmosphere with his writing to make this a truly compelling and chilling thrill-ride. And for the most part I did enjoy his prose, but there were some undertones that bothered me here and there. Either from King himself or simply because Paul Sheldon isn't the greatest guy either. Could've shortened the actual Misery novel portion after Part II as well.

But anyways, definitely an enjoyable introduction to Stephen King's works, and I will certainly read more from him in the future. Annie's one psychotic villain...

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dantemkunc's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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zaria86's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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tyelperinquar's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Funny that the last book I finished before my reading break was a King book and this book, the one that got me back into reading again, is also a King book.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this one. Everything takes place within Annie Wilkes’s house, and the tension in the book comes from wondering what Annie will do to Paul next, and wondering if Paul will be able to get out of it alive. (Can you, Paulie?)
For fans of more traditional thrillers, there may not be enough action, because there’s a lot of Paul writing and a lot of him just being cooped up in the bedroom Annie keeps him in. But for people who enjoy psychological thrillers, tense character interactions, exploring the psyche of the main characters, and watching how a traumatic situation can change a person, there’s a lot to enjoy.

This is only the second King book I’ve read, but the guy’s a bit weird about sex. There are some non-rape situations in the book that he describes as rape which are really uncomfortable to read, but I guess that’s the goal? Still, I don’t particularly appreciate them. That’s the one thing about King’s writing that irks me— otherwise, I adore how he’s able to craft a narrative and portray characters and the scenes they’re in.

I listened to an audiobook recording of this book— Lindsay Crouse was a phenomenal narrator. Her voice for Annie was absolutely spot-on, and the emotion she can conjure up made the story that much more immersive. Highly, highly recommend giving it a listen for her voice work.

I was really worried the book was going to end with

the scene where Annie chops Paul’s head off

, but that ends up not being the case. Thank God. Figuring out the details at the end about

where Annie was found in the barn and how she was holding a chainsaw

… that was chilling.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! Very easy to listen to and pick up. And what can I say, I love reading about men who get into awful situations and are traumatized about it. It’s cathartic. Thanks for your service, Paulie!

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asurasantosha's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Not my style, not my genre, BUT it's a good book and Stephen King is a household name for a very good and very valid reason. He sure can write. There's so much tension in this book!!! Even though there aren't really any "surprises" or twists- I very much knew how the entire book was gonna go- I was still on the edge of my seat the whole time and audibly gasped multiple times due to the intensity of the scenes and how well he pulled the reader in.

It also had a good plot, good prose (though genre-appropriate), and real-feeling characters. Good exploration of the human psyche and human condition for both of the main characters: the perpetrator and the victim.

There's a fictional book in this book and "excerpts" from it and, as contrived as the fictional book was, it also honestly didn't sound terrible. I'd read it. Lol.

So I'm not sure if I'll continue reading Stephen King as I'm not a fan of horror and will need to recover a little from this experience, but I'm still glad I gave this a shot. And I think anyone who can tolerate horror should give him a chance, at least for one book. And this is a good one.

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