Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King, a powerful tale of grief, of love's enduring bonds, and the haunting secrets of the past.
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 following the sudden death of his wife Jo, and who can no longer bear to face the blank screen of his computer.
Now his nights are plagued by vivid nightmares, all set at the Maine summerhouse he calls Sara Laughs. Despite these dreams, or perhaps because of them, Mike returns to the lakeside getaway. There he finds his beloved Yankee town held in the grip of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore, who will do anything 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 mother and child, 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?
First published in 1998, Bag of Bones was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. It was lauded at its publication as “hands down, Stephen King’s most narratively subversive fiction” (Entertainment Weekly) and his “most ambitious novel” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
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"This was my first attempt at reading a full length Stephen King book. I was pleasantly surprised that the plot flowed as well as it did. I'd heard that King tends to go off on tangents that don't really add to the overall story, but I didn't really notice it if he did. Now I just have to decide which book to read next."
— Casey (4 out of 5 stars)
“The novel is a classic ghost story.”
— Publishers Weekly“King’s brilliance at storytelling has never been better.”
— Audiofile“A promising artistic shift.”
— Kirkus Reviews" Love this book. Huge king fan and I love the books he narrates ( I know others dont) "
— Rene, 6/4/2017" I listened to this audiobook which was read by stephen king. It was really fanrastic. I thought the pace and climax of the book was timed reakly well. The vivid detail and description made me fuuly see, feel and hear the characters. Great ghost story! "
— Kristie, 2/7/2014" Second Glance meets Keeping Faith meets The Color Purple. "
— Echo, 1/31/2014" I read this book a long time ago, and I had forgotten what happened in it so I had to read it again when I saw ads for it on A&E. I liked it. It was more of a mystery to be solved than just a scary story, although it was still very much a Stephen King story. "
— Karen, 1/2/2014" The book is too long. It was okay. I like his short stories better than this one. "
— Rosario, 12/29/2013" This was a pretty good Stephen King book. It was much easier to follow than some of his other books I've read like Hearts in Atlantis. I enjoyed the story and characters and although there was supernatural stuff in it, I felt like this was much more "believable" than again some of his other books like Tommyknockers. "
— Theresa, 12/19/2013" Excelente libro, con un final deslumbrante. "
— Sfarias51, 12/17/2013" It was good. I really liked it but it felt a bit long. If you love Stephen King you will probably like it. "
— Kim, 12/15/2013" This is the most recent book I loved the most. Scary but intriguing. Have not enjoyed Stephen king since this story. "
— Kimberly, 12/3/2013" A book by an amazing writer from a writer's perspective (plus some sexy, scary drama). What more could you want? "
— Katie, 11/23/2013" Starts off painfully slow, and King could probably have done away with more than half the book, but the whole second half of the book is a page-turner. "
— Allie, 11/23/2013" Slow slow slow, I got irritated w/ characters, but had to keep reading. The end gets going and then the story makes sense. "
— Consetta, 11/1/2013" Another classic King, a great ghost story, a must for all fans. "
— Will, 7/15/2013" Storyline feels similar to other king books like Duma key or lisey's story. However still a great read "
— Alexgosling, 7/15/2013" One of my favorites by Stephen King its about this couple and The wife passes away and her ghost haunts her husband. The story is told very well and its a must read for any Stephen King Fan. "
— Gabrielle, 6/10/2013" Good plot, interesting points of view, customs, small details, lives, surprising turning points... King's imagination is always outstandingly mesmerizing but scary too... He takes out to the surface things other people run from and deny... "
— Borjana, 5/2/2013" One of Stephen King's masterpiece (at least in my opinion). "
— Amel, 2/20/2013" One of my favorite King books. Literary Horror at it's best. "
— Shaun, 8/17/2012" Another excellent novel from the master of suspense, really enjoyed this. "
— Paul, 7/27/2012" Boring, surprisingly unfocused and not the least bit scary. I want twenty hours of my life back. The villains are numerous and not interesting, and after a while I stopped caring what the book was about. King, you should be ashamed. "
— Jerry, 6/28/2012" I had to re-read this after seeing the movie. I forgot what a great book this is and the movie really suffered in comparison. Mostly because they changed pretty much everything. "
— Dawn, 5/7/2012" I have read a few of Stephen King's novels but this by far was my favorite! I couldn't put the book down... I even ate dinner while reading it! Great book! "
— Sarah, 3/27/2012" Ive tried to read this book three times now, and i just cant get into it. Its boring. "
— Jaimie, 2/18/2012" Another snooze-fest from King. This book is being sold as 'a haunted love story'. Don't be fooled: It's nothing of the sort. "
— Chad, 12/15/2011" Stephen King made me cry in this one! I remember putting the book down with tears streaming down my face saying, "How is it that King has made me cry?" He developed the characters so well that I felt they were my friends. He has really evolved in this one. I have now read it three times. "
— Valerie, 10/20/2011" this book caught me by surprise.<br/>as I read, I frowned, but my fist in my mouth, shook my head & many other reflections of what I was thinking. 1 thing I didn't do, I didn't put the book down. <br/>this is an excellent read. "
— Suzieo, 5/15/2011" I generally enjoy Mr. King's books but about the first 100 pages into this one I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish it. Then suddenly it was a good read and by the end, I was completely hooked. It's a love story with scary elements and a great back tale! "
— Jay, 5/14/2011" Did you like this one, DJ? "
— Marilyn, 5/11/2011" This character literally wastes away and it is errei to read his perceptions. Steven King leaves nothing unsaid and even his bathroom habits become scarey. "
— Cindy, 5/11/2011" I don't think I was in the mood to be told a ghost story when I picked up this book. My fault. I was on a plane, and not really into the bizarre plot structures and dreamlike prose. I'm sure it is a great book, but I just wasn't enticed. "
— Caitlin, 5/2/2011" I started this book ages ago and I never finished it. At the time, I totally loved it. I thought it was one of the best Stephen King novels I'd ever read. I finally decided to finish it years later and was surprised to find that I hated it, especially the ending. So cheesy and ridiculous. "
— Kaylan, 4/28/2011" The scariest book I've ever read! "
— Stephen, 4/25/2011" I really loved this book. The storyline built around Michael, Mattie & Kyra are truely amazing, he made you fall in love with the characters, while they are fighting against Max Devore. <3 "
— Tiffanie, 4/21/2011" One of those few books by King that is more of a sad one more than scary, but sure as hell a winner "
— Blythe, 4/20/2011" What can I say? I love all things King and this is no exception. This is a true ghost story about things that go bump in the night. I love that the hero is just a regular Joe mourning the death of his wife, but he still manages to take down the multi-million dollar bully of the schoolyard. "
— Lisa, 4/20/2011Stephen King has written more than sixty books, many hitting the #1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list. He has won the World Fantasy Award, several Bram Stoker Awards, and the O. Henry Award for his story “The Man in the Black Suit.” He is the 2003 recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2007 he received the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. His epic works The Dark Tower and It are the basis for major motion pictures.