Hearts in Atlantis

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: William Hurt, Stephen King

The classic collection of five deeply resonant and disturbing interconnected stories from #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King.

Innocence, experience, truth, deceit, loss, and recovery are at the core of these five interconnected, sequential tales—each deeply rooted in the 1960s, and each scarred by the Vietnam War, which continues to cast its shadow over American lives, politics and culture.

In Part One, “Low Men in Yellow Coats,” eleven-year-old Bobby Garfield discovers a world of predatory malice in his own neighborhood. He also discovers that adults are sometimes not rescuers but at the heart of the terror.

In the title story, a bunch of college kids get hooked on a card game, discover the possibility of protest, and confront their own collective heart of darkness, where laughter may be no more than the thinly disguised cry of the beast.

In “Blind Willie” and “Why We’re in Vietnam,” two men who grew up with Bobby in suburban Connecticut try to fill the emptiness of the post-Vietnam era in an America which sometimes seems as hollow—and as haunted—as their own lives.

And in “Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling,” this remarkable book’s denouement, Bobby returns to his hometown where one final secret, the hope of redemption, and his heart’s desire may await him.

Full of danger and suspense, full of heart, this spellbinding fiction will take some readers to a place they have never been...and others to a place they have never been able to completely forget. Nearly twenty years after its first publication, Hearts in Atlantis is powerful and astonishingly current.

“You will see Stephen King in a new light. Read this moving, heartfelt tragedy and weep—weep for our lost conscience.” —BookPage©1999 Stephen King, All Rights Reserved, (P)1999 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved

Touching, Funny - Amazingly well written and read.

I've listened to hundreds of recorded books over past twenty years. This is my favorite. I was never much of a Stephen King fan. This changed that. I am, however, a huge admirer of actor (and reader) William Hurt. As far as I know, this is only recorded book he's performed.

The book starts with "last summer" of young boy's childhood in the late 1950's. And Hurt's reading of every boy, girl, lonely parent, friend, scumbag and guardian angel is absolutely real. Stephen King also reads a central portion of book and he's just fine - Funny as hell in fact, when recounting "his" college years in the 60's and amazingly touching - when reading the chapter about Vietnam Vet/Street Beggar 'Blind Willy'.

It's not horror, not really fantasy - although there's a supernatural thread that runs through the story, which took me a little off-guard when it first appeared, but I completely got caught up in. It's one of many layers in this amazingly well written and performed book. They should all be this good.

Best Book EVER!

This is the most amazing book. Stephen King is brillant and at his best in this wonderful and amazing story. The movie was good, but it was only one part of this book. The other parts relate to the first, but in a strange and moving way. I could listen to this book a hundred times and never tire of it. The first part is read by William Hurt--amazing narrator! He is so perfect for the first story about the kids. Then you are jarred out of his reading by Stephen King reading the second part. His voice matches the weird and crazy events in the second part. Hurt again reads the third part, and you are relieved to have this story and his soothing voice again. brilliantly crafted writing and narration. I love this book!

One of King's best

This is one of the finest books I've ever heard. Absolute brilliant and emotional storytelling. This is King at his finest.

It was also great, when later reading the Dark Tower series, to be able to connect some of the characters in here to the overall "Big Picture."

Stop the music!!!!

Great book! Great audio except for the awful background music!!! It doesn’t work with any of the content and it’s very random.

Stephen King and I are the same age.

And although I was one of the 'lucky girls" who didn't have to worry that even minor decisions I made could land me in Vietnam, the war still shaped my young adulthood.

While this book is about the war and what it did to our young men and our country, it also turns out and links our secret, private lives to every other, and has us laugh with our friends and be saved by our enemies in endless permutations. I can't really articulate what all the beautiful, wonderfully acted words meant to me.

This is only my second reading of Hearts in Atlantis, and I'm very glad I chose this audiobook. The expert, loving narration by both William Hurt and Stephen King was transcendent. I lived in this book.

Oh, and thanks for all the music!

I urge anyone to give this book a listen.