Cujo

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Lorna Raver

The #1 New York Times bestseller, Cujo “hits the jugular” (The New York Times) with the story of a friendly Saint Bernard that is bitten by a bat. Get ready to meet the most hideous menace ever to terrorize the town of Castle Rock, Maine.

Cujo used to be a big friendly dog, lovable and loyal to his trinity (THE MAN, THE WOMAN, and THE BOY) and everyone around him, and always did his best to not be a BAD DOG. But that all ends on the day this nearly two-hundred-pound Saint Bernard makes the mistake of chasing a rabbit into a hidden underground cave, setting off a tragic chain of events. Now Cujo is no longer himself as he is slowly overcome by a growing sickness, one that consumes his mind even as his once affable thoughts turn uncontrollably and inexorably to hatred and murder. Cujo is about to become the center of a horrifying vortex that will inescapably draw in everyone around him—a relentless reign of terror, fury, and madness from which no one in Castle Rock will truly be safe…

Excellent read

I will re-read plus listen to the audio for this book for sure. Love the plot, the climax, and the conclusion. I am a fan of Stephen King and love his fictional horror classical books.

loved the story

I liked the narrator but hated her kids voice. not sure if I hate the voice or the child. maybe I shouldn't be so old and grouchy. story was great and I loved all the parts coming together.

Horror Grounded in Reality with Bite

Cujo, obviously a Stephen King classic, sometimes gets overlooked as one of King’s better creations (even by me at times), but in revisiting this story I’m reminded of how great a story it really is. This was one of the first times that King reveals to the reader that horror based in reality is far more frightening than most of the supernatural based tales. For the record, I’m not referring to a rabid dog killing people. Scary? Sure, under the right circumstances. But the horror lies more in the loss of life itself and the darker side of human nature. I loved the parallels between Cujo and Donna, especially towards the end and how she is forced to become savage in the face of a savage just to survive. There is so much more here I could expand on, but I wouldn’t want to drop any spoilers for those who haven’t experienced this book firsthand. Simply put, if you are looking for a happily ever after, you will be disappointed. If you like your horror to feel real, then you will appreciate the ending- even if you don’t care for the outcome.

Lorna Raver does a pretty good job as the narrator here, but there are a few hang ups that didn’t sit well with me. For instance, the voice for Steve sounds more like a wicked witch than a man Donna is sleeping with. His voice and Joe Cambers voice were nearly identical at times and you had to pay attention to know who you were dealing with in spots. Other than that she brought a lot of character to Donna and Tad that made the book spring to life, especially when it counted.

loved it!

It was a wonderful book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that loves in-depth stories; Stephen King is an amazing author!

CUJO

Cujo was one of those books by Stephen King that, even on first reading, I was ambivalent about. Of course it was well told, that is expected, but the subject matter seemed questionable. From my understanding of rabies it seemed that Cujo was a little too focused. I realize that there was left open the possibility that he was not just rabid, but also possessed by whatever was in Tad's closet, but more emphasis should have been placed on that, if we are to believe that it was more than rabies controlling the dog. And then of course there is the fact that I can't stand to read, or hear, or see, any abuse to animals and so Cujo's fate was upsetting, even though his death was inevitable. Interesting that I should have remembered Cujo and hardly anything else about the story. I had completely forgotten about Tad, although this time around that made an impact, too. As for the performance, I thought it was extremely well done. Sometimes it seemed the reader's voice was somewhat elderly, quavering and thin, and not necessarily during portions of the story where a thin, quavering voice would have fit. While sometimes a reader's voice or tone or whatever is annoying to the point that it detracts from the story, in this case it did not. She conveyed the emotions appropriately and I feel her reading enhanced the story.