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If It Bleeds: Mr. Harrigan's Phone, The Life of Chuck, If It Bleeds, Rat

Written by:
Stephen King

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
727
Narrator
98
Release Date
April 21, 2020
Duration
15 hours 12 minutes
Summary
*#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*

Featuring the novella “The Life of Chuck,” now a feature film adapted for the screen and directed by Mike Flanagan (The Fall of the House of Usher, Doctor Sleep) and starring Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Karen Gillan—a Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award winner!

From the legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary collection of four new “exceptionally compelling novellas that reaffirm [King’s] mastery of the form” (The Washington Post).

Readers adore Stephen King’s novels, and his novellas are their own dark treat, briefer but just as impactful and enduring as his longer fiction. Many of his novellas have been made into iconic films, including “The Body” (Stand by Me) and “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (Shawshank Redemption).

The four brilliant tales in If It Bleeds prove as iconic as their predecessors. In the title story, reader favorite Holly Gibney (from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and The Outsider) must face her fears, and possibly another outsider—this time on her own. In “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” an intergenerational friendship has a disturbing afterlife. “The Life of Chuck” explores, beautifully, how each of us contains multitudes. And in “Rat,” a struggling writer must contend with the darker side of ambition.

If these novellas show King’s range, they also prove that certain themes endure. One of King’s great concerns is evil, and in If It Bleeds, there’s plenty of it. There is also evil’s opposite, which in King’s fiction often manifests as friendship. Holly is reminded that friendship is not only life-affirming but can be life-saving. Young Craig befriends Mr. Harrigan, and the sweetness of this late-in-life connection is its own reward.

“An adroit vehicle to showcase the…nature of evil” (The Boston Globe), If It Bleeds is “exactly what I wanted to read right now,” says Ruth Franklin in The New York Times Book Review.
Reviews
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Sherri F.

I never tire of Mr King’s books. Will Patton brings Holly Gibney, my favorite King character, to life! Another wonderful read.

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Michael F.

This book of four novellas is extremely entertaining and beautifully written. Mr. King has wonderful grasp of the English language and he uses the thoughts and feelings of his characters to create fascinating stories which, in Kingsian fashion, deal with the supernatural. He uses some characters and a village from his previous works, but it all moves creatively as the main characters deal with strange events, people and, in one novella, a rat. There are few books where one does not want the story to end, and the novella If It Bleeds is certainly one. Highly recommended.

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craig specht

this was a good book, the narrators did a great job.

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Desmond

What I think, hmmmm.....well you knew I was a rat when you saw me lol. superb story telling!

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Teresa D.

love King's short stories! Messed up!

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Tammy E.

Loved it and for sure the return oh Holly berry..

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MTCowGirl

I think this is probably one of Mr.Kings worst books. If he would have left politics out of it, but most of his characters say what they think of political people. Don’t forget how much he hates the people. I don’t care to hear about who’s side he’s on. I read books to escape from the news and political anything. I don’t recommend this book! Shame on you Stephen King

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Christine P.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! I enjoyed each story but especially If It Bleeds! I have a special place in my heart for Holly Gibney!!

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Jennifer C.

I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I had understood that it was 3 separate short stories in one. In the author's notes at the end he states that the stories are told in reverse order. I don't know if that makes a difference or not. It was highly enjoyable and I would recommend it.

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Anonymous

Great!

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Jaime B.

Loved all of the stories!

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JoAnn M.

Absolutely loved all 3 stories. The narrator, Steven Weber did not due Holly Gibney justice in If it Bleeds. His voice was too old and his representation of Holly was weak.

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Richard M.

Definitely not one of his best. The story with Holly is barely worth listening to.

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Roxann W.

All 4 books kept my attention. Wasn’t so sure about the rat, but that even turned out good!

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Allison M.

Great book and stories. Nice to see little tie ins here and there. Also the narrator that did the chainsaw noise was ON POINT lol

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Nmc5359!

Awesome, a very good read.

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Jenn

I think the stories were good, could have been better but overall good. The first two were the most interesting to me, I would have liked if they were longer. Narrator was great for both the first and second, the 3rd and 4th it was a meh for me. Enjoyed the audio.

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Christopher K.

Great series of stories. Kept me entertained.

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Carol Kariainen

The King of short stories. Loved them!

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Susan N.

Glad to see Holly back. All the stories were interesting. Will Patton is a great narrator.

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Suev3

As with all the King books I have read or listened to this one was exceptional. I loved the idea of four novellas. It was hard to pick a favorite. The narrators did a great job. I was happy to see my favorite narrators, Stephen Weber and Will Patton do the narrating. I was also glad that he brought Holly Gibney back. She is one of my favorite characters.

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Dorte E.

I Think the first novel was really good. The rest of the novels did not catch my interest and I felt a big bored and disappointed.

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Bernal79

I will read (listen) to any thing written by him. I like the short story books for my long drives.

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Rebecca H.

I enjoyed 3 of the 4 stories very much... the other was alright. I really didn't like the narrator... his inflection and cadence were very distracting to me

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Anonymous

I loved this book! all four stories were great ,if it bleeds was my favorite , I love holly gibney.

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John R.

Will Patton reading Stephen King continues to be a joy!

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Susan Wagner

Loved these stories.

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Stacy S.

Lots of bad press surrounding this title but I enjoyed each story.

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Anonymous

loved it! he is such an amazing storyteller!

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