Cujo

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Lorna Raver

Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

The number-one national best seller for Stephen King's rabid fans, Cujo "hits the jugular" (The New York Times) with the story of a friendly Saint Bernard that is bitten by a sick bat. Get ready to meet the most hideous menace ever to savage the flesh and devour the mind.

Cujo is a 200-pound Saint Bernard, the best friend Brett Camber has ever had. One day Cujo chases a rabbit into a cave inhabited by sick bats. What happens to Cujo, how he becomes a horrifying vortex inescapably drawing in all the people around him, makes for one of the most heart-stopping novels Stephen King has ever written.

"A genuine page-turner that grabs you and holds you and won't let go" (Chattanooga Times), Cujo will forever change how you view man's best friend.

©1981 Stephen King (P)2010 Penguin Audio

Good story, annoying narrator

If you could sum up Cujo in three words, what would they be?

Suspenseful but slow-ish

What did you like best about this story?

My favorite thing was that Cujo had his own point of view. He wasn't a monster at all, really.

What aspect of Lorna Raver’s performance would you have changed?

I would have replaced her with someone less annoying. Her performance made me have less sympathy for the characters -- she made the main character seem wimpy and irritating and her Tad was a whiny, irritating child.

Who was the most memorable character of Cujo and why?

Cujo - he wanted to be a Good Dog and he WAS, until the rabies ruined his brain. I felt a lot of sympathy for him (more when I read the written version than I did with the audiobook)

Any additional comments?

It sure would be nice if Stephen King would narrate his own books. I may be picky because I saw that some people really enjoyed this narrator, but I just could not stand her.

Things that go bump in the daytime...

Excellent book. One of the best written by one of the best. As far as King books go, and I have read nearly all of them, this book is in the upper third of his best. Excellent writing, and the sub-plots and ancillary stories that are interwoven among the main story are so compelling and SO Stephen King. He truly is the master of telling amazing, simply complex stories. His writing style is my favorite, and this book is one of his best.

Lorna Raver did a great job with the narration. She would get quite dramatic at times, thus the 4 stars rather than 5, but I am fairly stingy with 5 star ratings for narrators. She really did a fine job.

JAWS with a dog instead of a shark.

What made the experience of listening to Cujo the most enjoyable?

This book is classic King. There are multiple plots that pull in the listener but all end up revolving around the transformation of a gentle Saint Bernard into a rabid killer. The book flies by and the narrator does an excellent job in building tension when required.

What other book might you compare Cujo to and why?

Like the headline stated, this reminded me most of Jaws with a dog. There was a lot of the story that takes place in one location but somehow it managed not to get boring, even when waiting for the inevitable to happen.

Which character – as performed by Lorna Raver – was your favorite?

I enjoyed all the characters equally. Great narration.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Man's best friend no more...

I'm breathless.

I have to admit I've listening to tons of King on audible but for some reason I've been avoiding this bad boy....jeez was I wrong. I should've known that King would leave me breathless and have my mind spinning of thought of my own life. This book actually got me deep to my core and made me cry! Amazing book!

the story is great.

the narrorator was my least favorite part. Aside from the cursing, King's writing is always stellar.

Wow!

Cujo gets a lot of hate, sure King has said he doesn't remember writing it but in my opinion this is a great King story! Great performance and the ending will haunt you

liked it

Had a pretty slow beginning but The story was nice and thorough. like it alot.

awesome classic

classic, greatness.
Donna got what whores deserve. lol
author makes great stories.
good Ole cujo

I thought the narrator was great!

Not sure why so many people hated the narrator, but I though she did a great job. She has the New England/Maine accent down and differentiated for different characters. As a kid, my brother and I watched the movie many, many times, but I had never read the book. In true King fashion, he does a great job of fleshing out the main characters, but also creating real depth to those side characters that weren't in the movie at all. I really loved it!

This Book Broke Me

This is a very powerful story and may even be my favorite Stephen King book now. Do yourself a favor and read this book!