The Gingerbread Girl [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD)

by Stephen King (Author), Mare Winningham (Reader)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Em has become a runner. Maybe it's to get away from her unheroic and all-too-sensitive husband, the memory of her baby, who died, or maybe even her passive life. Inevitably, her training provides the endurance she needs to escape the sadistic and psychopathic tendencies of the man named Pickering. While not venturing into new territory, King's novella has all of his trademark tension, violence and catharsis with a spackling of misogyny. Mare Winningham's determined tone adds to Em's strong character, and she also provides good pacing and tension that flows well with King's style. Her straightforward reading doesn't overdramatize the intense moments; instead, she lets King's words create those anxious moments. Her matter-of-fact vocalization of Pickering makes the villain even more chilling than King's text. Winningham's portrayal of this character will stick with listeners long after the end.
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Review
"Winningham relates the story with honesty and sincerity, capturing the melancholy and sadness that abounds in Em's mind. Her gripping delivery is the stuff that great performances are made of. Winningham brings the protagonist to life while still managing to capture the strong sense of foreboding that so often permeates King's tales....The result is a captivating experience sure to ignite the senses of the listener." - AudioFile, on The Gingerbread Girl

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743571185
• ISBN-13: 978-0743571180
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,024 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth a listen!!, May 6, 2008

By	Jay R. Chase (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Very tight story.. leaves little time to catch your breath, but still has those bits of King humor that keep it from being unbearable. If you are a fan of his recent short stories, you are going to love this one too!

Another plus - Mare Winningham has such an amazing voice... she does an incredible job (as usual)!

I highly recommend - and I bet you can't keep from listening to the whole thing in one sitting (or run)!!!

All the best,

Jay

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Running for her life, December 19, 2008

By	Linda Bulger (Avon, Maine) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This novella from Stephen King is available only in audio, read very effectively by Mare Winningham. We already know that King can do amazing things with the novella and short story formats, and here he delivers his usual stylish writing. If you are willing to accept terror rather than horror as the genre, then The Gingerbread Girl will keep you absorbed for its two-hour running time.

The title character, Emily, runs to get away from the pain of a dead baby and a failing marriage. She leaves her home with nothing but a credit card and the clothes she has on. Taking refuge in her father's beach house in the Florida Keys, she runs in the off-season solitude. One day she finds a house occupied, sees a dead girl in the trunk of a car - and is abducted by a mad serial killer. Em winds up running for her life.

Em, the killer, and the steamy beauty of the island are the main elements in this tale. The plot may not be full of surprises but it parlays a somewhat predictable story into two hours of tension. Neither Em nor the knife-wielding stalker are as fully developed as a novel would permit, but when Stephen King's in charge, you know you're in for some good stuff. Like the gingerbread man who jumped off the pan and ran out the door, Em is running to save her life. Will she meet the same tragic end as the gingerbread man? You'll have to listen for yourself to find out.

Linda Bulger, 2008

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Would have liked more "bad guy" character development, June 27, 2008

By	K. Rogers "Kristy Lee" (Reynoldsburg, OH USA) - See all my reviews

I'm hooked on all the Stephen King audiobooks, having just finished the Dark Tower series doing time in my Toyota over the last 4 months and loving every minute! I'm a big fan and was just mildly disappointed that the "bad guy" in this offering was underdeveloped--so much so that he seemed less frightening than stereotypical. Definitely entertaining but not so much 'meat' here, in my opinion.