11/22/63: A Novel
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND MODERN CLASSIC FROM MASTER STORYTELLER STEPHEN KING
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King—who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer—takes readers on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.
It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, whose life is upended when his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And the dying Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination.
So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson, in the world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere and to the small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in love. Every turn leads eventually to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and to Dallas, where the past becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful, and where history might not be history anymore. Time-travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying.
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King—who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer—takes readers on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.
It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, whose life is upended when his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And the dying Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination.
So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson, in the world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere and to the small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in love. Every turn leads eventually to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and to Dallas, where the past becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful, and where history might not be history anymore. Time-travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying.
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Readers say *11/22/63* is a captivating, well-researched time-travel novel that blends historical fiction with romance and suspense. They agree it’s a...
This book has been on my to-read list for a long time. I'm happy to have finally finished it--even if it took me almost a month! One of the drawbacks to reading an ebook is that you never really know how long a book is. If I would have known how long it was, I never would have tried to read it during one of the busiest months of my life. But I made it through, and it was a thrilling ride!
Growing up and living just outside of Dallas, the Kennedy assassination has always been a topic of fascination for me--even if it did happen years before I was born. I couldn't help but be somewhat offended by King's harsh portrayal of Dallas, but after I thought about the volatile atmosphere of the time, I'm sure he's not too far off base.
Following Jake/George on his time-travel adventures was a nail-biting experience. The slow build to the Kennedy assassination was frustrating at times, but necessary for the story and made the climax that much more rewarding. So, pick this one up, but not when you have too much else going on!
Growing up and living just outside of Dallas, the Kennedy assassination has always been a topic of fascination for me--even if it did happen years before I was born. I couldn't help but be somewhat offended by King's harsh portrayal of Dallas, but after I thought about the volatile atmosphere of the time, I'm sure he's not too far off base.
Following Jake/George on his time-travel adventures was a nail-biting experience. The slow build to the Kennedy assassination was frustrating at times, but necessary for the story and made the climax that much more rewarding. So, pick this one up, but not when you have too much else going on!
Oof. Look, Stephen King is a great writer and I was willing to dive into his longer works because I liked Carrie and King’s writing so much. HOWEVER, this book was just not it. The premise is interesting, but the mechanics of the time travel were poorly conceived and just not interesting.
King loves a strong exposition, but when your 34 hour audiobook is 90% exposition, it gets old. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the plot compelling and the main character lacked dimension. The love story was reminiscent of “Somewhere in Time”, but not as well done… just a bummer. Maybe if the book was significantly shorter I wouldn’t be so annoyed and harsh, but investing so much time and energy into a long piece to not get much out of it makes for a cranky reader. I guess size matters *shrug*
King loves a strong exposition, but when your 34 hour audiobook is 90% exposition, it gets old. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the plot compelling and the main character lacked dimension. The love story was reminiscent of “Somewhere in Time”, but not as well done… just a bummer. Maybe if the book was significantly shorter I wouldn’t be so annoyed and harsh, but investing so much time and energy into a long piece to not get much out of it makes for a cranky reader. I guess size matters *shrug*
I was about 1/3 of the way through when I realized that the plot had gone off the 11/22/63 theme and onto a tangent that could have been part of any story, really. I know that King is a pro at keeping several plots going at a time, but in this case I felt that he took advantage of the sure-selling subject matter to keep this reader going for 860 pages.
Later, I was definitely creeped out by the thought of setting up house in proximity to Lee Harvey Oswald. I had a hard time sleeping during that part.
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