11/22/63

by Stephen King

Craig Wasson (Narrator)

Winner of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award

One of the Ten Best Books of The New York Times Book Review
Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize
Now a miniseries from Hulu starring James Franco

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, who makes extra money teaching GED classes. He asks his students to write about an event that changed their lives, and one essay blows him away--a gruesome, harrowing story about the night more than fifty years ago when Harry Dunning's father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a sledgehammer. Reading the essay is a watershed moment for Jake, his life--like Harry's, like America's in 1963--turning on a dime. Not much later 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 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 a different world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere. From the dank little city of Derry, Maine (where there's Dunning business to conduct), to the warmhearted small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in love, every turn is leading eventually, of course, 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.

• ISBN10: 1442344288
• ISBN13: 9781442344280
• Publish Date: 8 November 2011
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Pages: 30
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

I received 11/22/63 from Klout as a perk. As a life long fan of Stephen King, I was delighted. I have read all of King’s work and can honestly say I have enjoyed them all. Some of my favorites were the Talisman written with Peter Straub, Lawnmower Man, It, the Gunslinger and my personal favorite the Stand. 11/22/63 is a breathtaking glimpse at one of the most talked about events in US History and the era in which it occurred. King’s research on the subject is evident, as he accurately details the past. Being a fan of sci-fi and Dr. Who, I found the subject of time travel and its effects fascinating.

I love the way King draws you into a story and doesn’t let you go until the end. Despite that fact that his novels are long, I continually find myself sadden at how quickly they come to an end. The protagonist Jake Epping is a likable English teacher, who cares about his students and friends. He is drawn into time travel by a dying friend. I absolutely loved the way King explained the trips back, the effects and the characters he created there. The transformation from Jake to George Amberson was incredible. The character growth and personality changes were very believable. King's ability to take us into the psyche of his characters never ceases to amaze me.


When Jake went back in time, I went with him. I slipped into an era of simpler times and yet an era filled with segregation, fear and prejudice. With a stroke of a pen, King paints a vivid picture. He takes us back to Derry in the years after IT. I totally loved the references to his prior novels. It's so typical of the King to add these little treats for fans. As Jake alters events from the past, strange things begin happening.You begin to feel uneasy as the timeline tries to prevent Jake from change it. I loved the people in the town of Jodie Texas, and would have enjoyed living there. The romance between Jake and Sadie, was romantic and genuine. I shed tears for them both. My only complaint was the sappy ending. I am not sure why King felt the need to wrap it up in a cute little bow.

Classifying this book was difficult, its historical fiction, a romance and a science fiction/fantasy. While it’s not a true horror story, it has elements of horror and parts of it scared me. I have been walking around repeating creepy phrases and quoting lines from the book. I highly recommend this to any reader; as it has elements that will please everyone. 11/22/63 is available in paper, audio and eBook formats.
see this review and others on my blog: http://www.kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewer.blogspot.com/