11.22.63

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Craig Wasson

Length: 30 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

What if you could go back in time and change the course of history? What if the watershed moment you could change was the JFK assassination? 11.22.63, the date that Kennedy was shot - unless....

King takes his protagonist Jake Epping, a high school English teacher from Lisbon Falls, Maine, 2011, on a fascinating journey back to 1958 - from a world of mobile phones and iPods to a new world of Elvis and JFK, of Plymouth Fury cars and Lindy Hopping, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake's life - a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

With extraordinary imaginative power, King weaves the social, political and popular culture of his baby-boom American generation into a devastating exercise in escalating suspense.

©2011 Stephen King (P)2011 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

“This new epic from Stephen King rates among the best he’s written – no small praise for the man who wrote Carrie, It, The Stand and Under the Dome.” ( Trucking News)

This converted me to audiobooks

Where does 11.22.63 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This performance is the very reason you want to listen to audiobooks. Craig Wasson's performance takes one of Kings better tales to a new height that I would not have enjoyed without his performance.

What was one of the most memorable moments of 11.22.63?

The "watershed moment" when our hero is face to face with Oswald fully delivers on the investment you have made in the book.

What does Craig Wasson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Craig Wasson reads one of the more harrowing scenes in the book almost as if he is on the verge of tears, you'll be right there with him.
The way in which Wasson has developed the characters voices in this reading is pitch perfect.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several high points in this book that would be unfair to those who have ont read it to detail in this review. This book may not be a horror story but it is King on top form.

Brilliant!

A brilliant story brilliantly read. You will love this. Definitely the best listening experience I have had in years.

The best audio "experience" I've ever had

This is definitely the best audio book I have ever listened to. King's writing was exceptional and Craig Wasson's narration is second to none bringing this book to life!

I would no hesitation to recommend this to all other Audible members!

Time Travel with beautiful narration!

Craig Wasson's narration is absolutely gorgeous! From the very start, the crispness, accent and nuances he produces keep you spellbound. I will go ahead and look for other novels he has narrated.

I am not a Stephen King fan, and I managed to listen through the entire book. The book story is crisp and well paced atleast in the first 2/3rd section. The first 2/3rd of the book is interesting as the "sidequests" keep the suspense going.

Unfortunately, Stephen King gets bogged down in the main story of Lee Harry Oswald. LHO was an crazed nutter who killed JFK. Not much more and not much less. In going into his detailed nuances, the novel drags. But, perhaps for people interested in finding details about Oswald, it might be interesting. This entire saga gets dragged on in the 2nd half, which I found quite boring as I am not from America and don't have any obession for detailed account of a killer's mundane family life.

For me, in summary, it is good novel, but not as great as other people have it pinned it as. Absolutely recommend it, if you enjoy the notion of seeing the 50s and the 60s daily life.

However, if you are someone who's interested in how the time travel occurs, and related science, its pretty bare. It's just a skimpy plot device to get a person from now go back and see America as it was in the 50s (for a single white man with money and no family).

wonderful reading, great story.

Craig Wasson's reading was superb, vivid and compelling. I had read this book when it first came out but experienced it differently and more deeply in the recording.

Terrible Narration

Would you try another book from Stephen King and/or Craig Wasson?

Stephen King of course- Craig Wasson a big no.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Great Story but what else do you expect from a stephen king novel

What didn’t you like about Craig Wasson’s performance?

He is so over the top expressing the characters. for example a lung cancer guy coughing blood very close to death is constantly shouting- why on earth. The narration lacks all subtlety. I listened to "Bag of Bones" read by Stephen King himself and that was just amazing. so many emotions just presented with a little change of voice.
Please audible: use other people who do not overact great stories

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Usually films are less exciting especially after reading the book, so probably no

Way too long!

Don't get me wrong, this is a great story. The premise of time travelling to alter events is really interesting, but the author goes into way too much detail about things that don't affect the storyline. I found myself wishing that the story would just get to the point. I wanted to hear this book so badly, but found myself really bored and disappointed. It would have been fantastic in an abridged format!

The narrator is great and does a good job.

Damn you, King!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I really enjoyed 29 of the 30 hours I spent listening to this book. Stephen King however, sigh. He still can't write a good ending.

What about Craig Wasson’s performance did you like?

His voice was easy to listen to, his casual laugh during dialogue felt natural, however his Russian and German accents both sounded like poor imitations of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Any additional comments?

Great story. Great. Awesome. Almost brilliant. But that ending. Ugh. Come on Stephen, get with the program!

Fascinating but long!!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would make it not so darn long.

Would you recommend 11.22.63 to your friends? Why or why not?

I wouldn't. Although the story was fascinating initially with the time travel aspect, I was not nearly so interested in JFK's assassination.

Could you see 11.22.63 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes I could imagine it would make a good movie, but no ideas re actors.

overcooked

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I wouldn't. It is too long. The first two parts of four download files are ok, after that it becomes too long...uninteresting. I mostly skipped the third file and selectively listened to the fourth.

Has 11.22.63 turned you off from other books in this genre?

no, it hasn't but I'll be careful about Mr.King's other attempts out his forte.

What does Craig Wasson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Wasson may provide nice voice acting for some but I found it too slow. I read fairly quickly, so, for me, his reading of the book was painfully slow. Toward the end, I actually find it very annoying - primarily the conversations, or inner dialogues. In some instances, it all sounded like some people were dim-witted. He made the conversations sound like they were from cheap drama with bad acting- exaggerated; predictable.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

definitely not. it was taken too far; imagination run wild.

Any additional comments?

it was a nice surprise that the Kennedy assassination is actually not the main focus, but I also found the romance uninteresting. After getting through most of the book, the end killed it - preposterous; showing off alternative 'futures'. The final part- after all the time-travel nuances, explanations- was unnecessary. I barely listened to it.Overall, I liked the first half (the first two files of the download). The other two were disappointing; too long; overcooked.