11-22-63

A Novel

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Craig Wasson

Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

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 listeners on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.

It begins with Jake Epping, a 35-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 50 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.

©2011 Stephen King. All Rights Reserved. (P)2011 Simon & Schuster, Inc

Could not Stop listing

Would you listen to 11-22-63 again? Why?

Yes, I would for sure listen to this book again. It had be from the moment I started till the very end.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I could not pick one character that was my favorite, I felt vested in all of them

Excellent Story - Will make you think....

Where does 11-22-63 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is in the top 5 audiobooks that I've listened to. I really loved the story. I loved how well-researched the story was. I found myself on-line frequently while listening to research the actual history. King does a great job of exploring the potential implications of time travel.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was definitely George/Jake. He seems so level-headed, positive, and good-natured that you trust him to do the job he set out to do. He's easy to root for.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was the end of the book. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but there's a sort of bittersweet ending.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book made me really think which is a huge positive for me. If I spend time laying awake at night pondering a story, that's the sign of a really great book. This book isn't a typical Stephen King horror. Instead, this book is optimistic, exciting, and very well researched and well-written. The only complaint I have is about the narrator. He did an excellent job, I just think he was an unusual choice. The main character in the story is supposed to be 35 and the narrator's voice makes him sound older. I kept forgetting he was only supposed to be 35. However, despite the mental block of thinking he sounded older, he did a great job. His northern accents were great. The only voice that really annoyed me was his voice for Sadie. However, the story was compelling enough that I could overlook the terrible drawl. The way the narrator makes Sadie say "honey" was like nails on a chalkboard for me. But I just had to hear the end of the story. And I'm glad I stuck it out because it's one of the best books I've ever listened to.

Mixed Feelings

I have never read anything of Mr. King's before. I doubt I will again. I was mystified with this tale in the beginning. For all the hype about the connection to the Kennedy Assassination, it took forever to see how it did connect. I won't be a "spoiler" but the book had me hooked until the end. It did drag on and on but was truly worth it ...until the climax.

I have read several other time travel stories and this one had a very interesting twist to it that added all the more suspense and twists. The love story was delightful. The quirks of being from a different time period truly added a humorous and suspenseful dimension. He should have stuck with that. I was so disappointed by the final conclusion.

The narration was well done. There was a little bit of Maine, not much of Texas, but great differentiation between characters.

Superb!

Great story, and great narration. This isn't usual horror from the author but a little on the science fiction side. Very good.

Great, but too a drags in the middle

It's a long. Sometimes you want to savor the story, and you don't mind. Other times it gets dull. The initial part of the book, taking place in Maine, is really interesting. Then the years before Oswald is around get pretty slow. Craig Wasson has a great voice for the narrator. Other voices are kind of comical or distracting. For FBI agent Hosty he uses a WC Fields voice. The Russian accents are off, and the Russian language is impenetrable. That;s nitpicking in such a long book, but I wonder why authors and readers don't take a bit more care with the foreign languages. Oh well, enjoy the story.

Another great one!!

Really great book! If anyone was going to write this I was glad it was Stephen King! Also about halfway through you realize this isn't just a story about time travel it's a lovely beautifully written love story.... If you have the chance watch the series on Hulu..

I consumed this book

I couldn’t stop listening. I felt like I was in the story as another character on the sidelines. Left me wanting for more but in a good way.

great story

This is a wonderful story with a very interesting twist on time travel.
The narrator is excellent, and made me enjoy every single second of this journey.

Best Book Ever!

I’ve listened to many many audiobooks but this one was truly the best one I’ve ever listened to! The character development is so deep and interesting and the story line is so compelling - Loved ever minute of it!

King's Most Mature Work -- Couldn't Put it Down!

This may be the best...most mature...and most beautiful novel King has ever written. It's long -- yet it reads like a suspense novel. The characters and story grabbed me, and Craig Wasson's AMAZING reading took my breath away. I didn't want it to end, yet I couldn't stop listening.

There's no good-vs-evil, no black-and-white thinking here. It's much more complex...much more believable. King must have done meticulous historical research and contemplated hundreds of "what if" scenarios. I love history, and have always been fascinated by counterfactual history. This novel is the ultimate example of that.

Most importantly, I really cared about these characters -- and that's what makes a book unforgettable for me. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.