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

King at his best

Any additional comments?

I could have done without the blatant political commentary peppered throughout this story, but overall I really enjoyed it.
There are some gruesome bits, but this is not a horror novel. I stopped reading King years ago because his stories got so icky and odd, but here he's again at his best.

Best King book since The Stand

If you could sum up 11-22-63 in three words, what would they be?

Engaging, exciting, tragic

What other book might you compare 11-22-63 to and why?

The Stand. Everyday guy becomes the hero, gets the girl and saves the world......Sort of.

Which character – as performed by Craig Wasson – was your favorite?

George

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Almost!

Stephen King Doesn't Disappoint

An author is lucky to have one masterpiece in his/her career. Stephen King now has three (The Stand, The Dark Tower series) and 11/22/63. It is a thoughtful take on time travel and what happens if you could change the past. A very un-King-like ending that left me in tears...a very satisfying conclusion to a terrific read.

An Excellent Story to Listen!

What did you love best about 11-22-63?

The topic was brilliant. King should have been a young teen when our beloved President was murdered. King using his horrific writing skills to capture the political events of the sixties when so much was going on in America was magnificent. The narrator told this story so vividly, I could taste the Root Beer. I could hear the Swooooh of the washing machines described. Every character was so real and so actually depicted became an embedded memory in my mind. I looked forward to returning to the story to learn of their ending. And each character had a definite beginning, middle and ending. Their endings were all bad to save the President. Just a good story. Brilliantly written and told. So great.

What other book might you compare 11-22-63 to and why?

I don't know if any other author handle the Kennedy's Assassinations the same. You must remember King's use of Time Travel is classified as a scientific/horrific genre. The idea of being able to go back in time to change an outcome is a scary proposition. H.G Wells used more horror than science. That's how I feel. Many negatives events took place on the journey back to 1963.

Which character – as performed by Craig Wasson – was your favorite?

I loved all the character. I like the narrators' ability to characterize each verbally. Especially, Harry... I could envision them all, their movement and their thoughts. Every character contributed and linked to his journey, made the story believable and got use through the fifties and sixties.

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

I was disappointed early. I knew no matter how King got us to Nov 23,1963 Osborne would be a lone killer. For me, I needed there to be a bigger conspiracy. As I listened and watched several TV versions of how President Kennedy was shot and killed with one bullet just never made sense. King stuck to history. He respected the powers of the time, yet he delivered a very convincible conclusion that most could live with. Cant you hear the readers say well ok, yeah Osborne was the killer. Nothing to challenge the notion of old, we were comfortable with the outcome.

Not as good as I hoped, but not bad either

I can't say that I loved this book nor can I say I hated it. I am in the middle. In my opinion it was not our typical King and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It was long like a lot of his books are and I love that. It had multiple stories which I also loved.

What I didn't love was that it took a long time to get to the 'real' story which was stopping Lee Harvey Oswald from assassinating Kennedy. There was a ton of stuff leading up to it, some of it added to the story, gave it background but other stuff could have been another book. I found it to be more of a love story between Jake/George and Sadie who he meets when he goes back to the 50's and 60's.

I am going to go against the majority as usual. I loved Jake/George, I cared about him and felt like he could be a great friend. I loved Al who got the ball rolling with the time travel stuff. BUT, I just did not like Sadie! I found her to be just a little more than annoying and whiny.

The narrator was awesome and made those long chapters of background so much more enjoyable. The book held my attention but just was not what I thought it would be. Again I say, not a bad book, but not my favorite either.

If you are a King fan give it a read. It was a nice step back in time.

My favorite Stephen King Novel

Dare I say...Stephen king has grown up? LOL The horror master creates a magical mind bending time traveling masterpiece. This book is entertaining, the reader becomes lost in it, and it is almost as addictive as repeated visits back in time. If you are looking for a fun read with some unexpected twists this is a perfect listen. It’s the sort of book you could recommend to almost anyone and they’d enjoy it.

If You Like A Good Story - This is it!

What made the experience of listening to 11-22-63 the most enjoyable?

I am not a huge horror fan, especially being a Christian. I have enjoyed other King works but this is totally different from his horror genre. He is a master story teller and Craig Wasson is the perfect narrator. He is brilliant at ebbing and flowing from a Savanah drawl to a Texas Twang to a New England accent as well. Normally I hate it when a man narrates a woman's role... but Craig is flawless.

The story itself is fiction based upon a ton of research and it really does take you back in time to the late 50s and early 60s. I live in the Metroplex and for me it is surreal to listen/read this story and imagine the area the way King does back in the 60s. Like the Book Depository.

I won't spoil anything, but I do know the ending was changed after Kings son suggested it. I am glad he listened to his son. If you have a Monster commute or time on your hands, this is a great story.

Interesting Plot, Kept me to the end

I've been a Stephen King fan for a long time but some of his more graphic novels had me wondering if I would enjoy hearing his work. This is not a blood and gore story, it is more mystery and sci-fi.

The story revolves around a man who goes back in time to prevent the death of JFK. The concept itself was fascinating to me. What would it be like? King does a great job illustrating the differences, in dress, in slang, in expectations, between our modern world and the late 50s and 60s. He captures the small things I would not have thought about but truly make the story feel real.

I really liked hearing the echos of his other works in this novel. We visit places and people in his other books which weaves a more complex story.

Give this one a try. The narration is excellent, pace is good and the story is captivating.

Better Than I Expected

In the past, I have not been a big fan of Stephen King's work. He was always a master storyteller, and able to tap into many base human emotions, but I never thought he was a really great writer. I'm glad to say that I am starting to change my opinion, specifically with much of his newer work.

I like the way he handles the time travel in this book. It is done very well and has consequences, unlike in most books. The story is a very human story and does a good job of taking you to a place in time.

Normally, Stephen King does not write books that are this long, and in this case I don't think he should have either. There is a good bit of stuff in the middle of the book that kind of feels like filler. He could have shaved a lot of that part down and not lost anything in the telling. But, when you are Stephen King, I guess not too many people are telling you to shave down parts of your book :) Another slight case of my pet peeve about missing editors in most books today, but not overly egregious, and still told very well.

Overall, you will like this book, even if you (gasp) don't normally like Stephen King.

Be careful what you wish for…

11/22/63 is my favorite book by Stephen King. It’s not his scariest, but there are horrifying moments - King has a way of presenting the horrifying “normal” of the past (domestic violence & racism to name two) through the 21st century eyes of protagonist Jake Epping.
The descriptions of the warmly remembered ‘60’s are lovely and nostalgic - from the taste of the root beer to the descriptions of automobiles and kindness of strangers… though just around the corner lurks the poison ivy lined path to the “Blacks” outhouse & the “drunk-a-daddys” who beat their wives & kids.
The time travel element is well thought out (of course, it’s Stephen King…) and it’s rules are consistently followed. How vast is that Butterfly Effect… Jake initially has no idea.
The interweaving of fact & fiction is wonderful. King brings the characters of Lee & Marina to life. Lee’s mother is a classic King monster.
My favorite part of the book is the relationship between Jake and Sadie and their life in Jody, Texas. How Jake is torn between his “mission” and his love for Sadie.
The past is obdurate.
Small decisions send waves out into the universe and result in consequences we couldn’t imagine.

I have listened to this performance by Craig Wasson several times. The ending makes me cry every time. I love this book.