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

Riveting read

Excellent narrator. Since I have been listening to this in my car, I almost looked for excuses to do errands -- and loved commute to and from work.

Fascinating scenario of "what ifs"....

Fantastic Story Extremely Well-read

A good friend recommended this book and I am so glad that I took his recommendation. This is one of the best read stories that I have experienced on audible. The reader was amazing! The story was also very well done and kept my interest the entire time.

Narrator's joy!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend this audiobook to a friend. It is a story with a considerable number of twists and turns to make it enjoyable to listen to all the way to the end.

Who was your favorite character and why?

George Amberson. The story is told with him as the center support to everything. He was the kind of person you would hope you would be given the situations he was placed in throughout the story.

Which scene was your favorite?

All of the dance scenes and the time spent with the boys and girls at the high school. I truly wish that the youth of today was more like back then.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Time is like a big machine with big jagged teeth.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the narration by Craig Wasson. I would hope that everyone listening to this Stephen King novel recognized the impersonations Mr. Wasson was using to create some of the characters. I at least noticed "John Wayne" and Jimmy Stewart" as a couple of them.

Great intricate story!

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

Yes. The book contained so many subplots that weaved in and out.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The protagonist!

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

His tone, inflection and character voices was excellent!

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

The book is almost 31 hours. A bit long for one sitting!

Time Travel at it's best

This book had me hooked from beginning to end. Time Traveling can be tricky and this novel did it right.

King and Wasson are amazing together!

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

Pretty far up, and I've listened to quite a few. I'd say in the top 10 of at least 50 that I've heard.

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

It's comparable to any of King's longer books, in the sense of character development and world-building. The plot, however, isn't terribly similar to anything else I've read.

What about Craig Wasson’s performance did you like?

Wasson is amazing. I first heard him in King's

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Life turns on a dime.

Any additional comments?

I'm not really into historical fiction, but this was great. A little long-winded at times, but King fans will recognize that he's making the listener believe that the characters actually exist through mundane events and extensive detail. This works well, as there were at least two points in the tale that I was genuinely moved, which is exceedingly rare for me. If you've got 30 hours to burn, get this audiobook. You won't be disappointed.

Wonderful!

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

This is the king at his very best. Loved the story so much I listened twice in a row!

Which scene was your favorite?

The ending was beautiful and very satisfactory unlike some other Stephen king books

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

A little long for that but I would if I could!

Stretch your Audible credit for this one! 30 HOURS

Honestly, about halfway thru, I thought this book could be cut in half. Uncle Stevie IS a national treasure AND above reproach in most instances. Which leaves actually editing him a wishful thought. He waxes languidly on subjects that could easily be cut and left out. But again. It IS Uncle Stevie. Most of that criticism went out the window in the last quarter of the book. He caught me and didn’t let me go. And I knew he had me when tears pricked my eyes the last few pages. Glad I read it and it sparked a new found interest in that time period. Our narrator did some strange things tho. He sounded so much like Jimmy Stewart for one character that it completely took me out of the story. LOL.

the story gets better and beter

I seem to always miss certain details within the storylone. It's is definitely among the top three favorite books I've ever read or listened to.

One of His Best

I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't stop listening to it. Brought back memories, both happy and sad. I would definitely recommend this audio!!