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

Stephen King hits on an original idea, agian

phenomenal story, even with all the detail, you're hooked on every word. Outstanding story, thrilling.

Thoroughly enjoyed

An entertaining story. Very few slow parts and a satisfying ending. I liked it a lot

King needs a bit of editing to make this one good.

I really like the idea of this story and the beginning of it was pretty awesome. I loved the explanation of how the time travel worked and the first trips the fry cook made. The story of the main character and what happens to him when he goes back to the past is very enjoyable but when he starts working on his "mission" in earnest the book gets a bit schizophrenic. It almost was like King was writing a nice, but a bit weird, love story and then remembered he is a horror writer. I have been an avid King reader for a long time but this one felt a bit contrived and several chapters too long. I had to force myself to listen to the end and it seemed as if it could have ended quite a while before and been a better story. I gave this one a 4 star rating because of the beginning and then narration, without that it was probably a 3 for the story. The bits of historical content surrounding the Kennedy shooting were pretty interesting as well.

Superb!

Would you consider the audio edition of 11-22-63 to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the book, just listened to it & I'll tell you Craig Wasson the narrator nails this.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The guy that takes over the mission, forget his name, listened to this book a while back :)

What about Craig Wasson’s performance did you like?

The way he changes the tone & difference in his voice at the right time & for different characters. After I listened to Craig narrate this book he had me hooked as a book you don't want to stop listening to take a break.

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

Yes, most definitely!

Any additional comments?

One of my favorite listens to date, I love the story line & the way Craig Wasson narrates this book makes you not want to stop for a break.

Favorite book of all time, just amazing!

Can't say enough about this book. I listen to Audible in the car and I found myself so lost in this story I was not paying much attention to the road.

Stephen King at his finest!

I kept overlooking this book because although I have loved many of King's earlier books, in later years it has been hit or miss for me - some books I could not even finish. I was totally satisfied with this book. Even though one could argue that time travel is an out there theory, the plot took the reader right along with it and made every minute of the story believable and even relatable. The narration is also on point. At the end of the story I found myself missing the protagonist and feeling like I was parting with a companion.

What a ride!

I have read the first half of many of Stephen King's books. I stop reading when they turned too weird. I love his writing but not his horror and gruesome tales. This book was different. More lie a Sci Fi novel, i made it all the way thru and was sad when it was over.

Now "I'm not a crying man", to quote the narrator, Jake, but I must admit I had moist eyes at the end. King credits his son for coming up with the ending it is wonderful. I don/t want to give it away so I will not say more about it.

Phenomenal!

Next to the epic Dark Towers series this is my favorite Stephen King novel. Craig Wasson breathes life into each character. Fantastic story!

Worth Every Penny

The header is no word of a lie. It makes you think. I would highly recommend this novel. Thank you Mr. King.

The King Is Back!!!!

I haven't been happy with Stephen King's books for quite a while, but this one is excellent. Craig Wasson is an incredible narrator. I listen at work, so I need to re-listen to audiobooks a few times to get the whole story. This is a plus for this book. I loved it!