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

Awesome Book!

A great book! Well written and well read. And the app worked great! I really like this app!

Good

I enjoyed it. It dragged a bit in the middle and the voice for Sadie was like nails on a chalk board. Other wise the narration was spot on.

Brilliant writing… A novel that really makes you think…

I have never read or listened to a Stephen King novel in the past. Honestly his writings are far too scary for me. I accidentally saw the movie The Pet Cemetery and was scarred me for life. Ha ha.

I saw a brief mention of this book however and realized it was nothing that was going to scare me. I honestly didn't know anything about i, I just knew that it had to do with JFK so I thought I would give it a go.

I was so pleasantly surprised this incredible story that really had me thinking over and over and over again about life and time travel in general.

The depth of the characters was delightful and I really found myself getting sucked into this whole story.

I highly recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history, love, life's challenges and dilemmas, and the interesting thought of time travel in general.

Great listen!

I was enveloped in this book and emerssed into its rich and complex caricatures and there development..best audible book for me so far. I thourly enjoyed it.

Incredible Story (except for the ending)

I personally loved almost the whole of this novel. But was dissapointed with certain aspects of the ending chapters. It ended up being a lot more sad than I'd thought it would be. ..

great

this is a wonderful story. I truly felt transported in time. I will say that if you don't have an interest in jfk then you would not like this book. there are chapters that focus solely on oswald.

Fantastoc

I absolutely love this story. Stephen King did not disappoint.. it was full of twists and turns I didn't predict. new spin on time travel stories.

My Favorite King!

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

It would be at the top of the list. The story line was complex, included a little bit of history, and completely had me hooked! I could have listened to another 30 hours!

What was one of the most memorable moments of 11-22-63?

I loved the Sadie/George romance, but I was most taken by the Jake/George character. He was likeable, thoughtful, sincere and resourceful.

Have you listened to any of Craig Wasson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure if I've heard Craig before, but he was spectacular.

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

I don't think that would be possible given the length, but I certainly found myself looking forward to my commutes to and from work just so I could listen!

Any additional comments?

Wonderfully written with explicit detail. I felt as if I was right there with George/Jake through the entire adventure!

And I was worried I'd be bored!

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

I would assume great either way. But I love when it's performed.

What did you like best about this story?

I would have said I don't like time travel stories, but I loved when he went back in time. I loved thinking about all the details the main character had to pay attention to to fit in "back then."

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

Great performance!

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

If you could save JFK would you...should you?

Any additional comments?

I LOVED this book!

What a great book!

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

“On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back?
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, likes 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.”

“Murder, the Past, Romance, Friendship, Time Travel"

Let me preface this by saying I am neither the one who seeks out Stephen King books, nor the one who reads much fiction, but this is the best book I have read in years from any genre.
The story is compelling and keeps you mesmerized from the first word and won’t let you go. Stephen King is a great author and knows how to tell story. And he really tells this one very well. The likable main character and his group of “besties” all live in the past. You feel like you know them.

The main character could be the guy from the next door. Jake/George is a lovable all around guy. The reader is taken in as we follow him and his special friend Sadie, who is as clumsy as she is beautiful. The story drew me in and, held me and delivered me right to the front door of WOW. I though it was also interesting to Google Map some of the addresses mentioned in the book just to connect more with Jake/George and his folks.

What would I do if I had given that chance? Would I take the risk? Above all, this is a brilliantly well written, carefully crafted, and well researched novel.