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

Couldn't stop listening

Performance was spectacular, storyline easy to follow. Another great Stephen King book. Highly recommend. I'm ordering Hulu just to watch the miniseries.

brilliant

Fascinating premise, rich characters, exceptional performance. This story is a long haul, and it necessarily digs deeply into the depths of humanity which for the most part can be deeply unpleasant. The hero, however is eminently likeable, and there are story moments that are so heartwarming I wept, and that's a first for me. To say the ending was brilliant would be an understatement. Absolutely worth the investment.

GREAT

I was born in 1958 it was wonderful to hear how the world was . made be long for the simple days. I wonder if I could have when threw what George did . everything happens for a reason .you will understand after you read this great book thank you Steven King.

Story and Narrator kept me listening till the end

I purchased this novel in paperback a year ago, but I'm not a big reader and only got a quarter of the way through. When I found this book on audible i didn't stop listening for a week straight.

loved the narrator. I will be looking for more books read by him.

I couldn't stop listening!

I loved every second and could not stop listening. so many twists and turns and suspenseful moments! Craig Wasson did a wonderful job narrating. He gave each character a unique voice and I could feel the emotions each character was feeling!

A solid 4 stars

I specifically chose this book because I was looking for a time travel themed narrative. I came across 11.22.63 written by SK. SK, time travel AND the JFK era, how could I not?!

I am smitten with Stephen King's writing style and gentle, yet strong manipulation of words. This novel does not disappoint in this area! I also rather enjoyed the narration by Craig Wasson. During the beginning of the book, even after attentively listening to the preview which had given me some pre-buyer confidence, I was unsure about Wasson's voice effect for different characters. I am happy to report it did not take me long to settle into his somewhat quirky, but velvety voice. I also liked that he was fairly consistent with the different character's given voice (tone, mannerisms, inflections, etc.), even as he revisited characters from previous chapters. Nicely done imho.

Admittedly, I did not read enough reviews because I did not realize there was a somewhat intense love story in there (not really my thing). Nor did I know I'd be reading (or listening to rather, which is worse) some very intimate moments. It was uncomfortable to be completely honest, BUT I can say the story is not littered with them nor do they last long. Now knowing the entirety of the story, I can see how those moments well fed the narrative purpose. *weighs hands up and down*

The reviews I did read critiqued the amount of unnecessary descriptions and a hugely drawn out middle section. I suppose I can see their perspective, but it does not reflect mine. I wanted a long book with great writing. I wanted it to last. And I got what I wanted (save the sex parts lol). ...some also said they cried a few times. I didn't, but I can see that too. So, if you are a crier and hate to cry, maybe think twice. ...some also said his over the top descriptions of the time and political injections were, I don't remember exactly, something like arrogant. I say no way. It's a period piece centered on governmentally historic events. Wouldn't you WANT all his little tidbits? ...lastly, this isn't as scientific as I would have preferred, but I didn't expect that from SK and am therefore not disappointed by its absence.

All in all, it's worth the time and enjoyable! Hope this helped :)

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!