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11/22/63

Stephen King

Start date: November 1, 2023

Finish date: November 30, 2023

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What Members Thought

Apr 24, 2014 Carolyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, time-travel

Mr King is such a consummate story teller that he could write about anything and I would enjoy it. The beauty of ebooks is that you don't have to read the blurb on the cover, so I had no idea this novel on the assassination of JFK involved time travel. However, I'm so glad it did as I got to see America in the 1950s and 60s and imagine what it was like to live in a world with no mobile phones, internet, fast food, shopping malls and kids who still respected their parents and teachers. Of course Mr King is such a consummate story teller that he could write about anything and I would enjoy it. The beauty of ebooks is that you don't have to read the blurb on the cover, so I had no idea this novel on the assassination of JFK involved time travel. However, I'm so glad it did as I got to see America in the 1950s and 60s and imagine what it was like to live in a world with no mobile phones, internet, fast food, shopping malls and kids who still respected their parents and teachers. Of course Mr King also shows us that there was a dark side to society including organised crime, wife-beating, racism, sex and gender inequality.

When Jake Epping, a divorced high school English teacher is confided in by his friend, diner cook Al Templeton little does he realise his life is going to be forever changed. Al is dying rapidly from lung cancer and shows Jake a secret passage he has discovered that takes him back to September 9th 1958. After testing it out, Al convinces Jake he should go back and try to stop the assassination of JFK in 1963. Al provides him with a lot of research he has done but is unable to carry out the task himself due to his illness. When Jake arrives in 1958 it seems relatively easy to set himself up and work out how to prevent the assassination but he soon discovers that the past is resistant to change and forces are working against him. Life also becomes complicated when he not only falls in love with small town life in the 60s but also meets the love of his life.

This is a fascinating story with a rich backdrop of the music and dances of the time, the simplicity of the food and entertainment that went along with life in a small town as well as the poverty of the working class living in the poorer parts of the cities. Alongside Jake's story are glimpses into the life of Lee Harvey Oswald and his Russian wife Marina and the people they associated with. There has been much controversy over whether Oswald acted alone and whether he was a patsy (as he claimed) acting under someone else's orders but for this account, I don't think that matters as Oswald's bullet was the one that killed JFK and that is what Jake is out to prevent. How he goes about it and what happens raises many interesting questions and conundrums about time travel.

Although a long book, which could have been shorter, the story moves at a steady pace and has a dramatic climax.

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Jul 01, 2018 Tawallah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, time-travel, books-i-actually-owe, hf

Better known for his horror novels, I never thought I would read a Stephen King novel but then he had fantasy novels which I have tried and enjoyed. This time I got to experience a time travel experience. And I can tell he did quite a bit of research- from the music( he seems to be a big fan of music), to coins of the day. We follow Jake Epping who receives a chance some people only dream could happen. He has been granted access to 1958 through the back of the diner by the owner. But as there ar ...more

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Jun 06, 2017 Tracy rated it liked it

While I very much enjoyed the concept of this novel, as well as the general plot and characters, I had a hard time making my way through this brick of a story. At times the action of the story is so heavily weighed down in tedious detail that the reader completely forgets that they are supposed to be on a time travel journey to potentially change the course of history. Over half the novel is spent telling the story of the main character, Jake Epping, in his out-of-time experience as George Amber ...more

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Jun 24, 2023 Nanci rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, mystery, contemporary, psychological-thriller, suspense, tt2023, horror

Taking on this book was quite an endeavor, but I'm glad I finished it and overall thought it was a good read. The middle part dragged for me and for such a long book, I wasn't that satisfied with the ending. I would like to give it 4 stars, but 3.5 is the highest rating I can give and it mostly is awarded that for the writing quality. The concept of the novel was wonderful and of high interest to me. I was in 6th grade when JFK was assassinated, so I remember it and how it impacted our world. Th ...more

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Dec 13, 2020 Alix rated it liked it

Shelves: owned, fiction, thriller, stephen-king-books

This was not bad, but it wasn't particularly good either. More like 2.5 stars, not quite a 3. An attempt at time traveling desires to save historical figure, and trouble is inevitable. A bit too long for me, I lost interest about 2/3rds of the way in, but carried on to the end. This might be great fun for the right reader, but I give it a big old m'eh. ...more

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