11/22/63 in Bookworm Buddies

Jul 29, 2012 Janie Johnson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015

I just read this book as a reread, and I have to say that I enjoyed it just as much this time as when I read it 2 years ago. I would keep it the same rating as well. This was such a pleasure to read again and visit with these unforgettable characters.

Again I was nothing but pleased with yet another King Novel. And again the characters were created with such life and vitality. I fell in love with so many of them. And all King fans know that he is the master in character development. In this novel ...more

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Dec 10, 2011 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, summer-2012

3.5 Stars

Haven’t we all wished we could go back in time and do over some things in our life? We don’t think of the cost to ourselves or the world as we know it. Every action good or bad has a causal effect on modern day time, so Stephen King illustrates in his well written 11/22/63.

‘The past is obdurate.’

It resists change as Jake Epping finds out. The bigger the change in the past, the bigger effect on the time continuum and its harmony is broken in modern day. But the 35 year-old English te 3.5 Stars

Haven’t we all wished we could go back in time and do over some things in our life? We don’t think of the cost to ourselves or the world as we know it. Every action good or bad has a causal effect on modern day time, so Stephen King illustrates in his well written 11/22/63.

‘The past is obdurate.’

It resists change as Jake Epping finds out. The bigger the change in the past, the bigger effect on the time continuum and its harmony is broken in modern day. But the 35 year-old English teacher will risk the obdurate past to change the course of history by stopping Lee Harvey Oswald. JFK will live. But at what cost? Jake’s friend, Al Templeton, has returned to 2011 5 years older and terminally ill. Jake hesitates, wanting proof that changes made in the past will be positive. He has something in mind. The man who doesn’t cry wept as he read an essay written by one of his more mature GED students, Harry Dunning. Frank Dunning killed his entire family with a hammer on Halloween 1958 with the exception of Harry. If he can save the Dunning family, Jake will try to stop the JFK assassination. And so he begins the descent into Lisbon Falls, Maine through Al’s diner. It is 11:58 A.M, September 9, 1958. The past has reset. No matter how long Jake is gone, when he returns to the diner, he will have only been gone from 2011 two minutes.

After a harrowing eight weeks in Derry, Jake is relieved to be back in Lisbon Falls. He steps over the chain fence to go back to Al’s “rabbit hole.” The yellow card man is now the orange card man and Epping is afraid. He’s prevented a massacre, a young girl’s shooting, and a young man’s despair. Jimla! cries the orange card man. Yes, Epping is a changed man. But the orange card man sees him as a ghost or a monster. Monster or not, Epping returns to 2011 and is mostly pleased with the changes he has made. He will do what Al Templeton cannot. As George Amberson, Jake will find out if Oswald is solely responsible for the assassination. If he is, then Epping/Amberson will stop Oswald. He will not fail to do what is necessary to keep the young President alive on that November morning. But when he returns to 1958 Lisbon Falls, he sees a frightening sight: the orange card man has changed and his card is black. But Jake can’t think about that. He has to save the Dunning family and Carolyn Poulin again before going to Texas. When his business is done in Maine, Epping immerses himself into his new identity and heads south. His travels take him to Florida’s Gold Coast to Jodie, Texas. George Amberson is a substitute teacher who is writing a murder mystery, The Murder Place. To further complicate his mission, Jake/George meets an attractive but clumsy librarian. Sadie Dunhill is the love of Jake/George’s life. Will he be successful in his mission? Will he leave 1963 or stay in the past? Can he stay?

The addition of the love story between Jake and Sadie pleasantly surprised me. The lovers’ story worked and added tension to the central plot. King’s research of Oswald and the JFK assassination is evident, because as he said in an interview: the event of 11/23/63 was his generation’s September 11th. What I didn’t particularly like was the bashing of Republicans: if Democrats were elected, all is well. May be, and may not. My family is what would be considered as “blue dog” Democrats with a few Republicans in the mix. And everyone loved Kennedy. It may have been the fresh approach the young President took that gave the country hope. I don’t know. I was 5 years old when JFK was killed, but I remember watching JFK, Jr. salute the funeral procession and my parents’ tears. I felt their sadness for quite a while after Kennedy’s burial in Arlington National Cemetery. I would find books on their nightstand about the Kennedy’s and the Assassination mingled with books on WWII and the Depression for many years. Could Viet Nam been avoided as Al Templeton firmly believed? Could 9/11 been a bad CIA scenario? We will never know. We can only theorize. King tells a tale that we all wish could have happened, albeit with better consequences. But life turns on a dime.

...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: zz2014-read

This book is one of those that seems to stay with you for a while after reading it.

I have to say that it definitely wasn't what I was expecting when I first started it. I knew it was a bit different to the usual King books, but being a King reader for over 20 years I still guess I had a bit of a set path that I assumed it would follow. Boy, was I wrong!

In short, this book was amazing. The amount of research and detail that has gone into this book just stunned me. It also made me extremely curiou ...more

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Aug 29, 2018 Anne rated it it was amazing

This is now probably my favorite Stephen King novel. I haven't felt so immersed in a book's world in a while. I really felt like I was living in Jake Epping's world (in this case late 1950s/early 1960s U.S.), and it's hard not to still be there. This time traveling adventure of a lifetime is a fast-paced and fun read that will appeal to those readers who normally shy away from King's "scary" works. I listened to the audiobook--all 33+ hours...whew! The reader was great and really helped bring th ...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Paula rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Its only recently I began reading Stephen King books, it took reading ‘Full Dark, No Stars’ to bring me back to his world and I am so glad I did, Stephen King is back!

’22.11.63’ is definitely now one of my favourite Stephen King books, the story is brilliantly told, so intricate in how the story is told, nothing has been missed, the authenticity shines through as Jake goes back in time to stop one of the major events of history. As strange as it sounds, I found it interesting to read about Lee ...more

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Jan 08, 2016 Pennygale rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 18, 2017 Sherri rated it liked it

It took me 18 months to finish this book. I watch the mini series and really enjoyed it. I thought the plot was great and so much history was covered, however, King does not know how to condense his thoughts. So much time spent on side stories that I felt just really roamed from the purpose of the book.

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Apr 16, 2012 Michael Anson rated it it was amazing

An amazing work of fiction. I'm not a horror fan, but Stephen King has demonstrated that he is much more than just a genre writer. I like to refer to him lovingly as a "Genuine Genius Schlockmeister."

This novel follows the premise as to what would have completely changed had John Kennedy not been assassinated on 11/22/63, something King refers to as the "butterfly effect." Perhaps not a completely novel premise, this book demonstrates a master's dexterity. Incredibly researched and rich in detai ...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Pages and Tea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-2012, rec-me-from-these

Haven't read any Stephen King in years, so didn't really know what to expect from this, but thought it was an interesting idea.

I LOVED IT!!

Everything about the book was brilliant.
It was well paced, the characters were many and varied, with some wonderful creations in Deke and Miz Mimi, and the central love story was so good. The pace builds towards the end, and there's enough to keep you guessing as to whether Jake will indeed change the course of history, and what the consequences will be if h ...more

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