On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King’s heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination—a thousand page tour de force.
Following his massively successful novel Under the Dome, King sweeps readers back in time to another … to another moment—a real life moment—when everything went wrong: the JFK assassination. And he introduces readers to a character who has the power to change the course of history.
Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.
Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life – a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.
A tribute to a simpler era and a devastating exercise in escalating suspense, 11/22/63 is Stephen King at his epic best.
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I loved the story line the importance of JFK and being able to relive the tragic day he died. I love the theme of time travel and this book kept me reading each page wanting more ! Best read ever !
Unforgettable
This was possibly my favorite Stephen King of all time. The characters were fantastic!
Definitely one of King’s better works. If you don’t come to care about the characters in this one, you are a heartless reader. Some very original thoughts about time travel.
My favorite Stephen King book. Great attention to detail. Lots of research went into this book. An awesome read and an awesome audio book (unabridged; 30 cd’s).
If someone can explain to me how King builds worlds, I’d like to hear from you. I still have the taste of a 1950’s soda in my mouth, that I’ve never had. This book, like so many of his, fully submerses you into his creation. Such a wonderful premise and flawless execution, it leaves you questioning ‘what if’ long after you put it down.
Fun read
This was an excellent book,however very long and slow in parts.
I used to be a huge fan of King’s, reading everything he put out as soon as it was released. Over the years, his track record got pretty spotty for me and I gradually stopped reading him.
I heard a lot of really good things about this book and eventually broke down and bought it when I found it on sale. I have to say that I’m glad I did. When …
I am a huge fan of King !
One of the best novels he has written could not put it down. Blending actual events found in our history with the Stephen King spin is a 100 percent winner.
living through that awful day made me hope maybe King could pull it off
What would you do if you could prevent a major crime?
It’s hard to explain why I loved this so much without a spoiler alert, so let me just say that once again, Stephen Kind explains why things are not always what they seem to be, and cautions that some things are better left alone. This book had me reexamining how I think about those watershed moments of life.
I love Stephen King, but l just couldn’t get into this book; disappointing
Loved this book and not your typical Stephen King. The historical aspect and time travel with great character make this book a must read.
Enthralling adventure into what might have been, a clear-eyed vision of the recent past that stirred my memories, with wonderfully drawn characters both brave and broken. I cared what happened to all of them, and loved the ending.
“Men with hammers, men with knives, men with guns. Women who twist what they cannot dominate and belittle what they cannot understand. A universe of horror and loss surrounding a single lighted stage where mortals dance in defiance of the dark.”
So I binged read the last 60% of this book over the weekend. It’s terrific and well written. King …
Am listening to the unabridged version on Audible. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I started as book was recommended by somebody who doesnt usually read novels. The chance to change the past is something we all would be intrigued by but to actually do it is another thing. Very enjoyable listen.
Very interesting take on history. Always loved these ‘what if’ kinds of books. And a Stephen King twist on it was destined to be amazing.