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bperl's review against another edition
4.0
Well-written and fanatically researched. King spent over a year building this atmosphere of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, and the payoff is phenomenal. Though marred slightly by his characteristic crudeness in some places, the overarching plot line is sturdy and gritty, and surprises continually. Would recommend with a warning - you don’t get out of this rabbit hole without dirtying your fluffy white tail.
diazepamreads's review against another edition
5.0
I, too, am surprised that I was compelled to read nearly 900 pages of a novel centered on JFK. And yet, here we are. I loved it. King is a magician—that’s the only plausible explanation. A charming slow burning plot, with time travel, best savored in chunks.
itsme_bianca's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
keiawnaj's review against another edition
5.0
Page 615-616
“For a moment everything was clear, and when that happens you see that the world is barely there at all. Don’t we all secretly know this? It’s a perfectly balanced mechanism of shouts and echos pretending to be wheels and cogs, a dreamclock chiming beneath a mystery-glass we call life. Behind it? Below it and around it? Chaos, storms. Men with hammers, men with knives, men with guns. Women who twist what they cannot dominate and belittle what the cannot understand. A universe of horror and loss surrounding a single lighted stage where mortals dance in defiance of the dark.”
“For a moment everything was clear, and when that happens you see that the world is barely there at all. Don’t we all secretly know this? It’s a perfectly balanced mechanism of shouts and echos pretending to be wheels and cogs, a dreamclock chiming beneath a mystery-glass we call life. Behind it? Below it and around it? Chaos, storms. Men with hammers, men with knives, men with guns. Women who twist what they cannot dominate and belittle what the cannot understand. A universe of horror and loss surrounding a single lighted stage where mortals dance in defiance of the dark.”
esmithh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.25
Long ass book but didn’t feel like it
jgbradbury's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, Stephen King's best in a long time! In the Afterward, King said it was an idea he had in the early '70s but set aside for various reasons. Under the Dome was published right before this one and I believe it had a similar scenario...an enormous idea, too daunting to write at the time but revisited decades later and brought to fruition by an older, more seasoned writer. The thing is...I thought right up until the ending (which felt anticlimactic and disappointing) that Under the Dome was like reading early, great Stephen King. And now with 11/22/63, I had the exact same feeling except this book was solid from beginning to end. Makes me excited for all the other dusty ideas he has yet to brush off.
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
4.0
This was so good. I was reluctant to start a relationship with this 30 hour audiobook just a few days before the semester started, but I'm so glad I did.
I liked this book for a bunch of reasons, and number one on my list is that it felt like true Stephen King to me, like the Stephen King I grew up reading. And not just because of the great story and likeable characters, but because the voice of Jake/George sounded a bit like King, the man, and the world of the novel--the past especially--felt as though we were viewing it directly through King's own memories.
Although that's also in part why I'm not giving it five stars. Sometimes Jake/George sounded a little too much like King: not like a 35 year old English teacher but like a 66 year old fan of rock music from the '50s and '60s. There were no indicators that Jake was a big music buff during his "present" life, but once he gets to the past, he throws band names--popular and obscure--around like confetti. And knowing what I know about Stephen King, that felt much more like him than like his character. It's not bad, necessarily, but it felt a little like a cheat.
One other complaint about Jake's character: he'd never used a rotary phone. Really? When the book begins, he's just a year younger than I am, and I used plenty of rotary phones when I was a kid. They weren't uncommon, especially in the '80s.
Aside from that really, really picky comment of mine (sorry, I couldn't help myself), this is a great book. The concept is fascinating and the world is tremendously believable, due to King's extensive research. I felt as though I knew these historical characters and the cities and towns, which made the importance of what Jake/George was there to do--and the denouement--so much more intense.
The narrator, Craig Wasson, was also great. He had a big job and he handled it perfectly.
And I cried at the end. Kind of a lot, actually.
I liked this book for a bunch of reasons, and number one on my list is that it felt like true Stephen King to me, like the Stephen King I grew up reading. And not just because of the great story and likeable characters, but because the voice of Jake/George sounded a bit like King, the man, and the world of the novel--the past especially--felt as though we were viewing it directly through King's own memories.
Although that's also in part why I'm not giving it five stars. Sometimes Jake/George sounded a little too much like King: not like a 35 year old English teacher but like a 66 year old fan of rock music from the '50s and '60s. There were no indicators that Jake was a big music buff during his "present" life, but once he gets to the past, he throws band names--popular and obscure--around like confetti. And knowing what I know about Stephen King, that felt much more like him than like his character. It's not bad, necessarily, but it felt a little like a cheat.
One other complaint about Jake's character: he'd never used a rotary phone. Really? When the book begins, he's just a year younger than I am, and I used plenty of rotary phones when I was a kid. They weren't uncommon, especially in the '80s.
Aside from that really, really picky comment of mine (sorry, I couldn't help myself), this is a great book. The concept is fascinating and the world is tremendously believable, due to King's extensive research. I felt as though I knew these historical characters and the cities and towns, which made the importance of what Jake/George was there to do--and the denouement--so much more intense.
The narrator, Craig Wasson, was also great. He had a big job and he handled it perfectly.
And I cried at the end. Kind of a lot, actually.
ianbterrones's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Fabulous novel to read for my first Stephen king book, highly recommend
jessygrahn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Wurde es empfehlen aber nicht dass man es lesen MUSS. Stellenweise zieht es sich schon. Es wäre schon cool wenn man mehr auf den green card man eingegangen wäre
Ein gutes Buch und macht Lust auf mehr von King. Bis jetzt hab ich IT und the shining gelesen und ich finde 11/22/63 war bis jetzt das gelungenste. Ich hab aber das Gefühl dass ich von dem Buch nicht soo viel behalten werde wie ich es gerne würde.
Ein gutes Buch und macht Lust auf mehr von King. Bis jetzt hab ich IT und the shining gelesen und ich finde 11/22/63 war bis jetzt das gelungenste. Ich hab aber das Gefühl dass ich von dem Buch nicht soo viel behalten werde wie ich es gerne würde.
emmarowlands's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5