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xcaity's review against another edition
5.0
Minus half a star because Stephen King can't write a book less than 1,000 pages.
lauracooleyjohnson's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. I have unending respect for Stephen King, and this premise of “what if you could turn back time and save JFK?” is fascinating, well-researched, and cleverly written. It is a story that will stay with me for a long time; my brain replaying the what-ifs of life, decisions, and the impact on the future. So that’s pretty cool. But it isn’t quite a 5-star read for me. At times the story languished, bogged down a bit by details on Lee Harvey Oswald’s whereabouts that may have been historically accurate, but weren’t strictly necessary for the story. But mostly I respect Stephen King and his gift for storytelling. This isn’t horror, and it’s not thriller either. It’s just a dang good story with a bit of fantasy and imagination thrown in for flavor.
hayhayriles's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
11/22/63 is not my usual type of read. I’m not big on historical fiction fan or sci-fi/time travel reader.
It is a well written novel that fully immerses you into many different times and places where you truly get to know the places characters who they are and why they are the way they are.
With this kind of novel and that level of detail, I do find myself coming back and thinking about the characters we even weeks later and I’m sure I will for years to come. That is what I appreciate most about it.
That said in my opinion, the character building and world describing did not necessarily require as much depth and detail as we got, I believe the story could have been significantly shorter and still gotten across the same points and even potentially taking it further in some way than it did.
My main gripe is with the main character, Jake. Jake is simultaneously lovable and unlikable and it’s challenging for me to put my finger on exactly what it is about this character that did not sit well with me at all times throughout the book.
All in all I’m happy I read it and learned more about this period in American history that is not well known or talked about enough.
It is a well written novel that fully immerses you into many different times and places where you truly get to know the places characters who they are and why they are the way they are.
With this kind of novel and that level of detail, I do find myself coming back and thinking about the characters we even weeks later and I’m sure I will for years to come. That is what I appreciate most about it.
That said in my opinion, the character building and world describing did not necessarily require as much depth and detail as we got, I believe the story could have been significantly shorter and still gotten across the same points and even potentially taking it further in some way than it did.
My main gripe is with the main character, Jake. Jake is simultaneously lovable and unlikable and it’s challenging for me to put my finger on exactly what it is about this character that did not sit well with me at all times throughout the book.
All in all I’m happy I read it and learned more about this period in American history that is not well known or talked about enough.
zapkode's review against another edition
5.0
{My thoughts} – Jake Epping is your typical high school English teacher that seems to be pre-destined for greater things. He is a regular patron at a diner run by a guy named Al Templeton.
One day Al decides he needs to hand pick someone that can carry on the mission that he has spent a great deal of his life trying to fulfill. It turns out that he chooses Jake to take on an enormous responsibility.
However, as we all know with great responsibility there can also be drastic consequences. Al introduces Jake to a time warp point that he calls the rabbit hole. It always goes back to the same day in history and each time you come out and back to the present and then return it resets back to the same fixed point in history. Also, you can spend years there, but in the present you’ve only been gone for two minutes.
Let’s think about this rabbit hole. The fixed point never changes, it’s always the same each time you return. However, anything in history that happens after that point your able to both witness and possibly change. The only problem is that there could be a possible butterfly effect to any point in history. Therefore, making changes might be at your advantage or disadvantage when it comes to the future, but you won’t know the full effect until you go back to the present through the rabbit hole.
If you could change anything in history, would you? This book shows you what can happen if you make a change to some small events in history as well as a larger scaled event. The larger scaled event is the prevention of the assassination of President Kennedy.
When Jake accomplishes his goal and or mission and goes back to the present, he learns there were dire consequences to the changes that he’d made in the past. He also knows that all he has to do to erase those changes is to pop back in and out of the rabbit hole again. The question we are left with is, does he go back and erase all his hard work? Does he decide to live in the past? What did the changes he made in the past end up doing to the future?
I have to admit that this book has intrigued my interest since it was first published. I usually stay away from books by authors that are well known for writing some spooky stuff. This book was spooky. It was an interesting take on time travel and gas got me thirsting for my books by Stephen King. I really never thought I’d see the day I’d be interested in a King book, but that say came. It was a difficult book to put down and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
I highly recommend this book for anyone that likes reading about time travel, likes Stephen King’s writing, and is interested in the what if type things that could gave happened had events in the past played out differently then they’d played out.
One day Al decides he needs to hand pick someone that can carry on the mission that he has spent a great deal of his life trying to fulfill. It turns out that he chooses Jake to take on an enormous responsibility.
However, as we all know with great responsibility there can also be drastic consequences. Al introduces Jake to a time warp point that he calls the rabbit hole. It always goes back to the same day in history and each time you come out and back to the present and then return it resets back to the same fixed point in history. Also, you can spend years there, but in the present you’ve only been gone for two minutes.
Let’s think about this rabbit hole. The fixed point never changes, it’s always the same each time you return. However, anything in history that happens after that point your able to both witness and possibly change. The only problem is that there could be a possible butterfly effect to any point in history. Therefore, making changes might be at your advantage or disadvantage when it comes to the future, but you won’t know the full effect until you go back to the present through the rabbit hole.
If you could change anything in history, would you? This book shows you what can happen if you make a change to some small events in history as well as a larger scaled event. The larger scaled event is the prevention of the assassination of President Kennedy.
When Jake accomplishes his goal and or mission and goes back to the present, he learns there were dire consequences to the changes that he’d made in the past. He also knows that all he has to do to erase those changes is to pop back in and out of the rabbit hole again. The question we are left with is, does he go back and erase all his hard work? Does he decide to live in the past? What did the changes he made in the past end up doing to the future?
I have to admit that this book has intrigued my interest since it was first published. I usually stay away from books by authors that are well known for writing some spooky stuff. This book was spooky. It was an interesting take on time travel and gas got me thirsting for my books by Stephen King. I really never thought I’d see the day I’d be interested in a King book, but that say came. It was a difficult book to put down and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
I highly recommend this book for anyone that likes reading about time travel, likes Stephen King’s writing, and is interested in the what if type things that could gave happened had events in the past played out differently then they’d played out.
averylwc's review against another edition
5.0
This is my favorite Stephen king book. And I’m so glad it was my first king novel because he can be hit or miss for me.
This novel is such a stirring romance, adventure and historical fiction. I love how long it is because you just feel the time period seep into you as the main character lives a life. The ending is marvelous and worth the ride.
This novel is such a stirring romance, adventure and historical fiction. I love how long it is because you just feel the time period seep into you as the main character lives a life. The ending is marvelous and worth the ride.
idlewildhammer's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
sofiaryan112's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
ninasbooks57's review against another edition
5.0
It was a great book- what an unbelievable end- sad...
big_billy_style's review against another edition
3.5
I get that this was the point, that it mirrors the novel’s central conflict or whatever, but at times it really felt like two novels Frankensteined together, and both of them were tedious at points. It’s at its best when King is at his most sadistic. Might be his most nostalgic novel too, which is saying something.