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11/22/63: A Novel [Hardcover]

Stephen King
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4,300 customer reviews)

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Book Description

November 8, 2011
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 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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Editorial Reviews

Review

'Fine stories to take with us into the night.' -- Neil Gaiman on FULL DARK, NO STARS in the Guardian

'America's greatest living novelist.' -- Lee Child

'King's gift of storytelling is unrivalled. His ferocious imagination is unlimited.' -- George Pelecanos

'King's most purely entertaining novel in years ... utterly compelling.' -- John Connolly on UNDER THE DOME

'Staggeringly addictive.' -- USA Today on UNDER THE DOME

'Tight and energetic from start to finish.' -- New York Times on UNDER THE DOME

'The pedal is indeed to the metal.' -- Guardian on UNDER THE DOME

'Delivers a lot of praise and enjoy. The story comes off the blocks with almost alarming speed ... he tells a story like a pro ... 11.22.63 kept me up all night.' -- Daily Telegraph

'Stephen King at his epic, pedal-to-metal best' -- Alison Flood, Sunday Times, Culture

'Not just an accomplished time-travel yarn but an action-heavy meditation on chance, choice and fate.' -- Independent Books of the Year

'The details of Fifties America, the cars, the clothes, the food, the televisions with wonky horizontal hold, are so vivid that you begin to wonder whether the author himself hasn't had access to a time machine. ...But as you worry at the paradoxes and the brilliantly explained pseudo science there is no denying that this monster yearn is blindingly impressive. Manly writers run out of steam as they get older. King, though, writes books that are ever longer and more demanding. I can't wait to see what he will tackle next.' -- Daily Express

'Stephen King's new novel, 11.22.63, combines a variety of genres, being a JFK assassination, a story of time travel, a variation on the grail quest, a novel of voyeurism, a love story, a historical novel, a counter-factual historical novel and the chilling tale of a sinister animate universe, a form which can be traced back to the ghost stories of MR James.' -- London Review of Books

'The master of the pen has written yet another extraordinary novel.' -- Independent

'Perhaps only seasoned storyteller Stephen King could accomplish changing the course of history in his vast time-travelling masterpiece whilst effortlessly weaving political and social details with abundant humour. King's intriguing new story structure will surely catapult the author to another best-seller.' -- The Australian Women's Weekly

'These early sections of the novel are almost irresistible entertaining, enlivened not just by King's supreme control of the form but by his sardonic wit and usual generosity of spirit and expansiveness. Yet as Jack/George moves closer to his goal, other, darker notes intrude, as time itself begins to resist his attempts to change its course, and as he begins to identify with his quarry... Beneath the reassuring glow of King's portrait of an earlier, simpler time moves a darker and less comfortable vision, a glimpse of the terrifying machinery that moves below the surface of human history, and which stands as a stark, chilling rejoinder to the fantasies of escape embodied in so many time travel stories.' -- The Weekend Australia

'Mammoth but entertaining, this is part sci-fi, part suspense and part travelogue of a long-ago America.' -- Who Weekly

'Stephen King is a remarkable and wonderful storyteller who never loosens his grip on the reader throughout the 750-page book.' -- Woman's Day

'The novel is big, ambitious and haunting. King has probably absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his baby-boom American generation as thoroughly and imaginatively as any other writer.' -- Mildura Midweek

'King weaves the social, political and popular culture of his baby-boom American generation into a devastating exercise in escalating suspense.' -- Daily Liberal

'A fascinating journey.' -- Armidale Express Extra

'A delightful blend of history and fantasy by a man who has always had a soft spot for an America where men wore fedoras, drove big Fords and could do the foxtrot. A thriller by a genius writer.' -- The Courier Mail

'People often complain there are no writers of the stature of Dickens anymore. I think that for pure energy and invention missed with compassion, King stands in that writer's direct line. Dickens' heir is alive and well and living in Maine.' -- Eureka Street

'This is Stephen King in top and chilling form.' -- Take 5

'You have to take a leap of faith with time-travel novels, but if there's one writer who can pull it off, it's Stephen King. ... Captivating, surprisingly pacy and free from sci-fi cliche, it's no wonder the film version is already being planned.' -- Shortlist

'The most remarkable story-teller in modern American literature.' -- Mark Lawson,The Guardian

'A powerful love story' -- Mirror

'One of the strengths of the book is King's at once nostalgic and honest view of the end of the Eisenhower era. King manages to avoid both sentimentalizing the past and treating it with massive condescension; his role as the poet of American brand-names serves him well here.' -- Independen

'King swiftly moves beyond vintage Americana to unfold a stunningly panoramic portrait of the era. His [King's] fascination with evil...arranges characters among clear mortal frontiers that fell meaningful rather than simplistic. King commands an inordinately fat space on the bookshelf with 11.22.63 but it's hard to begrudge when his vast imagination is working across such an epic canvas.' -- Seven, The Sunday Telegraph

'11.22.63 marks a definite maturing of literary command and ambition. The key to any novel set in an alternate reality is credible world building, the steady accumulation of detail - preferably lightly distributed - that brings the story alive. King succeeds in this, partly drawing from his own memories.' -- Adam LeBor FT Weekend

'...This is the American of Stephen King's childhood and it's one that he re-creates in vivid and loving detail... This is a truly compulsive, addictive novel not just about time-travel or the Kennedy assassination but about recent American history and its might-have-beens, about love, and about how life 'turns on a dime'. It's a thunking 700-pager which left me only wanting more. The master storyteller in truly masterful form.' -- Daily Mail

'Stephen King is up there with the best. It's a thriller, a meditation on late Fifties and early Sixties America and a love story. It creates a world you can lose yourself in.' -- Peter Robinson in the Sunday Express

'He writes incomparably good stories ... King's mastery of plot and his ability to create characters and situations both homespun and far-fetched means that this is the book you dream of getting stuck on the train home with.' -- Independent on Sunday

'The fictional offering that engaged me most urgently ... an extraordinarily ambitious tale.' -- Canberra City News

'A suspenseful drama.' -- New Idea (Australia

'Time travel and an incredible talent for storytelling combine to produce a unique tour de force.' -- Sun

'A book of the year.' -- Sun

'Cleverly evokes the moral dilemmas of time travel and whether a time traveller could or should prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy on 11.22.63. King also beautifully and nostalgically evokes the minutiae of American suburban life in the late 1950's.' -- Canberra Times

'King's first effort at melding fact with fiction is as successful as his previous books, and perhaps even more intriguing considering the subject matter: time travel and the implications of change. A contemplative and thoughtful book as filled with heart as it is with intrigue, courtesy of one of our most gifted living writers.' -- Australian Penthouse

'Legendary writer King has written another magical tome.' -- People (Australia)

'The proof that King is an absolute master of the ambitious, imaginative novel shouts from every page.' -- Good Book Guide --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller as well as the Best Hardcover Book Award from the International Thriller Writers Association. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 849 pages
  • Publisher: Scribner (November 8, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1451627289
  • ISBN-13: 978-1451627282
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 2.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4,300 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Customer Reviews

I really liked the book...easy read and loved the ending. texas gal  |  1,507 reviewers made a similar statement
Stephen King does it again with 11/22/63! Sandra K. La Duc  |  1,317 reviewers made a similar statement
The book has a great story and well developed characters. Hi  |  1,004 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
627 of 657 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Through the past darkly - a no spoilers review November 15, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
"11/22/63", Stephen King's latest, might just be his greatest. Seriously. At least as far as "mainstream" fiction or "literature" goes. Yes, it is built around a well-used SF trope, time travel, but really, the portal to the past that Jake Epping is shown in the back of an aluminum diner is only the launch mechanism for this fantastic journey. There are no monsters here, at least none that aren't human, and little or no horror in the supernatural sense that King's constant readers have come to know, love and expect. Even SK's other "straight" fiction, "Misery", "Dolores Claiborne" and "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" come to mind, had elements of the supernatural and/or flat-out horror. Not this time.

But that doesn't mean that 11/22/63 is boring. Quite the contrary. Although it might seem that it would be tough to build suspense around a conclusion that seems to be inevitable, this turns out not to be the case. Big time. I just finished playing hooky from work for a day when I read the last 400 pages non-stop (except for a couple of bathroom breaks), because I just couldn't stop. I just kept pressing the advance button on my Kindle.

The adjective that first comes to mind in describing 11/22/63 among SK's oeuvre is, oddly enough, "mature". I have read every novel and anthology that King has published, plus a large number of single short stories, starting with "Carrie" in a borrowed paperback back in the late 1970s. I have never before thought of describing his work in any of them, many good, some great and a few clunkers (some of which I have reviewed as such), as mature. But that is the first, best word that comes to mind in describing 11/22/63. There were others too; exciting, romantic, bittersweet and, as with all SK's stuff, well-written.

Lee Harvey Oswald and the Kennedy assassination were obviously very well-researched, clear from the details in the text even before one gets to the afterword that describes some of the sources and methods used. The lead-up to the day of the assassination is described in great detail, along with Oswald's relationship to his family and associates, all matters of historical record (at least according to the sources cited by SK, with which most of the readers who did not like the novel disagreed emphatically). But I should point out that the facts concerning the Kennedy assassination are actually not the main focus of the novel.

The world of 1958-1963 is described in wonderful detail, through the eyes of Jake as he gradually sheds his early 21st century armored shell and falls in love with a small Texas town and Sadie, its new young librarian. Their love story is the centerpiece of the novel and is told with great depth, sensitivity and believability. I'm old enough to have experienced lots of the stuff that Jake encounters in 1958 (albeit as a child) and it jives with and jogs my recollections and induces a feeling of longing for older, simpler times. For King''s "Constant Readers", there are easter egg cameos from "It" and "The Langoliers" that I recognized. Knowing SK, there may well be others.

The ending is not predictable (if you say you saw it all coming you are either lying or should be a best-selling novelist) and is surprisingly satisfying. To those who say King doesn't know how to end his novels, I say, read this one.

Very Highly Recommended for all (even those who think they know but don't "like" Stephen King).

J.M. Tepper
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1,463 of 1,571 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The past is obdurate November 10, 2011
Format:Hardcover
Stephen King started publishing books around roughly the same time I started reading them. It was the mid 70s, and I was a precocious young thing. I was fearless, and man I loved what he was writing! I haven't read nearly all of his novels in the decades since, but enough to have a pretty good familiarity with the universe that his works share. Now entering my more fearful middle age, I can tell you there is, oddly, something deeply comforting about submerging myself again in his rich, folksy world where heroes ARE heroic, all stories come full circle, and pretty much all nagging questions are eventually put to rest.

The hero of 11/22/63 is Jake Epping, and early on in this novel he is presented with something inconceivable, a sort of wormhole in time. It leads from 2011 Maine to September 9, 1958. You can visit the past for as long as you like--years even--but when you return to the present it's always exactly two minutes later. Every subsequent visit is a "reset." You can change the past (and consequently the present), but as Jake learns, "the past is obdurate." It resists.

There's more to the set-up, of course, but that's all you really need to know. Because with this portal to the past, Jake is set on a mission that would probably be the goal of most every person of a certain age--to stop the Kennedy assassination. I don't think it resonates quite so strongly with those of us who weren't around to remember Camelot, but, sure, 11/22/63 was one of the most pivotal days in this nation's history. It's a day that surely scarred the psyche of every American who remembers it.

For long-time readers like myself, there are some wonderful Easter eggs to be found in 11/22/63, tying back to past novels, and probably to future ones as well. It's amazing how King does that. Characters I haven't seen for decades make cameo appearances and gosh it's great to see them. If Mr. King has one skill above all, it's the ability to breathe life into his characters. No wonder they live on long after their stories end. And it's not just the characters that feel like old friends, it's merely inhabiting the King-verse with its familiar town names, attitudes, and themes. Like I said, comforting.

So, if it's not obvious already, I loved this novel from start to finish! Heck, I read 849 pages in less than 48 hours. But Mr. King might have written this one just for me. I have a thing for time travel stories. In fact, 11/22/63 has several similarities with an old favorite I recently re-read: Replay, by Ken Grimwood. The ideas of this novel are pretty compelling, and it's not surprising that others have explored them. Reading the two so close together made for an interesting counterpoint, and did disservice to neither.

Thirty-seven years and several dozen novels after his first, Stephen King is still finding new stories to tell in inventive ways. Yes, those familiar echoes are there, but somehow Mr. King is keeping his prolific output fresh. 11/22/63 is a blast from the past. I'm glad I got to travel there with this dear old friend.
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568 of 622 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Not disappointed November 11, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I first read about this book a few months ago. While I am a fan of Stephen King, I'm not a huge fan. I don't typically buy his books the day they are released, but when I read the premise for this one I just thought that it was a really neat idea and I couldn't wait for it to be released so that I could read it. Then I got a little nervous about it. From the time I read the teaser I thought that there were so many interesting directions that someone could take this story, but what if it tanks? That's always the pitfall of a really neat idea... what if it fails to really bloom like you think it could? But this is Stephen King. For my review, I'd like to establish that I was born almost 7 years after JFK died. I am not a JFK scholar and I did not read this book trying to hyper-analyze the historical accuracy of the book. I took it as a fictional exploration of a historical event produced not to answer any historical questions but just to entertain and provoke thought. I feel it was very successful on both points. My fears that Stephen King was going to take a great idea and go nowhere with it were definitely unfounded. He also works in all his usual Stephen King "givens"... the story starts in Maine. We even get to "visit" a couple of characters from other Stephen King books and the town of Derry, though the majority of the book is set in Texas of course. On the whole I usually review books based on how well spent I feel my time was in reading it and I am in no way disappointed in this one. If you buy the book I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and thank you for taking the time to read my review.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful, "what if?" novel.
If you could go back in time and change important historical events, would you? I have been a skeptic when terrible things happen to friends and they put their minds at ease by... Read more
Published 6 hours ago by Deborah Kingston
5.0 out of 5 stars Probably most interesting King's novel
For me this was most pleasant experience with King's book) Unlike most his books which cause almost paralyzing terror this is a life novel with only scary end (or one of the ends).
Published 8 hours ago by Azzett
5.0 out of 5 stars got hooked from the very first paragraph.
a story as only the master storyteller can bring to life on paper!! nothing can compare to stephen king at his best!
Published 9 hours ago by marc a alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars His best novel to date!
The detail of his characters, settings in time and involvement with the characters was done superbly. This book was difficult to put down. Read more
Published 9 hours ago by Slapp
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
I thought this was wonderfully thought out. Time travel is something that's been talked about for years and this was an interesting take on things.

Fantastic
Published 11 hours ago by Jacy Kemp
4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed the book, despite the flaws
First of all, I have read most of King's books, and enjoyed each one for various reasons. This one is no exception, though I didn't care for it as much as I have others he's... Read more
Published 22 hours ago by Johnboy1
3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty ok
This is a good time travel novel, in which King explores history, and what catastrophic results could occur if the past were changed in any way. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Barbara Dundas
5.0 out of 5 stars Stephen King at his BEST
As always King's story is just a little off center but his narrative makes
it seem plausible. We all wish we could change history in some fashion
but what we don't think... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Donald F. Olson
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting concept
Not predictable--lots of twists and turns. I love time travel stories but they have to be believable even though you know they could never happen. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Helen
5.0 out of 5 stars One of King's Best
A fantastic and compelling story that merges history with science fiction and love. This was one of the best stories I've read in a while.
Published 1 day ago by mc
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Casting the Movie
Good suggestions!
I tend to, whether I want to or not, "cast" the movie in my mind as a I read books ... and for some reason, I kept thinking of Deborah Ann Woll, who plays the young vampire Jessica on "True Blood", as Sadie. Gosling would be a great Jake. Gary Oldman was so... Read more
Jan 4, 2012 by Howard Whitman |  See all 14 posts
King's disappointing plot choice eliminates ethical conundrum
it reminds me of tom cruise's movie where he is in the Future crime division. (minority report) I felt that it was a dumb choice and it as you say... created no "choice" for Jake to make. I would have preferred him just to kill him before he killed his family. Plus he should have spent... Read more
Mar 29, 2013 by Christopher Marrero |  See all 2 posts
Can someone explain better the "past harmonizing" concept?
I got that things had to line up. If the past were to be changed, there would have to be something to make up for that change. Harmonizing means coming into agreement or balancing; from an accounting perspective, when you balance your checkbook, the existing balance (the present) must match the... Read more
Feb 9, 2012 by Ange |  See all 7 posts
Spoilers - Conclusions
Yes, that is what we are to conclude.
Jun 1, 2012 by John A. Maher |  See all 6 posts
Can someone explain the Sadie/Doris connection to me?
When he looked down at her full legal name he saw that her middle name was Doris and for a split second all he could see was Doris Dun (as in Doris Dunning). Her hand was over her first name Sadie or something. Her full name was Sadie Doris Dunhill and that was close enough to Doris Duning to... Read more
Feb 4, 2012 by Andrea Barol |  See all 11 posts
New Stephen King fan wants recommendations.
'The Green Mile' is not horror though the setting is a bit morbid. It's one of my favourites... 'The Stand' is post apocalyptic horror though it's much more than a horror novel - kind of a great insight on society and how people behave. I think it's a universal favourite among fans.
Nov 13, 2011 by Arjun Sharma |  See all 83 posts
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