11.22.63: A Novel. Collector's Limited Edition

I was fine until the very last page. Then I bawled my eyes out (even though I'm not what you'd call a crying man).

Definitely not an easy read. Not only is it a long book but due to it's complexity it's very densely packed which is why it takes quite some time to read AND understand it. Yet it's still a genius work.

"11/22/63" von Stephen King ist ein faszinierendes Werk, das den Leser auf eine Reise durch die Zeit mitnimmt. Mit über 800 Seiten kann das Buch zu Beginn etwas überwältigend wirken, aber der Leser wird schnell in die Geschichte hineingezogen und kann sich kaum davon lösen. Die Idee der Zeitreise, bei der der Protagonist Jake Epping in die Vergangenheit reist, um den Mord an John F. Kennedy zu verhindern, ist unglaublich fesselnd. King entwirft eine Welt, in der jede Handlung, die Jake in der Vergangenheit ausführt, Auswirkungen auf die Zukunft hat. Dadurch entsteht eine faszinierende Dynamik zwischen den verschiedenen Zeitebenen, die den Leser in ihren Bann zieht. Allerdings fand ich das Ende des Buches etwas unrealistisch. Ohne zu viel zu verraten, kann ich sagen, dass es sich in einigen Aspekten von der restlichen Geschichte abhebt. Die Auflösung des Buches war für mich etwas zu einfach und vorhersehbar, nachdem die Geschichte so viele Wendungen und Überraschungen hatte.

It took me a while to get into reading this book. At first I thought it was just a constant spout of what had happened to Oswald and him shooting JFK and actually proving it. More a documentary kind of thing. I was wrong. What its all about is a guy Jake Epping, manages to be persuaded to travel back in time and save JFK from being shot by Oswald all the while the story is intertwined with not a love story but a romance. It points out how the smallest change in the past can have the largest effect (The Butterfly Effect) and that it can change things completely. By the end I actually loved the book and couldn't put it down. Not a typical Stephen King book but a very nice change!

I almost gave this only 2 stars, I'd still say it's more like 2.5 than 3, but I had to admit several things that were good about 11/22/63… 1) The actual plot (stopping the assassination) was really interesting. The way it played out, the little bits of history I never knew about… awesome! But, everything in between was sooo slow and dragged the story along. I started speed reading, skipping bits, and even then some parts just made me really sleepy… I understand the necessity of Jake/George’s “other life”, but do we need to know every detail of it? Do we need to know the color of every sweater Deke wore? In my opinion, a little less would have meant a lot more in this Stephen King novel. Also speaking of the plot: the ending to the assassination plot was just disappointing. The whole time travel thing was done so well, but ended so miserably. 2) With that being said, I admire Stephen King for his writing style. I don’t usually speed read or skip stuff; I just put the book down. But with this one, I just couldn’t. As boring as it was sometimes, I just had to pick it back up and see where everything was going. I couldn’t just leave it on my night stand; I had to know how it ends. Chapeau Mr. King. It hurts my inner Stephen King fan if I had to give this 2 stars, and I have no doubt that some people, with other tastes and a lot more interest in history than me, will enjoy this book a lot more, so I gave it 3 stars.

There was so much going on here but it all had a place and there weren't any loose ends, especially with the alternate ending. I really enjoyed this.

i cried

ich dachte nicht dass mich das buch zum heulen bringt, aber das ende war dermaßen schön... Außerdem hat sich aber der Anfang und die Tage vor Kennedys Anschlag übelst gezogen. Der Rest jedoch war super und unterhaltsam...

If you're following my reviews for a longer time, you probably know that Stephen King and I have kind of a difficult relationship. Therefore, this book was on my 'to-read' list for months without me even thinking about reading it anytime soon. When I finally started, though, I figured that this would be my favorite King - I loved (abd still love) the whole story and the amount of research King must have done to write this novel. I've always had an interest in the whole Kennedy shooting and the book delivered so many background information ... i loves it. As well as King's writing style. Decent to read, but nothing to easy going. For me, this book is definitely worth a re-read.

I almost gave this only 2 stars, I'd still say it's more like 2.5 than 3, but I had to admit several things that were good about 11/22/63… 1) The actual plot (stopping the assassination) was really interesting. The way it played out, the little bits of history I never knew about… awesome! But, everything in between was sooo slow and dragged the story along. I started speed reading, skipping bits, and even then some parts just made me really sleepy… I understand the necessity of Jake/George’s “other life”, but do we need to know every detail of it? Do we need to know the color of every sweater Deke wore? In my opinion, a little less would have meant a lot more in this Stephen King novel. Also speaking of the plot: the ending to the assassination plot was just disappointing. The whole time travel thing was done so well, but ended so miserably. 2) With that being said, I admire Stephen King for his writing style. I don’t usually speed read or skip stuff; I just put the book down. But with this one, I just couldn’t. As boring as it was sometimes, I just had to pick it back up and see where everything was going. I couldn’t just leave it on my night stand; I had to know how it ends. Chapeau Mr. King. It hurts my inner Stephen King fan if I had to give this 2 stars, and I have no doubt that some people, with other tastes and a lot more interest in history than me, will enjoy this book a lot more, so I gave it 3 stars.

I really appreciated this book from the beginning to the end, but I had some issues concerning the pace. Sometimes I thought it way to slow and in other parts it was very fast paced, where I'd liked a slower pace. But, you know, it's from the KING, so naturally it's good! :)

A slow, emotional, wonderful time travel story that can pick up in pace when needed and deliver great moments, paints a vivid picture of the past and just made me love everything about itself, especially the characters and their relationships as well as how detailed and real Jake's life in the part is.