Corey's Reviews > 11/22/63

I don't think I've ever felt sadder to have a book end, that's how much I enjoyed 11.22.63, it was that good, OMG!!!

Stephen King took a different road while writing this book, as you'll see when you're reading if for the first time, it's geared more towards science fiction, but some of it will of course be enough to scare you, with King I had no doubt in my mind!

11.22.63 is an astonishing tale of fiction mixed in with actual events, one of them, the JFK Assassination!! In the Present day, 2011, Jake Epping, an ordinary High School English teacher in a Maine town, one day grading papers when he stumbles upon a writing by the School Custodian Harry Dunning, fifty years ago Harry survived his fathers attempted murder, being the only survivor of the family. But Jake comes across a much more dark secret that will take Jake on a life-changing endeavor, a time-portal located in the local diner of Jake's friend Al.

Al (Who is dying from Cancer, and is permanently closing the doors to his diner) has known about the portal for some time, and with Jake being the first one he's has shown it to, Al presses him into going through the time portal to do one last thing for him, prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy! Jake agrees to it, but only after learning how this mysterious time-machine functions:

Every journey through it sends the traveler to September 9, 1958, at 11:58 a.m.,

No matter how long the traveler stays in the past, whether it be days, weeks or years, only 2 minutes have elapsed when they return to the present.

Every time the traveler returns to the present, then back, each trip is a reset, the timeline erases all events made from the previous trip

The obdurate past throws up many obstacles to prevent History from being changed

Accepting the risks, Jake goes through the portal back in time, to the era of Elvis, big American cars, and JFK. While there, Jake begins a new life under the name of George Amberson, moves to Dallas, Texas, takes the occupation as a schoolteacher and falls for a beautiful librarian named Sadie Dunhill, whom he begins a relationship with.

During the time of Kennedy's Presidency and the day of Lee Harvey Oswald's plan fast approaching, Jake forms up a plan to prevent the horrific day from occurring and changing the course of history, but what Jake doesn't realize is that his choices and decisions come at a price.

I really enjoyed the setting and the 1st person POV, it almost makes you feel like you're there experiencing the 50's and 60's!

Apparently just like Under the Dome, King originally had the idea to write 11/22/63 way back in the 70's when he was just starting out in the writing field, but decided to put it on hold because at the time he was teaching High School, and he thought such a big project at that time would be too demanding, and he was glad that he wait until the 21st century to write it.

King did a lot of research in order to write this book, reading many books regarding the Kennedy assasination, and looking up possibilities that Oswald was not acting alone, also meeting with Presidential Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin (who I'm also a big fan of and who wrote the book regarding the Kennedy family ), who looked at worst-case scenarios if Kennedy had lived.

I could go on forever, but I'm going to wrap it up here by saying this was such an inspiring book, and so many other ways I don't know how to describe! Anyone out there who loves King of books regarding the Kennedy assasination whether it's fact of fiction, 11/22/63 is a MUST READ!!!