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savvyrosereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Jake Epping is a high school teacher in Maine who learns he can go back in time and decides to attempt to stop the assassination of JFK.
I started this book many years ago (around when it came out) and never got back to it, so it was the latest in my “Project DNF” attempt to finish every book I’ve ever DNFed. I’ll start with the positives: it was entertaining and I am glad I finally got back to it. That said, I also found it WAY too long—over 800 pages/30 hours on audio for absolutely no reason.
My biggest problem, however, was that I really disliked the ending, and it made the length feel even more oppressive (who wants to read for that long and not even have a good payoff?) Overall, it felt like a very self-indulgent book…and while an author has every right to publish something self-indulgent, I strongly feel like edits could have been made so this book was *also* as good as the super intriguing premise promised it could be.
If you like historical fiction with a side of time travel/alternate history, you might like this one, but be prepared for a long and winding road.
CW: Murder/blood/violence/injury/death; suicide
Jake Epping is a high school teacher in Maine who learns he can go back in time and decides to attempt to stop the assassination of JFK.
I started this book many years ago (around when it came out) and never got back to it, so it was the latest in my “Project DNF” attempt to finish every book I’ve ever DNFed. I’ll start with the positives: it was entertaining and I am glad I finally got back to it. That said, I also found it WAY too long—over 800 pages/30 hours on audio for absolutely no reason.
My biggest problem, however, was that I really disliked the ending, and it made the length feel even more oppressive (who wants to read for that long and not even have a good payoff?) Overall, it felt like a very self-indulgent book…and while an author has every right to publish something self-indulgent, I strongly feel like edits could have been made so this book was *also* as good as the super intriguing premise promised it could be.
If you like historical fiction with a side of time travel/alternate history, you might like this one, but be prepared for a long and winding road.
CW: Murder/blood/violence/injury/death; suicide
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism
savage_book_review's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was my first ever Stephen King book, and I had no idea what to expect going in. I picked it up purely on the basis that I liked the premise, and just hoped that I wasn't being fooled into reading a horror story (definitely not my genre of choice!). At best, I was expecting to read it, shrug and unhaul it. But oh, my goodness, what a book. This has more than earned a place on my bookshelf; I am totally blown away by this absolute masterpiece.
For me, it's not so much about the overarching plot of trying to save JFK that makes this stand out. Instead, it's the attention to detail which vividly brings this man's journey to life, both in terms of the factual elements - tracing Lee Harvey Oswald's life in the lead up to the fateful day is fascinating in and if itself - but also the seamless weaving in of the fictional characters and their goings-on to 'harmonise' the past. It's so very easy to fall down your own rabbit hole and come to believe in these characters; it really wouldn't take much to convince me that George Amberson/Jake Epping did actually write his story, and Stephen King is just 'the face'.
The concept of time travel might be sci-fi, but the writing makes it effortless to just 'go with it'. There's no real explanation as to where this hole in the world came from or why it exists, but there wasn't a single point where I didn't accept the position as plausible. The plot device just works. The exploration of the butterfly effect and the repercussions of George/Jake's actions do drag you into a type of dystopia, and I love how enough detail is given to allow you to understand exactly what has happened, while leaving enough to the imagination to have you thinking of the consequences for a long time after you put the book down. In turn, it inevitably leads to you questioning what you would do if you had the same or a similar opportunity.
There are some very dark moments throughout, with depictions of murder and domestic violence being important to the story. In some cases it's quite graphic, but it's not gratuitous and these moments are truly gripping to read. They're also important to our main character's development as he learns about the world he's now inhabiting and how the rabbit hole works.
Even in the quieter moments though, he writing remains engaging. I wouldn't say it's a fast paced book, and certainly there are plenty of more 'domestic' interludes that by all accounts should drag, but every moment is beautifully and thoughfully written and really digs into your psyche. I adore the romantic element - definitely not something I was expecting in a Stephen King book! - and to be honest I almost stopped caring about the world in jeopardy! And when the main character finds his 'people', the book develops a sweet small town cozy feel, albeit with shadows looming...
I'll admit to wanting a different ending, but the one we got is absolutely fitting, if heart-wrenching .
I'd thoroughly recommend this to anyone.
For me, it's not so much about the overarching plot of trying to save JFK that makes this stand out. Instead, it's the attention to detail which vividly brings this man's journey to life, both in terms of the factual elements - tracing Lee Harvey Oswald's life in the lead up to the fateful day is fascinating in and if itself - but also the seamless weaving in of the fictional characters and their goings-on to 'harmonise' the past. It's so very easy to fall down your own rabbit hole and come to believe in these characters; it really wouldn't take much to convince me that George Amberson/Jake Epping did actually write his story, and Stephen King is just 'the face'.
The concept of time travel might be sci-fi, but the writing makes it effortless to just 'go with it'. There's no real explanation as to where this hole in the world came from or why it exists, but there wasn't a single point where I didn't accept the position as plausible. The plot device just works. The exploration of the butterfly effect and the repercussions of George/Jake's actions do drag you into a type of dystopia, and I love how enough detail is given to allow you to understand exactly what has happened, while leaving enough to the imagination to have you thinking of the consequences for a long time after you put the book down. In turn, it inevitably leads to you questioning what you would do if you had the same or a similar opportunity.
There are some very dark moments throughout, with depictions of murder and domestic violence being important to the story. In some cases it's quite graphic, but it's not gratuitous and these moments are truly gripping to read. They're also important to our main character's development as he learns about the world he's now inhabiting and how the rabbit hole works.
Even in the quieter moments though, he writing remains engaging. I wouldn't say it's a fast paced book, and certainly there are plenty of more 'domestic' interludes that by all accounts should drag, but every moment is beautifully and thoughfully written and really digs into your psyche. I adore the romantic element - definitely not something I was expecting in a Stephen King book! - and to be honest I almost stopped caring about the world in jeopardy! And when the main character finds his 'people', the book develops a sweet small town cozy feel, albeit with shadows looming...
I'll admit to wanting a different ending, but the one we got is absolutely fitting, if heart-wrenching .
I'd thoroughly recommend this to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Misogyny, Sexual content, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
t4ly0r's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
really good man. absolutely devastating
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Sexism
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? No
4.0
🎧
I thought this was an enjoyable book. The pacing wasn't consistent, it was slow for most of the book and it was fast in others. I thought the characters were fine. I didn't really like many of them but I didn't dislike them either. I thought the plot was interesting, though a little predictable at times.
I thought this was an enjoyable book. The pacing wasn't consistent, it was slow for most of the book and it was fast in others. I thought the characters were fine. I didn't really like many of them but I didn't dislike them either. I thought the plot was interesting, though a little predictable at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Gore, Racial slurs, Blood, Car accident, and War
katrinarose's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
What a disappointing thing it is to spend almost 900 pages and weeks of time for a 2 star book. It may have been 3 stars if the ending wasn’t bad, but it was. This was my first Stephen King book, and I chose it because a time travel thriller sounded fun, and definitely more appealing than a 900 page horror like his more famous works. After this experience though, I’m doubtful I’ll ever read a King book again. Even if the others are objectively better (which I doubt, because this one had tons of 5 star reviews so I can’t trust the hype), he gives me creepy old man vibes from the way he wrote women.
My main complaint is that this book could have been 500 pages shorter. For a book that is supposed to be a thriller, there was so much boring filler. We got a second life built by the main character in the late 1950s, complete with King's fantasies of being a cool English teacher beloved by all his students, having a beautiful, virginal (insert eye roll here) woman he gets to save who falls deeply in love with him, and more. There is so much that did not add anything to the story, and I kept wondering when we'd move on from this romanticization of the mid 1900s. He threw out a couple acknowledgements of the racism that existed but it seemed more perfunctory than real thought-provoking criticisms, espcially when he spent far more time talking about how much better the drinks tasted in that time.
Finally, the ending was awful. I don’t want to give any spoilers but it was not satisfying in the slightest bit. I think I could spitball five different better endings on the spot if I was asked to. Also, the time travel mechanics were lazy and introduced so late that it felt pointless. I’m trying to think of positives for this book, and all I have is that the concept is interesting and the writing style is engaging.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, and Stalking
kzarate's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism and Stalking
keppers_jax's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder
quipo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Best book i've read up to this point. At one point I read 100 pages without even thinking. Very long book, so it's a commitment. But very worthwhile.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore and Gun violence
Minor: Drug use
1721egp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
4.75
I never thought I’d say this about a Stephen King novel — but this may be one of my favorite books ever! It was nonstop, edge of your seat reading. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.
This is NOT a horror or thriller. It’s truly historical fiction meets science fiction.
This is NOT a horror or thriller. It’s truly historical fiction meets science fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, Grief, and Stalking
funyuns_the_movie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Excrement
Moderate: Suicide