Scan barcode
A review by savvyrosereads
11/22/63 by Stephen King
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