Anyone read Stephen King's "11-22-63"?

[pacalo]

I ordered it today. It had a lot of rave reviews on Amazon but I'm more interested in what DUers think about it.



http://www.amazon.com/11-22-63-A-Novel/dp/1451627289#_

[poverlay]

1. I thought it was very good

I'm not the world's biggest King fan, but I can unreservedly recommend this story. Without spoilers I'm unable to discuss what bothered me the most. Let's just say that I would have made a couple of things/parts less sad, but that's just my personal preference. No negative reflections on the writing itself. Overall I really enjoyed it. In fact, I believe I read most of it in one sitting. While I thought it a bit slow, even draggy, in parts, you certainly won't regret reading it. Please let me/us know when you're done so we can compare "notes". Nothing is better than a new book you're fairly sure is a decent read. Have fun!

[pacalo]

5. Thanks, poverlay! I should be getting it sometime this coming week.

I'll definitely come back to share my impressions after I read it.

[Mira]

2. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I "read" the audio version - had it read to me into my headset - which is how I read most books these days. When it was finished, I started over immediately just to get the nuances.
It was riveting, one of Stephen King's very best.
You will be entertained and your mind will be challenged.
I learned later that my son also read it twice in the same way, except he reads the hard cover books.

[pacalo]

6. Thanks, Mira!

I like to read the books I really love at least twice, too! One of these days I'm going to try an audio version to see how I like it.

[Paladin]

3. I Liked It.

I guess it resonated with me, given my age and the fact that I'm a Texan and I remember that day so well. I liked how King worked in some problematic aspects to time travel; well thought-out.

Have you read "The Dome" yet? Truth be told, I liked it better than "11/22/63". I think it's the best thing King has done in years......

[pacalo]

7. I haven't read "The Dome" yet but I had heard that was good.

Thanks for the reminder; I'll put that one on my list.

A lady who sits with my Mom left her "11/22/63" book on the table & my eyes lit up when I saw it. I can hardly wait to start reading mine when it comes in!

Thanks, Paladin!

[Paladin]

9. Spielberg Is Producing A "Dome" TV Movie Series.

Stay tuned......

[AngryOldDem]

10. Both books are excellent. I consider them to be among perhaps King's greatest works.

Up until "The Dome," I was beginning to think that King was just starting to phone it in. I really was not impressed with much of his later books, like "Cell," plus the fact that his writing at times seems to run on and on to little point. When "The Dome" came out I debated whether or not to invest the time, given the book's size. (That, plus the hardback edition has no flyleaf summary, which, when I saw that, kind of pissed me off. To me it was like King saying, "Trust me. You know I'm good." That little detail struck me as arrogant, and it didn't help my skepticism I was feeling about King at the time.)

But...I saw it at the library and checked it out, and I'm so glad I did. Tightly plotted, good characters (and character development), and a thoughtful subtext that isn't preachy. It reminded me a great deal of the first edition of "The Stand" from back in the early 1980s. LIke with that book, you become invested in the plot of "The Dome," and are not disappointed. I reread "The Dome" over the summer, and it was just as good the second time around.

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, "11/22/63" is just brilliant. I've read similar historical fiction that borders on sci-fi -- most of it ridiculous -- but this is not like that at all. It took King decades to write this, and it is SO well worth it.

Get ready for a wonderful ride when your book comes!

[Paladin]

11. My Sentiments Exactly.

Up until "The Dome", I was ready to walk away from King. So glad he's produced a couple of winners, hope it continues.......

[spin]

12. "The Dome" was great! ...

Very enjoyable read. Over the years King has written some great books and some not so great books. I thought he was beginning to fade with age but I changed my mind when I read this book.

[raccoon]

4. Yes, I've read it. I really wanted to see how King handled the time period.

It was pretty good, I think.

[pacalo]

8. A lot of the Amazon reviews mentioned the nostalgic nuances of the book.

They also praised SK for his excellent research.

Thanks, raccoon!

[spin]

13. Thanks for the heads up. I just bought this book for my Kindle Fire. (n/t)

[zappaman]

14. I really enjoyed this book!

Time travel is a tricky thing, but I thought he handled it well.
And he nailed the ending, which is sometimes problematic for him.

Great read!

ETA: Did you finally get around to reading it?

[pacalo]

15. Not yet, zappaman!

I'm one of those type readers that has to be in the mood to sit down & read a book. I've been absorbed since November with the passing of my mom (sorry to be a downer!), so I haven't been in the mood to read it yet. I'm getting there, though, & judging from all the good comments about the book, I'm glad I bought it.

One of the things that made me want to buy it most was the fact that King included a lot of nostalgic references of that period -- I'll love that.

Thanks for the recommendation!

[zappaman]

16. My condolences on the passing of your mom..

I hope you enjoy the read when you get the chance.

[RagAss]

17. Yes. Shortly after it came out and I loved it.

It was the first and only King novel I ever read. I can still picture that storage room in that tiny diner in Maine.

[pacalo]

22. Thanks, Rag!

[NRaleighLiberal]

18. I liked it very much. I think it ran out of steam just a bit at the end, but it was an ambitious

undertaking (= long book!) and I think largely succeeded.

Not quite at the Duma Key level for me for King's recent efforts. Though that one fell off a bit at the very end, the premise and character development in that book were outstanding.

[pacalo]

21. Thanks, NRL!

Now that Meta's gone, I can devote some time to (finally) read this book.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

19. I thought the ending was lovely

and as someone who remembers the period, I think it was very well recreated and thought out.

[pacalo]

20. Thanks, Lydia!

[grillo7]

23. I enjoyed it...

Like several of you have mentioned, I thought this was a return to form for King. I haven't read Under the Dome, but I wasn't impressed with pretty much any other novel he's written for probably at least the last decade. This was great, though!

[SheilaT]

24. I read it a while back and generally liked it.

I do think, like too many of his books in recent years it's over-long, and could easily have been cut by a third. But one of the things I like about Stephen King is that he's easy to read. He carries the story along very smoothly. His characters always feel real.

But there's one important aspect of the time travel that felt off, which is once our main character is back in the past, he's never bothered at all by the fact that everyone around him smokes all the time. That character himself seems to be a non-smoker, and even though King shows various characters smoking, it's as casual and unremarkable as it really was back then. Which is as it should be, except that I know I'd go crazy to be back in that time, with the majority of adults smoking everywhere and anywhere they want, which is what it was like then. I was 15 years old when JFK was shot, so I recall that era quite well. I know that the smoking is one reason I'd not be too crazy about spending much time in the mid-twentieth century.