13.7k reviews for:

11/22/63

Stephen King

4.32 AVERAGE

e11ycat's review against another edition

5.0

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: Complicated

jamesbz's review against another edition

5.0

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I wish I could unread this book, just so that I could read it again. Truly astonishing. I felt like the almost 900 pages flew by, it's such an engrossing and immersive story. My first encounter with King, but not my last. I will love this book for the rest of my life.

pb914's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

bellahlovesbooks's review against another edition

4.5

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

elleeseho's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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: Complicated

frankc315's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

ninahawkins05's review against another edition

3.75

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I liked Stephen King’s take on this very classic sci-fi time travel trope. It was extremely detailed and well researched. While the story was pretty predictable, it was entertaining throughout and I wasn’t bored. I also found Jake/George’s life and community in Texas to be a very heartwarming sideplot.

nastja943's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

ver_phd21's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

krissywtf's review against another edition

3.0

emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Here’s a drinking game you can play while reading: take a shot every time you see (or hear if you’re listening to the audiobook) the phrase “obdurate past”. 

This is a book about a guy that ends up in the past with a mission to eliminate Lee Harvey Oswald in order to save JFK. Literally no one told him to do this except for a random guy who rents the diner where the gate to the past exists. Diner guy (Al) mainly used this gate to purchase really cheap meat on the regular. One day, he decides he wants to save JFK, but a cancer diagnosis waylays him. Enter Jake, the main character and narrator. My main gripe with this book is that Jake goes through so much shit to change the past and guess what? IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTER. Everything resets when he realizes saving JFK actually resulted in a very shitty future. 

I wish there was more about the people guarding these gateways to the past. I felt like this was glossed over and barely discussed at the end. 

All in all, the story is okay. I was a tad disappointed with the ending, but it made sense. I’m just a little salty about it.