Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have not read many Stephen King book (I think this is only my second one), but holy cow this is my favorite so far, and I can’t imagine something else topping the insanely expansive scale of this book. I know it sounds cheesy but the best word to describe this book was epic. I can’t even imagine the amount of research that would have had to go into writing this book, even just for the historical accuracy, let alone the speculative sci-fi elements.
This was quite a long book, and I would say that it had two main parts that it switched between. There was the spy/time agent stuff, and the small-town life/romance stuff. And even though I didn’t hate Sadie as a character or anything, I consistently found the espionage sections way more engaging and interesting. I just wanted to hear more about him stalking Oswald and planting bugs, and found myself waiting for his romance and school teacher life to end.
Probably my favorite part of this whole book was the way it portrayed the past as its own character. He kept referring to it as the “obdurate past”, and made it clear that it actively tried to stop people from changing it at every opportunity. For example, by the time Jake gets to the building where Oswald shot JFK from, he is so physically destroyed and injured from all the things time has thrown at him. I just loved how he described it as trying to break through a stocking where you have to keep pushing until it rips. It was a very cool literary device that made his task seem a lot more challenging.
I also liked that even though he portrays a very idyllic picture of the 50s and 60s, he still makes a point to mention how ingrained racism was in society back then.
I honestly still don’t know how I feel about the ending. I can’t really put my finger on it but something about it didn’t feel totally satisfying. It kind of made me feel like everything up to that point was a bit useless, because it didn’t amount to any change in the world. But at the same time, I don’t think the ending was bad or terrible.
Something I do think was bad though was the tie-in to It that he put in there. It just felt like a meaningless cameo that really took me out of the story. Plus, it felt even more out of place because this book and It are two separate genres.
Overall though this book was absolutely incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Toxic relationship
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
Written by one of the greatest writers of our time in reflection on the disillusionment of an assassination that truly affected more Americans than it did not. The truly special thing about this novel is King's exploration of flexibility, layering, and harmonies in the mechanics of the universe. A human gesture, a string of words, a stiff-brimmed hat in a memorable color--all reverberate with new significance mapped across different people and periods of history. Maybe we can be born in the wrong time period. Maybe we can pass through the barriers on one decade to a past one. But it'll cost.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
OHHH MY GODDDD IM FINALLY DONE.
This felt like it Stephen King was actively TRYING to reach a word count. If he didn't beat you over the head with motifs and filler words/sentences, this probably could've been half as long and MUCH more enjoyable.
I think I could've really enjoyed this book, it's very well-written and researched, but this thing DRAGGED. It went on and on and on with descriptions and flash backs that took you out of the pacing in a lot of scenes.
Tbh... at a certain point I started becoming more invested in Lee Harvey Oswald's life than the main character 💀💀💀💀
This felt like it Stephen King was actively TRYING to reach a word count. If he didn't beat you over the head with motifs and filler words/sentences, this probably could've been half as long and MUCH more enjoyable.
I think I could've really enjoyed this book, it's very well-written and researched, but this thing DRAGGED. It went on and on and on with descriptions and flash backs that took you out of the pacing in a lot of scenes.
Tbh... at a certain point I started becoming more invested in Lee Harvey Oswald's life than the main character 💀💀💀💀
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Medical content, Car accident, War
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
It was entirely too long. It needed a good editor. 500 pages would have been plenty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Racism
Minor: Sexual content, Car accident, War
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Antisemitism
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and felt it was a perfect balance of suspense, soft/mild horror, historical fiction and romance. I really quickly fell into a comfort with the characters and found them relatable, as well as enjoying the plot unfolding alongside the person-driven stories. The ending ripped me up and had me wishing for many versions with alternate realities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was so much more than I expected at the start... Loveable characters you are rooting for, incredible placemaking and a ticking timeline to build suspense. Lest you think this is too long (as I did), know it's slow at points but absolutely worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
fast-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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Antisemitism, Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racial slurs, Stalking
Minor: Cancer