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A review by penguinna
11/22/63 by Stephen King
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.75
Jake, an English teacher, is aimlessly drifting through life when his dying friend Al asks him for a favor. There is a portal in Al’s diner that always transports whoever enters it to September 9, 1958. Persuaded by Al, Jake decides to step into the past with a mission: to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy and thereby change the future for the better.
In the enchanting Land of Ago, root beer tastes like heaven, gorgeous cars cruise down empty roads, and a full tank of gas costs only $2. However, there is a flip side to the coin: racism and sexism are rampant, and no one has yet thought to worry about the environment.
Jake must live in the past for five whole years, until November 22, 1963. He travels across America and, along the way, changes the lives of people he knows in 2011, saving them from the terrible fates that once shattered their lives. He also visits Derry, encounters other characters from King’s universe, and meets Sadie, the love of his life, who has her own burdens to bear.
But nothing is as simple as it seems: the past strives for harmony, stubbornly resisting any attempts to alter it. It fights back against Jake’s every action, bringing pain and danger to those closest to him.
I was afraid this book would be filled with intricate politics and tedious historical details. Instead, it is full of vivid descriptions, complex characters you genuinely care about, thrilling adventures, and tough moral dilemmas. I worried about being let down by the ending, but that fear was unfounded – it couldn’t have been more perfect.
The book is quite lengthy, but I hardly noticed as I read it. The chapters are short and full of action, making it impossible to resist turning the next page to find out what happens next. 11/22/63 raises deep philosophical questions: who are we to challenge the past, how do we impact the lives of others, and how can the flap of a butterfly’s wing cause a hurricane on the other side of the world?
More reviews by me on instagram: @penguinna_books
In the enchanting Land of Ago, root beer tastes like heaven, gorgeous cars cruise down empty roads, and a full tank of gas costs only $2. However, there is a flip side to the coin: racism and sexism are rampant, and no one has yet thought to worry about the environment.
Jake must live in the past for five whole years, until November 22, 1963. He travels across America and, along the way, changes the lives of people he knows in 2011, saving them from the terrible fates that once shattered their lives. He also visits Derry, encounters other characters from King’s universe, and meets Sadie, the love of his life, who has her own burdens to bear.
But nothing is as simple as it seems: the past strives for harmony, stubbornly resisting any attempts to alter it. It fights back against Jake’s every action, bringing pain and danger to those closest to him.
I was afraid this book would be filled with intricate politics and tedious historical details. Instead, it is full of vivid descriptions, complex characters you genuinely care about, thrilling adventures, and tough moral dilemmas. I worried about being let down by the ending, but that fear was unfounded – it couldn’t have been more perfect.
The book is quite lengthy, but I hardly noticed as I read it. The chapters are short and full of action, making it impossible to resist turning the next page to find out what happens next. 11/22/63 raises deep philosophical questions: who are we to challenge the past, how do we impact the lives of others, and how can the flap of a butterfly’s wing cause a hurricane on the other side of the world?
More reviews by me on instagram: @penguinna_books