11/22/63 A Novel by Stephen King

 

 

I don't usually read Stephen King novels but when I heard about 11/22/63 I decided to make an exception. With the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination coming up this year (and possibly more from the Warren commission report finally being revealed)  it sparked an even greater interest for me in reading King's take on this historic event. A day in history that continues to captivate and intrigue so many people, and many of those not even born at the time.

 

 

First of all, don't even consider reading this book if you're not in for the long-haul. This is one BIG book. The hardcover copy I have is 849 pages! I'm a fast reader but it still took me a couple of weeks to get through this book.

 

 

I wanted to love this book, I really did. It had all the makings of a page-turner, based on the title and several blurbs I had read about it online.

 

The story begins in Maine, about a teacher: Jake Epping. The year is  2011. Epping, through a series of personal events finds himself on an unexpected journey back in time, presumably to save JFK from being assassinated. And in the process altering the history of the U.S. from that time forward (hopefully) in a positive way.

 

Well, if you're thinking that this is all centered around the assassination of Kennedy and the back stories leading up to that fateful day, think again.

 

When Epping first passes over into the past, it is not in 1963 or even 1962 but rather all the way back to 1958! There are many, MANY sub-plots in this book and it is only around page 700 that the reader gets to the day of the assassination itself.

 

Yes, some of the details are related to the shooting before that point in the story and there's quite a bit about the background of Lee Harvey Oswald the alleged assassin of JFK. But there is also a lot of twists and turns that for the most part only detract from the book.

 

Stephen King goes into minute (ie: tedious,boring,repetitious) detail about many events and characters that Jake Epping encounters along the way that have little to do with the actual assassination of JFK and don't add much to the overall appeal of the story.

 

 

Here's an excerpt from one  reader's (1 star review) from over at Amazon that I think sums it up in a nutshell:

 

"And then, about 550 pages in, it occurred to me. JFK's assassination is not the point of the book. The half cracked romance is. It would've been better if he'd titled the book something more pertinent to the theme...like "Romance Across Ages...oh, and a president."

Moreover, the book dragged on and on until the last fifty pages where he inserted characters that had no explanation
As for me, all of the above where the heck did the color coated time-police come from? and then summed up the changes to the present (made by meddling with the past) as Armageddon. Because that is OBVIOUSLY the ONLY conclusion that we could've jumped to here.

As long as the reader KNOWS going into this book that the plot against JFK is a sub-plot and not the point, they might not feel duped."

***

Duped indeedy! ;<)

And there are plenty of 1 and 2 star Amazon reviews for this book!

 

I don't even know why I kept on reading this book after the first 2-300 pages. As I said above, I wanted to love this book and I kept expecting that the next chapter would finally get to the real point of the story and move things along. It didn't.

 

I was very disappointed by this book. I think it could have been wonderful and memorable. Instead, I just wanted to get it over with.

The title is very catchy and Mr. King certainly grabbed my attention and millions of other readers with it. But things steadily go downhill from there. All the way to the ending that is just plain lame.

 

A waste of paper, time, eyestrain....a story that probably could have been told (and for the better) in about 400 pages, not this bloated "doorstopper" of a book.

 

Overall rating for this book: Unsatisfactory. 1 out of 5.



On Writing by Stephen King

From the Amazon media review page:

"Stephen King's On Writing really contains two books: a fondly sardonic autobiography and a tough-love lesson for aspiring novelists."

"King also evokes his college days and his recovery from the van crash that nearly killed him, but the focus is always on what it all means to the craft. He gives you a whole writer's "tool kit": a reading list, writing assignments, a corrected story, and nuts-and-bolts advice on dollars and cents, plot and character, the basic building block of the paragraph, and literary model."





                                                
                                             
I have never been a fan of Stephen King's novels but I loved reading this book : On Writing.

As I mentioned in my recent book review of: Writing Fiction for Dummies, there are several writing guides that I have read over the years that I have found helpful and others, not so much.

In the case of On Writing, not only did I learn (or was reminded of) many helpful writing rules, lessons and tips from one of the best-selling authors in the world; I also enjoyed the captivating story of his life to date. The journey that has taken King from his lowly beginnings to the pinnacle of the writing world with millions of loyal fans worldwide.

Ironically (perhaps) many of the readers who love this book are not among the Stephen King fans who eagerly await the release of his latest novel. As I mentioned above, that would include me. It didn't matter though, this was a page-turner of a different kind.

His bio was fascinating including many things I did not know about his "rags to riches" rise to fame and his personal struggles with addiction and years of publishing rejections before his "big break" with Doubleday and his first published novel in 1974: Carrie.

In the writing guide portion of this book, there were many down- to -earth, easy to implement suggestions such as:  "Read a lot and write a lot", putting the manuscript away for a period of time and then taking it out to with a fresh and renewed perspective, the do's and don'ts of grammar. Some of the basics from Strunk & White's 'Elements of Style' but explained here in a much more accessible way. The importance of creating characters who will remain realistic and engaging  for the entire story. The list goes on and on...

A reference book for all writers: novice or more experienced. And for those who never plan to write anything themselves, it's still a book that I would recommend. If biographies are among your favorite type of books, you won't want to miss this one. It is an inspiring story that will ring true for most people, in particular anyone who has struggled against the odds in their own choices of creative pursuits.

Stephen King proves that it's not about where you are coming from or what you've been dealt with along the way, it just matters that you don't get discouraged. give up or give in. Through addictions, health problems, financial woes, a brush or two with death, and a stack of rejection letters that piled up year after year, the difference was just that. Stephen King was not a quitter and he never gave up.

I'm glad he took the time and had the interest in sharing his lessons on writing and his own personal journey in this book. And I'm glad that I wasn't swayed by my dislike of his novels and decided to read it anyways. A 10 year anniversary edition of On Writing, is now available. Maybe it's time for a re-read!

Overall rating for this book: Very Good. 4 out of 5.