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11/22/63: A Novel Audiobook, by Stephen King Play Audiobook Sample

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11/22/63: A Novel Audiobook, by Stephen King Play Audiobook Sample
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Author: Stephen King Narrator: Craig Wasson Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Audio Length: Release Date: November 2011 Format: Unabridged Audiobook Delivery: Instant Download ISBN: 9781442344297
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Plot Summary

It was a fateful day. On November 22, 1963 three shots rang out as President Kennedy rode through Dallas in his motorcade. His assassination changed the world. What if you could change it back?

In this brilliant, masterful novel, Stephen King – who represents the political, social and popular culture of his generation more thoroughly and with more imagination than any other author – takes readers and listeners on a remarkable odyssey into history and the possibility of changing it.

The story begins in Lisbon Falls, Maine, where 35 year old English teacher Jake Epping has a second job teaching GED classes. When he assigns his students an essay about a life changing event, one student blows him away with the horrifying tale of the night more than 50 years ago when the father of Harry Dunning took a sledgehammer to his sister, brother and mother, killing them all. Reading the essay marks a turning point for Jake. His life, like America's in 1963, and like Harry's, will never be the same.

Soon, Jake's friend Al reveals a secret. The storeroom in his restaurant is a door to the past—a specific moment in 1958. Al recruits Jake to take over the mission that Al has become obsessed with—to change history by stopping the assassination of JFK.

Jake takes the name of George Amberson, and begins a new life in a world of Elvis and Ike and JFK, sock hops, cigarette smoke, and big American cars. From the small city of Derry, Maine, where the Dunning murders occurred, to the small Texas town of Jodie, where Jake falls precariously in love, all roads lead to Dallas, and to a disturbed loner by the name of Lee Harvey Oswald. History may no longer be history, time travel has never been so plausible, and the past has never been so breathtakingly terrifying.

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty worldwide bestsellers. In 2003, he received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives with his wife, novelist Tabitha King, in Bangor, Maine.

Publisher Summary

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King’s heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination.

Following his massively successful novel Under the Dome, King sweeps listeners back in time to another moment—a real life moment—when everything went wrong: the JFK assassination. And he introduces listeners to a character who has the power to change the course of history.

Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing, first-person story about the night fifty years ago when his father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely impossible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

A tribute to a simpler era and a devastating exercise in escalating suspense, 11/22/63 is Stephen King at his epic best.

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Quotes

  • “King pulls off a sustained high-wire act of storytelling trickery...The pages of 11/22/63 fly by, filled with immediacy, pathos, and suspense. It takes great brazenness to go anywhere near this subject matter. But it takes great skill to make this story even remotely credible. Mr. King makes it all look easy, which is surely [the] book’s fanciest trick.” 

    - New York Times

  • “A tale richly layered with the pleasures we’ve come to expect: characters of good heart and wounded lives, whose adventures into the fantastic are made plausible because they are anchored in reality, in the conversations and sense of place that take us effortlessly into the story.”

    - Washington Post

  • “11/22/63 shows true worth. The writing is supple, the suspense unforced, and the atmosphere accurately evokes the times.” 

    - Barnes & Noble editorial review

  • “Narrator Craig Wasson delivers a spirited and thoughtful performance of Jake Epping’s first-person account.” 

    - AudioFile

  • “King remains an excellent storyteller, and his evocation of mid-twentieth-century America is deft. Alternate-history buffs will especially enjoy the twist ending.”

    - Library Journal

  • “King’s imagination, as always, yields a most satisfying yarn.” 

    - Kirkus Reviews

Awards

  • A #1 New York Times Bestseller
  • A USA Today Bestseller
  • A 2011 Kirkus Reviews Top 25 Book for Fiction
  • A 2011 Amazon Best Books of the Year
  • A 2011 Barnes & Noble Best Book for Fiction
  • A 2011 New York Times Best Book for Fiction
  • Winner of the 2012 International Thriller Writers Award
  • A 2011 New York Times Book Review Top 10 Book of the Year for Fiction
  • A 2012 British Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel
  • A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
  • A San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller
  • Recipient of the 2011 Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award
  • Winner of the 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller
  • A 2011 Washington Post Notable Book for Fiction
  • A 2012 World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel
  • New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Fiction, 2011
  • A 2012 Locus Award Nominee

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Customer Reviews

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  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " King does it again. With plenty of twists along the way. "

    - Mike, 7/1/2022
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " What a great story this was! I love stories about time travel and "what might have been" and his doesn't disappoint! "

    - Terri, 1/3/2018
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I've been a Stephen King fan all my life. Since the age of 12, I have been addicted to almost everything he writes...This book is now part of that, not his typical type of story, but so well written and researched, it blew my mind. Again, he grabs you with the story and doesn't let go. Go Stephen! "

    - Marie, 2/14/2017
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. I have a 40 minute commute to work each day and this book made the time fly. I would recommend this to anyone who has long drives to and from work. "

    - morrie, 7/28/2016
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I have the hardcover of this book at home, but knew I would never have the time to read it. The audiobook seemed the perfect alternative. I’m generally not a sci-fi, time-travel reader, but it was by Stephen King so I went for it. For a couple of weeks, my commute was dominated by this engaging and intricate story. In typical King fashion, the images he created with words were easy to “see.” I loved the book and thought “someone should make a movie of this, but it would have to be very long.” The Hulu series brought my mental images to life, but the book helped me understand the story. "

    - Twigsy, 5/7/2016
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " I grabbed this book on a trip home from NYC after my sister said she was reading for a book club. She said the guy that chose it for the club had already read it and thought it would be great for discussion. Did you know that people in the Northeast believe they're inherently smarter than those on the West Coast? And not just the Ivy League pricks. The theory I constantly hear out of NYC is they do so much more reading due to the subway. That makes me laugh. Anyway, i usually either try to read classic literature that warrants inclusion in a book club (as some of it's over my head) or historical non-fiction that focuses on a person or time period. i thought this book might provide some deeper perspective or insight on JFK/Oswald. I learned a bit about Oswald, but turns out he wasn't very interesting. King still tells a page-turning, slightly warped story, and it's a fun time piece on the early 60s. I enjoyed the read, just wasn't as deep, opinionated, or controversial as I was expecting. "

    - Nikolas, 2/6/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Great book! It kept my interest the entire time and up until the end I didn't know how it was going to end. I would recommend it to anyone. "

    - Heather, 1/31/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " May not be a definite must read for everyone. But it was an excellent book for me. Enjoyed how the plot played out. Really enjoyed it! One of King's best novels in my opinion "

    - Nathan, 1/29/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I thought the book really interesting and mostly enjoyed it, but I did think it could be a little shorter. "

    - Rachellyndsey, 1/26/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Really good beginning by this great story teller but the book was too long, sagged in the middle, and became repetitive after the halfway point. Also, the contrived love story got annoying. There is some wonderful writing but there are also some cheap, gimmicky passages and language that deter from the story's flow. "

    - LB, 1/15/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Mijn eerste King is meteen een voltreffer. Wat een prachtig (liefdes)verhaal... "

    - Krist, 1/7/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " My first Stephen King book. Don't like his sci-fi genre. This book about the Kennedy assassination - or more specifically - about a time traveler who tries to stop the Kennedy assassination - is gripping. Great character development. "

    - Judy, 1/6/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Loved the read... until the ending. It ruined the book for me. I was hoping for something like The Green Mile, but this book crashes at the end, IMHO. "

    - Fr., 12/22/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I love this book! Definitely in my top 10 all time favs "

    - Tara, 12/22/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Can you believe I liked the Ending...of a Stephen King book!? Well the afterward attributes it to Joe Hill. So way to go father and son team! "

    - Edward, 12/21/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I loved this book. So interesting to go back to the late 50's/early 60's with a modern sensibility. "

    - Joann, 11/30/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " This is a great book -- not really scary, but a fascinating look at the ideas of tampering with the events of time. "

    - Jeffrey, 11/27/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Listened to the audio book obsessively all week at work and on the daily commute. Loved it and saddened for it to be over. Very suspenseful with a nice, tender love story wrapped up in it. I was so worried about what would happen to the main characters because the past is so damn obdurate. "

    - Katie, 6/13/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Very enjoyable historic fiction wrapped in the creepiness of Stephen King, the philosophical theories of changing history, along with a love story and great locations. "

    - Parker, 11/29/2012
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " disappointing ending in my opinion "

    - Colleen, 10/31/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Great book. Long...but great. Lots of detail and makes you think. "

    - Alison, 9/7/2012
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " The book is too long for the wrong reasons. I am happy to read big books. But you could easily cut 200 pages from this and loose none of the story. Don't get me wrong this is a good story and I did enjoy it. But it just should have been shorter. Anyone else agree ? "

    - Grant, 8/25/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Quite a nail-biter! Have a hankie handy; no shortage of weep-inducing drama! VERY cleverly done! "

    - Oji, 8/21/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " A riveting historical fiction novel is the last thing I expected from this author I have to say that he did a pretty good job with it. Other than a few sections that were a bit slow I really enjoyed it a lot. "

    - Dave M., 7/30/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I used to read Stephen King books quite frequently, but at some point a while back I stopped. No particular reason, just got too busy I suppose. However, the premise of this story just sounded so interesting to me that I had to check it out. It's a time travel story so the sci-fi lovers will love it but I think it also appeals to history buffs. It's very well-written and Stephen is truly art the top of his game here. "

    - G.R., 4/21/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " A bit slow in the middle but first rate overall. "

    - Erik, 4/7/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " The story line was creative and compelling, but there were too many tangents that make the book longer than it needed to be. Well researched and nicely put together--but less would have been more to keep things interesting. "

    - cristina, 4/1/2012
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " I liked this book ok but would have enjoyed it a lot better if it had been shorter. It simply dragged in too many areas and suffered from an overload of useless details. The overall premise was intriguing but these flaws really dragged it down for me. "

    - Erin B., 2/18/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " This book was a real change of pace from King's usual work. It had nothing to do with the horror genre whatsoever. It's really more of mix of the science fiction and action/suspense genres. I enjoyed it quite thoroughly. "

    - Steve H., 1/27/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " This book really surprised me. The story was great and that's to be expected from Stephen but this was such an unexpected surprise from him. It's so different from his usual writing with nary an aspect of the horror genre to be found. Quite a treat! "

    - S.A., 1/8/2012
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Bof....26 pages sur l'assassinat de JFK sur 936. C'est pas beaucoup je trouve pour un livre avec ce titre... "

    - Yves, 1/7/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Forgot how much I love Stephan King Books! Great book! "

    - Jessica, 1/5/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Read this one over spring break and it completely consumed my brain the entire week. It's a great book but prepare to have your mind overtaken. "

    - Sherrie, 11/26/2011

About the Author

Stephen King has written more than sixty books, many hitting the #1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list. He has won the World Fantasy Award, several Bram Stoker Awards, and the O. Henry Award for his story “The Man in the Black Suit.” He is the 2003 recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2007 he received the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. His epic works The Dark Tower and It are the basis for major motion pictures.

About the Narrator

Craig Wasson is an actor and audiobook narrator. His most notable film appearance was in the 1984 film, Body Double. Also a prolific reader of audio books, he narrated Stephen King’s novel, 11/22/63, as well as numerous books by James Ellroy and John Grisham.