On the life and times of Sadie Dunhill *SPOILERS*

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Mr. Crandall

Member
Jan 17, 2014
12
96
38
Hello,

*SPOILERS*

I've just finished the audio book version of 11/22/63. It's the first book in a long while that has so thoroughly consumed my attention and I must confess it has left me in a strange place. Don't get me wrong, I loved it and it ranks among my top reads, but I just can't help feeling distraught over the romance of Sadie and Jake. I understand he did the right thing for reality, and that Sadie lead a long, accomplished life. I've gone over the last few pages several times, and I still have this lingering doubt:

Was Sadie happy with her new life?

She has done many noble things, and I certainly don't mean to suggest that a woman needs a man to be happy, but Sadie and Jake were made to be together. Two star-crossed lovers separated by an ocean of time. Was there a missing part in her life, a dull ache that she couldn't place? Apparently she had dreams of the other 'string,' of her time with "George." I know that Jake will probably never get over it. I just wonder if Sadie has lived these long years between 1963 and now with the same ache. I hope that is not true, but my heart sinks whenever I ponder the situation (which I have been doing a lot of).

To me, the Sadie/Jake dynamic is the core of the book and the Oswald business is just a means to an end. I want to believe in happy endings, but Jake seems to have saved the world at the cost of his own soul. Or heart, at least. Perhaps there are no happy endings. Or we must seize whatever small kernel of joy we can get our filthy mitts on.

Mr. King, if you ever come across this, I realize it is your want and discretion to craft characters, and you do a real bang-up job of it. Extremely compelling characters, at that. I just can't shake this sadness in speculating on Sadie's life. I don't know if any of these characters will ever show up in your work again, but please throw me a bone.

Thanks for getting to the end of a long read,
Mike

PS. As a coincidence, my wife happens to be a blond, 6'00" woman prone to accidents.
 

doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
6,946
25,119
65
dublin ireland
Welcome to the board. The romance of Sadie and Jake broke my heart, too. Jake made a tremendous sacrifice for humanity. I don't think the Kennedy part of the story was a means to an end, but rather that they dovetailed so perfectly. I think they were meant to be together, in a way. I think the Sadie/Jake element was about the path not taken. But, unlike most he got a taste of the path he wouldn't have known about if he hadn't found the place behind the diner. Such a sad beautiful story. I've read it twice and both times I cried and thought and cried and thought some more.
 

Haunted

This is my favorite place
Mar 26, 2008
17,059
29,421
The woods are lovely dark and deep
542680~Welcome-Mat-on-Forest-Trail-Posters.jpg
 

Mr. Crandall

Member
Jan 17, 2014
12
96
38
Welcome to the board. The romance of Sadie and Jake broke my heart, too. Jake made a tremendous sacrifice for humanity. I don't think the Kennedy part of the story was a means to an end, but rather that they dovetailed so perfectly. I think they were meant to be together, in a way. I think the Sadie/Jake element was about the path not taken. But, unlike most he got a taste of the path he wouldn't have known about if he hadn't found the place behind the diner. Such a sad beautiful story. I've read it twice and both times I cried and thought and cried and thought some more.

You have a good point there. But it sure does make things hard to know exactly what could have been. For as hard as this scenario is, I think I still prefer it to King's alternate ending. Perhaps the value is that we feel so strongly, so wistfully for these characters. I can only hope that they get some sort of mention in a future King work.
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Hello,

*SPOILERS*

I've just finished the audio book version of 11/22/63. It's the first book in a long while that has so thoroughly consumed my attention and I must confess it has left me in a strange place. Don't get me wrong, I loved it and it ranks among my top reads, but I just can't help feeling distraught over the romance of Sadie and Jake. I understand he did the right thing for reality, and that Sadie lead a long, accomplished life. I've gone over the last few pages several times, and I still have this lingering doubt:

Was Sadie happy with her new life?

She has done many noble things, and I certainly don't mean to suggest that a woman needs a man to be happy, but Sadie and Jake were made to be together. Two star-crossed lovers separated by an ocean of time. Was there a missing part in her life, a dull ache that she couldn't place? Apparently she had dreams of the other 'string,' of her time with "George." I know that Jake will probably never get over it. I just wonder if Sadie has lived these long years between 1963 and now with the same ache. I hope that is not true, but my heart sinks whenever I ponder the situation (which I have been doing a lot of).

To me, the Sadie/Jake dynamic is the core of the book and the Oswald business is just a means to an end. I want to believe in happy endings, but Jake seems to have saved the world at the cost of his own soul. Or heart, at least. Perhaps there are no happy endings. Or we must seize whatever small kernel of joy we can get our filthy mitts on.

Mr. King, if you ever come across this, I realize it is your want and discretion to craft characters, and you do a real bang-up job of it. Extremely compelling characters, at that. I just can't shake this sadness in speculating on Sadie's life. I don't know if any of these characters will ever show up in your work again, but please throw me a bone.

Thanks for getting to the end of a long read,
Mike

PS. As a coincidence, my wife happens to be a blond, 6'00" woman prone to accidents.
Welcome - he chose to leave the past undisturbed, but it was a beautiful love story nevertheless.
Welcome to the SKMB!


I thought 11/22/63 was excellent, by the way :smile:
 

The Nameless

M-O-O-N - That spells Nameless
Jul 10, 2011
2,080
8,261
42
The Darkside of the Moon (England really)
Hello,

*SPOILERS*

I've just finished the audio book version of 11/22/63. It's the first book in a long while that has so thoroughly consumed my attention and I must confess it has left me in a strange place. Don't get me wrong, I loved it and it ranks among my top reads, but I just can't help feeling distraught over the romance of Sadie and Jake. I understand he did the right thing for reality, and that Sadie lead a long, accomplished life. I've gone over the last few pages several times, and I still have this lingering doubt:

Was Sadie happy with her new life?

She has done many noble things, and I certainly don't mean to suggest that a woman needs a man to be happy, but Sadie and Jake were made to be together. Two star-crossed lovers separated by an ocean of time. Was there a missing part in her life, a dull ache that she couldn't place? Apparently she had dreams of the other 'string,' of her time with "George." I know that Jake will probably never get over it. I just wonder if Sadie has lived these long years between 1963 and now with the same ache. I hope that is not true, but my heart sinks whenever I ponder the situation (which I have been doing a lot of).

To me, the Sadie/Jake dynamic is the core of the book and the Oswald business is just a means to an end. I want to believe in happy endings, but Jake seems to have saved the world at the cost of his own soul. Or heart, at least. Perhaps there are no happy endings. Or we must seize whatever small kernel of joy we can get our filthy mitts on.

Mr. King, if you ever come across this, I realize it is your want and discretion to craft characters, and you do a real bang-up job of it. Extremely compelling characters, at that. I just can't shake this sadness in speculating on Sadie's life. I don't know if any of these characters will ever show up in your work again, but please throw me a bone.

Thanks for getting to the end of a long read,
Mike

PS. As a coincidence, my wife happens to be a blond, 6'00" woman prone to accidents.
You're not alone with this one Mr. Crandell, it was a truely brilliant book, and very touching. Think of it this way though.
The girl who was shot whilst hunting - we saw both of her realities, and they both had her leading a decent, successful, normal life, with or without her handicap. I think it is safe to assume that Sadie is a simillar situation, she had 1 reality with Jake, a wonderful life changing, enlightening romance, and she had a 2nd reality, where she didn't have the romance, but she spent her life dedicated to her community, and making it better - also a very fulfilling life, one that wasn't snuffed out by a stray bullet. But if she had the 2nd reality, the 1st one was not there for her to know about, so she didn't miss it. At the end of the day, as Stephen often does, he has left it for your mind to fill in your own blanks.
 

Lord Tyrion

Well-Known Member
Oct 24, 2013
1,582
6,257
In terms of what Sadie felt, there was a lot unanswered, but it was clear that there was still a connection between them. The card man said that each time line is never erased, but new ones are constantly created instead. On some level, Sadie knows about Jake. The fact that she was not married was telling.
 

aravis

New Member
Jan 26, 2014
2
7
48
Their love story was heartbreaking - and the terrible, terrible thing that happened to Sadie. I was hoping that he would drop his "mission" (it is obvious that there was too much at stake and that he was meddling where he had no clue) and just settle down in 1963. The timing of Sadie's first husband's attack suggested as much. Jake could follow one of two paths; he could not follow both.
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Their love story was heartbreaking - and the terrible, terrible thing that happened to Sadie. I was hoping that he would drop his "mission" (it is obvious that there was too much at stake and that he was meddling where he had no clue) and just settle down in 1963. The timing of Sadie's first husband's attack suggested as much. Jake could follow one of two paths; he could not follow both.
Welcome to the SKMB aravis!

crowsilhouette.jpg
 
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NightShifter

Well-Known Member
Nov 8, 2013
63
344
Mansfield, Massachusetts
I suppose the unanswered question in all our minds is:
Could Jake have ran past the Green Card Man, and instead of writing a book, burying it, and then returning to 2011, just kept running south to Jodie and to the life he so desperately wanted with Sadie, would the history of the world be okay or would there be earthquakes in California? I think Jake could bet the earthquakes would be kept at bay, but it wasn't a sure thing, and when future of the world hangs in the balance, would a true hero really roll that dice? Would you?
 

Alternate Reality

Active Member
Apr 4, 2014
29
114
34
This is my first post on here so I do not know how to do the spoiler link so sorry to anyone if they read this that has not finished the book!
I have always been fascinated with the JFK assassionation (I believe it is a conspiracy) and the idea of time travel. This is my favorite book I have ever read. Not only because of the JFK and time travel, but because of the beautiful story of George/Jake and Sadie. Mr. Crandall, I will have to agree with you, I was left heartbroken of how this story ended. I've never been so invested in a book and I completely understand Mr. King's reasoning for his story ending the way it did, but it stil doesn't satisfy me.
With all that said (excuse my memory because it's been since 2012 since I last read this) but does anyone else think that George/Jake would go on living his life for a little bit, only to realize his heart and soul was always with Jodie, TX and Sadie. Yes, I understand the ending is meant for closure, but if it us up to me and my imagination I believe that he will realize that he made a mistake and will go back to live in that era for good and just not change anything about the past except with him and Sadie. Does anyone else agree?
 

opundo

Active Member
Sep 25, 2011
38
87
Derry, Maine
Hello,

*SPOILERS*

I've just finished the audio book version of 11/22/63. It's the first book in a long while that has so thoroughly consumed my attention and I must confess it has left me in a strange place. Don't get me wrong, I loved it and it ranks among my top reads, but I just can't help feeling distraught over the romance of Sadie and Jake. I understand he did the right thing for reality, and that Sadie lead a long, accomplished life. I've gone over the last few pages several times, and I still have this lingering doubt:

Was Sadie happy with her new life?

She has done many noble things, and I certainly don't mean to suggest that a woman needs a man to be happy, but Sadie and Jake were made to be together. Two star-crossed lovers separated by an ocean of time. Was there a missing part in her life, a dull ache that she couldn't place? Apparently she had dreams of the other 'string,' of her time with "George." I know that Jake will probably never get over it. I just wonder if Sadie has lived these long years between 1963 and now with the same ache. I hope that is not true, but my heart sinks whenever I ponder the situation (which I have been doing a lot of).

To me, the Sadie/Jake dynamic is the core of the book and the Oswald business is just a means to an end. I want to believe in happy endings, but Jake seems to have saved the world at the cost of his own soul. Or heart, at least. Perhaps there are no happy endings. Or we must seize whatever small kernel of joy we can get our filthy mitts on.

Mr. King, if you ever come across this, I realize it is your want and discretion to craft characters, and you do a real bang-up job of it. Extremely compelling characters, at that. I just can't shake this sadness in speculating on Sadie's life. I don't know if any of these characters will ever show up in your work again, but please throw me a bone.

Thanks for getting to the end of a long read,
Mike

PS. As a coincidence, my wife happens to be a blond, 6'00" woman prone to accidents.
Apparently, it was not meant to be.
 
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E.St

Active Member
Oct 17, 2014
32
128
46
Greece
Hello,

To me, the Sadie/Jake dynamic is the core of the book and the Oswald business is just a means to an end. I want to believe in happy endings, but Jake seems to have saved the world at the cost of his own soul. Or heart, at least. Perhaps there are no happy endings. Or we must seize whatever small kernel of joy we can get our filthy mitts on.

Mr. King, if you ever come across this, I realize it is your want and discretion to craft characters, and you do a real bang-up job of it. Extremely compelling characters, at that. I just can't shake this sadness in speculating on Sadie's life. I don't know if any of these characters will ever show up in your work again, but please throw me a bone.

These were my thoughts also. Although I could be considered a "happy-ending-hater" and really prefer this save-the-world-at-high-cost scenario than any other ending, this also struck a really sad chord in me. And that's masterful writing, my friend. Mr. King has almost never dissapointed me in this regard. One of his strongest literary talents is making the reader care about the characters. Positively or negatively, doesn't matter.
And I would like the same bone as you. :D
 
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Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
This might be slightly unrelated to the OP's original topic (as this is in the books section, rather than film or TV series) but does anyone know if the character of Sadie plays a prominent role in the new upcoming Hulu series?

From what I gather, it is focused more on the assassination rather than any love story - thanks in advance.