Ending (spoilers obviously)

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Phantomking

Well-Known Member
Mar 26, 2008
122
117
Northeast USA
I've never felt so conflicted by an ending. On one hand, the bittersweet reunion at the end and how he handled the Jake/Sadie thing was really wonderful. I cried listening to the audiobook.

But I don't like the post apocalyptic 2011. I take no issue with things going to hell but I thought it was a bit of a cop out to throw the multiverse thing in there and have 2011 turn to crap because of unrealistic things that wouldn't have happened if JFK really survived. I wish SK had thought of a way to force Jake to reset the clock without also getting Sadie that was more in line with a true alternate history.

Which frustrates me because the ending with Sadie was masterful.
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
I've never felt so conflicted by an ending. On one hand, the bittersweet reunion at the end and how he handled the Jake/Sadie thing was really wonderful. I cried listening to the audiobook.

But I don't like the post apocalyptic 2011. I take no issue with things going to hell but I thought it was a bit of a cop out to throw the multiverse thing in there and have 2011 turn to crap because of unrealistic things that wouldn't have happened if JFK really survived. I wish SK had thought of a way to force Jake to reset the clock without also getting Sadie that was more in line with a true alternate history.

Which frustrates me because the ending with Sadie was masterful.

A contradiction in terms--Now that's funny! :D No one knows what would happen if an alternate path was taken, but Mr. King gave his thoughts on a couple of what ifs. You might think something else would have happened, but both stories are pure conjecture--we'll never know, and that's okay. It's all good.
 

RichardX

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2006
1,737
4,434
The what ifs of history are fascinating but no one knows for the sure the implications. For example, Hitler could very well have been killed in WWI. Which would have meant there probably would have been no WWII with all the implications and lost lives of that war. But for all we know without WWII there could have been an even worse war between Stalin and the west involving nuclear weapons. No one can say for sure. I think most folks believe the world might have been better off had JFK lived at least in terms of what happened in Vietnam. Arguably he was more confident in standing up to the military advisors based on his experiences in Cuba than LBJ. But there likely would not have been the enomorous progress on civil rights and social programs that occured in the first years under LBJ.
 

carrie's younger brother

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2012
5,428
25,651
NJ
I've never felt so conflicted by an ending. On one hand, the bittersweet reunion at the end and how he handled the Jake/Sadie thing was really wonderful. I cried listening to the audiobook.

But I don't like the post apocalyptic 2011. I take no issue with things going to hell but I thought it was a bit of a cop out to throw the multiverse thing in there and have 2011 turn to crap because of unrealistic things that wouldn't have happened if JFK really survived. I wish SK had thought of a way to force Jake to reset the clock without also getting Sadie that was more in line with a true alternate history.

Which frustrates me because the ending with Sadie was masterful.
I agree. The post apocalyptic ending felt forced and unneeded to me. Still, I really like the book. I think for the readers of SK who only read his more "accessible" books (like my brother) that ending really ruined the book for them. That was my brother's opinion, at least. My suspicion is that 11/22/63 is ultimately going to tie in to another of SK's books down the line and that is what he was setting up.
 

Brooks

Well-Known Member
Nov 4, 2014
99
429
44
I think 11/23/63 is my favorite SK book and I hated to finish it. That being said, please don't write a sequel SK! It is a masterpiece the way it is. My fear is the story becomes too complex and diluted. Or worse, like the Hulu miniseries :)

As Jerry Seinfeld said, leaving them wanting more!
 

joaniyofaus

Member
Apr 26, 2016
19
75
67
do you have netflix? it's somewhat like that. an online streaming service that not only streams some shows from a bunch of other networks, but also creates original content
Thanks so much. Yes, we do have netflix, as well as stan, and a couple of others. Just not hulu apparantly, or maybe it's been kept top secret here. Thanks again for the answer, I thought we may be missing an as yet unknown SK series or something!
 

Mykie1971

New Member
Jun 2, 2017
3
9
52
I've never felt so conflicted by an ending. On one hand, the bittersweet reunion at the end and how he handled the Jake/Sadie thing was really wonderful. I cried listening to the audiobook.

But I don't like the post apocalyptic 2011. I take no issue with things going to hell but I thought it was a bit of a cop out to throw the multiverse thing in there and have 2011 turn to crap because of unrealistic things that wouldn't have happened if JFK really survived. I wish SK had thought of a way to force Jake to reset the clock without also getting Sadie that was more in line with a true alternate history.

Which frustrates me because the ending with Sadie was masterful.



Ah, but you don't know that wouldn't have happened if Time Travel were truly possible. If someone were to be able to go back in time and do the things Jake did and return to the present, perhaps the visions of our beloved SK would have come to fruition. It's the time traveling that causes so many of the issues, not JFK living. The Yellow Card Man (Or Green or Black card man) explained what was happening and why. Yes, JFK not being assassinated did have far reaching implications, but were not the cause of the earthquakes, Tsunamis etc. that took place. Those things were directly related to the fragility of time. At least that's how I read it.
 

recitador

Speed Reader
Sep 3, 2016
1,750
8,264
41
Ah, but you don't know that wouldn't have happened if Time Travel were truly possible. If someone were to be able to go back in time and do the things Jake did and return to the present, perhaps the visions of our beloved SK would have come to fruition. It's the time traveling that causes so many of the issues, not JFK living. The Yellow Card Man (Or Green or Black card man) explained what was happening and why. Yes, JFK not being assassinated did have far reaching implications, but were not the cause of the earthquakes, Tsunamis etc. that took place. Those things were directly related to the fragility of time. At least that's how I read it.

actually (i've only read once so far but i'm pretty sure i'm right) he approached it as JFK's being one of those pivotal moments in time you couldn't change without basically screwing over space/time. like al? the diner owner buying meat was just nothing, and jake meddling in the lives of the regular people he met was a blip, but JFK's assassination had worldwide consequences when you think of how many major things were going on at the time that the president of the united states had influence over. so while the time travel itself was bad, yeah, it was JFK living that was tearing reality down around them, because far too many things got changed by it at once
 

melindaville

Well-Known Member
Nov 14, 2011
307
1,065
Boston and San Francisco
I think 11/23/63 is my favorite SK book and I hated to finish it. That being said, please don't write a sequel SK! It is a masterpiece the way it is. My fear is the story becomes too complex and diluted. Or worse, like the Hulu miniseries :)

As Jerry Seinfeld said, leaving them wanting more!

I think it might be my favorite too--although I find it hard to have one favorite. It's right up there. I loved every aspect of it and it was so much fun to take a stroll in 1958 and the early sixties. I could really imagine life then through the lens of SK's masterful writing. That's the thing with his books--they sweep you away. I didn't do much housework (or my own work) when I read that book. I couldn't put it down. Stayed up until 5 a.m. reading until I finished it the last night. Then I read it again, which I have only done with 3 books in my life. Two of the three were Stephen King books. It was The Stand. But with that book, I have to reread it every 8 years or so. Like visiting old friends. :)
 

Alternate Reality

Active Member
Apr 4, 2014
29
114
34
You can read it at this link.

This is interesting. I like the original ending better, but thanks for sharing this. With that said, I have my own ending in mind; one that I pretend really happened. Long story short, my ending will ALWAYS have Jake giving up everything to be with Sadie, the "future" be damned because he only has one life and that life won't be complete without his sweetheart. How that story ends (good, bad, in between) is up to you.