Recent Thought About This Book....

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rpistus

New Member
Jan 27, 2014
3
12
Budapest, Hungary
My dad is reading this book right now while on vacation in Thailand. I gave it to him for christmas because I didn't want him to ruin my copy (he reads like a madman) and I thought, since we live under the same household, that two copies are better than one. He's just told me that he's enjoying it very much on the beach, so I'm glad because I consider this book Stephen King's best novel.

So dad's having fun reading 11/22/63 in the sun in South-East Asia while I'm freezing my behind off here in Europe reading The Dark Tower I. I think that's why Stephen King is the best contemporary writer in the world. Someone is reading his book in hungarian in Asia, while his son writes on his (Stephen's) message board about it in english.

And both my dad's and my name is Stephen. :) How about that? Coincidence? I think not. :)
 

FlakeNoir

Original Kiwi© SKMB®
Moderator
Apr 11, 2006
44,082
175,641
New Zealand
My dad is reading this book right now while on vacation in Thailand. I gave it to him for christmas because I didn't want him to ruin my copy (he reads like a madman) and I thought, since we live under the same household, that two copies are better than one. He's just told me that he's enjoying it very much on the beach, so I'm glad because I consider this book Stephen King's best novel.

So dad's having fun reading 11/22/63 in the sun in South-East Asia while I'm freezing my behind off here in Europe reading The Dark Tower I. I think that's why Stephen King is the best contemporary writer in the world. Someone is reading his book in hungarian in Asia, while his son writes on his (Stephen's) message board about it in english.

And both my dad's and my name is Stephen. :) How about that? Coincidence? I think not. :)
Great wee story. Welcome to the site, Stephen. :)
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
My dad is reading this book right now while on vacation in Thailand. I gave it to him for christmas because I didn't want him to ruin my copy (he reads like a madman) and I thought, since we live under the same household, that two copies are better than one. He's just told me that he's enjoying it very much on the beach, so I'm glad because I consider this book Stephen King's best novel.

So dad's having fun reading 11/22/63 in the sun in South-East Asia while I'm freezing my behind off here in Europe reading The Dark Tower I. I think that's why Stephen King is the best contemporary writer in the world. Someone is reading his book in hungarian in Asia, while his son writes on his (Stephen's) message board about it in english.

And both my dad's and my name is Stephen. :) How about that? Coincidence? I think not. :)
Welcome to the SKMB rpistus!

I am just going to start "The Drawing of the Three" - the second book in the DT series.

wolf and raven.jpg
 

NightShifter

Well-Known Member
Nov 8, 2013
63
344
Mansfield, Massachusetts
But then that plot-twisting Green Card Man comes along and messes up that chance. Why does Jake have to close the circle? I don't really see the logic here, nor how his final return to 2011 would close the rabbit-hole. It feels just like such an unncessesary plot device to deny Jake and Sadie a happy-ending.

After seeing how his actions changed the future to a post-nuclear Hell, Jake knew he had to go back and undo saving the President. The past doesn't like to change, and when it is changed there tends to be negative consequences of varying extremes. Also at that point in the story Jake could only assume his presence in Jodie led to Sadie getting attacked by her former husband (we learn later this still happened regardless of Jake being there) and Mike's girlfriend's face getting slashed.

The Green Card man explained by returning to 1958 from the Hellish future reset time (or more accurately opened up another timeline, or guitar string as King put it), and Jake simply returning back to 2011 would put the timeline back on a track resembling what is supposed to occur. I just don't understand why Jake stayed in 1958 long enough to compose and then bury a novel. Surely if he really wanted to keep all the butterflies at rest he would have just did as the Green Card Man said and went directly back through the rabbit hole. I think the reason Jake stayed is he had a hard time letting go and his mind wasn't completely made up on what he wanted to do. He even writes a postcard (which he then destroys) to Deke in a final moment of desperation to save Sadie from her Husband's attack. Perhaps writing the memoir was his was of reconciling what happened and how to proceed.
Not sure if I answered your question or created more, but there it is as I understood it.
 

prufrock21

Well-Known Member
Jun 2, 2011
2,956
12,657
The Caribbean
Can I be honest here? It kind of annoys me when people point out "mistakes" in King's stories. My first thought is "Really? You just read this fantastic story and all you came away with is "first the license plate was from Maine, then later it was from Florida"? Your loss, dude.
:no_pig:
I've stated before that Mr.King doesn't make mistakes. These are all typographical errors.
 

Anthea M

Well-Known Member
Feb 1, 2014
69
320
61
This has become one of my favourite SK books too. I enjoyed how the story revealed itself to me (i read this one slightly slower than usual) As I am also obsessed with JFK and assassination (you ought to see my bookshelves!) I will definitely be reading this book again.
 

booklover72

very strange person
Jan 12, 2014
731
2,995
51
Dublin
i loved this book, because it is about my favourite topic - time travel. wha? yes time travel. there could have been a paradox in the story i will let you think about it. When i am feeling intellecutal, i read books on cosmology yea i said that when i first read the book and there is a book out by a professor about time so i read it. But with regards to going into the past, i think there would need to be a parallel world i.e time running at whatever year and you would have to kind on jump into that year. But with regards to TT there are too many paradoxes for it to happen. definition of a stephen king favourtie character -sadie, you smoke the same cigarettes as her - winston
 

OneWhoWaits

Active Member
Jan 31, 2008
35
35
Sooo.....
What was your thought about the book? Did you like it?


Oh, I loved the book!!! One of my favorites by SK! My original post was to play on the JFK assassination controversy and the controversy caused by the people who said the mistakes "took away from the story" and such. I didn't notice any mistakes, until I read about them here. Or there, since I was referring to the old message board.
 

booklover72

very strange person
Jan 12, 2014
731
2,995
51
Dublin
any book by stephen King is excellent, But i really enjoyed this book, sadie, jake and the romance, description of the 50-60's and cigarettes so cheap i actually smoke the same cigarettes as Sadie - winston. Stephen has a gift for developing characters such as jake and sadie and throughout the course of the books, you feel an empathy towards them. the description of the time was rich and vivid. it was interesting to see what if.. Kennedy was saved. if Kennedy was not assassinated, it would change the course of world events and I enjoyed Steve's what if scenario. Brillant Book, Brillant Characters. good descriptions and an interesting what if?.
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
any book by stephen King is excellent, But i really enjoyed this book, sadie, jake and the romance, description of the 50-60's and cigarettes so cheap i actually smoke the same cigarettes as Sadie - winston. Stephen has a gift for developing characters such as jake and sadie and throughout the course of the books, you feel an empathy towards them. the description of the time was rich and vivid. it was interesting to see what if.. Kennedy was saved. if Kennedy was not assassinated, it would change the course of world events and I enjoyed Steve's what if scenario. Brillant Book, Brillant Characters. good descriptions and an interesting what if?.
Me too, booklover72 - that book just somehow struck a chord with me as well.
 

bigkingfan91

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2014
190
921
32
WV
To be perfectly honest, I have this one, but have hesitated at reading it so far.. I know this will be frowned upon but I've been fascinated by the JFK thing for many years now and I will never believe Oswald did it, and acted completely alone. I won't go too far in that as I don't want to cause an uproar, but I have my own theories and i'll never buy into the lone gunmen theory.. I'd love to read the book, and probably will eventually, but I just don't know if I will enjoy it like most have.
Could someone, without spoilers of course, maybe give me some hints as to how much of the story itself deals with the Oswald lone nut thing? I understand its fiction, and that helps, but if King went political very much with the story I don't think I'd be interested. Is it worth a read, even for someone who is set in their ways with their own personal belief?
 

Walter Oobleck

keeps coming back...or going, and going, and going
Mar 6, 2013
11,749
34,805
To be perfectly honest, I have this one, but have hesitated at reading it so far.. I know this will be frowned upon but I've been fascinated by the JFK thing for many years now and I will never believe Oswald did it, and acted completely alone. I won't go too far in that as I don't want to cause an uproar, but I have my own theories and i'll never buy into the lone gunmen theory.. I'd love to read the book, and probably will eventually, but I just don't know if I will enjoy it like most have.
Could someone, without spoilers of course, maybe give me some hints as to how much of the story itself deals with the Oswald lone nut thing? I understand its fiction, and that helps, but if King went political very much with the story I don't think I'd be interested. Is it worth a read, even for someone who is set in their ways with their own personal belief?

I was...four...I think...or three...math, thumb, index/61...four...when it happened and I completed this project for a history class my...senior year I think it was, read the Warren Report, this dog-eared tome missing the hardback front and back and I mean every page was dog-eared...had these old newspaper pages from the day and the week+ following. The story makes an honest attempt to stay true to the history as we know it concentrating on...Oswald...his life...not other possibilities. And then remember this is from Stephen King, so anything can happen. I don't think King went political with the story...not the way many have gone political with the various theories. This isn't a retelling of the assassination...it is a telling of Jake's life & the opportunity he is afforded to return in time to an event that changed our world. Have you read UR?
 

bigkingfan91

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2014
190
921
32
WV
I was...four...I think...or three...math, thumb, index/61...four...when it happened and I completed this project for a history class my...senior year I think it was, read the Warren Report, this dog-eared tome missing the hardback front and back and I mean every page was dog-eared...had these old newspaper pages from the day and the week+ following. The story makes an honest attempt to stay true to the history as we know it concentrating on...Oswald...his life...not other possibilities. And then remember this is from Stephen King, so anything can happen. I don't think King went political with the story...not the way many have gone political with the various theories. This isn't a retelling of the assassination...it is a telling of Jake's life & the opportunity he is afforded to return in time to an event that changed our world. Have you read UR?

No, to be honest I had never even heard of it until now! I never got into the audiobooks, therefore I haven't read anything from King or anyone else that has been released only as an audio book. I guess I need to get into those audiobooks since there seems to be a ton I have missed out on. I may start 11/22/63 next, the story itself sounds great, I just need to keep an open mind while reading it and enjoy the story.