Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Title: 11/22/63

Author: Stephen King

Publisher: Gallery Press

Date of Publication: 2012

Number of Pages: 849

Find it at: Book Depository

Summary

Life can turn on a dime—or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away...but an even more bizarre secret comes to light when Jake’s friend Al, owner of the local diner, enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination. How? By stepping through a portal in the diner’s storeroom, and into the era of Ike and Elvis, of big American cars, sock hops, and cigarette smoke... Finding himself in warmhearted Jodie, Texas, Jake begins a new life. But all turns in the road lead to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. The course of history is about to be rewritten...and become heart-stoppingly suspenseful.

Review

11/22/63 has been sitting on my TBR list almost since its publication. Think about it, it's written by Stephen King, it's a time travel novel and one that has to do with history, how can it disappoint? I finally got to read it and I'm glad that I've started the new reading year with this novel.

Jake Epping is an English teacher. He is invited by the owner of his favourite diner, Al, to go back in time in a portal that he had accidentally found. This portal always leads to a day in September 1958. But Al has a particular plan for Jake. He needs him to remain in the late fifties and save Kennedy in 1963. Of course, this doesn't come as a surprise since both the title and the cover of the novel are huge pointers of this fact.

But what we truly get in 11/22/63 is a portrayal of an era so different from this one. The research that Stephen King made for the construction of this world is mindblowing. Even the slightest detail is in order. You can only take a look at the Play(list) by the Book to figure out in what extent we emerge in life in the late fifties and early sixties. Indeed, like Jake, we have to adapt to the way the people talked back then, to the things they were listening to, to what was entertaining to them, to their morals. Jake is supposed to live almost five years there, so he has to create a new life. This includes things like getting an apartment, getting a job and most importantly to interact with people and maybe be friendly with some of them.

Being able to travel to the past enables Jake to change some things he doesn't like. First of all, he decides to change the fate of Harry Dunning, one of his adult students, and his family, before going to Dallas. In this way, he will find out how the past reacts to change. The answer is badly. The past will throw anything at him, in order to make him fail. This side story, along with another one, much shorter, could make a novel of their own.

After taking care of this, Jake is ready to move to Texas and wait for Lee Harvey Oswald to return to the USA. According to King's description, Dallas isn't the right place for Jake, so he moves to a smaller town nearby named Jodie. Before too long, he is accepted by this community and feels like home. On top of that, he meets Sadie and falls in love with her. This is where the biggest part of the novel takes place. Jake's life in Jodie is so important to the story that sometimes I forgot why he traveled through time, which might be my only complaint about the whole novel. At times, the assassination of Kennedy felt like a secondary subplot in Jake's adventures, but the climax leading to that fateful day was so intense that it was ultimately rewarding.

The main characters, Jake and Sadie, are both well-developed. Jake, on the one hand, is rational and manages not to lose his mind, although all of these things keep happening to him. He understands perfectly well that the past doesn't want to change, but he is persistent and driven. Ok, sometimes he loses his focus but in the end he remembers the reason for his visit in 1960's. Sadie, on the other hand, has a complicated character. Her past makes her afraid of giving in to Jake, plus she senses that he has secrets of his own. I admired her bravery towards the end of 11/22/63.

We also learn many things about the Oswald family. I like the fact that we get to know Lee as a human, able to love and be afraid. But once again I feel that I learnt more about his wife, Marina, rather than the man himself. Kennedy is only present in a couple of scenes and thus, I couldn't form an impression of him. The other secondary characters only appear here and there. Some are likeable enough, others not so much. But I missed Al towards the end of the novel. In fact, we never learn what happened to him after Jake returned to the present.

All in all, 11/22/63 is a great time travel novel. It has all the questions and paradoxes that a visit in the past can cause. Even the slightest change might be enough for unpredictable things to happen. It also has some intense and nail-biting moments and a very good ending. Although it's quite lengthy, if you are on the lookout for a thriller, then this is the novel for you.


This counts as a novel from North America in the 2016 Reading Challenge.

Blog Tour: Death in A Major by Sarah Fox (Review and Excerpt)

Title: Death in A Major

Series: Music Lover's Mystery #2

Author: Sarah Fox

Publisher: Witness Impulse

Date of Publication: 2016

Number of Pages: 304

Find it at: Book Depository

Summary

The new season for the Point Grey Philharmonic starts off on a sour note when one of the symphony’s wealthy benefactors drops dead in the second Music Lover’s Mystery from author Sarah Fox.

When Archibald Major, local big wig and nasty tyrant, drops dead at a post-concert reception, violinist Midori Bishop soon suspects foul play. Although Midori has no intention of getting involved in another murder investigation, that all changes when Jordan - her violin student and the victim’s grandson - seeks her help convincing the police that the real killer is his uncle, a low-level criminal.

As Midori digs into the victim’s life, she discovers that he was a man who created discord at every turn, even within his own family, and there is no shortage of potential suspects. When someone close to Midori unexpectedly confesses to the crime, Midori must race to discover the identity of the true killer before an innocent person goes to jail for a crime they didn’t commit… and before Midori herself becomes a victim in the killer’s deadly encore.

Review

What can be more appealing than a mystery novel under the tunes of Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and Mozart? The Music Lover's Mystery combines these two things that I love, mystery and music. Although I read Death In A Major without reading the first instalment of the series, Dead Ringer, I didn't have any problem getting to know the characters.

Mystery novels tend to have a certain pattern: a murder happens, the main character makes a list of the suspects and then investigates each one of them. Death in A Major follows this route. Midori was present at Mr. Major's death and so she had the chance to witness who seemed to hate the elderly man. Although she didn't intend to participate in the investigation she always seemed to be in the center of the events. Generally, I liked the way she chose to search for answers, but I found it a little weird that she chose not to investigate certain suspects based only on her gut feeling.

I really liked that everything in Death in A Major were unpredictable. In every single chapter, I learnt something new about Mr. Major and his life, as well as facts about the suspects, that I didn't expect, which is great in this particular genre. Until the very end, I couldn't guess who the murderer was! Also, the climax of the novel was pretty intense. For a moment, it seemed like Midori didn't have a chance of escape.

But there were also things in the book that I could do without. Basically, one thing: the love story with Aaron. I realise that he might have appeared in the first instalment of the series (which I'm not sure since I haven't read it) and so he would have to appear in the second one as well, but I couldn't feel concerned about the future of his and Midori's relationship. So, the chapters where the young violinist was thinking about breaking up with him didn't have anything to offer to the story.

Nevertheless, one of the greatest advantages of Death in A Major was the main character, Midori. She was well-developed, I instantly connected with her and I was sincerely worried about her well-being. Sometimes, it did feel strange that she always found herself in trouble, when the police had clearly told her to stay out of this. Also, her curiosity would easily make her seem nosy and in a few instances I did consider her as such.

All in all, Death in A Major is a highly enjoyable read. The mystery is hard to solve and if you love this genre then it will definitely keep your interest. I won't hide that I will now read the first Music Lover's Mystery, as well!    

Excerpt

“I’m going to speak to Ernest. He looks lonely.”

I escaped from the questions I knew Mikayla wanted to ask and approached Ernest, a short and rotund French horn player in his late fifties. His normally pale face was flushed and he stood by himself at the edge of the room, one hand fiddling with the lapel of his tuxedo jacket as he stared through his thick glasses at the crowd of mingling people.

“Hi, Ernest.”

He started when I addressed him.

“Oh. Hello, Midori.” He cleared his throat and continued to tug at his lapel. “The concert went well, don’t you think?”

“Very.”

His gaze drifted back to the crowd in the middle of the room. I followed his line of sight. Mrs. Duffy—Mr. Major’s daughter and the mother of one of my violin students—was helping her father into a wheelchair. He sat down heavily and Mrs. Duffy hooked his cane over one of the handles.

A middle-aged woman with glasses and dull, frizzy brown hair hovered behind the wheelchair and patted Major on the shoulder once he was seated. The elderly man must have grown tired of standing, but I doubted that he’d ever grow tired of creeping out women less than half his age.

I returned my attention to Ernest. His eyes were still fixed on Mr. Major and his expression had transformed in the past few seconds from bland to darkly angry.

The drastic, unexpected change startled and puzzled me. “Do you know Mr. Major?”

“What?” Ernest swiveled his head toward me, his thick glasses drawing my attention to his gray eyes and their staccato blinking. “No. I’ve never met the man.”

“Oh.” How odd. Why would he have such an intense dislike for a man he’d never met? Unless I was mistaken about whom he’d been focused on.

Ernest pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and patted his perspiring forehead. “Excuse me.”

He made a direct line to the nearest waitress and snagged a flute of champagne off her tray. My eyebrows shot up as he gulped down the entire contents in no more than a second. He abandoned the empty glass on a nearby table and moved through the crowd, patting his damp forehead again.

Weird.

Or was it? I’d never seen Ernest act like that before, but then again, I barely knew him and had never spent time with him outside of the orchestra. For all I knew he was odd on a regular basis.

Shrugging off Ernest’s behavior, I decided to join some of my fellow second violinists who had gathered near one of the grand arched windows, the view nothing but darkness at this time of night. I threaded my way through the clusters of people, making sure to stay behind Mr. Major so he wouldn’t see me and have a chance to run his sleazy eyes over me again.

As I passed within a few feet of his wheelchair, Mrs. Duffy spread a small blanket over his knees.

“Are you warm enough, Dad?”

Major swatted her hand away. “Stop fussing. I don’t need your incompetent brand of help.”

My eyes widened at the rancor in his voice. So did Mrs. Duffy’s. She choked back a sob and turned away from her father, quickly squeezing her way through the crowd.

I glared at the back of Major’s head. What a mean old bastard.

He continued to grumble under his breath. The frizzy-haired woman patted his shoulder again and spoke to him in quiet, soothing tones.

I set my empty champagne glass down on a nearby table and searched the room for Mrs. Duffy. I spotted her just as she slipped out through a door at the far end of the room. Abandoning my plan to join my fellow violinists, I worked my way through the crowded room until I reached the far door. I pushed it open and slipped out into a corridor lined with the same red carpeting as the reception room.

There was no one in sight. I knew there was an exit around the corner, so it was possible that Mrs. Duffy had stepped outside to collect herself. I wasn’t sure if I should continue to look for her to make sure she was okay. Maybe she’d prefer to be left alone. After all, I didn’t know her particularly well. I’d taught her son, Jordan, violin for seven years, but had never talked to her for more than a few minutes at a time, and the topics of our conversations had always stayed confined to her son’s progress or lesson schedules. Certainly we’d never discussed anything personal or established any sort of friendship.

I turned back to the door, intending to return to the reception room.

“What are you doing here?” a female voice asked.

I spun around, thinking the question had been aimed at me, but I was still alone.

“I need some cash,” a man said.

“And you think I have extra lying around?” I recognized the female voice as belonging to Mrs. Duffy. “You know I’m having my own financial troubles since I left Gregory.”

I paused with my hand on the doorknob. I knew this was a conversation that wasn’t meant for my ears, but somehow I couldn’t bring myself to go back into the reception room. I’d always been too curious for my own good.

Two quiet steps took me farther along the corridor, closer to the branch that led to the exit.

“Of course I know,” the male voice said. “I need you to get some money off Dad for me.”

“Kevin, you know I can’t do that. If I even mention your name these days he goes through the roof.”

The man let out a string of colorful swearwords, most of them unsavory descriptors aimed at Mr. Major Senior. “Can’t you pretend it’s for you? I’m desperate here, sis.”

“I can’t.” Mrs. Duffy sounded close to tears. “He’s not much happier with me than he is with you lately. He thinks I’m a failure since my marriage fell apart.”

“Has he been bullying you again?”

Mrs. Duffy sniffled.

I jumped as a loud bang reverberated along the corridor.

“Kevin! Be careful!” Mrs. Duffy admonished in a hushed voice. “You almost put a hole in the wall.”

“That damn bastard,” Kevin spat. “Always trying to make everyone else miserable.”

A door opened nearby and a draft of chilly air wafted along the corridor toward me.

“Where are you going?” Mrs. Duffy asked, her voice tight with worry.

“I’ve had enough of the old miser,” Kevin said. “And I’m going to make sure we never have to deal with him ever again.”

A door slammed shut, the noise jolting me into motion. Not wanting Mrs. Duffy to know I’d overheard the conversation, I slipped back into the reception room and pulled the door closed behind me.

About the Author

Sarah Fox was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia where she developed a love for mysteries at a young age. When not writing novels or working as a legal writer she is often reading her way through a stack of books or spending time outdoors with her English Springer Spaniel.

Connect with Sarah Fox

Website - http://www.authorsarahfox.com/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/thewritefox

Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/authorsarahfox

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4027516.Sarah_Fox

Purchase Here:

DEATH IN A MAJOR –

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The Reading Book Post, January 18th

Hello, everyone! My reading year has started really well! I've finished an amazing novel (review to come tomorrow) and even had the chance to create a new Play(list) by the Book! I've also decided to take part in my first blog tour, which will take place later in this week, so look out for it. Anyway, let's see what happened in the literary world the previous week.

• The 2015 T.S. Eliot Poetry Prize has been awarded to Sarah Howe for her collection Loop of Jade. It's noteworthy that this is the debut collection of the poet. The Oxfam Novib/PEN Award for Freedom of Expression has been announced. Sadly, none of the three winners was able to attend the ceremony. Eritrean poet and journalist Amanuel Asrat and Turkish author and journalist Can Dundar, are both imprisoned, while the Egyptian writer and librarian Omar Hazek was unable to leave his country.

• An upcoming thriller is The Widow. You can now watch the book trailer and read an exclusive excerpt from it! The novel is due on February 16, 2016.

• Phillip Pullman is no longer a patron to the Oxford Literary Festival. The reason is that the organisers don't pay the speakers.

• Infographic: These are the most powerful Sci-Fi weapons! Which one is your favourite?

• The new app, Crave, is an essential for all the romance novel lovers out there! And I have to admit that I'd like to try it, seems like it could offer a new experience!

• Who's Your Perfect YA Boyfriend? Take the quiz to find out! I got Augustus Waters from The Fault in Out Stars, how about you?

Weeckies: All You Zombies by Robert A. Heinlein

Hello, everybody! It's true that I love time-travel stories. So today I'll talk about one of my favourite short stories and perhaps the ultimate (for me) time-travel story! It's none other than All You Zombies by Robert A. Heinlein. It was first published in 1959 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

All You Zombies might have the hardest to explain plotline. A young man walks into a bar and starts talking to the bartender, who is a time traveler. Sounds simple? Well, that's where everything turns upside down! The bartender takes this man with him in different times and that's when the paradoxes begin. Time-travel itself contains several paradoxes and in All You Zombies, we get the very definition of paradox in such stories. The end of each character's journey is mind-blowing and totally unpredictable. 

As I've already said, All You Zombies is one of my favourite short stories. But I have to admit that it's not an easy to understand story. It's baffling and needs a lot of thought. But if you like thought-provoking reads and like time-traveling in novels, then you should definitely read this one. It's one of the stories that will remain in your mind long after you've read it. 

Plus, it has the best ending lines, which I can't tell you unless I want to spoil it for you. Instead, I'll leave you with another great quote: I know where I came from - but where did all you zombies come from? 

Have you read All You Zombies? Which is your favourite time-travel story?

Play(list) by the Book: 11/22/63

Hello, everybody! I'm so happy that yet another novel has offered me the opportunity to create a literary playlist. This time, the list is based on 11/22/63 by Stephen King. The book is rich in music references, both songs and artists. The playlist is quite long, but if you like the late '50s and early '60s, you'll love it. So, sit back and enjoy!

As usual, in the playlist, I included all the songs and artists mentioned throughout the novel. When a specific song wasn't mentioned, I tried to choose one that fit the time that the story was taking place. In this case, the story takes place from 1958 to 1963. Silent Night is mentioned in the novel with the alternative "Silent Mike, holy Mike". Another special case is The Battle Hymn of the Republic. In 11/22/63 was stated that Johnny Horton was singing it, but I was unable to find this version. Because of this, I included another version of it and an additional Johnny Horton song.

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Radio Show: Play(list) by the Book