I just finished reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King. It took me almost 3 weeks to finish. My first book of the summer. It most likely would have taken longer but I switched back and forth between listening to it on Audible and reading my paperback copy.

I’m ashamed to say it was my first Stephen King novel that I can recall. I have a bad memory, so I may have read something of his that I can’t remember, but I don’t think so. It’s definitely one that will stick with me for some time, so I thought I’d write out an honest review here for anyone thinking of trying it out.

Here are three of the main things I loved about it:

• The copious amount of detail King uses to set up the world in the late 50’s and early 60’s. I felt totally immersed in the world of Jake Epping/ George Amberson. I had no trouble at all visualizing every part.
  
• The effort King put into his research of the time. This is a work of sci-fi and fantasy, but also certainly includes aspects of historical fiction. It truly felt like I learned some about history without feeling like I was reading a text book.
  
• The way that King was able to weave together multiple storylines and plots seamlessly. I am always awestruck by an author’s ability to do this without causing confusion, and King was a master of the craft in this novel.

Now, here are three of the things that I didn’t love as much (which is not to say that I didn’t like them at all, just to be clear):

• That it wasn’t as much of a horror as I expected. I mean not really at all. Definitely a mysterious, creepy storyline in some ways, but not what you would expect from the King of horror. To be honest, there is a lot of romance in this novel that really sneaks up on you.
  
• From what I’ve read now, this is common among his novels, but King sprinkles in a good amount of his political views throughout this novel. Given that it’s a story about politics, I shouldn’t be surprised, but there were often times I could tell the ideas were coming from King, and not necessarily an important detail for the plot. It didn’t distract me or take any joy from the reading, but if that’s something you try to steer clear of in your book choices, this one might not be for you!
  
• Racial slurs were sprinkled throughout. Which I certainly understand to be part of the timeframe the story was set in, but it was a bit of a shock to read. I can imagine some of the language used in the book might be triggering for some, so just beware of that.
  
  

Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I definitely enjoyed it and might even give the TV series a try because of it, but I don’t think I’m going to jump right into another Stephen King book for a while.

Have you read 11/22/63? Or any of his other novels? If so, what are your thoughts or what’s your favorite King book?

For more reviews of the books I’ve read, check out my Goodreads account and let’s be friends!

With warmth and ink-filled notebooks,
Danni Writes