11/22/63, by Stephen King

[nwhyte]

As a teenager, there was a period when I read literature about the Kennedy assassination with great interest - starting with Harold Weisberg's classic Whitewash and then working through various others. Like a lot of casual readers, I was easily seduced by the notion that Something Big Was Behind It All; the explanation that one lone individual with

Comments

[bopeepsheep]

I am a King fan of ~30 years or so and I've resigned myself to being mildly disappointed with the ending of most of his plots now. The journey to that point is usually worth it, so I put up with it, but if the main text starts to slip too I may give up. This one wasn't too bad, as it goes; Revival was great right up to shortly before the end at which point I nearly ditched the book entirely! Glad I didn't, since the bit after the plot's climax was good too, but he really needs a stricter editor or some new ideas.

[bart_calendar]

I don't t hink King is capable of a good ending. Even The Stand ends badly. But I'm always happy to read whatever weirdness he's come up with lately.

[nwhyte]

I wasn't wildly impressed by the way The Stand ended. I enjoyed The Shining much more.

[bart_calendar]

The Shining has the best end of any King book. But it does get bogged down with the competing interests of the kid trying to remember about the boiler and the animal hedges moving in.

[bart_calendar]

American Tabloid is my favorite novel about the JFK killing.

What I found interesting is that both that book and King's book both seem to be saying that the world was better off with JFK dead.

[girfan]

I really liked this book. It made me cry in a few places.

[bopeepsheep]

This post reminded me that I had Finders Keepers waiting on a shelf (the sequel to Mr Mercedes, a non-horror that was pretty good) so I started it at 10pm last night. At 1am I remembered I should probably sleep. :)

I am really enjoying it but he's sneaked a "possibly something supernatural" bit in again which has annoyed me. (It's a passing reference and nothing major or spoilery - at least, that I know of - but FCOL Stephen, WHY? It was just fine without it!)

[inulro]

It comes back later, but still goes nowhere.

That aside, I liked Finders Keepers quite a bit more than I expected to. I generally hate things that open with trying to get into the mind of the criminal and nearly didn't bother, but got sucked in in very short order.

[bopeepsheep]

Yes, I finished it not too long after that comment. I didn't mind the "mind of the criminal" stuff - he's not bad at it at all (maybe writing all those villains and monsters gave him some insight?) - and both FK and Mr Mercedes were a good, gripping read. (Hodges reminds me a bit of the guy in Road Work, but nicer. I do hope there's at least one more with him in.) I just really don't like that little touch of supernatural - it wasn't at all necessary or helpful to the book.