tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post6508020679211773590..comments2023-03-27T08:37:01.128-07:00Comments on Chunkster Reading Challenge: 11/22/63 by Stephen King: Chunky Book Club DiscussionVasillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08463689838763126048noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-48269633972731224052014-04-12T11:58:06.017-07:002014-04-12T11:58:06.017-07:00I'm glad you asked this question. The reason ...I'm glad you asked this question. The reason I found this site was because I typed into Google "What do the last three lines in 11/22/63 by Stephen King mean."<br /><br />I'm not really sure if the answers you received are helpful. I agree that he ends some books with his location, so that can easily explain Lovell, Maine. Maybe he has a summer home in Sarasota Florida, but not really sure if that is what the next to the last line means. <br /><br />But what about the dates? It can't be when he wrote the book because it must have taken him longer than that to do all the research and writing. I keep thinking there is a reason he put those dates at the end of the story, but I can't seem to figure out what January 2, 2009 - December 18, 2010 mean.<br /><br />Maybe someone has a better theory. Love to hear it.<br />JShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03494952701390002969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-1720750455119321412013-07-22T09:05:35.542-07:002013-07-22T09:05:35.542-07:00I really enjoyed the book, the end had me sad but ...I really enjoyed the book, the end had me sad but happy as well. To say Sadie didn't play a part in the story is absurd. To me she played the moral compass in his life. I feel both Jake and Sadie needed each other. Funny how Sadies last words were "The way we danced" and flash forward to present time they're dancing to the lillyhop. <br /><br />I wish they explained the yellow card men a bit more. Like why were they chosen, why didn't the first one explain the ill effects of time travel to Al. Why would they choose human beings knowing the effects it has on their minds. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-79037198992606503122013-03-10T00:47:10.195-08:002013-03-10T00:47:10.195-08:00I enjoyed this. I saw, or thought I saw allusions ...I enjoyed this. I saw, or thought I saw allusions to the Dark Tower novels. Jumping into different whens. How changing time seemed to potentially tear reality apart also reminded me of the Tower, and how "time had moved on". Basically I saw tons of allusions to Kings tower, but this was a masterpiece of it own. I personally dont think Oswald shot Kennedy, and was kinda bummed King went that route. I heard a lot of complaints about the world after he saves Kennedy, but I enjoyed it. LBJ did much more then Kennedy on civil rights, and though some of if was far fetched... I thought it was nothing to bitch about. The end made me sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-40963467138500637282012-08-21T19:44:06.703-07:002012-08-21T19:44:06.703-07:00Re: #4 "If you could go back to the past, wha...Re: #4 "If you could go back to the past, what year would you want to visit and what historical event would you like to change?" It would be interesting to go back in time and talk to my younger self with advice. It would then be interesting to see 2 different "strings" to know if advice helped. The yellow card man was the most interesting character and in some ways represented the "true course" almost like God's eye when everything was optimized. It seems Jake recognized at the end that the master planner knew best.<br /><br />Regarding #5 "Would you consider murder as an ethical choice to un-do something horrible?" I find it interesting that the primary option was murder as opposed to befriending and persuading or trying some psychology. It would be tough to live with a pre-emptive killing.<br /><br />Finally - loved the book. Thought provoking.Lynne Vnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-87534524410478171052012-07-29T06:20:48.305-07:002012-07-29T06:20:48.305-07:00A little late here - life! anyway quick bit - wil...A little late here - life! anyway quick bit - will be reviewing it on my site - first King I have ever read - did I enjoy it? well some of it - personally I felt it would have been better about 200 pages shorter:) leave out that un-necessary love affair it added nothing to the plot - too much to-ing and fro-ing from place to place, it felt a bit like an excuse to wax lyrical about old cars! then without those it would have been a tight exciting book - all those extras made it woolly in places, slowing the pace. <br /><br />The premise of time travel is an interesting one and its fun to sometimes go there - does the end justify the means? - no - to murder is wrong whatever the reason - to kill in self defence? well okay but to set off back to the past to do so is plain wrong and reckless.I didn't take to the hero because of this, I also found him a trifle shallow and soooo easily lead - the un-necessary girl had more going for her but why was she there at all?<br /><br />what happened to the janitors family should have been warning enough that you mess with history at your peril!!!! I have aways suspected 'if onlys' we do not know how an alternative choice would pan out so why wish to change it<br /><br />the arguments that are used against killing unborns and infants - one may be destroying a future ?? (whoever your fancy of greatness and goodness is) works equally well backwards - destroy Hitler and among those millions you potentially save what if a monster of epic evilness was saved, one who wrecks devastation of global proportions? the course of history is the course of history<br /><br />having said all that I am tempted to try another Stephen King - hoping for tighter structure , it appeared to have some very good writing in those pages and I am always open to the new - might try the Dome next I have heard some good reviews of it.<br /><br />will try and be in on the ground with The Memory of Love almost finished italberta rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02132420168908365099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-86589826905367477852012-07-06T16:59:41.029-07:002012-07-06T16:59:41.029-07:00Anonymous: I actually wonder if how it ended (ie: ...Anonymous: I actually wonder if how it ended (ie: how the world turned out by saving Kennedy) was, in fact, a comment on that belief that Kennedy would not have been a great president had he survived. Interesting idea, I think. I wasn't crazy about the ending either. King's writing varies novel to novel - so I would not give up on him based solely on this one. A futuristic book he wrote which was amazing was The Stand (also a chunkster) which I've read 3 times I loved it so much! Thanks for weighing in on the discussion!Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14332796775305098552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-75304259281809502522012-07-06T12:31:44.655-07:002012-07-06T12:31:44.655-07:00I just finished. Not sure if anyone is listening ...I just finished. Not sure if anyone is listening anymore. I loved the book. BUT - I was completely unable to connect with any of the characters. I really disliked Jake in fact and was not rooting for his "mission" at all. I did not buy that he even believed in it. I think part of the reason was that there is too much written about how Kennedy probably would not have been a great president and that LBJ was actually much more effectual than Kennedy ever would have been. I think I would have bought it more had it been Hitler or something, but I realize that would have removed some critical elements for king (like the exitence of a conspiracy theory cottage industry). Anyway, its my first King so maybe I just don't understand his writing style, but all that I felt the whole time was too much anxiety to enjoy any of the "happy" parts if the story. When he described the love scenes with Sadie, I felt like a kid who had walked in on her parents - EW! Just did not connect at all. And I very much disliked the ending. That said, it was a page turner and his deep research kept my attention most of the time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-28300374422246742952012-05-07T05:30:37.646-07:002012-05-07T05:30:37.646-07:00LOL - my husband also asked me if he would find ou...LOL - my husband also asked me if he would find out about the yellow card man at the end! You DO find out more about him!rhapsodyinbookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07041412748239010264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-2740153561025216762012-05-06T16:17:37.044-07:002012-05-06T16:17:37.044-07:00I am about two thirds through the book...as always...I am about two thirds through the book...as always King creates characters I love. I have been struggling with the idea of changing the past. I don't think I would do it. I would not be who I am today, if I hadn't gone through the trials and tribulations of my life. I think it is true for any of us. So might it not be true for us as a nation?<br /><br />I have not figured out the yellow card man yet.... Will I get it by the time I finish the book? If not, can any of you bring some enlightenment?<br /><br />I will check back when I finish it...good questions! (btw...I never expected Jake and Sadie to work out long term, though the romantic in me desperately wants it too!).Lee Gaylordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09859175574973014446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-7110051193523962202012-04-18T10:03:36.205-07:002012-04-18T10:03:36.205-07:00I agree; I've been reading a lot of SK books l...I agree; I've been reading a lot of SK books lately and that seems to be the way he ends each one.Natalie~Coffee and a Book Chickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369504951819517390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-51221173607503952542012-03-24T19:33:35.972-07:002012-03-24T19:33:35.972-07:00I agree. While I think it would be tough to go bac...I agree. While I think it would be tough to go back and live in the past--that there would be some BIG adjustments you'd have to make...I think it would be even tougher to jump to the future. I think it would be too overwhelming. I can't help but think of what happened in Back to the Future 2 :)Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00793618692608823102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-28634529977430032502012-03-23T11:54:56.977-07:002012-03-23T11:54:56.977-07:00I think Anonymous is asking for the meaning of the...I think Anonymous is asking for the meaning of the last 3 lines, which refer, I imagine, to when and where King wrote the book.rhapsodyinbookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07041412748239010264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-72041207665647717102012-03-23T09:41:30.882-07:002012-03-23T09:41:30.882-07:00Anonymous - what exactly is your question?Anonymous - what exactly is your question?Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14332796775305098552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-4481288833336752282012-03-23T09:37:17.793-07:002012-03-23T09:37:17.793-07:00Hi can any body tell me what the very last three l...Hi can any body tell me what the very last three lines: <br />January 2, 2009 - December 18, 2010<br />Sarasota, Florida<br />Lovell, Maine<br /><br />Loved this bookAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-3405618698994327712012-03-23T08:29:43.297-07:002012-03-23T08:29:43.297-07:00Becky:
I have Under the Dome in my stacks - I re...Becky: <br /><br />I have Under the Dome in my stacks - I really need to get to that one.<br /><br />I agree, Jake was "playing God" and I think the message in the novel is that is never a good idea.<br /><br />I just could not see Sadie living in the future with Jake - her mindset was so in the past and, let's face it, today's world is overwhelming for us a lot of time, can you imagine how it would have been for Sadie?Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14332796775305098552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-67069579530398201962012-03-23T08:26:44.088-07:002012-03-23T08:26:44.088-07:00Kathy: Do you think you'll read more Stephen K...Kathy: Do you think you'll read more Stephen King now that you've read this one?Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14332796775305098552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-34289160667145513632012-03-21T19:08:22.778-07:002012-03-21T19:08:22.778-07:001 and 2. This was my second King novel, my first b...1 and 2. This was my second King novel, my first being, Under the Dome, and I didn't like it quite as much as I did Under the Dome, though, of course it was still a compelling read. <br />3. I didn't really see him as being bad or good. Was he taking up authority that didn't quite belong to him, was he playing god? I think he was. And I think that comes back to haunt him. He isn't god. He can't know the future, he can't see what the consequences are for each action. His good intentions aren't worth much when it all comes down to it. He tried to be God, he tried to judge the world, to "fix" it perhaps, to make it the way it "should" be, but it turned out to be meaningless. <br />4. I don't know that I'd want to travel back in time--at least not for a long period of time. It would be one thing to spend two or three hours in the past, observing, watching, etc. Quite another to have to stay there for any real length of time. <br />5. That was actually the premise of a YA novel I recently read, The Predicteds. While it's tempting to think we'd all want to know, I'm not sure it would be. Because while some would want to try to "change" them or "influence" them, many others would be just like Jake and want them dead now.<br />6. I don't think I'd like to travel to the future either. I think it would be even more overwhelming and hard-to-take. <br />8. Yes. I think all things happen for a reason. <br />9. I didn't love the ending, but I didn't hate it either. I don't think he could have stayed in the past without consequences. It would be very, very hard to do so, very limiting, very frustrating. It would make every decision, even little decisions that you make each day, become too much to handle. And I am not sure if she could have gone back to the future either.Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00793618692608823102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-35768203150001483532012-03-18T11:14:55.491-07:002012-03-18T11:14:55.491-07:00This book was my first experience with King's ...This book was my first experience with King's work and I loved it. I really liked Jake and did wonder how he could live with himself after he committed murder but it didn't make me think less of him since I knew the reason he was doing it. After reading this book, I don't think I would want to change any part of the past - the butterfly effect. I do not consider murder an ethical choice for any reason.bermudaonionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10726401178972099557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-61113082673484246192012-03-14T21:04:49.047-07:002012-03-14T21:04:49.047-07:00It wasn't really the age difference with Sadie...It wasn't really the age difference with Sadie and Jake - I didn't think he should stay in the 60s once he found out that he had changed things so badly for the future...and to stay and then try to bring Sadie with him to the future...well, I didn't think that would work. <br /><br />I wouldn't rule out that they had some kind of relationship in the present, even with their age differences. But, I don't think Jake could have really explained things to Sadie at that point (she would have thought he was a nut!)Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14332796775305098552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-12485999841971026732012-03-14T21:00:16.553-07:002012-03-14T21:00:16.553-07:00Thanks, Bonnie!Thanks, Bonnie!Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14332796775305098552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-41343698335550465802012-03-14T14:38:08.440-07:002012-03-14T14:38:08.440-07:00Wendy, thank you for adding the link! Today the M...Wendy, thank you for adding the link! Today the Mr. Linky looks like the usual Mr. Linky, so I could have done it. I don't know what was going on before! :--)rhapsodyinbookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07041412748239010264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-64374079327876061452012-03-14T14:37:12.376-07:002012-03-14T14:37:12.376-07:00I agree with Jennifer that it would be too scary t...I agree with Jennifer that it would be too scary to change the past, even if it were someone horrible you were eliminating like Hitler, because you wouldn't know what sort of even worse future you might put into place. But if somehow I knew for sure it would be better, say to kill someone, like Hitler or Stalin, I think I would feel I had a moral obligation to do so even though it would be very difficult. I think I'd have to use poison or something so it wouldn't feel so much like *I* actually committed the act!<br /><br />I'm interested that Wendy and Natalie would not have Jake and Sadie together at the end, because of the age difference maybe? But it reminded me of The Time Traveler's Wife, and I think in some instances, like time travel, it should be justified!rhapsodyinbookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07041412748239010264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-3973175425437400742012-03-14T13:54:58.892-07:002012-03-14T13:54:58.892-07:00I loved 11/22/63! I've read a lot of Stephen K...I loved 11/22/63! I've read a lot of Stephen King's books, and this is now one of my favorites. I liked Jake, and I feel like I understand why he made certain choices. I don't think I could have made them, but I understand why he did. <br /><br />If given the opportunity, I'd be too scared of the Butterfly Effect to change anything in my past. Life isn't perfect, but my family is healthy and happy. I also wouldn't want to go 50 years in the future. I'd be afraid of what I'd see! I guess I'm just fine where I'm at. :)<br /><br />I wish I knew more about the Yellow Card Man.<br /><br />I mourned really hard when I finished this book. I mourned the ending of Jake and Sadie's relationship, and I mourned just plain finishing the book in general. I felt like I lost a friend.Jen | Book Denhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06512363115012929445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-26763565597577930762012-03-14T13:48:34.092-07:002012-03-14T13:48:34.092-07:00I'll be back to join the discussion, but I wan...I'll be back to join the discussion, but I wanted to let you know I also posted information about it yesterday for my readers, some of whom have already read 11/22/63.Bonnie Jacobshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07813549471704485150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253113231066239423.post-47774527869550266812012-03-14T12:44:20.999-07:002012-03-14T12:44:20.999-07:00Like you, Natalie - I would be afraid to travel in...Like you, Natalie - I would be afraid to travel into the future. One of the main reasons is that I don't think I would want to know about anything bad which might have happened to those I love...and I also would not want to leave behind the people I love. I am a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason even if we don't know what that reason is at the time...so I would be reluctant, I think, to change the past to influence the future!Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14332796775305098552noreply@blogger.com