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Women's Fiction

The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife

List Price: $14.00
Your Price: $10.50
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Clever, Deep, and very inventive!
Review: I am not easily impressed by high concept literature...but "The Time Traveler's Wife" blew my socks off! Audrey Niffenegger's incredible tale of a man who suffers from "Chrono Displacement Disorder," which means that he time travels randomly, following the path of his own life as it interconnects with the people in his life he's most deeply and emotionally attached to. Niffenegger does an awesome job of ripping us from one place to another without losing the thread of her considerable tale...and in addition, throws in one of the most wonderful love stories of our time.

Prior to reading "The Time Traveler's Wife," another love story held the #1 spot for me; Herman Raucher's "There Should Have Been Castles." Niffeneggers wonderful story easily usurps that position. Read this today if you can!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: BORING and so hard to stay with
Review: I have to agree with the February 4th writer "Not sure if I will finish". I thought this book was really hard to get into...so unbelievable, and so fragmented. It jumps back and forth so much that after awhile you don't care about the characters...you just want it to end! It's interesting that so many people loved this book...guess that's what makes reading interesting...there is something for everyone.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: somewhat Tiring
Review: While the book did have its good spots,much of it was tiring.It seems to be written very much from the female point of view.
I was expecting a science fiction type story. It is however a study in relationships which may appeal to some.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: I always say that I'm not a fan of science fiction because for the most part I'm not. But every now and then a book comes along that bridges the line between one genre and another because the writing is that good or the story is so compelling -- or some combination of the two. THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE was just such a book for me. I have to say that it took some time for me to wrap my mind around the concept of time travel as Audrey Niffenegger describes it, but with her skillfull story telling, and given that I kept an open mind, there was a point at which I knew I "got it". That point didn't take long to reach and there was no confusion after that.

Henry DeTamble is the time traveler. Clare, his wife, is the woman totally committed to him and to the life they share -- no matter what. And there's a lot of "whats" that certainly do matter. Henry doesn't merely climb into a machine and travel from one historical event to another. He travels through the times and events of his own life, and he visits his past, present, and future interchangeably. It's a heck of a way to have a life, a job, a family, and friends. But Henry manages, and so does Clare. It's the devotion to each other and the chaos Henry's unstable life creates in their lives that make Henry and Clare so memorable.

When I began to suspect where this story was headed, I wanted to speed up the reading process because I had to find out what happened. And then as I came to believe I knew how it would all come together, I wanted to slow down the reading process because I was not ready to leave Henry and Clare. For me, that's the sign of an excellent book. When I don't want it to end because I don't want to let go of the characters just yet. I liked this book very much, and I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to read something creative and clever and sad and witty and oh sooooo romantic. You won't be disappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best book I've read in years
Review: Imaginative and intricate, this plot grabbed me on page one and didn't let me go, even when the book ended. This story will stay with me for a long time. At its core, The Time Traveler's Wife is a strong love story, beautifully rendered.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: not sure I will finish
Review: I am half way through this book and struggling.
It is silly, dull, and poorly written. I keep thinking in will pick up but after 250 pages I am thinking of giving up.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: close , but no cigar
Review: What promises to be a highly original novel soon turns out to be nothing more than just another love story. Sure , the love between the two main characters is complicated by the fact that one of them suffers from Chrono Displacement Disorder (He is epileptically transported to the past or future , against his will) but this original idea is not fully exploited and worse , ends up in Contradiction City. Add to this the fact that Niffenegger's writing skills are mediocre to say the least (someone must have convinced her that she could do anything) and you are left with just another movie script.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: BEST SELLER FOR A REASON
Review: There are "best sellers" that are on the charts for a blink of an eye, achieving their fast but liquid success because of pop culture's rule of 15-minutes of fame: "ROYAL DUTY" as an example. I don't fault such titles or authors. There is a place for these flash in the pan books, a huge place for them. Our culture thrives on them.

There are, though, other "best sellers" that achieve their success because of the quality of the book. In some cases it is the quality of the writing: "ROOTS" as an example. In some cases it is a universal theme: "THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN" as an example. In some cases it is a particularly moving story: "MY FRACTURED LIFE" as an example. In some cases it is the one of a kind nature of the story: "THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK."

In some cases what makes a book successful and thus memorable is its totally unique writing style, such as in the case of "THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE." The writing is fresh and lively, the story is compelling, but the true grasp is the unique way in which it is written and the hybrid mix of genres.

These types of books continue to sell and remain in our collective cultural conscience long after they have been bumped off the "best seller" list. "THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE" belongs among this collective cultural conscience.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Interesting, but left me stranded in a bad place
Review: What an intriguing set up for a novel! This 500-plus worder starts out strong, with a set up that's irresistable...man meets girl time-traveling, keeps time-traveling back to see her and eventually, when she's old enough, they marry and live a life of love.

Much of the first half of the book made it irresistable to put down..the tension of when and how Henry and Clare would eventually meet, the strange back and forth through time, the electricity and sex when they did meet. (And note to prudish reviewers...if you don't like hearing the "F" word or the "C" word, keep to Christian novels or something. Puh-leez)

It's the second half..when Henry and Clare are married, that gave me pause. It becomes more apparent, as things go on and on, that the author could've benefitted from a better editor. She's so in love with her characters and their romance that she writes overlong...see the interminable scenes surrounding when Henry first meets Clare parents, their wedding day and the birth of their daughter Alba.

The second half of the book also has a different, more tragically propelled tone, and somehow it seems out of place with the fanciful, romantic mood of the first half of the book. Some truly horrific things happen (injury, death, miscarriages) in the second half, and instead of seeming tragic and true, they seem tacked on...as if Niffenegger changed her mind about what this book was--sci-fi, romance, tragedy...mid-way through writing it. The bad things are just over-the-top bad, like something out of VC Andrews...and I think they would've been more touching if they were less dramatic and nutso. Also, at the ending, Clare waiting for Henry far in the future and their thinly drawn, time-traveling, precocious daughter just caused me to go "Come on!"

Overall, I liked this book, but think it's basically a great idea with medium execution. And in many ways, not much happens to justify SOOOO many pages.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You will love it!!!
Review: I shied away from this book for months because I'm not a big fan of fantasy or time travel or "book club" selections. I am always skeptical about their recommendations. The Today Show selections are books by new authors that have been selected by established authors. Scott Turow has a blurb on the back of this one. Well, thank you very much Mr. Turow, I owe you one!

This book is marvelous! It has everything - a highly unique and interesting premise, humor, romance, and above all, excellent writing. It tells the love story of Henry and Clare DeTamble narrated in their own words. But this is not like any love story you have read before! Henry suffers from Chrono Displacement Disorder, which means he is a time traveler. Henry first meets Clare in 1991 when he is twenty-eight years old and she is twenty. However, Clare has already known Henry for fourteen years, as he went back in time at the age of thirty-six to meet her when she was only six years old. If it sounds confusing, it is, but only for about the first fifty pages or so. After that, the story simply takes off and for the remaining 450+ pages you will be totally captivated!

Henry and Clare are two very human individuals struggling to cope with something that is completely beyond their control or understanding. At times it results in humorous situations, how many brides must worry that the groom may simply disappear during their wedding ceremony? And of course, Henry and Clare do take advantage of circumstances and do quite well on the stock market. But the sorrows endured by this couple are many. Henry is frequently drawn back in time to witness over and over the tragedy of his mother's death. Also, Henry knows much about the future but can do absolutely nothing to alter it.

As mentioned earlier, the story is narrated alternately by Henry and Clare, similar to the format of a diary. The date is listed at the top of each "entry" as well as the ages of Henry and Clare at that time. Just keep in mind that Clare is always moving in "real" time while Henry will travel back and forth. This is truly a remarkable reading experience. Don't miss it!


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