They were separated by 163 years. 1850 - New York City, New York. Katrina Ahmansen, a 22-year old Englishwoman, is embarking on the adventure of a lifetime as the personal assistant to the famous Swedish soprano, Jenny Lind. After arriving in New York for the diva's American tour, each of the singer's entourage is presented with a new stagecoach/steamer trunk as a gift from the tour's promoter, P.T. Barnum. Katrina's great adventure is soon to become even greater. 2013 - Albuquerque, New Mexico. Nathan Thompson is a 24-year old college senior with a bright future as a corporate attorney. His beautiful and wealthy girlfriend, Tina Wade, is the perfect complement to his life. One day he discovers an old, dilapidated stagecoach/steamer trunk in his grandparent's garage and, intrigued, decides to restore it—setting in motion events which will change his life forever. Through the streamer trunk, both Nathan and Katrina discover their connection across time. By way of letters, and pictures; shared thoughts and dreams, they fall in love. Imprisoned by time, Nathan and Katrina's feelings are put to the test. Can they safely pass through worlds and defeat time or will they forever remain a world apart?
Love this story! Time travel is my favorite, and this book tops the list. One reason I like it is because the "future" is current day. There are many time travel books written in the 70's, which is also history, so a current day setting is more relatable. Second, I really like the pre-civil war past that is NOT about antebellum South, although some obvious topics, like roles of women and black people were addressed. Those issues are not the focus. The female character, Katrina, is from England and visits New England during 1850, although she travels to other U.S. places throughout the story. I also really enjoyed learning about Jenny Lind, an actual vocal celebrity of that time. Most of us have never heard of her because obviously there are no recordings of her voice. But now I recognize the items named for her and googled her to learn more. This is no perfect book, though. Even though I loved the story, the author, editor, and publisher really missed a great opportunity. The writing has lots of issues...holes in thought, typos, and the ending could have been so much more satisfying. The story does progress slowly the first half, but I credited the author for wanting the reader to really know the characters. In spite of these issues, this is a must-read for time travel lovers!
A very well written romantic time travel suspenseful love story. Nathan develops a relationship with Katrina from 163 years in the past via an old steamer trunk. They fall in love. Katrina will stop at nothing to be with Nathan in the future. Jealous Tina attempts to destroy the relationship in order to win Nathan back. The adventure and heart throbbing excitement throughout this tale will keep you on the edge of your seat.
This story kept me coming back every chance I had. The characters were complex and intriguing people and the historic references were very interesting. This is a well thought out story with so many layers and twists that there was never a dull moment and I found myself torn between wanting to know what happens and wanting to make it last.