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No Time Like the Past
(The Chronicles of St Mary's #5)
by
Jodi Taylor’s best-selling series The Chronicles of St Mary is back with a bang…
St Mary’s has been rebuilt and it’s business as usual for the History department.
But first, there’s the little matter of a seventeenth-century ghost that only Mr Markham can see.
Not to mention the minor inconvenience of being trapped in the Great Fire of London…and an unfortunately-timed comfor ...more
St Mary’s has been rebuilt and it’s business as usual for the History department.
But first, there’s the little matter of a seventeenth-century ghost that only Mr Markham can see.
Not to mention the minor inconvenience of being trapped in the Great Fire of London…and an unfortunately-timed comfor ...more
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Paperback, 374 pages
Published
October 22nd 2015
by Accent Press
(first published April 21st 2015)
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Showing 1-30
Start your review of No Time Like the Past (The Chronicles of St. Mary's, #5)
It's easy for me to say that I've become a fanboy of this series. Few other books can straddle the fence so well between sympathy for all the dead and sheer enjoyment of all the frivolities. :)
That being said, this one is much less of an emotional roller coaster than all the rest, with one exception. Something good happens. As in, gather ye rosebuds as ye may, good. I won't say much more than that, especially since we're put through a ghost story, the burning of St. Mary's, the burning of London ...more
That being said, this one is much less of an emotional roller coaster than all the rest, with one exception. Something good happens. As in, gather ye rosebuds as ye may, good. I won't say much more than that, especially since we're put through a ghost story, the burning of St. Mary's, the burning of London ...more
*** 4.35 ***
I really enjoyed this one! I like the tone of the St. Mary's 2.0 much better, mostly because there are no ridiculous manufactured drama between Max and Leon. The drama of their travel through time is enough to keep you interested and since the author has proven that she is not afraid to kill main characters off, I find myself terrified all the time that one of my favorites, Peterson or Markham, might get the cleaver... I have grown very attached to the staff at St. Mary's and I think ...more
I really enjoyed this one! I like the tone of the St. Mary's 2.0 much better, mostly because there are no ridiculous manufactured drama between Max and Leon. The drama of their travel through time is enough to keep you interested and since the author has proven that she is not afraid to kill main characters off, I find myself terrified all the time that one of my favorites, Peterson or Markham, might get the cleaver... I have grown very attached to the staff at St. Mary's and I think ...more
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Another St Mary’s adventure, and this time we have everything from a ghost, the 1666 burning of St Paul’s with devastating results, an epic boat race and the battle of Thermopylae. As usual, it’s a mad dash rollercoaster of an adventure, bouncing from one time period to another and the pace never lets up once. But I’ve come to expect nothing less from the St Mary’s gang.
I did find myself a little more detached than normal with thi ...more
Another St Mary’s adventure, and this time we have everything from a ghost, the 1666 burning of St Paul’s with devastating results, an epic boat race and the battle of Thermopylae. As usual, it’s a mad dash rollercoaster of an adventure, bouncing from one time period to another and the pace never lets up once. But I’ve come to expect nothing less from the St Mary’s gang.
I did find myself a little more detached than normal with thi ...more
Rating: 4* of five
I needed catharsis in the Aristotelian sense...κάθαρσις...after the reading and thinking I've been doing. So down tools, laborer, and prepare the cup that cheers.
It cheers again. The formula holds its charms. Fun and funny and gut-wrenching and painful, exactly and precisely the formula needed for a cleansing cry, a heartening guffaw, and a wistful sigh. ...more
I needed catharsis in the Aristotelian sense...κάθαρσις...after the reading and thinking I've been doing. So down tools, laborer, and prepare the cup that cheers.
It cheers again. The formula holds its charms. Fun and funny and gut-wrenching and painful, exactly and precisely the formula needed for a cleansing cry, a heartening guffaw, and a wistful sigh. ...more
One would think this routine would get monotonous and old after 4-5 instalments.
One couldn't possibly be more wrong... ...more
One couldn't possibly be more wrong... ...more
Much like the previous book, this was more light-hearted.
We start off with a ghost story that turns into quite an interesting chase and a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy thing and then head straight into trouble. Wonderful sights are visited again, such as London during the inferno of 1666, Renaissance Florence and Thermopylae!
And yes, what would the time-jumping tale be without our favourite villains, Clive Ronan and Isabella Bitchface Barclay?!
Interestingly enough though the author manage ...more
We start off with a ghost story that turns into quite an interesting chase and a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy thing and then head straight into trouble. Wonderful sights are visited again, such as London during the inferno of 1666, Renaissance Florence and Thermopylae!
And yes, what would the time-jumping tale be without our favourite villains, Clive Ronan and Isabella Bitchface Barclay?!
Interestingly enough though the author manage ...more
Mar 12, 2015
Jana
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-urban,
historical
Would someone with a brain PLEASE scoop this up for the small screen? I love Love LOVE this series! Dang it, I wish I worked at St. Mary's. Don’t they need a musician? I’ve taught Music History, can I qualify? Please??? Thank you, Ms. Taylor, for once again working your magic. This is a hoot and a holler and a fabulous ride!
...more
Love this series! Another great instalment.
Wow this is the second book in a row in which the Drama Llama hasn’t made an appearance. I’m not lying when I say good riddance. He/She/It was almost ruined the series for me and I almost didn’t continue after book III. But Steven was so kind as to nudge me to continue and I am so happy he did.
The best part of this series for me has been traipsing through time. I’m not a huge history buff but if there is a fun way to teach history this is it. I’m not saying it is accurate (how would I know) but ...more
The best part of this series for me has been traipsing through time. I’m not a huge history buff but if there is a fun way to teach history this is it. I’m not saying it is accurate (how would I know) but ...more
Don't read this book. LISTEN to it. There are very few perfect matches between material and narrator, but this is one. Hard to imagine without Zara Ramm.
Good story, very funny. Highly recommend. Won't change your life, but will keep you happy while your listening. ...more
Good story, very funny. Highly recommend. Won't change your life, but will keep you happy while your listening. ...more
Another week, another St. Mary's book under the belt. I'm quite happy with this new and improved St. Mary's, mostly because we seem to have put the artificial relationship drama behind. I mean, with a bunch of disaster prone historians and assorted support staff, who needs extra drama???
For most of the characters the differences between this version of them and the previous versions are subtle except for Leon. Leon 1.0 was a brash and insensitive man, while Leon 2.0 is almost too good to be tru ...more
For most of the characters the differences between this version of them and the previous versions are subtle except for Leon. Leon 1.0 was a brash and insensitive man, while Leon 2.0 is almost too good to be tru ...more
Jan 22, 2021
Vintage
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
humor,
2021,
adventure,
audio,
awesome-series,
kick-ass-heroine,
nicely-done,
historical-fiction
Please see previous four reviews.
Another fantastic installment of St Mary's. It just keeps getting better and better.
...more
This is the 5th book in the Chronicles of St Mary's and this one I really enjoyed following. The story continues to grip me and I was very happy that this story returned to the good old setting of St Mary's itself rather than being a trip through too many places like the 4th one was.
This once again follows Max, our main character who is filled with life and vibrance. She's a lady I'd love to meet in real life becuase she's just fabulous and the adventures she gets herself into really make me sm ...more
This once again follows Max, our main character who is filled with life and vibrance. She's a lady I'd love to meet in real life becuase she's just fabulous and the adventures she gets herself into really make me sm ...more
What can I say? How do you keep finding superlatives to describe the next book in one of your absolute favourite series' ever without repeating yourself?! I loved this!! SO SO MUCH!!!
My very favourite part about the writing in this series is its humour, which is off-centre and inappropriately dark, to say the very least. I adore that!! Laughing at things we know we should absolutely NOT laugh at, is not only a slightly forbidden pleasure [even if it is at fictional events] somehow just always fe ...more
My very favourite part about the writing in this series is its humour, which is off-centre and inappropriately dark, to say the very least. I adore that!! Laughing at things we know we should absolutely NOT laugh at, is not only a slightly forbidden pleasure [even if it is at fictional events] somehow just always fe ...more
Max and her team of time travelling historians return for another romp along the timeline. In this episode they visit St Paul's Cathedral to salvage whatever they can as it's crashing down around them. Then it's on to 13th century Florence where the bonfire of the vanities is in full swing and a bunch of works by Botticelli have an appointment with the flames. Finally it's to Thermopylae where they find themselves accidentally risking the timeline and possibly altering history. The Spartans can'
...more
“No Time Like The Past” was something of a curate’s egg: good in parts.
Like its predecessors, it evokes the rambunctious spirit of St. Mary’s and contains some remarkable descriptions of time’s past, most notably, in this case, the battle of Thermopylae. The future of St Mary’s is under threat. There are fights and murders and even a wedding and yet I never really managed to make an emotional connection with “No Time Like The Past”.
This seemed to me to be a store-bought version of the St. Mary’s ...more
Like its predecessors, it evokes the rambunctious spirit of St. Mary’s and contains some remarkable descriptions of time’s past, most notably, in this case, the battle of Thermopylae. The future of St Mary’s is under threat. There are fights and murders and even a wedding and yet I never really managed to make an emotional connection with “No Time Like The Past”.
This seemed to me to be a store-bought version of the St. Mary’s ...more
The thing that draws me to this series is the lighting speed of the plot. Each book is not just one adventure but five. Once again, I just adore Zara Ramm's narration, it makes the story cone to life.
...more
Story was great but,editing is bad.
Misspellings and a lot of wordsrunning together. I love her stories and wait for her books to come out but, the editing really hurt the story.
Misspellings and a lot of wordsrunning together. I love her stories and wait for her books to come out but, the editing really hurt the story.
I enjoyed the story but I found the editing/kerning errors distracting.
Watch The Gin Book Club's video review here: https://www.josiejaffrey.com/single-p...
This is the first time in the St Mary's series that will find you at a disadvantage if you haven't read the short stories that precede it. I'd recommend reading all of them anyway, because they're great fun, but I would particularly recommend reading The Christmas Present before you start this book, because some elements of the story are continued.
This fifth book in the St Mary's series felt more episodic than ...more
This is the first time in the St Mary's series that will find you at a disadvantage if you haven't read the short stories that precede it. I'd recommend reading all of them anyway, because they're great fun, but I would particularly recommend reading The Christmas Present before you start this book, because some elements of the story are continued.
This fifth book in the St Mary's series felt more episodic than ...more
Good fun for the most part, except when everything goes wrong!
Much like the other books, fast paced and full of history. I love reading and following the relationships between the characters.
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I went into this having certain expectations. I was not disappointed.
Returning to St Mary's was great (even though I only left for half a day). Your favorite time-traveling historians return in order to cause more mayhem. No Time Like The Past focuses slightly more on St Mary's related problems, as they travel back in time to investigate the mysterious ghost that Markham keeps seeing, try to secure some more treasures to be found on th ...more
I went into this having certain expectations. I was not disappointed.
Returning to St Mary's was great (even though I only left for half a day). Your favorite time-traveling historians return in order to cause more mayhem. No Time Like The Past focuses slightly more on St Mary's related problems, as they travel back in time to investigate the mysterious ghost that Markham keeps seeing, try to secure some more treasures to be found on th ...more
Being a time traveling historian is hard and dangerous work, and enfant terrible Max has become an elder statesman through the loss of many colleagues. Luckily most of the core group of freaks that she works with, like accident prone Markham or vicious nurse Helen, are still around to keep life interesting. Max goes on several excursions into the past (The Grand Exhibition! Thermopylae!) and even survives Visitor's Day at St.Mary's. It's all very charming and funny. I'm torn between wanting more
...more
Mar 27, 2016
Karsyn
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks-read-2016,
audiobooks-read-2017
As always, awesome to be back at St Mary's.
Not one of my favorites, another 4.5, but still really really enjoyable and really can't quite put my finger on what wasn't as enjoyable for me. Just some duller parts for me this time around. Still really enjoyable! ...more
Not one of my favorites, another 4.5, but still really really enjoyable and really can't quite put my finger on what wasn't as enjoyable for me. Just some duller parts for me this time around. Still really enjoyable! ...more
This might be my favorite of the series, because it might be the funniest. I laughed aloud a few times, but I also kept realizing that I was just grinning like an idiot as I read. I'm grinning now.
...more
Rollicking time travel adventure. Makes no sense, yet, I find I enjoy them.
Dec 31, 2020
Kate
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio,
favourites-read-in-2020
Another thoroughly entertaining outing for Max, Leon, Peterson etc from St Mary's. As usual, it's mostly fun and light but there is darkness here. Brilliant narration again from Zara Ramm. On to Book 6!
...more
[3.5 stars]
The St. Mary’s is a secret place where historians travels back in time to record what actually went on, only to return to present time and sharing the knowledge with the world. Only someone has decided to go back themselves to try and change things for their own benefits, so instead people at St. Mary’s travels back to prevent this from happening.
In this one St. Mary’s has changed a little bit after events that happened in the previous book. We actually saw a lot more of this book fro ...more
The St. Mary’s is a secret place where historians travels back in time to record what actually went on, only to return to present time and sharing the knowledge with the world. Only someone has decided to go back themselves to try and change things for their own benefits, so instead people at St. Mary’s travels back to prevent this from happening.
In this one St. Mary’s has changed a little bit after events that happened in the previous book. We actually saw a lot more of this book fro ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fantasy Buddy Reads: No Time Like the Past [August 2018] | 22 | 33 | Aug 26, 2018 07:33PM |
Readers also enjoyed
Jodi Taylor is, and always has been, a complete history nut. It takes vast amounts of chocolate to get her out of bed for anything after 1485. And if it's raining, there's no chance.
Habitually tongue-tied when asked to talk about herself, she gets round this by describing herself as tall, incredibly beautiful, witty and technically proficient.
The Chronicles of St Mary's -
Just One Damned Thing Aft ...more
Habitually tongue-tied when asked to talk about herself, she gets round this by describing herself as tall, incredibly beautiful, witty and technically proficient.
The Chronicles of St Mary's -
Just One Damned Thing Aft ...more
Other books in the series
The Chronicles of St Mary's
(1 - 10 of 13 books)
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