A Truce with Time: A Love Story with Occasional Ghosts

by Parke Godwin

Pat Landry, a writer of historical romances, falls in love with Lauren Hodge, a prizewinning video artist. Their courtship progresses from Soho loft parties to trendy Manhattan restaurants and clubs, and finally to bed, usually at her apartment. Pat and Lauren, both 50, carry a lot of emotional baggage. Lauren's mother is dying of Alzheimer's disease; her daughter disapproves of her lifestyle. Pat, an alcoholic, is in a quandary about whether to accept a book contract that represents a sellout. Moreover, he is, literally, haunted by the ghosts of his parents and siblings, who actively take over his life.

310 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Parke Godwin was an American writer known for his lyrical yet precise prose style and sardonic humor. He was also known for his novels of legendary figures placed in realistic historical settings; his retelling of the Arthur legend (Firelord in 1980, Beloved Exile in 1984, and The Last Rainbow in 1985) is set in the 5th century during the collapse of the Roman empire, and his reinterpretation of Robin Hood (Sherwood, 1991, and Robin and the King, 1993) takes place during the Norman conquest and features kings William the Conqueror and William Rufus as major characters. His other well-known works include Waiting For The Galactic Bus (1988) and its sequel The Snake Oil Wars (1989), humorous critiques of American pop culture and religion.

Parke Godwin also worked as a radio operator, a research technician, a professional actor, an advertising man, a dishwasher and a maitre d' hotel.

Godwin's short fiction has appeared in several anthologies. His short story "Influencing the Hell out of Time and Teresa Golowitz," was the basis of an episode of the television series The Twilight Zone.

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised to not like this particular Godwin book. I'm a huge Godwin fan, and this book brings his usual character development. The trouble is, I don't care about the characters. Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, blah blah blah. Unfortunately, that's all that happens. Unlike the Sherwin or Arthurian books, there's no outside conflict going on to frame the love story, so unless you're interested in old stories from Pat's boring whining family, told from the POV of them as ghosts, there's not much going on here.