The Time Traveler's Wife in Crazy Challenge Connection

May 14, 2012 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, literary-fiction, womens-fiction, spring-2012

3.5 Stars

My young girls in the Big Sister’s Book Club chose this hauntingly beautifully written book to read for our next meeting – their other choice was LITTLE WOMEN. I must say that it was the perfect companion to Louisa Mae Alcott because THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE deals with relationships, love, and loss. Suffering from a genetic disorder, Henry DeTamble time travels. Triggered by stress or light pulses, Henry disappears to times that have significant meaning for him. He leaves behind everyt 3.5 Stars

My young girls in the Big Sister’s Book Club chose this hauntingly beautifully written book to read for our next meeting – their other choice was LITTLE WOMEN. I must say that it was the perfect companion to Louisa Mae Alcott because THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE deals with relationships, love, and loss. Suffering from a genetic disorder, Henry DeTamble time travels. Triggered by stress or light pulses, Henry disappears to times that have significant meaning for him. He leaves behind everything: his present time, and his clothes. He most visits the time of his mother’s death and the time where he meets his wife, Claire. He can’t change the events; he has tried. He only knows that he will arrive naked at an unknown time and place without knowing how long he is staying or if he can even get back to his present life and time. So when this pony-tailed, punk rock loving 28 year-old librarian meets Claire Abshire in Chicago, it is the first time Henry has met the bubbly beautiful 20 year-old art student.

It is not the first time Claire has met Henry. She has known an older Henry since she was six. He has been her confidante, her best friend, and protector throughout her life. She knows she will marry him. It is her destiny. (I found the “Henry” she marries was very appropriate.) But understanding Henry’s time travel doesn’t negate her loneliness as she waits for Henry to return to their present life. She becomes frighten because she has never seen Henry age beyond 43. She struggles with the need to have a normal life with her husband and daughter and knowledge that Henry can’t help his time travel. The time traveler’s wife loses her patience sometimes in her waiting, wondering if Henry is going to safely return, and wishing they could have a more normal life.

Told in alternating points of view, the story is fairly linear and easily understood. We know Henry and Claire. They are our friends and we care about them. We share their joys and sorrows as they live them. The ending was beautiful, reminding me of THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR. Why I waited to read this lovely book is a mystery to me.
...more

2 likes · Like · see review

May 29, 2012 Kaitlin rated it it was amazing

I thought this was extraordinarily creative and well-executed. We've all read a thousand love stories, but this is something entirely different. It comes at you in pieces and dances around in time, but it's so well done that it's easy to follow. You can tell that Niffenegger really took her time and knows Henry and Clare inside and out. I love that feeling - that there's even more to these characters than we will ever know.

I am super sensitive, so I figured from the movie previews that this was ...more

Like · see review

Apr 09, 2012 Connie N. rated it really liked it

Shelves: thought-provoking, contemporary

Such an intriguing concept for a story. Although I struggled with this one for the first 100 pages or so (and even considered putting it down and not bothering to finish), I'm glad I chose to continue. It provided lots of food for thought and left me with an overall good feeling. I liked it. ...more

Like · see review

Jun 14, 2010 Rusty rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Finished it. Claire and Henry finally have a child - a little girl who becomes the center of their lives. Her name is Alba and she,too, it a time traveler. However, I thought that the book was slow going in many spots. The author could have condensed the tale into about 300 pages. Where were the editors? It's an OK read though and I really liked the ending. ...more

Like · see review

Aug 20, 2010 Amy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book

Great book. I was worried I would have trouble following this on audio book with all the jumping around in time, but that wasn't the case at all. It is very well written. A moving story of love and marriage. ...more

Like · see review