From the Bookshelf of Between the Lines…

The Time Traveler's Wife

Audrey Niffenegger

Start date: April 1, 2009

Finish date: April 30, 2009

Why we're reading this: Voted on by the group for April 2009 Group Read.
[close] Voted on by the group for April 2009 Group Read.

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Jul 03, 2008 Kellie rated it liked it

Shelves: 2007-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have to say, when I first heard about this book, I thought it was sci-fi and I had visions of the old movie “Time After Time” with Mary Steenburgen and Malcolm McDowell. I am happy to say I was off the mark. I thought this idea of time travel that actually had a name “Chrono-Displacement Order” was ingenious. I also liked the fact this all occurred in the present. Or at least within the last 20 years or so. I enjoyed the love story of Clare and Henry. They truly did love each other. They strug I have to say, when I first heard about this book, I thought it was sci-fi and I had visions of the old movie “Time After Time” with Mary Steenburgen and Malcolm McDowell. I am happy to say I was off the mark. I thought this idea of time travel that actually had a name “Chrono-Displacement Order” was ingenious. I also liked the fact this all occurred in the present. Or at least within the last 20 years or so. I enjoyed the love story of Clare and Henry. They truly did love each other. They struggled through all of the problems they had with Henry’s time travel the best they knew how, which sometimes led them to a state of desperation. With that being said, I thought the book, at times, was a drag. I became a bit lost with the bouncing back in forth, not only in time but in character. You are almost forced to read this slow or read it more than once to really follow it all. There are several questions I had at the end of this book that I felt had not been answered. Toward the end, Henry is losing weight and is not looking well. What was happening? Was he sick with a disease? Or was this the CDO that was affecting his health? Or was it the mental anguish of knowing his life was coming to an end that was affecting him physically? The day Henry was shot in the meadow. I am not really clear exactly what happened. Mark and Clare’s Dad were involved. I gather they shot Henry. Did they try and help him? Did they call an ambulance? Or, did Henry time travel before they could do anything? After finishing this book, I searched the internet to see if I could find the answers, read reviews and see if other people felt the same way I did. There were several readers who said exactly what I thought “Hard to wrap your brain around”, “Too Long”, “A few holes left open”. I thought the end of the book was sad but fitting. Clare lived most of her life waiting for Henry. The fact that she just about stopped living after he died, was not out of character. And again, she knew she would see him again when she was in her eighties and managed to survive for that moment. A satisfying ending, with a few unresolved issues to ponder…. ...more

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Jul 02, 2009 Mounica rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, adult

The idea of time travel has always been fascinating stuff. The premise of it is simply captivating. What’s got to be cooler than time travel, right? To be able to travel to the past and future. And maybe go visit Elvis, or go to future and see yourself as an 75-year-old crumbling man/woman. This kind of thing has been out there in sci-fic books for quite a while, but in The Time Traveler’s Wife, there’s a new aspect to it. This time traveling is a disease, specifically Chrono Displacement Disord ...more

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Mar 07, 2009 Cheryl rated it it was ok

Well, this book didn't even compare to my favorite time travel books--the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I just get the feeling that this book "Could have been" so much more. It could have been an absolutely beautiful love story--but it just didn't get there for me. I will say, the author's take on time travel was interesting. And pondering through the ramifications of her time travel scenario would get my head spinning! ...more

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Jul 01, 2009 Rickie Rose added it

Shelves: good

The book "The Time Traveler's Wife" was written very creatively! I believed the ending was appropiate! The only thing I couldn't decide if I enjoyed or not was the massive descriptions of detail. Most of the time is was nessacery...others it was annoying. A 500 page book possibly could have been trimmed to 420-450 pages if only the detail became minimal. All in all this book was well written and I couldn't put it down once I hit the 300 page mark! ...more

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