by Audrey Niffenegger

 

I had a slow start on this book because I hate, hate, HATE present tense writing and had trouble getting into it as a result. Then I decided to persevere because everyone says it's so good and by the time I passed the first 50 pages, I started getting caught up in the story enough that I didn't notice as much. I won't say that it didn't throw me out of the story a few times, but the time travel aspects were original and kept my interest enough to decide to finish it.

 

One thing I found very original was that the time traveller had no control of when or where he travelled. The book explains how and why it starts and how it works so I won't spoil that, but it made for some interesting situations. The rules also didn't allow him to take anything with him, so every time he moved through time he appeared in a new time and place naked and never knew when he was until he found out by asking someone or finding some indication like a newspaper. You can imagine the awkward situations that led to. Like in the Terminator movies, but this time traveller couldn't bully clothes off people and had to beg, steal or scrounge for them.

 

The convoluted coming and going of the time traveller as he visits his wife in her young days is very well done until halfway through when we get to their wedding. I could see what was meant to have happened, but I didn't feel it was executed as well. The various events and situations kept interest up to that point very well, despite the present tense writing which continued to irk me every time I picked up the book to read some more. Is it possible to love a story and hate the way it's written? This is a first for me.

 

There is sort of a lull after the wedding where ordinary domestic adjustments are only occasionally interrupted by time travel incidents. I found the story slowed down, but I had too much invested by then and wanted to see how it ended. There was some interestingly plausible biological exposition on the cause of Henry's time travel, but otherwise nothing overly exciting for quite a while.

 

The action picked up a little but then turned depressing and I found that events were predicted too far ahead of time so that there were no real surprises. There were also a few loose ends, like one of the time traveller's appearances that should have had significance but was never explained. Previous instances always came full circle eventually so that you learn what happened, but not this one. There was also one major inconsistency where one of the instances of time travel included detailed description of clothing but when it came up later, there was no opportunity to obtain clothing before he was gone again.

 

I really didn't like the last 150 or so pages. The ending was pretty much already told and it was all very depressing. I'm glad I've read the book, but it won't be a re-read for me, ever. There was enough of interest to make it worthwhile and give me some new thoughts on the theory of time travel and how it might work, at least in speculation, but I'm definitely ready to move on from this to something completely different.

Finn Firth is on the verge of turning 13, and is convinced his father will forget his birthday. Which is troubling to him, but really, it's the least of his troubles. When they were three, his twin sister drowned (and he's always felt this absence, and is sure everyone around him does, too). He's not that close with his father, and his mother left home a few months ago, with no warning and no one has heard from her since. Also, his best (only?) friend, Gabi, has been spending less time with him and more time with new friends—the kind that would bully him. He's also a huge science nerd, the kind of twelve-year-old who reads (and re-reads) Richard Feynman and Carl Sagan for entertainment. The fact that he's an outsider, that he's not like the other kids at school is what drives him (like so many) to science, to something he can make sense of and put himself/his trouble in perspective.

 

So imagine his surprise when his grandmother informs him that she's a time traveler, actually, all the women in his family have been and are. It's not just his family, there are people throughout the world capable of this. Some in his family are more powerful than others, most can only travel to the past—one could only travel to the past but during her lifetime—his grandmother and mother are among the few that can travel forward in time. His mother, he's told, didn't leave his father and him. Finn's dad has been reassuring him that "she just needs some time," and well, that seems to be the case after all. She's stuck somewhere, unable to come back—but she's created a way for Finn to come and get her (despite being a boy).

 

Time travel is impossible, Finn knows—and even if it weren't, the kind of travel his grandmother describes sounds more magical than scientific. He tells his grandmother this, in fact. But—I won't get into how, it should be read in context—he's given some pretty convincing proof.

 

Now there are those who don't think Finn should be doing anything regarding time travel, and that no one should be tracking down his mother. And they're seemingly willing to take some extreme measures to stop him. He and Gabi set out on an adventure to evade these others and get to his mother's portal. Finn's ill-prepared for what lies ahead, but he doesn't care. Between brains and sheer determination (and largely it's the latter), he's going to find his mom.

 

What he never stops to ask is: what else will he find?

 

This is a fun little read—Finn and Gabi are well-developed characters, his various family members are interestingly and distinctively drawn, the writing is crisp and brisk—once things get going, they stay going, and it's easy to get swept up in it The best is the mix of science and . . . however you end up describing the time travel. For a book directed toward the 9-14 set, the science (time travel, chaos theory, multi-world theory, etc.) is presented plainly and without condescension. That last point, in particular, resonated with me.

 

The heart of this book is found in two concepts—the power of individual choice, and the importance of kindness in spite of everything. Lessons good to be absorbed by the target audience, as well as the rest of us.

 

I really enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it. One thing, though, kept running through my mind as I read it. As much as I enjoyed A Time Traveler's Theory of Relativity, when I was 8-13, I would've loved it (probably when I was 14 and 15, too—I just wouldn't admit to liking a book written for younger people at that time). It's the kind of book that I would've been checking out of the library every two or three months. Get this for yourself and enjoy it, get this for your kid for them to obsess over.

 

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Carolrhoda Books via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this opportunity.

So though I thought the ending was quite good, I had some issues with certain aspects of this book. All in all I saw love as a dangerous thing to be in since it seems to not work out for anyone that is in "love" in this one. And the first part of the book takes a while to get going. It helps that Audrey Niffenegger takes the time to include headers that show the date and age of Henry and Clare so you can keep things straight. A very strong three stars. 

 

 

We have a young girl Clare who is 6 that meets a 40 year old man named Henry. Henry is naked and tells Clare that he is a time traveler. He will see her repeatedly while she is growing up and without Clare realizing it, she's met the man she will one day marry. The book then follows Clare and Henry through the years until they finally meet up in her present and then walks through their marriage and the difficulties with Henry time traveling. The book speaks of loneliness throughout and even when Clare is near Henry, she's constantly bracing herself for him to leave at any moment. 

 

Clare was a bit hard to take once some things are revealed. No spoilers, but she's a terrible friend. She loves Henry and that's all she cares about. She doesn't worry about the issues they will have with him time traveling. She loves him and is going to be with him no matter what. Though Clare's art is important to her, it often feels secondary to her love of Henry and her inability to say no to him. Why Clare tells certain people about Henry's time travel baffles me too. I would have thought she was a liar and stayed away from her. 

Henry is pretty much a jerk I thought. He is rude and sarcastic though he loves Clare. He ends up becoming enmeshed in her life and becomes friends with her friends though one wonders why when he realizes what is going on with the character of Gomez. We hear about Henry's love of books, but I was pretty shocked that he barely seems to read. I guess if one is time traveling, you are just focused on not being killed when you pop up naked with no money or clothing. He and his father don't have a relationship since his father is still mourning his dead mother and has no love left to give Henry. Henry seems obsessive about sex with Clare (and she does about him too) that one wonders if these two ever had conversations after they meet in the present day. 

 

The secondary characters have their own tales of love which doesn't speak too highly of it we have lost love (Henry's father and the character of Kimy), broken hearts (Clare's mother), obsessive love (Gomez) and unrequited love (Charisse and Ingrid). This whole book screams out that love that is not painful is not worth having. 

 

The writing at times is lovely and others just choppy. I think once we get past a certain time period (no spoilers) we are just waiting for the inevitable to happen. The flow isn't that great to start with either. I think some things could have been cut, but that's just me.

The setting of the book moves from the 1960s to the year 2050 something. I can't recall right now. We have Clare and Henry mostly in Illinois though she is born and raised in Michigan with Henry of course doing pop by's here and there. 

 

The ending though was sad, but it moved me. I don't know if I could wait, but we get to see a future Clare and wonder how her life unfolded. 

I thought this was a very endearing story of two different time periods colliding. Elias Caldwell comes from the 19th century where everyone views him as a disappointment. Tyler is from the 21st century and his stepmother is wicked. Elias finds out after a dreadfully embarrassing incident, his grandfather time traveled and now is bequeathing the time travel watch to Elias so he can find his own adventure. I thought this was absolutely adorable. I think Elias may be my favorite character in this story. His personality and curiosity were endearing to read. Traveling from the 19th century where it was frowned upon to be yourself to modern day where it’s basically accepted can be jarring. It was nice to have Tyler there to help Elias adjust. I loved the dual point of views, but I thought the romance aspect was a little lacking. I think it would have been better for Elias and Tyler to be companions. I wouldn’t say the romance felt forced, I could see a relationship developing with a little more time. This was my first story by Madeline J. Reynolds and I’ll be adding her to my list of authors to look for in the future!