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sersi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
(The prose was mostly solid, but the everything else felt extremely all over the place, most significantly the tone and pacing. The romance also did NOT work for me at all).
Moderate: Animal death, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Racism
laraamaee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
As other reviews have said, the actual logistics of time travel are not explored in depth, but to be honest I don’t mind because I’m not a massive sci-fi reader…I was more captivated by Bradley’s writing; very metaphor-heavy and striking.
I could have read about the “expats” adjusting to the modern-day forever. I wish there was more of that!
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Murder, Gore, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror, Racial slurs, Racism, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
- What an inventive, emotional, and thought provoking book THE MINISTRY OF TIME is.
- This book is what I would call literary sci-fi, which is one of my favorite genre mashups. It’s also quite heavily character focused, with most of the action happening in the last third of the book.
- Despite my usual love of plot-heavy books, I was immediately drawn into the story of our unnamed narrator and her displaced-from-time charge.
- It’s easy to see how much research Bradley put into this book, but it never loses the intense emotion amid the historical tidbits.
- I don’t even have the space to touch on the elements of race, survivor’s guilt, and of catching someone up on centuries of history. There is so much going on in this book and I’m going to be thinking about all the pieces of it for a long time to come.
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, Violence, Vomit, Sexism, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Drug use, Grief, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Genocide and War
nicklybear's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Blood, Racism, Violence, Colonisation, Gun violence, Gore, Confinement, Murder, Grief, Racial slurs, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
Minor: Slavery, Vomit, Misogyny, War, Animal death, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, and Homophobia
essieruth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Xenophobia, Grief, Confinement, Colonisation, Classism, Racism, Cannibalism, Vomit, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Addiction, Blood, Classism, Alcohol, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Physical abuse
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Slavery
aileron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Racism, Racial slurs, and Grief
Minor: Slavery, War, Cannibalism, Animal death, Colonisation, Genocide, Misogyny, and Sexism
carla20's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Murder, Sexual content, Racism, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Cannibalism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Animal death, Self harm, and Xenophobia
readingwithcats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
coffeekitaab's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The "Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley is "A time travel romance, a speculative spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingeniously constructed exploration of the nature of truth and power and the potential for love to change it."
The plot centres around a biracial British-Cambodian translator who is employed by the Ministry of Time, becoming one of 4 other officers responsible for facilitating the integration of historical figures into the modern day world. Specifically, she is assigned to manage Commander Graham Gore, who was part of the failed Franklin expedition to the Arctic in 1847.
The story follows a genre-bending tale that seamlessly merges elements of romantic comedy, sci-fi, and speculative fiction. Central to the plot is a slow-burning romance that addresses and explores topics such as colonialism, slavery, inherited trauma, and racial identity within the narrative.
With the amalgamation of the two worlds, the historical figures from the past acclimatising to present day, there were so many moments where I would burst out into laughter at their bemusement, curiosity an often shock at just how much the world had changed from how they once knew it.
As the story progresses it does take on a more introspective tone and reflects poignantly on life and society.
The use of characters to bring sensitive issues to the fore was well handled and not preachy/crude in any way. The characters all felt relateable, their motivations and apprehensions were understandable and I love how they were fleshed out in the book - Margaret and Arthur, despite supporting characters made up some of my favourite moments in the book.
The aspects I struggled with was the background/history. Although in this book, it is basic education and readers can read up on it, from a purely subjective POV, where I did not have previous knowledge of the event/an understanding of the consequences, it felt like some concepts of the book went over my head and would feel jarring. The dual timeline with Gore during the Expedition made for great and valuable.insight into the experienc of the character but again, sometimes disrupted the flow of the book for me.
Overall, this was such a delightful read and at no point did I want to put it down. "The Ministry of Time" does not disappoint and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys time-travel, romantic comedy, with a underlying tone of substance and reflection. It definitely made for a hilarious and yet thought-provoking read. I applaud Bradley on a fantastic debut!
Moderate: Cannibalism, Gun violence, Animal death, Death, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, and Slavery
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book explores what happens when what you thought was right turns out to be very wrong, and Bradley accomplishes this in a way that is funny, surprising, and profoundly moving. The slow burn love story crackles with chemistry which surpasses anything I’ve read before, and, most importantly, humanizes the beloved. The Ministry of Time is counted among my few most favorite books.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder, Gaslighting, Racism, Grief, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, and Homophobia
Minor: Colonisation, Animal death, Genocide, Drug use, and Alcohol