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zbee's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a load of fun. :) I agree that it sort of falls apart near the end, but still a good read.
Thank you for being the book to break me out of the tired and tiring academic essays of my discipline.
Thank you for being the book to break me out of the tired and tiring academic essays of my discipline.
lottpoet's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
drtlovesbooks's review against another edition
2.0
What it’s about: Genevieve and her father are very good at conning people throughout the timeline. When they accidentally run into one of the richest young men on the planet, it makes sense that they'd target him for their next scam. But sometimes emotions get between a good con and a handsome mark. Will love be able to transcend an ages-old hustle? Only time will tell.
What I thought: Meh. I picked this up because I had somehow managed to get an anthology of Kessel's stories; they were were decent, and ended with an afterword that mentioned a time travel story. I'm a sucker for a good time travel story, so I paid a couple bucks to check this one out.
It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. The foreword lays out Kessel's thought process in creating this story. He says he was going for a 1950's romantic comedy vibe, drawing direct inspiration from some very popular movies. I can get behind a good '50's Billy Wilder flick, so I figured it was a good sign. But overall, this story just felt rather one-note to me. It had an interesting idea for time travel, but one that is very little examined or even really used except as a (sometimes heavy-handed) plot device.
The time travel, as established, could be the basis for a very interesting look at the structure or nature of time, or human identity, or resource use and management, or capitalism. Although it glances briefly off these topics, it doesn't really spend any time on any of them, and it's a shame, because there's a lot to be mined from any one of those issues. Instead, this story follows a pretty narrow formula without much to make it more original, engaging, or interesting.
Why I rated it like I did: The writing was not bad, but this book is very much about plot, and very little about character. The problem is, Kessel doesn't seem to see that, so there's a whole lot of dwelling in characters' heads while they repeat the same train of thought over and over; and the plot is left to sort of move along in the background. It's a shame, because with some different focusing, this could be a really engaging piece of writing. It could be an interesting sci fi story, or an interesting romance, or an interesting examination of the social mores of our time. Instead, it's a character study of some bland characters.
What I thought: Meh. I picked this up because I had somehow managed to get an anthology of Kessel's stories; they were were decent, and ended with an afterword that mentioned a time travel story. I'm a sucker for a good time travel story, so I paid a couple bucks to check this one out.
It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. The foreword lays out Kessel's thought process in creating this story. He says he was going for a 1950's romantic comedy vibe, drawing direct inspiration from some very popular movies. I can get behind a good '50's Billy Wilder flick, so I figured it was a good sign. But overall, this story just felt rather one-note to me. It had an interesting idea for time travel, but one that is very little examined or even really used except as a (sometimes heavy-handed) plot device.
The time travel, as established, could be the basis for a very interesting look at the structure or nature of time, or human identity, or resource use and management, or capitalism. Although it glances briefly off these topics, it doesn't really spend any time on any of them, and it's a shame, because there's a lot to be mined from any one of those issues. Instead, this story follows a pretty narrow formula without much to make it more original, engaging, or interesting.
Why I rated it like I did: The writing was not bad, but this book is very much about plot, and very little about character. The problem is, Kessel doesn't seem to see that, so there's a whole lot of dwelling in characters' heads while they repeat the same train of thought over and over; and the plot is left to sort of move along in the background. It's a shame, because with some different focusing, this could be a really engaging piece of writing. It could be an interesting sci fi story, or an interesting romance, or an interesting examination of the social mores of our time. Instead, it's a character study of some bland characters.
fmedlin's review
2.0
meh...
It's a silly, time travel read. The author is going for social criticsm using exploitation of "historicals" (people from the past) as metaphor. Unfortunately, none of the characters in the book are endearing or interesting enough to make the point.
Skip it...
It's a silly, time travel read. The author is going for social criticsm using exploitation of "historicals" (people from the past) as metaphor. Unfortunately, none of the characters in the book are endearing or interesting enough to make the point.
Skip it...
cspiwak's review
3.0
an interesting approach to time travel.
Multiple universes, without the usual concern for altering the time line
Multiple universes, without the usual concern for altering the time line
kaylynn's review
2.0
I admit, I started skimming this about 80 pages in. It had some humorous moments, but overall it seemed rather forced.
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