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riverofhorton's review against another edition
I had to take a couple of days to cool off after deciding to stop reading this book, I just found there to be too much homophobia, racism, and misogyny to continue.
The final straw for me was getting jumpscared by an utterly needless homophobic slur (as it was until very recently) less than 100 pages in. Given the 'past' parts of the book are set in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, I could have deal with some casual prejudice, so as the world was at that time, especially if it were there to make a point and/or portray that character as being a negative person. But these prejudices are not only blatant, but could have been removed from the story without it losing anything.
And there is also the moral weirdness surrounding the relationship between itself. From Claire's perspective, she first met Henry at the age of ~5 years old, when he was in his 40s. He visited her regularly growing up, even waiting for her to turn 18 so he could have sex with her on her birthday. Sounds creepy, right? From his perspective though, he first her in his late 20s, her being early 20s, and the relationship proceeded somewhat normally to begin with, only a couple of mentions of how long she has known a future version of him. It's just kind of a mess, and considering he could time travel as a child as well, I don't quite understand why he couldn't have been a child of a similar age, or even have the whole thing contain within their respective adulthoods.
It's such a shame, the basic premise of two people falling in love out of sync because of time travel has the potential to be incredible, but this was just a disappointment. It's the first book I've ever DNFed, and it saddens me that it's a Sci-Fi book (one of my favourite genres) that can claim that title.
The final straw for me was getting jumpscared by an utterly needless homophobic slur (as it was until very recently) less than 100 pages in. Given the 'past' parts of the book are set in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, I could have deal with some casual prejudice, so as the world was at that time, especially if it were there to make a point and/or portray that character as being a negative person. But these prejudices are not only blatant, but could have been removed from the story without it losing anything.
And there is also the moral weirdness surrounding the relationship between itself. From Claire's perspective, she first met Henry at the age of ~5 years old, when he was in his 40s. He visited her regularly growing up, even waiting for her to turn 18 so he could have sex with her on her birthday. Sounds creepy, right? From his perspective though, he first her in his late 20s, her being early 20s, and the relationship proceeded somewhat normally to begin with, only a couple of mentions of how long she has known a future version of him. It's just kind of a mess, and considering he could time travel as a child as well, I don't quite understand why he couldn't have been a child of a similar age, or even have the whole thing contain within their respective adulthoods.
It's such a shame, the basic premise of two people falling in love out of sync because of time travel has the potential to be incredible, but this was just a disappointment. It's the first book I've ever DNFed, and it saddens me that it's a Sci-Fi book (one of my favourite genres) that can claim that title.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexism, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Torture, Classism, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Abortion, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Bullying, Racism, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Ableism, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Rape, Stalking, and Violence
valeria_balzan's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was alright. It had an awesome setup but I think it was missing some plot. I understand the book mostly centers about Claire and Henry and their "love story" but I did not care about them or the other characters at all (or what happened to them, for that matter.)
I feel like the author had great opportunities to push the limits of time travelling and how it can impact a person's Henry's life but he is just boring and hates this ability.
I feel like the author had great opportunities to push the limits of time travelling and how it can impact a person's Henry's life but he is just boring and hates this ability.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Infertility, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Bullying, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Blood and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Abandonment and Mental illness
clementine9's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Death, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Homophobia
zunn's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I feel very weird about this book. I enjoyed the writing style and the concept behind the time travelling, especially questioning the idea of determinism. But the book is problematic in many ways. There is a romantization of a grooming situation and lots of racist stereotypes.
I also think there is criticism on Clare's position in the book, with her waiting for Henry all the time. I think it does also show how men are allowed to be adventurous and not zomen, but i couldn't really tell wether the author was being purposely exaggerated in that direction, or willfully unaware..
Similarly, I was appalled by Henry's behaviour in many ways : I found him to be grooming Clare and rapey, both when Clare is a child and when she is an adult. He is very manipulative, and their over achieving sex life clearly poses a problem to Clare, that is brushed off as him being passionate. I also am wondering about his description as a womanizer suddenly turned quiet library boyfriend. As if he always was a man to be feared, as Ingrid warned, but that it would only appear at the end. I wondered throughout the whole book wether the end would have some kind of moral showing the wrongs of his behaviour.
Towards Alba, I find that his fondness for her isn't as authe tic as Clare's, again foreshadowing a huge gender bias imo. She sees Alba as her child, he seems to see her as an annoyance and an object.
I think this book would have been up to my alley if the end would show some kind of twist : Clare realising she's never been free, both of her 'destiny' and Henry. I think the theme would have been of great interest, and the book ends up being just problematic.
I also was annoyed about the racist stereotypes in the book, and the fact that no real character is important besides Henry haha...
Also I hated Gomez with all my heart.
<\spoiler>
I also think there is criticism on Clare's position in the book, with her waiting for Henry all the time. I think it does also show how men are allowed to be adventurous and not zomen, but i couldn't really tell wether the author was being purposely exaggerated in that direction, or willfully unaware..
Similarly, I was appalled by Henry's behaviour in many ways : I found him to be grooming Clare and rapey, both when Clare is a child and when she is an adult. He is very manipulative, and their over achieving sex life clearly poses a problem to Clare, that is brushed off as him being passionate. I also am wondering about his description as a womanizer suddenly turned quiet library boyfriend. As if he always was a man to be feared, as Ingrid warned, but that it would only appear at the end. I wondered throughout the whole book wether the end would have some kind of moral showing the wrongs of his behaviour.
Towards Alba, I find that his fondness for her isn't as authe tic as Clare's, again foreshadowing a huge gender bias imo. She sees Alba as her child, he seems to see her as an annoyance and an object.
I think this book would have been up to my alley if the end would show some kind of twist : Clare realising she's never been free, both of her 'destiny' and Henry. I think the theme would have been of great interest, and the book ends up being just problematic.
I also was annoyed about the racist stereotypes in the book, and the fact that no real character is important besides Henry haha...
Also I hated Gomez with all my heart.
<\spoiler>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, and Suicide
Moderate: Violence and Car accident
Minor: Gun violence
kayjayelle's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Suicide
naledi's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
[spoilers]
The Time Traveler's Wife is a beautifully written romance. At first glance, Henry being a time traveler seems almost cool, but as the book progresses, one realises that it is the tragedy of his romance with Clare. He is always leaving and she is always waiting. Henry's life is an incredibly sad tale - he sometimes knows the future and visits the past but in even the most tragic circumstances, cannot interfere. In this way, he is a slave to inevitability and Niffenger beautifully articulates the pain of this, especially as his death approaches. Henry knows his death is coming, down to the day, and he must suffer it still because that is his fate. I admire that Niffenger did not make Henry above his humanness and expressed that as his death approached he was afraid, he didn't want to go. It is made very clear that his time-traveling abilities are no gift, but rather a prison.
Not a lot of attention is given to Clare as an individual, she is written as an accessory to Henry, having few thoughts that do not pertain to him. Even when he is gone, she is always anticipating his return. The only part of the book that felt like this is about Clare, was the miscarriages, but even still, very little air time is given to how she feels about them, and how she dealt with the loss. More could have been said. She also does not have a social life, and even when she is working, she is thinking of him. Although Charisse is her friend, there is no scene with just them two, as there is with Henry & Gomez for example. It is sad to witness that Clare is always waiting for Henry, and the worst of it is when she is 82, waiting for him still. Henry lives his life, only meeting Clare at 28. But Clare's life has been a game of waiting and that is all she has ever known, all she ever will know. The present life she lives with Henry is hardly equatable to the waiting she does and this causes one to feel incredible sympathy for Clare, because who is she outside of being the time traveler's wife?
Criticisms:
This book had the potential to be a 5, but I felt a great deal of unease in the parts where Clare is between 6-18 and Henry is visiting her from his late 30s and early 40s. What is more disturbing is that although he is old, he still looks at her longingly. There is a part where she is 12, and he is about 42, and he considers kissing her, and reconciles with himself that 12 is too young. Furthermore, I lack understanding of his actions because he was already living his adult life with Clare, he had no reason to lust for a child, he could kiss his wife when he went back home. I also did not like how Niffenger wrote the characters of color. Nell, the cook for Clare's family, speaks in broken English and not only was this stereotypical, but it was unnecessary and unproductive to the overall plot.
Closing thoughts :
Reading this book it is hard to determine whether these two characters even chose each other at all. Henry appears from the future when Clare is young and most impressionable and announces himself as her husband, and that is decided. Equally, when Henry is 28, Clare meets Henry and announces herself as his future lover. We don't see a time of Henry actually getting to know Clare, and their biggest bond is that she knows he's a traveler and he is comforted by this. He dumps Ingrid, not because he really was over her or that he liked Clare more, but because Clare showed up from his future-past. And so it is clear that a great question this book confronts is that of autonomy, of free will. Who chooses, what is decided, and do we have a say in any of it?
The Time Traveler's Wife is a beautiful story that I recommend to anyone who would not be triggered by the aforementioned criticisms.
The Time Traveler's Wife is a beautifully written romance. At first glance, Henry being a time traveler seems almost cool, but as the book progresses, one realises that it is the tragedy of his romance with Clare. He is always leaving and she is always waiting. Henry's life is an incredibly sad tale - he sometimes knows the future and visits the past but in even the most tragic circumstances, cannot interfere. In this way, he is a slave to inevitability and Niffenger beautifully articulates the pain of this, especially as his death approaches. Henry knows his death is coming, down to the day, and he must suffer it still because that is his fate. I admire that Niffenger did not make Henry above his humanness and expressed that as his death approached he was afraid, he didn't want to go. It is made very clear that his time-traveling abilities are no gift, but rather a prison.
Not a lot of attention is given to Clare as an individual, she is written as an accessory to Henry, having few thoughts that do not pertain to him. Even when he is gone, she is always anticipating his return. The only part of the book that felt like this is about Clare, was the miscarriages, but even still, very little air time is given to how she feels about them, and how she dealt with the loss. More could have been said. She also does not have a social life, and even when she is working, she is thinking of him. Although Charisse is her friend, there is no scene with just them two, as there is with Henry & Gomez for example. It is sad to witness that Clare is always waiting for Henry, and the worst of it is when she is 82, waiting for him still. Henry lives his life, only meeting Clare at 28. But Clare's life has been a game of waiting and that is all she has ever known, all she ever will know. The present life she lives with Henry is hardly equatable to the waiting she does and this causes one to feel incredible sympathy for Clare, because who is she outside of being the time traveler's wife?
Criticisms:
This book had the potential to be a 5, but I felt a great deal of unease in the parts where Clare is between 6-18 and Henry is visiting her from his late 30s and early 40s. What is more disturbing is that although he is old, he still looks at her longingly. There is a part where she is 12, and he is about 42, and he considers kissing her, and reconciles with himself that 12 is too young. Furthermore, I lack understanding of his actions because he was already living his adult life with Clare, he had no reason to lust for a child, he could kiss his wife when he went back home. I also did not like how Niffenger wrote the characters of color. Nell, the cook for Clare's family, speaks in broken English and not only was this stereotypical, but it was unnecessary and unproductive to the overall plot.
Closing thoughts :
Reading this book it is hard to determine whether these two characters even chose each other at all. Henry appears from the future when Clare is young and most impressionable and announces himself as her husband, and that is decided. Equally, when Henry is 28, Clare meets Henry and announces herself as his future lover. We don't see a time of Henry actually getting to know Clare, and their biggest bond is that she knows he's a traveler and he is comforted by this. He dumps Ingrid, not because he really was over her or that he liked Clare more, but because Clare showed up from his future-past. And so it is clear that a great question this book confronts is that of autonomy, of free will. Who chooses, what is decided, and do we have a say in any of it?
The Time Traveler's Wife is a beautiful story that I recommend to anyone who would not be triggered by the aforementioned criticisms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Alcoholism
passionatereader78's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wonderfully written book! I enjoyed this exploration of time travel. I loved the relationship between Claire and Henry. There is so much heat in theses pages! I love the way the story was easy to follow. The time jumps were uncomplicated and I could follow the plot. I loved everything about this book!
This is Henry and Claire's beautifully complicated love story!
This is Henry and Claire's beautifully complicated love story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Grief, Infertility, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship
ligayafleur's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
I was drawn to this after seeing it pop up on an Isaac from Heart Stopper reading list and although the time travel premise was intriguing, I found it disappointing and difficult to get through.
I did not develop any emotional connections to the two central characters, to the point where I found Claire quite unlikeable. The racial stereotypes were offensive, as was the lack of any strong female characters.
I also felt the references to classic music, punk, art, the live music scene, foreign languages and Greek mythology added very little to the story and came off as pretentious and cringey.
I did not develop any emotional connections to the two central characters, to the point where I found Claire quite unlikeable. The racial stereotypes were offensive, as was the lack of any strong female characters.
I also felt the references to classic music, punk, art, the live music scene, foreign languages and Greek mythology added very little to the story and came off as pretentious and cringey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
mikimiki25's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Miscarriage
tessa52's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Car accident, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Infertility, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, and Infidelity