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dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
A little darker than I typically enjoy, but a good story. Interesting time jumps between some character perspectives.
A somewhat common problem in the future pushing the antagonists
My favorite part was the afterword by the author at the end about how she came up with some of her characters.
My favorite part was the afterword by the author at the end about how she came up with some of her characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content
Minor: Cursing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one of the slowest, most boring books I've ever read. When the plot does finally start (last 100 pages) its incredibly pretentious.
I honestly found the whole book quite creepy and pathetic
I honestly found the whole book quite creepy and pathetic
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Blood, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Classism, Deportation
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved the different perspective on how it would actually feel to travel through time.
And I appreciated Kaliane using full artistic licence on a few words.
And I appreciated Kaliane using full artistic licence on a few words.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Cannibalism, Colonisation
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
This is a really hard one for me to rate, because I loved the concept and the characters so much but occasionally found the book a little bit hard to get to.
As a regular romance reader, I also prefer my endings neatly wrapped into a bow and it doesn’t quite give you that! But it’s such a beautiful story….Sixteen, Sixty-Five and Forty-Seven will forever have my heart!
As a regular romance reader, I also prefer my endings neatly wrapped into a bow and it doesn’t quite give you that! But it’s such a beautiful story….Sixteen, Sixty-Five and Forty-Seven will forever have my heart!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Slavery
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I struggled with the first 50% of this book. It really took me a while to wrap my mind around the plot and where the author was leading the reader.
Additionally, the writing was a challenge in more place than one - there were some forced metaphors and the writing isn't super accessible, even to those who are used to reading fantasy and sci-fi. The aggressive use of SAT style words led to overcomplicated and flowery prose that convoluted the meaning. The author was trying so hard to write a beautiful book that sometimes it was an incomprehensible book.
Now that we got the bad out of the way with - the back half of the book was what really had me stopping in awe more than once. There's a lot of set up, but if you can deal with the writing, the pay off is certainly worth it. I was impressed by the unique spin on the time travel trope - its done with a lot of precision and expertise, and the twists that you're treated to in the last 50 pages are really stunning and well done.
Our narrator and protagonist, the daughter of Cambodian immigrants, inadvertently finds herself working for a British spy agency that has embarked on a secret project to bring a collection of individuals from the past into modern-day Britain. She is assigned as a "bridge" - essentially a companion and cultural encyclopedia - to one of the time travelers. She must quickly confront a whole host of cultural complexities (gender, race, colonialism, romance, technology...) alongside the man she is tasked with protecting and defending. It made for a fascinating and sometimes complicated read, but when I think back over this book one thing that stands out to me is that I've never read anything like it and I doubt I ever will again!
Additionally, the writing was a challenge in more place than one - there were some forced metaphors and the writing isn't super accessible, even to those who are used to reading fantasy and sci-fi. The aggressive use of SAT style words led to overcomplicated and flowery prose that convoluted the meaning. The author was trying so hard to write a beautiful book that sometimes it was an incomprehensible book.
Now that we got the bad out of the way with - the back half of the book was what really had me stopping in awe more than once. There's a lot of set up, but if you can deal with the writing, the pay off is certainly worth it. I was impressed by the unique spin on the time travel trope - its done with a lot of precision and expertise, and the twists that you're treated to in the last 50 pages are really stunning and well done.
Our narrator and protagonist, the daughter of Cambodian immigrants, inadvertently finds herself working for a British spy agency that has embarked on a secret project to bring a collection of individuals from the past into modern-day Britain. She is assigned as a "bridge" - essentially a companion and cultural encyclopedia - to one of the time travelers. She must quickly confront a whole host of cultural complexities (gender, race, colonialism, romance, technology...) alongside the man she is tasked with protecting and defending. It made for a fascinating and sometimes complicated read, but when I think back over this book one thing that stands out to me is that I've never read anything like it and I doubt I ever will again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
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
I've been hearing about this book forever, and I'm so glad I finally got to it. It's hard to describe it - it's a combination workplace comedy, love story, time travel adventure, and spy thriller - but it's great fun all the way through. The narrator tells us early on not to get too wrapped up in trying to figure out the logistics of the time travel situation, and that's helpful so you just go along for the ride. The characters are hilarious and full of pathos, and our main character is deeply flawed and yet deeply lovable. This book takes on colonialism, state-sponsored violence, believing you are part of the solution when instead you are integral to the problem itself, forcing your ideas of how people should be on them, what history really means, and if it's possible to actually make a difference. It does all things while being very funny, endearing, and compulsively readable. I loved this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, War
Minor: Sexual harassment
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
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
Pamačiau, kad šita knyga laimėjo goodreadsų metų sci-fi knygos apdovanojimą. Galvoju, ok, išbandom. Ir nebuvo ji bloga, idėja tikrai įdomi ir išpildyta visai tinkamai, knygoje netrūksta twistų, priverčiančių vis palaikyti mano dėmesį. Visas persikėlimo laiku konceptas ir jo padariniai buvo įdomiausia knygos dalis, puikiai išnaudota komedija bei atrasta vietos tinkamai įterpti socialinius komentarus.
Obettačiau, knyga nereikalingai per daug užsižaidžia romantinėse temose (neturiu nieko prieš, bet ar tai buvo itin reikalinga? turbūt ne), o ir šiaip kartais sunku suprasti, kuria kryptimi ji eina - ar čia sci-fi, ar čia romantinė knyga, ar čia detektyinis trileris, ar čia socialinių komentarų rinkinys. Kartais šie bandymai maišyti viską į vieną krūvą visai pavykdavo, bet daug dažniau buvo kiek nuobodoka skaityti. Bet, vis tiek, susiskaitė greitai ir visai smagiai, tai stiprūs trys iš penkių.
Obettačiau, knyga nereikalingai per daug užsižaidžia romantinėse temose (neturiu nieko prieš, bet ar tai buvo itin reikalinga? turbūt ne), o ir šiaip kartais sunku suprasti, kuria kryptimi ji eina - ar čia sci-fi, ar čia romantinė knyga, ar čia detektyinis trileris, ar čia socialinių komentarų rinkinys. Kartais šie bandymai maišyti viską į vieną krūvą visai pavykdavo, bet daug dažniau buvo kiek nuobodoka skaityti. Bet, vis tiek, susiskaitė greitai ir visai smagiai, tai stiprūs trys iš penkių.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Cannibalism, Murder
Minor: Slavery, War
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
He’d always lived inside me, years before I’d known him. I’d been trained to love him.
Okay so I don’t get all the fuss.
For months now, I’ve heard endless explanations of how The Ministry of Time was a self-insert, plagiarized fanfic level mess; others fiercely rebutting by raving about its romantic, humorous blend of commentary, self-reflection, and deep-state subterfuge. I fall on neither extreme. While I went through the book quite fast, it didn’t blow me away - positively or negatively.
I’ll stick to positives. Kaliane Bradley is a good writer. Her narration maintains an engaging, witty tone throughout pretty much the entire page count, something I appreciate a lot since a not insignificant amount of the story was basically our MC and Graham Gore screwing around their safe-house (quite literally in the second half). There’s discourse to be had about the merits of the POV character being a deliberate blank slate beyond the scantest possible details, but I cannot deny that even during bits I wanted to throw my hands in frustration with her actions or political viewpoints, I was entertained. Particularly impressive was the sharpness with which Bradley deftly critiques Empire and the ever-present dynamic between colonizer and colonized. The MC’s (and Bradley’s) mixed British-Cambodian heritage informs much of her cynical, assimilationist approach to life and passive reaction to the outer world. Intergenerational trauma and paranoia that comes with being a daughter of a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide runs throughout the story and it is both heartbreaking and tragic the ways our MC’s cautious apathy completely unravels everything in the end. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say Ms. Bradley made some interesting capital-C choices. A stunning presentation for a debut author. She will definitely be someone whose works I will look out for.
I’ll keep the negatives brief. I definitely get the confusion about the book’s genre marketing choices. For all that the ‘romance’ aspect is played up in reviews and blurbs, it only really comes into play more than halfway through the book and I’d argue, still not an aspect that holds the most interest IMHO. Personally, for me, I felt that the MC and Graham had a better emotionally resonant connection with Margaret and Arthur respectively, but it is what it is. I don’t mind the romance overall and I certainly don’t get all the handwringing over the “ethics” of depicting a fictional romantic/sexual relationship for a historical figure. For the love of god, this was like half of all historical fiction not too long ago. People need to calm down and get off their high horses. This is not the same as Harry Styles RPF fanfiction republished with the serial numbers filed off. I do, however, think Bradley would do better with a more restrained, focused genre approach to any future works. She’s decent with the individual genre traits she writes (soft sci-fi, slice of life, romance, observational), but this scattershot style didn’t quite stick the landing.
So yeah. This was fine
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Cannibalism
Minor: Genocide, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Grief, Colonisation, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Bold and intriguing premise, but felt a bit lost in the middle (though that could just be the time travel aspect of it being generally confusing). The opening and closing of the story were the strongest parts for me. Despite the confusion, I do feel like there is a lot to unpack and discuss in this book in terms of themes (power, politics, race, the individual vs “the machine”). The British humor made me actually laugh out loud at times. Enjoyable, but could have benefited from some tighter editing.
Also this quote - ugh!“Of course I loved you.”
Also this quote - ugh!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence