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bangtan_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
23kak85's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. Audrey Niffenegger has such a way with words. This book is so beautifully written. I got lost in this book for hours, I couldn't put it down.
saucemallow's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Too much sex. Even books I have read where they have sex a bunch at least they relate it to the events of the book and work it into the plot some way. If each moment where they are getting freaky was taken out of this book, it would be half the size of what it was originally. The rest of the book was okay. The age gap was weird and it did not help that met and did things like have sex when they were more than twenty years apart. I do not think the author did the “timeless love” thing very well.
The book does not live up to its title because the book was equally split between the couple’s perspective and was mainly focused on husband rather than the wife.
Also, they never really end up fully addressing how the main character was a jerk in the past.
I tried to think of something to say that I liked about this book but it was just mid. That’s really all it was.
The book does not live up to its title because the book was equally split between the couple’s perspective and was mainly focused on husband rather than the wife.
Also, they never really end up fully addressing how the main character was a jerk in the past.
I tried to think of something to say that I liked about this book but it was just mid. That’s really all it was.
samsung_refrigerator's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. But alas, we don’t always get what we want.
This was bad. Very, very bad. The characters were so bland I felt no attachment to them whatsoever, and the romance was abysmal. Though told in two perspectives, the narrations felt so identical I often had to double check who was speaking.
Then, of course, you have to deal with the blatant grooming and pedophilia tendencies Henry exhibits throughout the book. I’m sorry, but this man groomed Claire and I won’t take any objections. I have never felt more uncomfortable trying to get through their time-traveling scenes, especially the one in which Claire turns 18 (iykyk). Overall, a very bland and kinda gross book.
The only reason I’m rating this 2 stars is because it oddly got me out of my reading slump. It was kind of like a train wreck, terrible but I couldn’t look away (even though I badly wanted to).
Final thoughts: Ew.
This was bad. Very, very bad. The characters were so bland I felt no attachment to them whatsoever, and the romance was abysmal. Though told in two perspectives, the narrations felt so identical I often had to double check who was speaking.
Then, of course, you have to deal with the blatant grooming and pedophilia tendencies Henry exhibits throughout the book. I’m sorry, but this man groomed Claire and I won’t take any objections. I have never felt more uncomfortable trying to get through their time-traveling scenes, especially the one in which Claire turns 18 (iykyk). Overall, a very bland and kinda gross book.
The only reason I’m rating this 2 stars is because it oddly got me out of my reading slump. It was kind of like a train wreck, terrible but I couldn’t look away (even though I badly wanted to).
Final thoughts: Ew.
seanhelvey's review against another edition
3.0
My expectations were too high heading into this book. I have a hard time with non linear stories, so became confused, and peeked at a plot summary online which pretty much ruined it.
The story was cute and I enjoyed reading it. I did think it was corny at times, but it was also extraordinary in other ways.
The story was cute and I enjoyed reading it. I did think it was corny at times, but it was also extraordinary in other ways.
bibi_reads_writes's review against another edition
2.0
“I hate to be where she is not, when she is not. And yet, I am always going.”
Time travel, romance, a movie, a TV series, good ratings… I really thought I’d enjoy this book.
In reality, I hated it. I would have DNFed if it wasn’t an audiobook and if I did not have a lot of driving, cleaning, and gardening to do.
I felt like I was reading a romanticized, glamourized ethical conundrum rather than a love story. I mean, I love books that make me reflect, ponder, introspect. But this novel had all shades of wrong.
Plot:
The plot was interesting, but the execution was extremely lacking, with many, many, many problematic aspects, especially about grooming and consent (or rather, lack of).
I always find grooming disturbing and disgusting, but this book takes the cake.
· Henry grooms young Henry. (He even goes so far as to give his other self a hand- and/or blowjob (it’s not specified in the book); I mean, what the actual hell?)
· Henry grooms Clare, starting age 6.
· Clare grooms Present Henry into becoming Future Henry, the one she fell in love with.
Phew.
People who say that the grooming is consensual need to be reminded that she is a minor – no, a child – groomed from age 6 and influenced on every aspect of her life by an adult man who “knows everything.”
How is she ABLE to consent to any of this?
Henry tells Clare what she likes, where’s she’s going to live. She knows NOTHING of life outside the path that was laid down before her.
Can we REALLY say it is consensual, when there is actually no choice to be made at all?
Also on the matter of consent:
· Future Henry makes love to Clare while Past Henry sleeps beside her. He is already DOING her before she realises it’s not the husband sleeping next to her. No consent.
· Clare has sex with Past Henry and becomes pregnant with his child after Present Henry has decided to get a vasectomy. Consent, hello?!
What about 41-year-old Henry leaving Clare in bed in their home to take 18-year-old Clare’s virginity in the past?
Is this cheating? Is it not?
Is this some kind of polyamory where Present Henry / Clare is the primary relationship, and Future and Past Henry / Clare are the secondary relationships and where “what happens in the past and future, stays in the past and future?” Or some kind of exclusive open marriage?
There are no discussions, adjustments, disagreements, etc. on the topic, which is hardly realistic. Anyone who’s been in any kind of polyamorous arrangement knows that it’s never that simple. You need to discuss desires, boundaries, and apprehensions to make sure both parties are comfortable. And recalibrations are often necessary – and it’s perfectly healthy and okay.
I just remembered about that time when Clare voices concerns about them having “too much sex.” YES! This is NORMAL! A discussion! …oh, but he gaslights her and then proposes, and she says yes. Wow, how nice to see romance isn’t dead.
Characters:
Maybe the book would have been more tolerable if the characters were more likeable. ANY character.
Henry (Past, Present, and Future) and Clare were both insufferable.
Henry is a pretentious, manipulative felon. There, I said it.
I’m not sure if Clare has a mental condition of some sort or if she just likes to hear herself talk, but do we REALLY need to know EVERYTHING she does and eats, in detail? And how many bananas, exactly, are on the table or the brands of all the cars? What’s the point? It’s not part of a scenery description and it’s not useful for her backstory or character development. Is this to make the chapters longer and use up space?
e.g.: “I have prepared and eaten macaroni and cheese and a small salad, have taken my vitamins, half consumed a large glass of skimmed milk.”
Every single chapter.
I mean, I don’t get it. It’s so annoying I literally burst out, “But who cares!” a few times in front of my partner or random people during her chapters.
It’s hard to care about what happens to characters when they annoy you that much.
But you know what we read/hear too little about? Clare’s assault and trauma. It happens out of the blue and it’s never mentioned after the revenge scene. There’s no PTSD, freezing, avoidance, hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, or intrusive thoughts. She’s not even apprehensive about her first sexual encounter with Henry. It’s like it never happened and she can have a perfectly healthy relationship with sex despite the trauma.
Gomez, Ingrid, Celia, and even little Alba were almost as insufferable. Charisse and some of Henry’s coworkers and doctors seemed like the only tolerable beings in the lot. All the persons of colour were stereotyped, it was cringey and almost embarrassing.
Writing:
I felt like the writing was very dull, with Henry and Clare’s every move documented in a flat, monotonous way. And I can’t decide if it’s the writing or the characters that I find most pretentious, but I’ve never heard English speakers use that many French or German words in their day-to-day life. And name drop artists and musicians and other famous people. I felt like it was written with the specific goal of impressing. Bleh. It only made me cringe.
The narrative flow / storytelling rhythm is also very inconsistent. Some trivial parts go on and on and on, and some key moments are over in a few paragraphs. I feel like the first parts of the novel dragged on forever, and the later parts (marriage! fertility issues! multiple miscarriages! matrimonial trouble! baby! death!) were rushed. I’m not sure if it’s the result of the author not understanding the importance of some events / traumas, or if it’s a narrative technique (“time is running out”), but it felt anticlimactic and inconsistent.
In short: I don’t recommend.
Seriously, don’t waste your time, money, or energy on this book.
Time travel, romance, a movie, a TV series, good ratings… I really thought I’d enjoy this book.
In reality, I hated it. I would have DNFed if it wasn’t an audiobook and if I did not have a lot of driving, cleaning, and gardening to do.
I felt like I was reading a romanticized, glamourized ethical conundrum rather than a love story. I mean, I love books that make me reflect, ponder, introspect. But this novel had all shades of wrong.
Plot:
The plot was interesting, but the execution was extremely lacking, with many, many, many problematic aspects, especially about grooming and consent (or rather, lack of).
I always find grooming disturbing and disgusting, but this book takes the cake.
· Henry grooms young Henry. (He even goes so far as to give his other self a hand- and/or blowjob (it’s not specified in the book); I mean, what the actual hell?)
· Henry grooms Clare, starting age 6.
· Clare grooms Present Henry into becoming Future Henry, the one she fell in love with.
Phew.
People who say that the grooming is consensual need to be reminded that she is a minor – no, a child – groomed from age 6 and influenced on every aspect of her life by an adult man who “knows everything.”
How is she ABLE to consent to any of this?
Henry tells Clare what she likes, where’s she’s going to live. She knows NOTHING of life outside the path that was laid down before her.
Can we REALLY say it is consensual, when there is actually no choice to be made at all?
Also on the matter of consent:
· Future Henry makes love to Clare while Past Henry sleeps beside her. He is already DOING her before she realises it’s not the husband sleeping next to her. No consent.
· Clare has sex with Past Henry and becomes pregnant with his child after Present Henry has decided to get a vasectomy. Consent, hello?!
What about 41-year-old Henry leaving Clare in bed in their home to take 18-year-old Clare’s virginity in the past?
Is this cheating? Is it not?
Is this some kind of polyamory where Present Henry / Clare is the primary relationship, and Future and Past Henry / Clare are the secondary relationships and where “what happens in the past and future, stays in the past and future?” Or some kind of exclusive open marriage?
There are no discussions, adjustments, disagreements, etc. on the topic, which is hardly realistic. Anyone who’s been in any kind of polyamorous arrangement knows that it’s never that simple. You need to discuss desires, boundaries, and apprehensions to make sure both parties are comfortable. And recalibrations are often necessary – and it’s perfectly healthy and okay.
I just remembered about that time when Clare voices concerns about them having “too much sex.” YES! This is NORMAL! A discussion! …oh, but he gaslights her and then proposes, and she says yes. Wow, how nice to see romance isn’t dead.
Characters:
Maybe the book would have been more tolerable if the characters were more likeable. ANY character.
Henry (Past, Present, and Future) and Clare were both insufferable.
Henry is a pretentious, manipulative felon. There, I said it.
I’m not sure if Clare has a mental condition of some sort or if she just likes to hear herself talk, but do we REALLY need to know EVERYTHING she does and eats, in detail? And how many bananas, exactly, are on the table or the brands of all the cars? What’s the point? It’s not part of a scenery description and it’s not useful for her backstory or character development. Is this to make the chapters longer and use up space?
e.g.: “I have prepared and eaten macaroni and cheese and a small salad, have taken my vitamins, half consumed a large glass of skimmed milk.”
Every single chapter.
I mean, I don’t get it. It’s so annoying I literally burst out, “But who cares!” a few times in front of my partner or random people during her chapters.
It’s hard to care about what happens to characters when they annoy you that much.
But you know what we read/hear too little about? Clare’s assault and trauma. It happens out of the blue and it’s never mentioned after the revenge scene. There’s no PTSD, freezing, avoidance, hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, or intrusive thoughts. She’s not even apprehensive about her first sexual encounter with Henry. It’s like it never happened and she can have a perfectly healthy relationship with sex despite the trauma.
Gomez, Ingrid, Celia, and even little Alba were almost as insufferable. Charisse and some of Henry’s coworkers and doctors seemed like the only tolerable beings in the lot. All the persons of colour were stereotyped, it was cringey and almost embarrassing.
Writing:
I felt like the writing was very dull, with Henry and Clare’s every move documented in a flat, monotonous way. And I can’t decide if it’s the writing or the characters that I find most pretentious, but I’ve never heard English speakers use that many French or German words in their day-to-day life. And name drop artists and musicians and other famous people. I felt like it was written with the specific goal of impressing. Bleh. It only made me cringe.
The narrative flow / storytelling rhythm is also very inconsistent. Some trivial parts go on and on and on, and some key moments are over in a few paragraphs. I feel like the first parts of the novel dragged on forever, and the later parts (marriage! fertility issues! multiple miscarriages! matrimonial trouble! baby! death!) were rushed. I’m not sure if it’s the result of the author not understanding the importance of some events / traumas, or if it’s a narrative technique (“time is running out”), but it felt anticlimactic and inconsistent.
In short: I don’t recommend.
Seriously, don’t waste your time, money, or energy on this book.
frankikaos's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled to get into this book at first. It maybe has mire to do with the fact that I'm nit really a big fan of these lovey-dovey romantic affairs than it being poorly written- once I found myself getting into it, I was completely submerged in a world where it was possible for a genetic defect to mean you could find yourself travelling in time!
It was an enjoyable, if not occasionally confusing, book that I'm glad I've read although I'm not sure if I'd pick it up again in a hurry.
Once again, my love of good, solid characters came to bite me as I couldn't really find myself sympathising with or even really liking the female lead, Clare- I found her character very strong at first but then she waxed and wained a bit and at times I found her downright petulant.
Henry on the other hand, I quite liked even though he is what I would describe to be a bit of a bastard- but a lovable one at least.
I found their relationship quite captivating if not a little far-fetched but hey, this book is all about a man who can time travel- far-fetched is to be expected!
Still, a decent book that deserves all the acclaim it's earned although it's not traditionally my cup of tea.
It was an enjoyable, if not occasionally confusing, book that I'm glad I've read although I'm not sure if I'd pick it up again in a hurry.
Once again, my love of good, solid characters came to bite me as I couldn't really find myself sympathising with or even really liking the female lead, Clare- I found her character very strong at first but then she waxed and wained a bit and at times I found her downright petulant.
Henry on the other hand, I quite liked even though he is what I would describe to be a bit of a bastard- but a lovable one at least.
I found their relationship quite captivating if not a little far-fetched but hey, this book is all about a man who can time travel- far-fetched is to be expected!
Still, a decent book that deserves all the acclaim it's earned although it's not traditionally my cup of tea.
dyno8426's review against another edition
5.0
When I started this book, I expected some sci-fi theories and futuristic actions. But it quite surprised me by turning out to be a modern romance between two persons, emphasizing upon the complications that arise when one of them time travels. It feels more retrospective and introspective than exploratory and hence, feels more "human" than a fantasy. The author has been able to create a brilliant narrative, structuring it very creatively so that every small chapter, every consciousness switch, makes the story firmly coherent, so much that the very last page fits like the last remaining piece of the puzzle, revealing a brilliant timeline at the end. Accompanying that, it is quite a nimble read (filled with the themes of love and loss though) and made me hooked to it. It's one of those books, which make you feel that you are watching a movie (may be because of the way it is structured and written in present tense), bringing out one of the most important messages that the author wants to convey: it is only the present, the here and the now, that we have to live and to love. Regarding time travel, I admired the author's ingenuity in creating a perspective about time travel which belongs to a spectrum contradictory to the more paradoxical ones like those portrayed in 'Back to the Future' series. Personally, time travel and theories about chaos and determinism fascinate me, so I loved this read.