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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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:
N/A
The value of found family especially in a war-torn world. Unimaginable happenings ( suicide, mental health crises, lobotomies, disloyalty to country, bombings, double spy rings) all seem quite possible given the circumstance (war).
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A cute story, but kind of vanilla. I think there was an opportunity to dive into the topic more, but it was still enjoyable.
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
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 liked the characters quite a bit, but it took me a while to get into the story. Overall, a good book.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Strangers in Time by David Baldacci
Narrated by Stewart Crank, Alexandra Boulton, John Lee, Nicola F. Delgado, Matthew Lloyd Davies, Joe Pitts
What a great cast of narrators for my first time experiencing a book by David Baldacci. If you enjoy audiobooks, this is the way to go with this story. My heart got all wrapped up in the characters and it was with such foreboding since the story is in the midst of WWII London. Everybody is just hanging on, barely, many not succeeding. Nothing is sure from one day to the next, actually nothing is sure from one moment to the next.
Three people, so very different, but once they come together, they make a family as real and as whole as if they were blood related. There is the bookseller, Ignatius Oliver, mourning the death of his wife but also filled with a guilt for her death. Then there is fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters who has only his fragile grandmother left. He's lucky to have a small box to sleep in, others have things worse then his tiny room with his grandmother. He must use his wits and skill to supplement the meager rations that he and his grandmother can cobble together. Life is hanging by a thread as it is but then things get even worse. Finally, we have fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield, with a privileged upbringing that Charlie could never imagine. Yet, for all she has, it can be taken away. Both teens are so much older than their ages. They have lived through so much devastation, loss, and death, they will not survive without thinking everything through and working together with their new friend Mr. Oliver.
There are horrible people who wish them the worst but there are also good people who will help this trio. But no matter what good comes their way, the threat of bombs is ever present, no one is safe in London and resources are almost nonexistent. Still, together this trio can prop each other up, if only they are sure they can really trust each other. The story is so good but it also hurts, because this is a world that is exploding most nights, and if it's not bombs then it's people with ill will. The excellent audio narration just heightens my attachment to this trio.
Thanks to my library and Libby for this audiobook.
Narrated by Stewart Crank, Alexandra Boulton, John Lee, Nicola F. Delgado, Matthew Lloyd Davies, Joe Pitts
What a great cast of narrators for my first time experiencing a book by David Baldacci. If you enjoy audiobooks, this is the way to go with this story. My heart got all wrapped up in the characters and it was with such foreboding since the story is in the midst of WWII London. Everybody is just hanging on, barely, many not succeeding. Nothing is sure from one day to the next, actually nothing is sure from one moment to the next.
Three people, so very different, but once they come together, they make a family as real and as whole as if they were blood related. There is the bookseller, Ignatius Oliver, mourning the death of his wife but also filled with a guilt for her death. Then there is fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters who has only his fragile grandmother left. He's lucky to have a small box to sleep in, others have things worse then his tiny room with his grandmother. He must use his wits and skill to supplement the meager rations that he and his grandmother can cobble together. Life is hanging by a thread as it is but then things get even worse. Finally, we have fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield, with a privileged upbringing that Charlie could never imagine. Yet, for all she has, it can be taken away. Both teens are so much older than their ages. They have lived through so much devastation, loss, and death, they will not survive without thinking everything through and working together with their new friend Mr. Oliver.
There are horrible people who wish them the worst but there are also good people who will help this trio. But no matter what good comes their way, the threat of bombs is ever present, no one is safe in London and resources are almost nonexistent. Still, together this trio can prop each other up, if only they are sure they can really trust each other. The story is so good but it also hurts, because this is a world that is exploding most nights, and if it's not bombs then it's people with ill will. The excellent audio narration just heightens my attachment to this trio.
Thanks to my library and Libby for this audiobook.
challenging
emotional
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
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Interesting story, lazy writing. The number of useless adverbs showed how uninspired the author or how mediocre the editor. Big disappointment.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Although David Baldacci is well established as a prolific author (50+ books, translated into 45 languages, 150 million copies sold), his newest book, STRANGERS IN TIME, is the first one I've read. It's easy to identify the skills that make him so popular. He knows how to craft a story that's unpredictable, has interesting and distinctive characters, offers just enough surprises, and is hard to put down.
The best way I can introduce this novel is to pull a quote Baldacci has near the end of the novel:
"We all need someone at certain times in our lives. It makes the inevitable pain lessened and the periods of happiness exalted."
It's 1944 in London. Residents still face frequent nighttime bombings, requiring them to rush to bomb shelter in the middle of the night. World War II (1929-1945) is in its fifth year. Many have lost loved ones, food and supplies are scarce, transportation is restricted, and the future still seems uncertain. Into this chaos, Baldacci introduces three quite different characters, who ,on the surface, appear unlikely to make a connection:
• Charlie Matters: Nearly 14 years old, Charlie lives with his widowed grandmother, sleeping in an undersized box. Unknown to her, Charlie spends his days on the street engaging in petty thefts in the hopes of adding a few pennies to their subsistence living.
• Ignatius Oliver: A recent widower and air raid warden, he runs a small bookstore, The Book Keep, which is struggling financial because of the war. He does however have a secret sideline.
• Molly Wakefield: The 16-year-old daughter of well-to-do parents, she has just returned to London following five years living in the country, where she was sent early in the war for her own safety. Despite her youth, Molly acquired useful nursing experience during those years.
How these three meet, watching them discover their different strengths and weaknesses, how they support one another, and the bonds they form constitutes the heart of STRANGERS IN TIME. And demonstrates how unusual circumstances can sometimes create family.
It's a plot with lots of twists and turns, making it a definite page turner. Personally, I felt the author was a bit heavy-handed in spelling everything out. Even explaining the lessons of the story in the final chapter. But I enjoyed reading the book and recommend it to others.
The best way I can introduce this novel is to pull a quote Baldacci has near the end of the novel:
"We all need someone at certain times in our lives. It makes the inevitable pain lessened and the periods of happiness exalted."
It's 1944 in London. Residents still face frequent nighttime bombings, requiring them to rush to bomb shelter in the middle of the night. World War II (1929-1945) is in its fifth year. Many have lost loved ones, food and supplies are scarce, transportation is restricted, and the future still seems uncertain. Into this chaos, Baldacci introduces three quite different characters, who ,on the surface, appear unlikely to make a connection:
• Charlie Matters: Nearly 14 years old, Charlie lives with his widowed grandmother, sleeping in an undersized box. Unknown to her, Charlie spends his days on the street engaging in petty thefts in the hopes of adding a few pennies to their subsistence living.
• Ignatius Oliver: A recent widower and air raid warden, he runs a small bookstore, The Book Keep, which is struggling financial because of the war. He does however have a secret sideline.
• Molly Wakefield: The 16-year-old daughter of well-to-do parents, she has just returned to London following five years living in the country, where she was sent early in the war for her own safety. Despite her youth, Molly acquired useful nursing experience during those years.
How these three meet, watching them discover their different strengths and weaknesses, how they support one another, and the bonds they form constitutes the heart of STRANGERS IN TIME. And demonstrates how unusual circumstances can sometimes create family.
It's a plot with lots of twists and turns, making it a definite page turner. Personally, I felt the author was a bit heavy-handed in spelling everything out. Even explaining the lessons of the story in the final chapter. But I enjoyed reading the book and recommend it to others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Rape