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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-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
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sad
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Complicated
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Finished reading: April 19th 2025
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Hachette Audio in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I've enjoyed David Baldacci's thrillers in the past and I do enjoy a good piece of WWII fiction, so it's no real surprise that I couldn't resist adding Strangers In Time to my shelves. I really liked the sound of the premise with its focus on ordinary people living in London during the war and the concept of found family. And I have to say that while it was a bit overlong for me, as a whole it still turned out to be an engaging, emotional and often heartbreaking read.
Strangers In Time uses a multiple POV structure, switching between our three main characters Charlie, Molly and Ignatius. This structure works really well, as it helps show how different and yet again alike the war experience was for the London citizens. The POVs overlap once they meet, which helps the story feel more cohesive and I especially enjoyed watching the connection between the three characters evolve and grow over time. The concept of found family is without doubt one of the main elements in this story, and it's one of the reasons this story works so well.
As for the audiobook: it was my first time listening to an audiobook with a full cast of narrators, and I have to say that it truly enhanced the listening experience for me. Having a different narrator for all the key characters really made the dialogues come alive, and it also made it easier to keep the characters apart. I do have to say that some of the narrators spoke rather slowly (especially the older characters), which could get a bit annoying after a while and I had to increase the speed to remedy this. I did love the fact that they used British narrators as it just wouldn't have been right for the characters to have American accents. It made the story feel that much more authentic.
The story is set in 1944 London, in a city that is damaged and suffering after so many years of bombing. The descriptions helped adding the right atmosphere and were quite vivid; especially in the moments of the bombings. Strangers In Time is not a light read and the characters sure don't have it easy, but this also comes as no real surprise considering the setting and timeframe. Make sure you are prepared for lots of emotional moments and tragedy along the way!
What I do have to say is that this story had a bit too much of a YA feel to it. I get that two out of three main characters are teenagers, but the tone often felt a bit young for an adult novel... It might have had to do with the fact that there was too much explaining and telling and too little showing. Some of the secrets were also quite easy to guess, and the fact that Molly and Charlie weren't able to in a timely matter was a bit frustrating. There were also parts that became a bit repetitive, which ment that the story wasn't always able to grab my attention completely at times. This probably also had to do with the fact that the story was simply overlong, and could have done with some tightening up.
That said, I can't deny that I still enjoyed my time with Strangers In Time, and the found family element has been really well done. If you don't mind emotional and heartbreaking historical fiction that takes you on a roundabout way through the story, this might just be the book for you. The full cast audio is definitely a bonus if you decide to listen to it!
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Hachette Audio in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I've enjoyed David Baldacci's thrillers in the past and I do enjoy a good piece of WWII fiction, so it's no real surprise that I couldn't resist adding Strangers In Time to my shelves. I really liked the sound of the premise with its focus on ordinary people living in London during the war and the concept of found family. And I have to say that while it was a bit overlong for me, as a whole it still turned out to be an engaging, emotional and often heartbreaking read.
Strangers In Time uses a multiple POV structure, switching between our three main characters Charlie, Molly and Ignatius. This structure works really well, as it helps show how different and yet again alike the war experience was for the London citizens. The POVs overlap once they meet, which helps the story feel more cohesive and I especially enjoyed watching the connection between the three characters evolve and grow over time. The concept of found family is without doubt one of the main elements in this story, and it's one of the reasons this story works so well.
As for the audiobook: it was my first time listening to an audiobook with a full cast of narrators, and I have to say that it truly enhanced the listening experience for me. Having a different narrator for all the key characters really made the dialogues come alive, and it also made it easier to keep the characters apart. I do have to say that some of the narrators spoke rather slowly (especially the older characters), which could get a bit annoying after a while and I had to increase the speed to remedy this. I did love the fact that they used British narrators as it just wouldn't have been right for the characters to have American accents. It made the story feel that much more authentic.
The story is set in 1944 London, in a city that is damaged and suffering after so many years of bombing. The descriptions helped adding the right atmosphere and were quite vivid; especially in the moments of the bombings. Strangers In Time is not a light read and the characters sure don't have it easy, but this also comes as no real surprise considering the setting and timeframe. Make sure you are prepared for lots of emotional moments and tragedy along the way!
What I do have to say is that this story had a bit too much of a YA feel to it. I get that two out of three main characters are teenagers, but the tone often felt a bit young for an adult novel... It might have had to do with the fact that there was too much explaining and telling and too little showing. Some of the secrets were also quite easy to guess, and the fact that Molly and Charlie weren't able to in a timely matter was a bit frustrating. There were also parts that became a bit repetitive, which ment that the story wasn't always able to grab my attention completely at times. This probably also had to do with the fact that the story was simply overlong, and could have done with some tightening up.
That said, I can't deny that I still enjoyed my time with Strangers In Time, and the found family element has been really well done. If you don't mind emotional and heartbreaking historical fiction that takes you on a roundabout way through the story, this might just be the book for you. The full cast audio is definitely a bonus if you decide to listen to it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
We meet three wonderful characters in 1944 London.
Charlie Matters who wears tattered clothes, too-small shoes, who lies to his grandmother, who quit school, and steals things.
Molly Wakefield who just returned home to her well-to-do neighborhood after being with a family in the country to avoid the London bombings.
Ignatius Oliver who befriends both Charlie and Molly, who owns a bookstore, and who Charlie stole from.
How do they become friends? What brings them together?
These three unlikely characters were brought together because they all needed someone.
The book focused on friendship and people taking care of each other.
The storyline was quite engaging, and I loved Charlie Matters for his scrabbly, trying-to-stay alive-and-out-of-the-workhouse personality and also for some of his honest deeds.
Charlie’s Grandma was wonderful as well - I think she knew all the things Charlie was up to.
Molly and Oliver were just lonely, wonderful people.
If you need a heartwarming, but heartbreaking read at times, this is it.
There is even a bit of a mystery along with short, pull-you-in chapters. 5/5
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Charlie Matters who wears tattered clothes, too-small shoes, who lies to his grandmother, who quit school, and steals things.
Molly Wakefield who just returned home to her well-to-do neighborhood after being with a family in the country to avoid the London bombings.
Ignatius Oliver who befriends both Charlie and Molly, who owns a bookstore, and who Charlie stole from.
How do they become friends? What brings them together?
These three unlikely characters were brought together because they all needed someone.
The book focused on friendship and people taking care of each other.
The storyline was quite engaging, and I loved Charlie Matters for his scrabbly, trying-to-stay alive-and-out-of-the-workhouse personality and also for some of his honest deeds.
Charlie’s Grandma was wonderful as well - I think she knew all the things Charlie was up to.
Molly and Oliver were just lonely, wonderful people.
If you need a heartwarming, but heartbreaking read at times, this is it.
There is even a bit of a mystery along with short, pull-you-in chapters. 5/5
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this historical fiction following Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius as they navigate war-torn London. These characters are endearing and their unlikely friendship heartwarming.
Audio was fantastic with a full cast.
Thank you to the publisher for the early copy!
Audio was fantastic with a full cast.
Thank you to the publisher for the early copy!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No