brownflopsy 's review for:

Strangers in Time by David Baldacci

3.0

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Orphaned, thirteen-year-old Charlie sifts through the rubble of a Blitz-ravaged London, facing peril to find a way for him and his grandmother to survive the war. Molly is a well-to-do young woman returning from years away as an evacuee, only to find that her parents are missing, presumed dead. In peacetime, there is no reason Charlie and Molly's paths would ever cross, but the chaos of wartime brings them together.

Homeless and alone, Charlie and Molly are befriended by mysterious bookstore owner Ignatius Oliver, and a bond is formed that will help all three face the future...

In a change from his usual type of thriller, David Baldacci turns his attention to WWII London, for a stand-alone novel that is a very different sort of beast from the usual fare of this accomplished author. Instead, this is an emotional and sinuous tale that is essentially a character-led piece.

I must admit that I did not really gel with Baldacci's writing style in this novel, and there are elements of the story that I found problematic for a number of reasons, particularly how long it takes for the plot to get going, and the stilted nature of the perspectives of the younger characters (Baldacci writes his adults much better).

However, there are many things about Strangers in Time that do deserve high praise, so let me concentrate on these instead... 

• At the heart, and the best thing about this story, is the relationship between Charlie, Molly and Ignatius, which is wreathed in lovely themes about three unlikely characters navigating terrible losses finding solace in each other. You really feel they would not have survived the events of this book on their own, which I very much enjoyed.
• Baldacci makes a good stab at describing the reality of living in war-time London too, taking in a good section of how this environment affects a varied slice of the population through the social differences between his characters. Expect tears from the way he delves into grief, and grinding privations. 
• There is an excellent mystery that eventually takes hold, weaving through the character-led framework, which is actually rather exciting once the twists and turns get going. 

I am still on the fence about this novel, despite the weight of its good points. I think that it would have been much better if I had come to it via the audio book (which I note has received a lot of praise). It really is a book that you need to feel through the voices of Charlie, Molly and Ignatius, and I struggled with how long it takes then to come alive in text form.

 If nicely woven, slow-burn, war-time stories are your bag then I do recommend giving this intriguing stand-alone a shot - especially if you are a Baldacci fan... maybe go the audio route though.