A review by ivi_reads_books
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

adventurous funny lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Quick, fun, surface-level read!

It starts out refreshingly funny while at the same time trying to tackle a lot of subjects along the way and only skimming the surface in my opinion (subjects are among others: integration of time travelers and their settling into their new environment, office politics, racism, misogny, refugees, romance). I wish the book had focused on 1-2 subjects and explored them more deeply and struck a better balance between funny and sad/serious.

If you are looking for a serious account of how time travelers would settle into a new time that has evolved massively from a technology and societal standards standpoint, this is not the best pick. But if you're looking for a book that does something new and genre-defying and features different writing styles, give it a try!

As a side note: I loved the short stories at the beginning of each chapter that described the Arctic exporation. I learned so many new things about these expeditions. It also shows the writing talent of the author since it's written in a very different tone as the rest of the book

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book

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