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A review by findyourgoldenhour
Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald
3.0
(2.5 rounded up) Meh. I feel kind of let down. This had quite a bit of hype and the premise seemed good, but it fell flat for me.
First, the good: I loved the setting. 1920s-1940s Grand Central Station in NYC. I loved the idea of playing with “Manhattanhenge,” when the sunrise and sunset aligns with the city’s street grid. I loved the idea of a time travel novel, having loved “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and other books that play with this set-up to tell an original story.
What I didn’t love: The length. I was into the first third of the book as she sets up the story, but then it really stalls out, for way too many pages. Also, the characters weren’t really fleshed out with any real depth, despite the book having nearly 400 pages to do so. And without giving spoilers, I didn’t love the way the time travel “worked” in this story. It essentially left the female character trapped in a physical space; it was like she was a beautiful princess who was locked away in a tower for the man to visit and enjoy, but she couldn’t have her own life. Her whole existence was just waiting for him to return her space, because she was trapped. And of course, she never ages, so she remains young and beautiful forever. It just kept making me angry. No thank you.
First, the good: I loved the setting. 1920s-1940s Grand Central Station in NYC. I loved the idea of playing with “Manhattanhenge,” when the sunrise and sunset aligns with the city’s street grid. I loved the idea of a time travel novel, having loved “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and other books that play with this set-up to tell an original story.
What I didn’t love: The length. I was into the first third of the book as she sets up the story, but then it really stalls out, for way too many pages. Also, the characters weren’t really fleshed out with any real depth, despite the book having nearly 400 pages to do so. And without giving spoilers, I didn’t love the way the time travel “worked” in this story. It essentially left the female character trapped in a physical space; it was like she was a beautiful princess who was locked away in a tower for the man to visit and enjoy, but she couldn’t have her own life. Her whole existence was just waiting for him to return her space, because she was trapped. And of course, she never ages, so she remains young and beautiful forever. It just kept making me angry. No thank you.