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A review by ifyouhappentoremember
The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer
1.0
This did not work for me - on any level.
The premise, while not the most original, is interesting. Greta Wells, while undergoing electric shock therapy for her depression, is transported to her alternative lives in different historical eras. One is in 1918 during the tale end of the First World War and the ongoing Flu Pandemic. The other is in 1941 on the eve of the US entry into the Second World War.
The historical settings is used as set dressing and Greta behaves too anachronistically to smoothly fit into her time periods (like the ending.... I don’t buy it). Greta (all three versions of her) break time travel rule #1 which is: DON’T MESS OR MEDDLE WITH PEOPLE OR EVENTS. I’ll accept that 1918 Greta and 1941 Greta aren’t as familiar with time travel rules as 1985 Greta. But it was so annoying to read 1985 Greta impose her 1980s values on the past. That’s not how any of this works.
It was a frustrating read. The only saving grace was that this book is under 300 pages.
The premise, while not the most original, is interesting. Greta Wells, while undergoing electric shock therapy for her depression, is transported to her alternative lives in different historical eras. One is in 1918 during the tale end of the First World War and the ongoing Flu Pandemic. The other is in 1941 on the eve of the US entry into the Second World War.
The historical settings is used as set dressing and Greta behaves too anachronistically to smoothly fit into her time periods (like the ending.... I don’t buy it). Greta (all three versions of her) break time travel rule #1 which is: DON’T MESS OR MEDDLE WITH PEOPLE OR EVENTS. I’ll accept that 1918 Greta and 1941 Greta aren’t as familiar with time travel rules as 1985 Greta. But it was so annoying to read 1985 Greta impose her 1980s values on the past. That’s not how any of this works.
It was a frustrating read. The only saving grace was that this book is under 300 pages.