anneinaz 's review for:

Strangers in Time by David Baldacci

5.0

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Strangers in Time by David Baldacci is a World War II novel, but different than most. It is about three people: an orphaned street urchin, a well-to-to young woman who has been abandoned, and a middle-aged book shop owner. Charlie Matters is fifteen and up to no good. He no longer goes to school, a fact he has hidden from his grandmother, his only guardian. Instead he spends his days picking up odd jobs and pursuing minor thefts and other misdeeds. He turns all the money over to his grandmother. He had robbed Ignatius Oliver’s store, The Book Keep , but his conscious got the better of him and he returned the money and developed a relationship with the man. Later he met Molly on the street and they became friends. As time wore on Ignatius became the only adult in their lives and had a huge impact on them.

These were all good people trapped in a terrible situation. London was being bombed almost nightly. There was no hope for the poor people and little hope for anyone else. As time wore on and Molly’s house was bombed, where she and Charlie had been living, they had fewer and fewer options. Molly was female and underaged; Charlie was a minor criminal; and Ignatius had no experience with young people, plus difficult matters of his own. It was really more a slice-of-life than one with a plot, with small plots popping up, one after another. The character development was natural as were the relationships, no matter how unlikely they seemed. The story was heart-wrenching as only a wartime story can be. The narrative brought home what life must have been like at the time, when men were fighting so very close by. It was masterful. As much as Baldacci is a genius at thrillers, he is even better with historical fiction.

The narration was carried out by a number of people, including the author and was perfect. I liked the audio better than the written version as it was easier to follow. Kudos to the cast: David Baldacci; Stewart Crank; Alexandra Boulton; John Lee; Nicola F. Delgado; Matthew Lloyd Davies; Joe Pitts

I was invited to listen to Strangers in Time by Hatchette Audio and read it by Grand Central Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #HatchetteAudio #GrandCentralPublishing #DavidBaldacci #Stewart Crank #Alexandra Boulton #John Lee #NicolaFDelgado #Matthew Lloyd Davies #Joe Pitts #StrangersInTime