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kandicez 's review for:
Somewhere in Time
by Richard Matheson
I want to explain my rating. The first 1/3 of the book was worthy of 5 stars for me. The second 2/3, only worth 3 stars, but I can't justify an overall rating of 3. In addition to a foreword from the "author's" brother, there is an afterword that bumps up the quality of the story from those 3 stars.
As a teen, I must have seen this movie a hundred times, so I went into the book looking for those same feelings of love, romance, nostalgia, and melancholy. They were all present, but the movie had an innocence I found lacking on the written page. I haven't seen the movie in years, so a re-watch may be in order.
This is the story of R.C. Collier, told in a narrative as if it were his journal. Collier has an inoperable, so terminal, brain tumor. He escapes his life to end his days traveling and journaling alone. Along the way, he stumbles upon the Hotel Del Coronado and falls in love, not only with a woman he sees pictured in the hotel's museum but, the hotel and time she lived in, as well. He then does exhaustive research into her life, the hotel's history, and the period in which she lived. The woman, a famous stage star of the late 1800s, early 1900s, is Elise McKenna.
My favorite part of the book, which was very brief in the movie, was his research and attempts to visit the past. It was hard! He had nothing to lose, so kept at it, and I found his dedication to a seemingly, impossible task sweet. All for the sake of a face. I don't want to spoil anything for that 2% of readers who have not seen the movie, but the entire premise is based on an ontological paradox. One could go dizzy trying to analyze the ramifications of Collier's actions.
Suffice it to say, against all odds, Collier succeeds. Once he reaches 1896 and Elise, it gets pretty sappy. Lines I found charming from Christopher Reeves, came across as almost ridiculously mooney on the page. He does find his love, becomes her love, and...tragically is sent back to 1971. In a nutshell.
The afterword, written by Collier's brother, explains that the journal outlining his "adventure" is the escape mechanism of a dying mind. Genius, as far as I'm concerned, for Matheson to give us the option of believing or not. Is there really such a thing as love that can triumph over time? He gives us the privilege of deciding for ourselves. Either way, it's a great, heart-tugging tale.
As a teen, I must have seen this movie a hundred times, so I went into the book looking for those same feelings of love, romance, nostalgia, and melancholy. They were all present, but the movie had an innocence I found lacking on the written page. I haven't seen the movie in years, so a re-watch may be in order.
This is the story of R.C. Collier, told in a narrative as if it were his journal. Collier has an inoperable, so terminal, brain tumor. He escapes his life to end his days traveling and journaling alone. Along the way, he stumbles upon the Hotel Del Coronado and falls in love, not only with a woman he sees pictured in the hotel's museum but, the hotel and time she lived in, as well. He then does exhaustive research into her life, the hotel's history, and the period in which she lived. The woman, a famous stage star of the late 1800s, early 1900s, is Elise McKenna.
My favorite part of the book, which was very brief in the movie, was his research and attempts to visit the past. It was hard! He had nothing to lose, so kept at it, and I found his dedication to a seemingly, impossible task sweet. All for the sake of a face. I don't want to spoil anything for that 2% of readers who have not seen the movie, but the entire premise is based on an ontological paradox. One could go dizzy trying to analyze the ramifications of Collier's actions.
Suffice it to say, against all odds, Collier succeeds. Once he reaches 1896 and Elise, it gets pretty sappy. Lines I found charming from Christopher Reeves, came across as almost ridiculously mooney on the page. He does find his love, becomes her love, and...tragically is sent back to 1971. In a nutshell.
The afterword, written by Collier's brother, explains that the journal outlining his "adventure" is the escape mechanism of a dying mind. Genius, as far as I'm concerned, for Matheson to give us the option of believing or not. Is there really such a thing as love that can triumph over time? He gives us the privilege of deciding for ourselves. Either way, it's a great, heart-tugging tale.