A review by louisekf
Strangers in Time by David Baldacci

adventurous dark informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

David Baldacci has another standalone novel (great for people who don’t like to get invested in series). This one takes place in 1944 London, in the midst of World War Two. It featured three main characters: Charlie, an almost-14-year-old from the bombed-out East End, living with his grandmother in very dire conditions; Molly, a 15-year-old whose well-to-do family sent her out of London five years earlier, but who has now returned to find London and her family very much changed; and Ignatius Oliver, a widower who runs a bookshop. Through various circumstances, they meet and over the course of the book become like family, amid the horrors of wartime bombing. 
 
I don’t read a lot of World War Two books these days, but since it was David Baldacci, I gave it a whirl, and I’m glad I did. I enjoyed all three main characters and empathized with what they had and were going through. I thought the ending was wrapped up a bit too nicely, but that’s a minor quibble. 
 
I had access to both the print/ebook version and the audio version, and when that happens, I normally bounce back and forth between the two, depending on circumstances. However, in this instance, the audiobook was so wonderful that I basically listened to the entire book. There’s a full-cast consisting of Stewart Crank, Alexandra Boulton, John Lee, Nicola F. Delgado, Matthew Lloyd Davies, and Joe Pitts. I have no idea who voiced which characters, but they all combined to bring the story to life beautifully. Baldacci reads an interesting Author’s Note at the end of the audiobook, which is something I always enjoy. Because of the quality of the audiobook, I rated this a bit higher than I might have otherwise. 
 
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book and to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to a review copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own. 
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