The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Top 100 Book: Number 19
Star Rating:: ***
Quick Review:: Now a successful film the Time Traveler's wife is the story of Henry and Clare. Henry has a condition which means that he travels through time regularly and is unable to control it so he goes forward and backwards without any control! I likened it to Journeyman if anyone has seen it. This book tells the story of Clare and Henry in a diary style as they meet at various points through Henry's travels.
A wonderful concept which would have been more highly recommended if it had been around 200 pages less. It got a little repetitive and seemed to keep going over the same stories again and again. The beginning and the end were very well written, lose some of the mindless middle dribble and it would have been a much more enjoyable read.
Detailed Review:: *SLIGHT PLOT SPOILERS*
This book was based on a brilliant concept and a thrilling storyline, a wife trying to cope with a husband who constantly disappears and reappears, her worries, anger, fear and love for this man she met as a child in her back garden (slightly paedophilic, but it doesn't come across like this). Henry's story is equally as interesting, his constant worries about where he will end up, the trouble he gets into and likewise his love for his wife Clare. It satisified my love of diary style narratives so I found it very easy to read and digest.
Niffenegger has cleverly written the book to interweave the two stories of Clare and Henry into a clever book and this is where its merits come in. It is very well written and mostly very enjoyable to read. Where it falls is that the middle of the book goes on and on and on you never seem to move anywhere. It was quite a hefty read at 518 pages and I think it would have done well to lose a couple of hundred in editing. As the end drew near I found myself being grated by their endless woes and incredibly colourful language.
Which leads swiftly onto my next moan. I am by no means a prude and am not one to blush when faced with sexual scenes but I found the tone was wrong in this book. There is a lot of romance and inevitably a lot of sex in this book but I was incredibly put off by the harsh tone of the sex, there were a lot of strong words said, which to me, didnt fit well with the characters themselves and instantly I lost my connection with them.
Between the romance and love there is a lot of tension and arguments between the two lead characters, and quite rightly too when your husband disappears in the middle of dinner! Niffenegger cleverly draws the reader in and you sympathise deeply with them and their plight. Although a completely impossible situation you can actually imagine the anguish and torment they feel. This is deepened even more when the couple begin trying for children.
The end of the book was the best for me, after going into the future Henry learns of his fate with a chance encounter and from then on you eagerly await the build up to this moment, don't worry readers I won't spoil it. For me this was brilliantly executed, I couldn't stop reading, turning page after page to get to the end and find out how the plot unfolds.
However... this didn't quite make up for the BORING middle section. With an explosive beginning and a spectacular finish it was disappointing that the main core of the book couldn't keep pace. As i said earlier cutting a hundred of pages or so would have made this much much more enjoyable!
So let me conclude then... I put this down as not recommended... And this is true because as a high contender in the top 100 books I don't agree it should be there. Some of the other books I have read and enjoyed ranked much lower and in my mind should have been higher. But it seems ol' blighty is divided by this book and I therefore leave it to you to decide if you want to read it, personally I wouldn't bother, mines being sent off to Kate to read!
Now a major film starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams I cannot comment on how well it relates to the book as I never went to see it! However if you have I would welcome your comments.