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The Time Traveler's Wife

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'The Time Traveler's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger is a unique love story that intertwines the lives of Henry, a man who involuntarily travels through time, and Clare, his wife who meets him at different stages of his life. The narrative is structured around their meetings in both real time and time travel, creating a complex yet emotionally engaging storyline. The author skillfully explores themes of love, loss, and relationships through the lens of time travel, offering a mix of romance and science fiction elements. Readers are taken on a journey through different timelines, experiencing the joys and sorrows that come with the challenges of time travel.

The writing style of 'The Time Traveler's Wife' is praised for its emotional depth and intricate storytelling. The novel alternates between the perspectives of Henry and Clare, providing insight into their thoughts and feelings as they navigate the complexities of their unusual relationship. The author's ability to capture the essence of love and longing, along with vivid descriptions of Chicago and the characters' emotional journeys, immerses readers in a world where time is fluid and love transcends all boundaries.

Characters:

Henry and Clare's characters are complex and relatable, representing a deep emotional connection, while secondary characters serve mostly as background figures in their love story.

Writing/Prose:

The writing is characterized by clear prose, emotional depth, and a present tense narration that provides immediacy, although some may find the descriptive passages overly lengthy.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot intricately explores the complexities of love and relationships as Henry, an involuntary time traveler, interacts unpredictably with Clare, who has loved him since childhood, creating emotional tension and depth.

Setting:

Set predominantly in Chicago, the book's locations enhance the narrative, providing a sense of place that complements the characters' experiences.

Pacing:

The pacing varies throughout the book, with an initial slow start transitioning to a more engaging and emotionally intense rhythm as the story develops.
Clare: The first time it happens Henry is away. It's the eighth week of the pregnancy. The baby is the size of a plum, has a face and hands and a beating heart. It is early evening, early summer, and ...

Notes:

The Time Traveler's Wife features a unique premise of involuntary time travel as a genetic disorder.
Henry DeTamble, the male protagonist, meets Clare Abshire when she is six years old, but he first encounters her when she is twenty.
The narrative shifts between the perspectives of both Henry and Clare, often complicating their timeline.
Henry's time travel leads him to meet different versions of himself at various ages.
Clare has a box of supplies prepared for Henry's unexpected visits when he time travels naked.
The concept of predestination plays a significant role in the story, raising questions about fate versus free will.
Claire's life is deeply influenced by her past encounters with the older Henry, creating a sense of inevitability in their relationship.
The author, Audrey Niffenegger, is also a visual artist, and her background shapes the way art is portrayed in the story.
The novel has been adapted into a film, starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, but many readers feel the book surpasses the movie in depth.
The story explores complex emotional themes, including longing, loss, and the difficulties of living with a partner who time travels.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include discussions of sexual situations, graphic language, and themes of loss related to miscarriage and death.

Has Romance?

The romance is a central focus of the story and is depicted as deep and enduring, despite the challenges posed by time travel.

From The Publisher:

*A People Top Ten Book of the Year* The beloved, mega bestselling first novel from Audrey Niffenegger, "a soaring celebration of the victory of love over time" (Chicago Tribune).

A most untraditional love story, this is the celebrated tale of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who inadvertently travels through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate affair endures across a sea of time and captures them in an impossibly romantic trap that tests the strength of fate and basks in the bonds of love. "Niffenegger's inventive and poignant writing is well worth a trip" (Entertainment Weekly).

Ratings (266)

Incredible (52)
Loved It (94)
Liked It (67)
It Was OK (27)
Did Not Like (14)
Hated It (12)

Reader Stats (441):

Read It (271)
Currently Reading (1)
Want To Read (102)
Did Not Finish (8)
Not Interested (59)

10 comment(s)

Hated It
1 week

This one had no redeeming qualities for me. At first I didn't enjoy the constant jump from diffrent times and it gave me a feeling of pure yuck that they kept meeting when Clare was very young and Henry much older. Didn't find the story engaging to read nor the romance swoony at all. Had high hopes for this one but I'm glad I bought it second hand and won't feel bad returning it

 
Loved It
2 weeks

3½★-4★ for me, I found it hard to rate this one. As with most of the reviews (that aren't flat out true love or hate for the book), I have aspects that I loved and others that I could've done without. I thought it was a great first book. Audrey Niffenegger did a great job with the jumping around, it was confusing at first but eventually you follow it along without any problem.

I liked how Henry ended up places with nothing, made the time traveling experience a hardship for him, not something fun and exciting. I also thought that the addition of the medical aspect was interesting, definitely made it feel like he was experiencing something that could possibly exist. I, personally, did feel the love between them, but can see how some readers did not. It did feel like the title should've been "The Time Traveler" at times vs. Wife, but ultimately I felt it was a poignant love story about a girl who meets her true love (at a very young age) and then spends the rest of her life trying to be with him completely.

I am interested to see how the movie is and what is left in/out of the story. There were WAY too many details in describing certain things, so I won't miss that at all.

 
Hated It
4 weeks

I had a very hard time finishing this book because I was so bored. It wasn't terrible, but it didn't hold my interest very long.

 
Loved It
1 month

Admittedly, there were parts about this book I disliked. For one thing, there were a lot of run-ons, including places where it might have been better parred off. Also, the episodic quality of the book, without an overhanging plot, bothered me.

There is also a matter that I believe this book is intended for someone much further in life's stages than I am, so there were parts where I couldn't emotionally connect.

That aside, this is a very interesting mix of science fiction and romance and I highly recommend it. It is more than a love story- it's about connection and desertion, longing and pain, and tragedy.

I could have done without crying so hard and blowing my nose so hard I gave myself a nose bleed afterward, though. Heh, heh.

 
Loved It
2 months

Slow pacing, sometimes a tad too slow, but still captivating and endearing. The magic of time traveling is intricately woven with the story of Henry and Clare's love. Don't expect adventure or lots of fantasy. The beauty of this book lies in its emotional nature and the way it evokes feelings in the reader. In that regard certainly not for everyone. I think drama/ regular romance readers will like it more than fantasy adepts.

 
Incredible
3 months

Audrey Niffenegger weaved magic when she wrote this book! I'm a 66-year-old grandfather...yet she still captivated me with the powerful relationship she crafted between Henry and Clare. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the time travel element of this entrancing story, the love between these two main characters was palpable for me. I CARED about these two! I don't mean to sound weird, but I still care about them...and think of them often. I look forward to Niffenegger's eventual release of the sequel, "The Other Husband," about Henry & Clare's daughter Alba. I can't recommend TTTW strongly enough. It lifted me in many, many way. Probably NOT a good choice for young adults with its explicit bedroom scenes, but, to be honest, theses scenes added to the breathtaking connection between these two. I've read the book twice and am considering picking it up for a third time. #chicago #paper-making #libraries #Michigan

 
Loved It
3 months

just started reading

 
Loved It
5 months

3.5 stars

 
Incredible
8 months

One of my favorite books. I keep coming back to this one year after year, connecting strongly to both Claire and Henry and their messy romance.

That being said, the pacing is achingly slow and it really could use some more actual things happening. Also, many characters are racial caricatures.

 
Loved It
2 years

This is always the first book which springs to mind when I try to explain the concept of ‘sci-fi which doesn’t feel like sci-fi’. Despite the whole plot hinging on time travel – an unequivocally sci-fi concept – The Time Traveller’s Wife is essentially a love story. I like the way the plot segues between multiple timelines (which feels like it should be confusing but really isn’t) and the real-world challenges faced by the characters. It’s one of those books which sounds like it should be far more complicated than it actually is, which makes it a perfect read for those craving escape, adventure and a hearty dose of romance

 

About the Author:

Audrey Niffenegger is a writer and visual artist who lives in Chicago and London. She has published two novels, The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry, and many illustrated books including The Night Bookmobile and Raven Girl. She is currently at work on The Other Husband, a sequel to The Time Traveler's Wife, which is being made into an HBO series by Steven Moffat.

 
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