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The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler's Wife

by Audrey Niffenegger
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Aug 1, 2003, 518 pages
  • Paperback:
  • May 2004, 560 pages
  • Genres & Themes
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Reviews

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There are currently 52 reader reviews for The Time Traveler's Wife
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deej

Unforgettable
Some people are literature snobs and will criticize this book. I've heard it - too much petty detail, too much sex, too little development of Gomez or Charisse or Ben.

And I can see that. And I don't effing care.

This is a beautiful book that, if you let it, will affect you so strongly you won't be able to forget it. I like the writing style - its sophisticated without being pretentious. You feel as if you are in Henry or Clare's mind, rather than having it be told to you with censors. The story therefore leaves a lasting, raw impression.

My friends and often comment we "want a Henry". But Henry DeTamble isn't all that fantastic. He is very flawed. What we want is the undeniable, time-leaping connection he has to Clare...so honest and natural and true.

You will fall in love with their love. Its like no other love story you have read. Despite the fantastic plot, it rings completely true. That's the important part of the story. Everything else is just icing on the cake.
anne

I Was So Sad When I Finished This Book!
I literally missed Henry and Clare immediately upon finishing this book. The character developement was incredible ... I felt like I'd known these people my entire life. I was right smack dab in the middle of their relationship. BRILLIANT! It is truly beyond me how Audrey Niffenegger developed the timelines, the plot, and the connectedness between these two people. I mean, a little girl meeting the man she will marry, and falling for him ... without it ever feeling innappropriate? Amazing! The only times I have ever cried this hard after reading a book are when I was 10 and read Where the Red Fern Grows, and last year when I read the Kite Runner. And I read voraciously! Easily the best love story ever written. And I must say this ... I was concerned that it would be sci-fi because of the title. It's NOT science fiction for those of you that aren't sure. A must read.
Jessica

Captivating
The Time Traveler's Wife captivated me straight from the start. I finished reading it tonight and already I miss the characters, namely Clare and Henry. In the last 100 pages, I had to force myself to slow down as I did not want the story to end. Very often I found myself hanging on the author's every word, either breathless or in tears. The story is engaging as it is emotional. Curiosity, surprise, enchantment, joy, sadness, annoyance, understanding, loneliness, worry, wonder, anger,fear, anguish, hope, and relief are only some examples of the feelings I felt when reading this amazing novel.
Donna

Fantastic Book!
This book is possibly one of the best books ever written. Just the sheer thought that someones mind can work in this way to be able to write such a story is amazing. Audrey Niffenegger is a very clever woman and it would be interesting to see a sequel to this book, involving Henry and Clare's daughter. I have read this so many times, that I can know pick this book up and open at any page and know where I'm at and what's happening. Anyone with any doubts as to whether or not to read it, don't hesitate!! You'll love it!!
ChristineVB

Ignore Brad & Jen! super read!
I wasn't even going to write a review of this book until I saw the review by Beth referring to the fact that Jennifer Anniston & Brad Pitt had purchased the rights....and then I thought to myself...."Dear God in heaven, reading that may dissuade people from reading this totally fabulous book, how can I prevent such a thing?" I'm sure JA & BP are ever so smart, in their own ways....but, if I had read such a thing (review) before reading this book, well, I might not have read it.



I started reading with high expectations, and they were met....the story swept me up from the get go and, I'm almost ashamed to admit, I fell in love with Henry early on. But, and I would take this as a huge compliment to the author, I was not in the least jealous of Clare. In fact, I loved her, too!



The characters were fantastic, the plot, well thought out, the setting made me want to visit Chicago & the Great Lakes area. The only criticism I can muster is that the secondary (or even beyond secondary) characters perhaps should have been played down or, less well-defined. Some of the characters were distracting, especially the 'extraneous' members of Clare's family - but only because they were not given more time to develop.


All in all, this book rates an A+ from me, despite Brad & Jen!
DJ

Utterly charming and absorbing
There are only a small handful of books I've read where I've become so absorbed by the story that I look up to see I've missed my subway stop - this happened more than once! The Time Traveler's Wife is one of those books. It has captured my heart one hundred percent.

I recommended this book to a friend and he became as engrossed as I did - we spent hours discussing Henry and Clare as if they were friends of ours. They stay with you long after the last page is read...to this day I often find myself wondering about them as if they are real people.

The only criticism I have is that some of the more peripheral characters in the book (Helen, for example) speak in the same "voice" that Henry and Clare speak in as adults - not something you expect from the mouth of a sixteen-year old girl. That was the only thing that took me out of the story, but only for a moment. I still wish I could have Henry and Clare over to dinner!
Lynda

This is a book which will appeal to educated readers, while those who skim the surface and read the novel purely for its story of love and time travel will miss a great deal. The book is replete with references to art and literature, wonderful additions adding depth to an already interesting and entertaining narrative. After all, Henry is a librarian, so the references and quotations fit naturally into the novel. For those who have not read "The Money’s Paw" or "The Moonstone," seen Turner’s paintings, or know what "Tabula Rasa" is, the book will be just another good read. But to those familiar with world literature and the arts, the narrative has great depth and is rich with meaning - a remarkable story they are likely to remember for quite a long time.
Evi Greece

This is a truly overwhelming book...i discovered it by accident on the internet and i ordered it right away, once i started reading it, i couldn't put it down. The utterly unconditional, strong and everlasting love of Clare and Henry makes your heart break, i cried so much my parents thought there was sth wrong with me...even chrono-displacement seems so ordinary, so convincing, you cannot help feeling that this couple could actually exist...The way they accept the truth, their effort to lead a normal life, the way they are bonded to each other through thick and thin is extraordinary, you are completely sucked into this book and you feel as if you know Clare and Henry and pray that it will work out for them. Read this book and you will never forget it!

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