Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #413 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 560 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This clever and inventive tale works on three levels: as an intriguing science fiction concept, a realistic character study and a touching love story. Henry De Tamble is a Chicago librarian with "Chrono Displacement" disorder; at random times, he suddenly disappears without warning and finds himself in the past or future, usually at a time or place of importance in his life. This leads to some wonderful paradoxes. From his point of view, he first met his wife, Clare, when he was 28 and she was 20. She ran up to him exclaiming that she'd known him all her life. He, however, had never seen her before. But when he reaches his 40s, already married to Clare, he suddenly finds himself time travelling to Clare's childhood and meeting her as a 6-year-old. The book alternates between Henry and Clare's points of view, and so does the narration. Reed ably expresses the longing of the one always left behind, the frustrations of their unusual lifestyle, and above all, her overriding love for Henry. Likewise, Burns evokes the fear of a man who never knows where or when he'll turn up, and his gratitude at having Clare, whose love is his anchor. The expressive, evocative performances of both actors convey the protagonists' intense relationship, their personal quirks and their reminiscences, making this a fascinating audio.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Although the title suggests that this is science fiction, Niffenegger's charming, emotionally charged novel is much more a love story. Told alternately from the viewpoints of time traveler Henry and his wife, Clare, it's highly enjoyable on audio. Readers Christopher Burns and Maggi-Meg Reed blend their respective chapters seamlessly. Each reader characterizes all roles within a chapter, and the depictions mesh beautifully. Both narrators characterize Korean friend Kimmy in a charmingly amusing voice and lend a light mood to the couple's daughter, Alba. Burns portrays the emotional chaos of Henry's life so genuinely as to cast the listener directly into his pain and joy. The abridged recording leaves one longing for more. J.J.B. 2004 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
On the surface, Henry and Clare Detamble are a normal couple living in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Henry works at the Newberry Library and Clare creates abstract paper art, but the cruel reality is that Henry is a prisoner of time. It sweeps him back and forth at its leisure, from the present to the past, with no regard for where he is or what he is doing. It drops him naked and vulnerable into another decade, wearing an age-appropriate face. In fact, it's not unusual for Henry to run into the other Henry and help him out of a jam. Sound unusual? Imagine Clare Detamble's astonishment at seeing Henry dropped stark naked into her parents' meadow when she was only six. Though, of course, until she came of age, Henry was always the perfect gentleman and gave young Clare nothing but his friendship as he dropped in and out of her life. It's no wonder that the film rights to this hip and urban love story have been acquired. Elsa Gaztambide
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

To each his own, but seriously...urgh...
This is a copy of a post I made in the discussion forum, just thought I would expand it into a larger review. Spoilers, of course.

It's interesting how Henry meets Clare for the first time, sleeps with her, then decides he's "overcome with happiness" (page 16) and breaks up with Ingrid less than a day later. If you want to argue that it was love at first sight (which I don't believe in myself, personally) you might want to just ignore this comment entirely. I understand that his relationship with Ingrid was a troubled one, and that it would have ended anyway, but I just felt sorry for Ingrid. She's a sad character who has problems, and is, I think, far more interesting than Clare, who is about as bland and uninteresting as a wet dishcloth. Henry defends himself, saying that Ingrid was "patient. Overly patient. Willing to put up with odd behavior, in the hope that someday I would shape up and marry her...And when somebody is that patient, you have to feel grateful, and then you want to hurt them" (Niffenegger 161). Gee, does this remind us anyone in particular? Either this is sloppiness on the author's part, or Henry is just a hypocrite. Also, we don't really know how much the other characters know about Henry's condition. When did his father find out? When did Ingrid (who finds him in her apartment after he loses his feet and asks "When are you from?") find out?

Of course, some readers think this premise remarkably original. It's not! It's been done before. Read (or watch) Slaughterhouse Five if you want a similar premise written much more professionally.

I tried to like this book, I really did. Aside from my complete dislike of the characters, I think it would have been a better book if she had just cut out the second half entirely. Of course, considering all the drama and teeth-gnashing included in the second half, that might be why this book is so popular.

Dealing with loss, shame, and the imperfect
(+)
For me, a gripping read
Character flaws (realism)
Emotionally engaging
Entertaining
Interesting character development

(-)
inconsistencies in the theory of time travel of of changing the the future

I'm omitting many details as to not give away too much of what the book provides.

Many of the reviews I read before actually reading this book alluded to the idea that it was about love. The back cover even calls it a love story. However, after reading it myself, I tend to gravitate more towards the idea that this book is really about loss: how we process it, how it tends to dehumanize us, how it simultaneously warps and reinforces what we consider as reality. Niffenegger does a wonderful job at tying the theme of love and loss throughout the pages of her book which is particularly why I was so consistently engaged while reading it.

The Time Travelers Wife is at times graphic, at times very terse and very raw, but never lacking in appeal. You won't be pleased if you're looking for a heroic and solid sci-fi drama. However, if you're looking to read a fiction about how imperfect people deal with the realities of relationship, of death, of growth, and of mystery then you'll neither be disappointed.

Henry and Clare's relationship isn't so static as to impose insincerity, but changes even as they change. There is an intercourse of ideas and mystery as both retain knowledge that the other cannot or will not possess. The fact that mystery tends to be interwoven even into our own lives is very prevalent in their story. This animates them in such a way as to make them more real to the reader. Selfishness, deceit, and unhealthy attachments stay paradoxically close to sacrifice, trust, and love.

Buy this book, it's definitely worth your reading!

wonderful
I don't usually rate books that I read, but this one really got to me. I absolutely loved this book. I plan on reading it again actually. It's a little hard to follow if you don't have time to sit and read it in one day, which I don't, but it's not so difficult that I didn't want to read it. I am a lover of all different authors and different styles of writing and I really enjoyed this and I recommend it to everyone!!!