The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I just finished The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I must admit that I was reluctant to read it. Why? Well, to start with, it’s on the bestseller lists. The last time I picked up a book on the bestseller lists (Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian), I struggled through half the book before finally deciding that life is too short. Secondly, a friend who read it said that she cried. I don’t want to cry when I read a book! I want to laugh! Life provides enough tears! So, why did I pick up a copy? Same friend said she couldn’t put it down, and my son wanted to read it for his English class. Occasionally, I like to read something that my kids are reading, so we can discuss it. This gives me some insight into their weird little brains. And, honestly, most of the classics they read in school are sooo boring.

Niffenegger instantly draws the reader into Clare and Henry’s story. She simply, yet brilliantly handles what could be a confusing timeline by using dates as well as Clare and Henry’s ages to let us know when we are and when the characters are. Another author might have bristled at the straightforward simplicity of this technique and left the reader to struggle over when the characters are. But Niffenegger is a storyteller, and as such, she allows nothing to get in the way of the story, not even an author’s ego.

No, I couldn’t put it down—at least not until end when I had to put it down to deal with the overwhelming emotion Niffenegger wrung out of me. It’s one of those books that haunts you long after you finish it. Kudos to Niffenegger for effectively using two points of view, Clare’s and Henry’s, in first person. I’m not a real fan of first-person point-of-view, but when an author does it well, as Niffenegger does, I love it.

So, would I recommend this book? Yep. I give it four out of four bookworms.

Finding the Right Book

I have always loved books. Remember the order forms for books that teachers sent home with us in elementary school? I always ordered a stack of books from those forms. The other kids looked at me as if I was a freak. I didn't let that stop me. Fortunately, my parents never limited my purchases! I still remember my dad reading to us at bedtime.

Once a week during summer vacation, my mom took us to the library. Again, I came home with a stack of books and read them all by the next week's return trip. In high school and college, I didn't have time to read for pleasure during the school year, but you can bet I read during every Christmas, Easter and summer break.

When I married my husband, I couldn't understand why he didn't love books. The idea was so foreign to me that I wouldn't accept it. For his birthday, two months after our wedding, I bought him one gift—a book, 2010: Odyssey Two. It was the book sequel to his all-time favorite movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. He took it with him the next day when he flew to D.C. on a business trip. He missed his return flight home because he stayed up all night reading. That's what I'm talkin' about! He is now an avid reader. It's all about finding the right book.

That’s what this blog is about—finding the right book. I’m not going to waste my time reviewing books I don’t like because I won’t finish them. I may mention one in passing. If you don’t agree, that’s fine. Different strokes . . . . You will probably want to find another book review blog or read the ones I don’t like.