What a tiresome, tedious read. Bogged down with detail, the novel explores the love affair between Clare and Henry. Henry is chrono-impaired: he travels through time. Unfortunately for Henry he has no control over when or where he travels. He whizzes in to the past in his 30s and meets Clare as a 6 year old or crashes into the future. Not only does poor Henry have to cope with changes in time and place but when he does travel he arrives at his destination without his clothes. However, Henry is such an irritating character it's hard to feel sorry for him In fact it's hard to feel empathy for either of them. If this had been the first book I'd ever read I doubt whether I would have ever read another. It gets a 1 out of 10 from me. The book gained a 1 because it finally ended.
Susan
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I am in complete disagreement with this comment. I beleive that this book is a true representation of what real relationships are like. We, as human beings, need space, we have conflicts with our partner, it is not a 'bed of roses' as they say. I am a bit of a romantic in the fact that I like that Henry and Clare seem destined for each other, a theme which dates back to Shakespeare's time. I do however agree that the start of the book is very hard to read, but I found as soon as I got past the first quarter I became absorbed. The themes of love, absense of love, the healing of a relationship, and indeed how some people never heal completely is woven beautifully into a rich and interesting structure. The most beautiful part of the book for me is one of Clare's lines; she says that Henrys absence doesn't destroy the relationship but strenghtens it. His absence only makes her realise how much she loves him, but she needs that time away from him for that realisation. This is such a beautiful and refreshing concept especially when compared to books such as 'Twilight' where the couple can't bear to be apart. The author is realisitc, she doesn't use sterotypes or emotional manipulation to convey her message.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend that you read this book and enjoy the themes.