The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife

Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler's Wife tells the love story of Clare and Henry, whose romance and eventual life together is marred by the fact that Henry time travels randomly. Like Sam Beckett, he travels only within his own lifetime, but he also stays fairly close to home during his temporal adventures. The romance between Clare and Henry is muddled by their braided timestreams, but manages to work itself out, anyway.

While this book dragged me in and held my attention thoroughly for the most part, in the end I had mixed feelings about it.

From a technical standpoint, the book is a tour de force, leaping from time frame to time frame, incident to incident, forward and backward in time in an alternating first person narrative between hero and heroine, without ever leaving the reader behind. But from a character and plot standpoint, I was left not entirely satisfied.

Clare is a seemingly strong, well-developed character through the first two-thirds or so of the novel, until the birth of Clare and Henry's daughter. From this point on, she seems almost like a accessory to the story, as Henry's condition worsens. After his eventual death, the rest of Clare's life is glossed over. There's no indication that she moved on or found another relationship after Henry--as far as we can tell, she simply pined away for the rest of her life, waiting for their final reunion when he time travels far into her future. I would have liked to have seen at least a brief recap and some closure for Clare, rather than have her become just an appendage for the wrap-up of Henry's story.

Henry's story, too, didn't quite work for me. Many hints were dropped that his death would come about due to a complication of his temporal displacement condition, but with one large foreshadowing event indicating it would be otherwise, this was never to develop. Having him die at the mercy of his "illness" would have been much more satisfying to me. As it was, his death was, in my opinion, too mundane.

I didn't dislike the book by any means, and would recommend it, as it's a good read that lingers long after you've reached the end. But it seemed to me to miss the mark--though just barely--that would have made it a classic.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Published in 1994, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a "non-fiction novel," based on factual events but with these events modified to fit the format of a novel. Bringing in a variety of eccentric characters, author John Berendt paints a colorful picture of the social life of Savannah, Georgia.

For those expecting a novel structure, Midnight takes its time getting around to the action. The inciting event of the plot doesn't happen until almost halfway through the book, though Berendt's fast-moving prose and entertaining introductions to the various characters involved in the story keeps this from being a detriment. The book overall is a fast and entertaining read, exposing the less savory side of Savannah's culture without ever losing the reader's sympathy for the characters or the city itself. With plenty to say about homophobia, racism, and the debilitating effect of social stagnation, Midnight never shoves any of its message down the reader's throat.

Kathy Reichs--Bones to Ashes--Audio Book Review

Reader: Linda Emond

Fans of TV's Bones might be a bit surprised at the liberties taken with Kathy Reichs' original Temperance Brennan character (or vice-versa). But taken as separate incarnations, Book Tempe's adventures are just as entertaining as TV Tempe's.

In this installment of the series, Tempe finds herself facing what might be the remains of a childhood friend. The investigation takes her through a variety of twists and turns, revealing secrets in both the present and in her own past. One particular plot item in this book didn't make sense to me on a character level, but otherwise this is another good installment in the series.

Linda Emond's reading is serviceable, if not exceptional, and better than the readings on a couple of the other books in this series.

Dead Until Dark--Charlaine Harris--Audio Book Review

Reader: Johanna Parker

Dead Until Dark is a solid introduction to Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series. With detailed world-building and a plot grounded in the details of rural Louisiana, Harris brings her unique urban fantasy to life. Aside from a few very minor plot quibbles, I found this a thoroughly enjoyable story. Sookie Stackhouse is a kickass heroine, and the Vampire Bill is as intriguing and sexy as a vampire hero should be.

Reader Johanna Parker is practically flawless, providing easily distinguishable voices and an involving, dramatic read that makes this even more engaging than the typical audio book.