With that I shall start by saying, before I picked up Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveller's Wife, I knew I would either hate it or love it. Everyone I've meet who has read it has the strongest of feelings about it. But lucky me, I was head over heels, unabashedly in love with everything about it. For seven short days I stopped reading it only to sleep (and then I would dream about it) and sometimes to eat. For those of you who are living in a different world, or maybe a different time and have not heard about the book. It is the love story of Henry DeTamble and his once and future wife Claire Abshire. Henry time travels (uncontrollably) backwards and forwards through time. The book opens with Henry in his late 30's and 40's visiting young Claire as a small child, where she first falls in love with him. When Claire is grown and meets Henry in "real" time, he has no idea who she is--because hes too young--and so the love story blooms again but in a more sophisticated and tangible manner.
It gets better though, the book has a third (and arguably my favorite) major character, Chicago. If one gets nothing else out of this gem of a book its Niffenegger's love for this wonderful city. Her visual of the buildings and streets and venues are worked into every page. She relives concerts, (Violet Femme's early 90's appearance at the Arragon--of which I know of at least one other person who was there). She gives you the ins and outs of her favorite records stores, restaurants and all other things perfect about Chicago. It's an intimate and quotidian tour in your very hands.
I love love loved it.
Disclaimer: This is the first novel I was able to read in months. And as you all know by now, I live and breath for the moments in which I can curl up with a novel. So, it is possible that Niffenegger book may not have struck me so intensely had it just been one of many I was in the middle of. So, on that note, if you know you enjoy the same kinds of books as me...what the hell are you still doing here?!? Go get it...NOW! But if you generally find my likings disagreeable then please by all means stay the hell away (from the book, not me.)
p.s. the paper quality of the book is also amazing.
p.p.s if you aren't into reading, it will soon be a film.
3 comments:
when a book names a street that i have walked down (let alone lived on) it always makes me feel special.
I loved loved loved this book. I don't understand the haters - is it the time travel they reject? Would they hate Billy Pilgrim too? This book seems to polarize readers, and I'm always glad to find others who appreciate it for its many layers.
Mel
Anna Hasse told me to read this book. She assured me I would love it. And I did! I freaking loved this book! A friend of mine who is a very tough book critic noticed I was reading this book. He asked me how I was liking it, with raised brows. I thought he would berate me for loving it. When I said I loved it, his face brightened! He told me it was in the top five of is all time favorites and that he read the last chapter sitting on the toliet bawling.
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