The Time Traveler's Wife

It's the kind of book that reveals how much of a fun exercise fiction could be, especially sci-fi/fantasy. The premise is intriguing right off the bat, but also it deals with so many ethical blurred lines, and that's when fiction becomes interesting. This is not something that is happening in real life, for people to act all offended and snooty, this happens in this virtual reality with different laws of physics, which makes us question and analyse our own (what i look for in fiction myself). Also everything that deals with time travel, fate and self-fulfilled prophecies are always interesting to me. Would Clare fall for Henry if he hadn't been visiting her since she was a kid, and somehow grooming her? And didn't Clare change Henry to become his future self that she had already fallen in love with. Haven't they changed their future by knowing it beforehand and acting towards it, fulfilling their own fate all knowingly? And where does free will come in? That is why I love time travel stories, and why I really enjoyed this impressive complicatedly built one. A really bittersweet love story.
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I just don't care about people going off on the need for fiction to be pure and devoid of “problematic” characters, cause these people are worse than puritans, as they're masquerading as progressives. I can imagine people who will never read this book cause “it's creepy”. Just read the books yourselves damn it, and stop acting all edgy borrowing other people's opinions.

I loved this and I'm definitely not a fan of time travel. It's so much more than that.

This would have been a really interesting book if I haven't read/ watched time travel stuff.
but still, I moderately enjoyed this book.

Where do I even start. At the beginning I was a bit uneasy since Clare is such a young girl when she first meets Henry. Then I get sucked into their love story when they finally meet for the first time (for Henry anyway) in the present. By the end my heart has exploded with all the feels.

Life is about living and for most that means loving as well. Clare and Henry have a unique love story that will have you feeling happy, upset, hopeful,and sad. In the end you have to wonder if love is really worth all they went through just to have those small moments together. For true romantics, the answer is always yes.

Welp! I'm gutted.

1/5 stars

In some cases, I can read through a book and say I read it, I didn't like it, and I would never read it again. This is not one of those books. Instead, I can't even bring myself to finish it. Personally, I felt like this book was a waste of my time. I kept waiting for it to become interesting, but it just couldn't capture my interest.

Henry wasn't likable at all and felt creepy most of the time. I hated the way the book treated his ex. It's almost as if they tried to make it seem as if she attempted suicide for attention-seeking. Clare wasn't treated any better. Both of them revolved their lives around Henry. Personally, I felt like Clare was being groomed by Henry. Being told from a young age she was going to marry Henry was already a big red flag for me. I don't recommend this book as I deem it a waste of time. If you do read it, do it at your own risk.

I rarely dump a book before I've finished, but this is just really, really bad. The themes are pretty creepy and the love story grosses me out. It honestly reads like a bad fanfiction. Big yikes.

La moglie dell'uomo che viaggiava nel tempo, in originale “The Time Traveler's Wife” è un romanzo fantastico del 2003 di Audrey Niffenegger. Si tratta di una storia d'amore non convenzionale che è incentrata su un uomo che per un difetto genetico si trova, senza volerlo, a viaggiare nel tempo e della moglie, un'artista, che ha conosciuto quando era piccola. È stato edito in italiano nel 2005 dalla Mondadori.

I diritti del libro sono stati acquistati da Brad Pitt e nel 2009 è stato realizzato un adattamento cinematografico del romanzo intitolato “Un amore all'improvviso”, diretto da Robert Schwentke con protagonisti Eric Bana e Rachel McAdams.

E' abbastanza insolito che un autore alla sua prima opera riesce a vendere il famoso “milione di copie” e che a distanza di tempo riesca ancora a vendere parecchio, questo grazie al tam-tam dei lettori. Curioso che il romanzo, non si trovi in nessuna libreria nel reparto “fantascienza”, sebbene viaggiare nel tempo, sia casualmente o fatto con l'ausilio di congegni, è fantascienza, ma probabilmente considerarlo “romance” vende di più e dunque sapete dove cercarlo nel caso.

La trama: Clare incontra Henry per la prima volta quando ha sei anni e lui le appare nel prato di casa come un adulto di trentasei. L'attrazione è istantanea, anche se Clare pensa che forse quell'uomo e un alieno, o un angelo. Poi, quando ne ha venti, Clare lo incontra di nuovo, e lui ne ha ventotto. Clare gli dice di sapere tutto di lui, mentre Henry non l'ha mai vista. Sembra impossibile, ma e proprio così. Perchè Henry DeTamble è il primo uomo affetto da cronoalterazione, uno strano disturbo per cui, a trentasei anni, comincia a viaggiare nel tempo. O meglio: a volte sparisce e si ritrova catapultato nel suo passato o nel suo futuro. È così che incontra quella bambina destinata a diventare sua moglie quando di fatto l'ha già sposata. E cosi che incontrerà sua figlia prima che sia nata.

E letta così è veramente una storia di fantascienza pura. Ma l'inganno è tra le pagine, perchè quello che esce preponderante non è il viaggio nel tempo, ma l'amore più coinvolgenti e trascinante che vi sarà dato di leggere: le due voci dei protagonisti che si alternano nel racconto sono piene di calore, non si smetterebbe di leggerne; gioie e tragedie, passione e minacce diventano metafore dell'imprevedibilità e dello squilibrio che caratterizzano la nostra vita. Anche nei grandi amori, nelle grandi relazioni ci sono momenti in cui uno dei due è più innamorato dell'altro, o più maturo, o più presente e viceversa.

Quello che ne esce è l'Amore in tutte le sue sfaccettature e il lettore si trova avvolto come in una coperta calda (sapendo però che fuori fa molto freddo e solo una coperta ci divide dal mondo) in una storia avvincente, originale, che prende dalla prima all'ultima pagina, anche se probabilmente una sforbiciata ad alcune pagine avrebbe reso ancor più entusiasmante la lettura.

Così mi sento di consigliare questo libro a chi abbia voglia di sperimentare qualcosa di nuovo, che sia pronto a leggere di una storia d'amore diversa, surreale, impossibile, ma forte e vibrante come solo l'Amore può essere, senza barriere... neanche quelle del tempo.

Really good core central idea and characters that the whole book flows naturally from. The by the last quarter of the book it starts to get old; that section feels a bit padded. Niffenegger is definitely a stronger romance writer than a sci-fi writer, but since this book is more of a romance than sci-fi, it works.

I feel like I can't give this book a fair rating because I am clearly not the audience for this book. But that's probably because I'm dead inside.

I found Henry to be a jerk and Clare to be so-close-yet-so-far-almost manic pixie dream girl. There are some real gross moments that are “okay” because time travel. (i.e. - him kiss her when he's forty-something and she's fifteen, but it's okay because they're going to be married.) The rules the author chose to follow when it came to time travel (everything has already happened therefore you cannot change it) also helps excuse the squickier stuff (him sleeping with her on her 18th birthday).

It was hard not to think of him grooming her.

So... yeah... I just don't buy the whole soulmate deal.

I have avoided reading this book for a long time because I heard how popular it was. Its popularity is well deserved. A thoroughly enjoyable read perfect for the summer, vacations, or just some light-hearted easy science fiction reading.

Wow
This was intense. It had slow moving moments that let you really swim in the richness of the details but, this definitely had its interesting moments. I listened to this while commuting and ugh there were moments I was close to tears but had to hold back as to not be that crazy woman driver on the road crying at 6am.

I definitely did have a few problems like cunt being used or how Claire was supposed to be this angel ho could do no wrong or would remain faithful to Henry forever– even before meeting him in his present. I also thought the glorious details could drag.... They were treat but more than once I would be driving and realize I had stopped listening yet missed nothing.

Good book and an audiobook recommendation but, not a fave of mine.

Henry the creeper
groomed a child to be his bride
“fate” is a cop out.

“The Time Traveler's Wife” is one of the most interesting, powerful books I've read in a long time. Audrey Niffenegger did a beautiful job taking some of the most complex ideas - time travel, marriage, love, children, friends, literary and artistic allusions, religion, death, drugs, childhood, growing, loss, and what it means to be human - and weaving them together poetically and with amazing clarity. Her characters are wonderful, “real” people with strengths and flaws, and I really grew to adore them. Despite skipping around time at the same rate as Henry, the time traveler, the events are sequenced in such a way that you still witness each character's growth as a person, as well as discover many surprises along the way. Clare and Henry's story is one of the best love stories I've read in a very long time. This book also echoes important modern-day questions about the appropriateness of gene therapy, and what it means to be a human being. I highly and enthusiastically recommend this book.

The overall story was very good. It is a romance, but the time travel plays and interesting part to prevent it from being boring. The sci-fi is not the focus of the book, don't expect overly complicated explanations of paradoxes or the science behind it.

I watched the movie, and it captured all the important aspects of the book. There were some scenes present in the book that were intended to develop the characters, but felt too out of place.

Henry and Claire are in love. They have been in love since Claire was a little child, and Henry an old man. They wait through time to meet in the present so they can be together, but soon time will run out and they will be apart again, until the time will come again when they will meet for the first time.

BLUF: Good concept, but the relationship is overly idealistic and keeps the reader at an arm's distance.

In hindsight...

I chose this book to fulfill the “classic romance” portion of my 2015 reading challenge. I don't really know what a classic romance is, but most books on the classic romance list were published in the 1900s or before – something I knew I wouldn't be able to finish – so, alas, I chose this classic.

Let's start with the bad: The relationship held by the main characters is insanely unrealistic. Their entire relationship is without conflict and is overly endearing. This is primarily because the book doesn't give you the opportunity to truly know the characters. Like another reviewer explained, you read about what they do, but aren't privy to how they feel. Also, there is too much sex considering how impersonal their relationship reads. It's not appealing.

The idea that Henry completely (and easily) drops his current relationship for Clare is hard to believe. Actually, everything surrounding that aspect of the book was hard to believe. From the ex's friend discussing and becoming friends with Clare to the suicide as a result of Henry leaving this woman. It should have been better explained.

Now with the good: Having read the reviews prior to the book, I entertained lowered expectations. So, feel free to take my review with a grain of salt.

I really enjoyed the concept behind this book as well as the execution. It didn't bother me that the book jumped in time. Actually, I enjoyed this style and cannot imagine any other style to be as effective. As another reader so finely put it, this novel is science fiction marketed as fiction to attract more readers and, guess what? It works.

I know this sounds ridiculous but I enjoyed that there were characters in the story that knew Henry's secret and that there was a medial research aspect entertained. It made the concept of time travel more real to me. (That said, I am able to suspend my disbelief easier than others.)

The end was heart wrenching. Truly. It was worthwhile and a large portion of why I voted three stars instead of two.

I always thought this book sounded cheesy, but I'm glad I finally decided to give it a try. It is a good love story, and it is set (really immersed) in Chicago. I saw the movie when it came out, and I thought it was a little weird, but... “the book is better.”

Resenha do blog Sincerando.com, escrita por Sarah Sindorf

“Eu me lembro, eu me lembro. Acordei de manhã e foi tudo um sonho maravilhoso. Mamãe riu, dizendo que viagem no tempo parecia ser uma coisa divertida e que queria tentar também.Essa foi a primeira vez.”

Clare e Henry são um casal. Um casal que se ama, um adora o outro e são completamente apaixonados. Tem vários problemas em seu relacionamento mas um grande problema é que Henry viaja no tempo. Se encontrando em diferentes períodos da vida, com idades com grandes ou pequenas diferenças entre si, o relacionamento dos dois vai se construindo. Através de períodos de ausência, desencontros temporais e problemas normais em um relacionamento vemos uma história de amor com características únicas.

Eu queria ler esse livro há um bom tempo. Queria ler antes de ver o filme mas não aguentei. Assisti o filme há um tempão (e devo assistir novamente em algum momento próximo) e fiquei apaixonada pela história. O romance dos dois é ao mesmo tempo profundo, emocionante, apaixonante, e em alguns momentos, desesperador.

Clare é uma menina que conheceu na infância um homem misterioso, que alegava poder viajar no tempo. Filha de pais ricos mais ausentes e tendo irmãos complicados, Clare cresce com essa mágica a sua volta. Henry é um homem complicado e sofrido, que sofreu a vida toda pelo seu problema: viagem no tempo. Uma hora estava em casa, confortável, e na outra estava pelado em qualquer lugar, qualquer período. Não consegue controlar quando nem para aonde vai.

O relacionamento dos dois é perturbado pelo problema de Henry mas também sofre alguns baques reais. Problemas de relacionamento com a família, de convivência, a ausência dele. Mas os dois mostram um amor palpável e verdadeiro quando enfrentam vários obstáculos para ficar juntos. Uma coisa que me encantou nessa história foi que a autora não teve medo de mostrar que um relacionamento não é felicidade o tempo todo, mas que ter problemas e vários momentos felizes é uma coisa real.

A história traz uma narração deliciosa. Fiquei aterrorizada quando vi o filme, com medo de que quando aquilo se passasse em um livro ficasse confuso. Pelo contrário, consegui me localizar muito bem, mais pela idade dos personagens do que pela data (cada capítulo começa com a data e a idade dos dois). A leitura foi fluída e praticamente não consegui largar. Só me separei do livro para dormir algumas horas.

Outra coisa que me agradou no livro é que a história é agradavelmente dividida entre os dois. Consegui ter um laço tanto com Clare quanto com Henry, pois os dois personagens são muito bem detalhados. Foi um romance diferente dos que estou acostumada a ler, e o toque da viagem do tempo o deixou muito mais interessante e intrigante.

Falando da adaptação, eu a considerei maravilhosa. Algumas coisas do livro não apareceram, mas nada prejudicial. Amei a atuação dos atores e não tenho dúvida de que vou assistir novamente. O filme conseguiu trazer a emoção às telas, e recomendo muito que o vejam. Mas vejam depois da leitura, pois confesso que ter visto o filme estragou as surpresas do livro para mim. Acho que gostaria e me emocionaria ainda mais se não tivesse visto antes.

Estou dando sorte até agora, segundo livro que leio esse ano e que amo. Espero continuar assim!

”- Tenho medo de que você se canse de não poder contar comigo para nada e me largue. (...)- Nunca vou largar você - diz. - Ainda que você viva me largando.- Mas eu nunca quero te largar.”

Link da resenha: http://www.sincerando.com/2014/01/a-mulher-do-viajante-no-tempo.html

Candidate for unintentional triology with Gone Girl and possibly Dance Dance Dance

“En los cuentos de hadas siempre son los niños los que viven las fantásticas aventuras. A las madres les toca quedarse en casa, esperando que sus hijos regresen volando por la ventana”

I sort of swear off contemporary books (less than 20 years old) as a child. Many were autobiographical fiction and had little structure, assuming their own factual importance. I read this because I did not have any time to find a book for my 3 month trip to Europe and my mom had this lying around. However, since I was trying to find broaden my literary genres and venture into romance, this science fiction blend seemed like a proper compromise.
I loved it. There certainly are a few minor structural problems due to the time changes, but it altogether brilliant and original. Too bad more people do not appreciate it.

I loved it. I cried. A lot.

There are those books that can just do without mindless, unnecessary details. And then there are those books which those mindless details is necessary and essential to the plot. And I think, this book falls in the latter category.

The mindless details is what makes the story happens.It's necessary to let the readers know about Henry and Clare. It's necessary to remind the readers again and again that Henry is not as normal as we like him to be. And those mindless details enable the readers to relate what the two main characters are going through.

Out all of the movies adapted from books, the movie version of this book is the most decent one, I think. It stays true to the book at most part. And just like the movie, it's filled with moments. Moments you can't even decide if you like them or not, but it stays in your mind nevertheless.

A little disappointed. I expected more, probably due to the hype.

To be honest, I did not make it through the remainder of this book. I paused around page 120 and just never went back.

After hearing so many amazing things about this book, I felt the need to read it and picked it up. So disappointed. This book drags horribly. I was bored, confused, and frustrated. Having to constantly keep track of what time Henry is in, how old he is, what his situation is. It all took away from the story within I think.

I did enjoy the chemistry between Henry and Clare, but that was it. They alone were not interesting enough to keep me involved in this story. Perhaps I will pick it up another time, but for now this book gets one star from me.