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Original poster

The time traveller's wife - is it any good (40 pages in, not convinced)?

96 replies

CristinaTheAstonishing · 05/10/2006 11:44

I know it's had good reviews. I think the idea is interesting. I'm 40 pages in and it's just very samey. Does it lead to anything, is it worth persisting? Thanks.

OP posts:
Sheraz · 10/10/2006 21:17

He's reading something about Stalingrad - far too intellectual for me! The Lovely Bones was really disappointing, loved The Accidental though.
Am putting Margaret Attwoods new book on my Xmas wish list

bottomburp · 09/10/2006 23:47

Sheraz what books are you putting in there?!!

janeite · 09/10/2006 21:52

I thought it was very good; flawed, so not a perfect novel, but pretty damn close. Much better than The Lovely Bones but not as good as Jane Austen!!!

MrsMuddle · 09/10/2006 21:32

Oh, I hated this book so much. Lots of people I know and whose opinions I respect loved it, so I spent a lot of time wondering if there was something I just didn't get. But my conclusion was that it's just overrated shite.

fuzzyfelt · 09/10/2006 21:18

Brad Pitt has bought the film rights to it apparently and has cast himself as Henry.

Sheraz · 09/10/2006 21:17

Lol bottom burp! Is that why my DH spends so long in the loo!

bottomburp · 09/10/2006 21:09

oh my god i loved this book, am so happy to find a book thread!didnt know they existed

my top tip for books that you feel you need to persevere with is to have them by the loo, i am so desperate to read something on the loo that i will always read what is there!

Sheraz · 09/10/2006 21:02

I loved it, it was really moving and i am not in the least sloppy. I thought it was clever and different..one of the bedt books I have ever read.

beansprout · 09/10/2006 21:02

I loved it. I thought it was about love, acceptance of someone, sticking at relationships, all sorts of stuff that resonates. Cried at the end. Nothing wrong with a good love story and this is a good loves story!! But hey, if you don't like it, try something else. As others have said, life is too short to read books you are not enjoying.

expatinscotland · 09/10/2006 20:56

It's a cheesy romance novel trying to masquerade as literature.

Pants.

venusinfurs · 09/10/2006 20:56

Meant to say 'with' there, of course.

venusinfurs · 09/10/2006 20:55

Christina
I hated it. I'm afraid I'm Cowmod and others. It is, in fact, shite.

Oh dear, I'm far too much of a hand-wringer to be so controversial. Think I will slink off now...But I did really hate it. Cheesy, cheesy and awful. Eww. Horrible book.
Yuk.

fuzzyfelt · 09/10/2006 20:53

I read this book last year and loved it. Haven't read a book since that has moved me so much.

I've lent it out to friends and IMHO my pragmatic friends don't really get on with it but my 'navel gazer' friends (like me) love it.

catsmother · 05/10/2006 23:06

I really enjoyed it but found it quite hard work. I bet I'm not the only one who's got through it who had to keep turning back to check I'd got things straight in my head.

I cried at the end.

me23 · 05/10/2006 22:56

I'm reading this at the moment, I wasn't sure at first either but now just over half way through I'm loving it. I think the love story is convincing only thing I would like is it would delve a bit deeper into the personalities of the characters.

Gillian76 · 05/10/2006 22:26

I enjoyed it but it did take me a while to get it.

MrsSpoon · 05/10/2006 22:24

I thought it was pants.

marymillington · 05/10/2006 20:22

i thought the end was DIRE.

the idea/device of it was very ambitious, but the author's writing just wasn't up to it.

so there.

FatThighs · 05/10/2006 20:12

loved it - you need to give it a while before you stop thinking 'god thid time travel thing is rubbish' as suddenly the story and characters take over.

Loved it - thought it was clever and well written adn sad.

But as someone else said - each to their own.

Hey - long thread about one book.

MsBionic · 05/10/2006 20:01

I loved it but hey its all subjective....

hatwoman · 05/10/2006 19:36

didn't like it. It's a clever plot device but the love story is one dimensional, unconvinving and the characters are boring. Take away the time travel and there is very little else to it imo. I came away wondering why and in what way these two rather boring people loved each other. If I couldn't answer those questions then I think it has failed as a love story.

kittywits · 05/10/2006 19:23

I'd heard lots of good things about it, but I couldn't hack it after a while.

pudding77 · 05/10/2006 18:49

I think it's one of those that you either love or hate. I really enjoyed it but only once I stopped thinking too much about the dates & ages & trying to work them all out iyswim.

LizP · 05/10/2006 18:15

My bookgroup read this - and that was the only reason I finished it. But all the others loved it and most were intending to read it again at some stage. I think it does get better in the middle - but still I will be sending my copy to the next jumble sale!

Original poster
CristinaTheAstonishing · 05/10/2006 12:47

I think I'll persevere with it, even if only to have something to say about it when it crops up in conversations. Having said that, my BIL is famous for taking part in book conversations saying "it doesn't matter if I haven't read it, doesn't mean I haven't got an opinion on it".

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