Thursday, July 18, 2013

Book Review: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I have so many books that I need to review but I somehow can't get into the right mood to write them! But I shall change that by forcing myself to actually write them. 

I wanted to start by reviewing The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I picked up this book because it was recommended to me by so many people. I wasn't really sure because I'm not a big fan of needy women books, and especially not when they are written by women that should know better than to write a book that is just horribly demeaning towards women! 


With that kind of intro you might have figured out what I actually think about this book but I am still going to review it like I review (almost) every book I read! Let's start with the synopsis on the back of the book.
A most untraditional love story, this is the celebrated tale of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who involuntary travels through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate affair endures across sea of time and captures them in an impossibly romantic trap that tests the strength of fate and basks in the bonds of love. 
I should have known with that kind of synopsis that this wasn't a book for me! Henry is dashing, adventuresome and Clare is an artist who has a natural sequenced life. Why can't Clare be the adventuresome character? Why does she have to be the stay at home and worry character? Why does Clare have to be the weak character, why can't she be the hero? Why is Clare only life goal to be with Henry? These are the questions that constantly jumped at me during the whole book.

It isn't that the story isn't a great story, it has potential. But instead of working on these potentials the story just goes into the "weak woman strong man" road and doesn't even once derive from that.

Anyways, the book is written in 1st person and is from the viewpoint of Clare and Henry, most of the chapters have couple of sections that are about the time-travel. For example chapter one is called First Date, One and the first section is called Saturday, October 26, 1991 (Henry is 28, Clare is 20) and part of that section is from Clare's point of view and part from Henry's point of view. The second sections is called Later that evening and it is only from Henry's point of view. The third section is called The next morning and that section is from Clare's point of view.
CLARE: It's a humid sticky hot Sunday afternoon, and Henry, Gomez, and I are at large in Evanston. We spent the morning at Lighthouse Beach, playing in Lake Michigan and roasting ourselves. Gomez wanted to be buried in the sand, so Henry and I obliged. We ate our picnic, and napped. Now we are walking down the shady side of Church Street, licking Orangsicles, groggy with sun. (Page 295)
HENRY: Today was Moving Day. All day it was hot; the movers' shirts stuck to them as they walked up the stairs of our apartment this morning, smiling because they figured a two-bedroom apartment would be no big deal and they'd be done before lunch time. (Page 294)
Only two quotes this time, since there wasn't anything that I found amazing about the book. No words stood out to me, I wasn't inspired about anything in the book.

And at last, would I recommend this book to anyone? No, I am sick of weak female characters in literature and I definitely wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

Bisous

5 comments :

  1. Interesting! This is my favourite book but I haven't read it in a good few years now so I'm intrigued to see if I still feel the same way the next time I read it! xx

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    1. I think it is as well because I like reading strong female characters type of books that this bothers me too much!

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  2. was gonna get this- maybe not now!x

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    1. I'm sorry :/ Hopefully you'll find something else to read!

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  3. Oh noo, shame you didn't enjoy it. I absolutely loved it when I read it four years ago, but I absolutely hated the movie and can see where you're coming from with the 'weak female protagonist' point of view. It really does ruin it for me too!
    xx
    Celia @ celiasantics.blogspot.co.uk

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Thank you for taking your time to comment! I try to answer all of the comments but you can as well reach me on twitter @tafraises

Bisous

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