Dianna Wynne Jones' book, A Tale of Time City, tells the story of Vivian Smith, who is stolen from her own time period (1939, during WWII), and transported to Time City, a city that stands outside of history. This city is in charge of making sure that history happens as it is supposed to, gently nudging the right people in the right direction, or preventing things from being invented too soon.
Vivian is kidnapped by two young boys, Jonathan and Sam, who overhear their parents saying that they need to find a Vivian Smith in order to awaken Faber John, the founder of the city. Time City is unraveling, and he is the only one that can put it right. However, Jonathan and Sam have captured the wrong girl, and since it's illegal to bring anyone from History back to Time City, she has no choice but to stay with Jonathan and Sam and help them save Time City.

I always enjoy reading Dianna Wynne Jones. I think that she is an excellent author of young adult fantasy. I devoured The Dark Lord of Derkholm and Deep Secret and anything else I could get my hands on by her. However, I was a little disappointed by this book. Maybe because it was written for a younger audience that I had anticipated, or maybe it was another reason that I couldn't quite place my finger on, but I constantly found myself being let down by the quality of the writing and the how in-depth Jones went with the story. Yes, it was entertaining, and I enjoyed reading it (after all, it's a fantasy novel, and I've always had a soft spot for those), but I felt like she could have done so much more with the idea that she presented her readers with.
I also thought that the ending wrapped everything up a little too nicely for my tastes, as well. It took about a page and a half to tie allt he loose ends together, and I was really hoping for something a lot more. I don't want to ruin it for anyone that might pick up a copy of the book, but at the end I couldn't help but let out a loud groan.

I would recommend this book to anyone that's familiar with Dianna Wynne Jones' work. Although not her strongest (in my opinion), it's a quick read, and if you're looking for some easy entertainment, it's worth picking up.
I think I would give it a 2 out of 5 stars, personally. ( )

Really liked this, thrilling tale and well structured. Just what I needed after a period of hard work. One of those books that so totally grab you that you seem to forget about reality.

It is amazing how Diana Jones keeps on using the same elements in her stories, and yet, every book turns out to be completely different. So here, like in Howl's Castle and like in Charmed Life, a slightly lonely teenager, who is very drastically taken away from "normal" life. A secretive adventure that almost gets out of hand. Adults who are not as easily fooled as the heroes think and in the end lend a helping hand. Misunderstandings. Travel between different worlds (in this case: times), one of which is usually the world that we know so well ourselves. New friends. The concept is equal yet the story very different every time.

So, even if this is a book intended for young teenagers, I found that I sincerely enjoyed it, and I am sure I will read it again, as I did with Jones's other books. Knowing how it ends, I have found that the stories remain entertaining, because the second time around I start to enjoy the little details that predict later actions and the humour that is used in describing the characters. ( )

This is a great adventurous book about a girl and these two boys. She's trying to help these boys save history. There's a guy named Faber John in Time City and the legend is that he sleeps under the city, but really a part of him is there all the time. They don't realize that the person they go to see every day after school is Faber John. ( )

A case of mistaken identity takes Vivian Smith, an evacuee from London in 1939, to Time City, the city which guards all of time. Two of the city's inhabitants believe that the city is starting to fail, but no one will believe them. It's up to the three children to save the city, in an adventure that takes them to several periods in history - and the future.
This was the first DWJ I read back when I was in high school, and still one of my favourites. I've read it so many times I can practically taste a butter pie...mmm.

Time travel books are hard. But Diana Wynne Jones makes it look almost look easy. During World War II, Vivian is snatched out of a London refugee train into Time City, which stands outside out time. But an unknown stress is threatening Time City's stability and if Vivian and her sidekicks can't discover the nature of the stress, and stop it, she'll never get home again, and Time itself will stop. Another great delivery.