Several friends have been trying to get me to read The Time Traveler's Wife for awhile now, and for this reason or that, I kept putting it off. They kept telling me that in addition to it being a fantastic story, I'd love it as it takes place in Chicago and that I'd recognize so many of the places talked about in the story (and for those that don't know me that well, I have a love affair with the city of Chicago and will be moving there, someday!). Well, they were all right on all counts, and I'm just sorry that it took me so long to getting around to reading this wonderful book.

The Time Traveler's Wife is the story of Henry and Clare. Henry is a time traveler; he has a genetic disease that causes him, at random intervals, to fall out of his present and arrive in different locations and times, and never of his choice. Henry seems drawn to Clare continually during his time jumps, from the time that she is a child, continuing through until he meets her in his own present. This is one of the amazing aspects of the book to me, how Niffenegger was able to tell this story: Clare's story moves forward in a clear chronological pace, yet Henry falls in and out of her life at various ages, so that while one meeting with Clare will find Henry in his 40s, the next may find him in his 30s, and he must become continuously aware of his place with Clare, as what is happening in her present may still constitute his future or past self.

Niffenegger tells their story honestly. It isn't always good between Henry and Clare, and we are carried along on the ups and downs of their relationship. It can be a roller coaster of a ride sometimes, but ultimately, isn't that what all relationships are about? The ups and downs, good times and bad? However, when the times are good, Niffenegger buoys us along with their happiness, and you just know it's going to be OK.

I started out listening to an audiobook version of the story, but by the time that I was getting to the end, I couldn't wait until the drive into work the next day to continue the story so pulled out my copy of the book and found where I left off and continued reading. The ending, even though you have a vague foreshadowing of what's to come, is still amazingly powerful.

Some parts of the book seemed a little too long for my liking: scenes where entire games of pool are described, for instance, seemed a little more detail than was completely necessary to keep the story moving. These handful of scenes aside, the book moves along at a comfortable speed. You might think that the jumping back and forth between times might be a little confusing, and it does seem daunting at first, but once you get into the groove of the story, everything moves along nicely and the time jumps aren't even noticeable.

Another word on the audiobook production: it is narrated by William Hope and Laurel Lefkow and since the book is written from both Henry and Clare's points of view, this makes for a nice listening experience, as both characters literally have a voice of their own.

When all is said and done, The Time Traveler's Wife is an amazing book and comes highly recommended. ( )

This is a cracking book which could have been improved by a little judicious pruning. At three hundred pages, this would have been spot on, at five hundred and forty, it stretched a bit in the middle.
The concept; a man with a genetic problem that causes him to bounce back and forth in time, is original and ,fitting it into the novel, must have taken considerable mental exercise.
I would, however, question the blurb's proposition that this is a love story. Henry meets Clare as a six year old - he is thirty-six - and, through a series of meetings at different stages of her youth, persuades her that she loves him. Take away the time travelling concept, and this would more accurately take the appellation 'grooming'. Henry seems to control the entire relationship and, we learn of the fate of his girlfriend at the time at which he met Claire (Ingrid). She is ceremonially dumped and meets an unfortunate end. Henry maintains control to the very end: as he is dying, he tells Claire to live the rest of her life and not to waste it in mourning. He then tells her that he will visit her once more in her future. Naturally, she waits and, in her eighties in an old people's home, she is rewarded with a brief visit. Claire is pathetically grateful. ( )

What can I say that hasn't been said? Probably nothing, but here goes. A beautiful amazing book. I had a hard time not getting too caught up in the mechanics of time travel, as long as I could suspend my disbelief to go along with the story, I was fine. Amazing though, I highly recommend to anyone to read. ( )

First let me say that I have a tremendous fondness for Chicago novels. I'd go even farther and say that I'm a sucker if an author writes a book and I can recognize the locations all the way through. And when you mention Bookman's Alley AND the Newberry Library in the same book, how can I not like it? Sure, it's an odd mix of disturbing, sappy and unbelievable even for the fantastical, but it's also a really enjoyable read and quite a good love story. Because it's written in little vignettes, it almost feels like a collection of short stories, but I think the disconcerting moving around perfectly mirrors the disconcerting nature of a time traveler's life. ( )

very unique and imaginative. I loved it. ( )