Well written but still deeply flawed, 6. April 2008

I can normally make up my mind about a book fairly quickly but I struggled over this one. On one hand, it is a compelling piece of writing that sucks you in. On the other hand, it's a long winded slab of a book (536 pages) that has so many confusing twists and turns that you give up very quickly trying to make sense of it all.I think the main problem I have with it is that there is no central plot driving it forward. To me, it all seems to be a mish-mash of little stories all strung together. There's no one driving force propelling you forward. There's no one central mission that the characters have to accomplish. Yes, they're trying to stop the time travelling and have a baby but you get the feeling that it's not really their primary objective. It's not what they're really desperate to do. It's more like a sideline. He goes to the library during the day, she makes paper things and at night they try for a baby. In between, he goes time travelling.But despite all this, you feel compelled to keep reading to see what happens - and that's because the book is well written, the characters are well developed and those "little stories" are fun to read. But the lack of that "central plot" still deeply irritated me.I heard there's a movie coming out later this year with Eric Bana. I don't know what to make of that. I don't even know if I'll go to see it. Perhaps.

       Geht tief ins Herz, 8. November 2007

Dieser außergewöhnliche Roman hat mich tagelang mitgenommen. Habe zuerst die dt. Ausgabe gelesen, die übrigens wirklich schön übersetzt ist. Auf Englisch kommen natürlich die so typisch american jokes viel schärfer zur Geltung. Daher bitte unbedingt die originale Ausgabe lesen. Die Schimpfwörter klingen nicht mehr so steif wie auf deutsch. Die Autorin hat auch einen sehr eigenen schön klingenden Schreibstil... ich bin hin und weg. Auch wenn mich ein paar Kapitel nicht wirklich überzeugen, gebe ich dem Buch 5 Sterne, weil es mich so berührt hat wie lange nicht mehr.Dieses Buch tut weh, auch wenn man mitten in den Schmerzen lächeln muss.

       ....heart wrenching., 7. Mai 2007

I just finished this book. I had 200 pages to go and just had to read it in one sitting. The whole way through the book offeres humour and sience fiction and romance, all really that I love. Towards the end the couple's love is put on various trials and comes to a (maybe too) devastating end. I'm male, 17, but this book had me criying, putting it down, catching my breath and soldiering on. Had the book not ended in the way it did, it would probably not have had the same impact on me. That is how I justify the somewhat mortifying ending. Beautiful, but I could only face rading it once and maybe again in years to come....truely beautiful.

      interesting, but annoying, 27. Februar 2007

I just finished this book and have VERY mixed feelings about it. The plot in itself is interesting, but I found that I was annoyed throughout some of the book - especially towards the end. If it were a little shorter and just a tad less tragic (the episode in the parking garage could be left out), I might be less critical. It is impressive that it is the author's first novel and I would read another work from Ms. Niffenegger. However I will not recommend this book to anyone.

       A short note, 4. Oktober 2006

I think the story has been reviewed enough. I just want to say that this is the FIRST book that I have read more than once in years. I'm reading it for the third time (slowly) and enjoying it more than ever. This has to be the best read I have been offered...ever! Don't miss it!