The Time Traveler's Wife

By: Audrey Niffenegger

Narrated by: Fred Berman, Phoebe Strole

Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Clare and Henry have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was 36. They were married when Clare was 23 and Henry was 31. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

Clare and Henry's story unfolds from both points of view, depicting the effects of time travel on their marriage and their passionate love for each other. They attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals: steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

©2003 Audrey Niffenegger; 2005 HighBridge Company (P)2003 BBC Audiobooks Ltd.

Critic reviews

• Alex Award Winner, 2004

"Highly original first novel....Niffenegger has written a soaring love story illuminated by dozens of finely observed details and scenes....It is a fair tribute to her skill and sensibility to say that the book leaves a reader with the impression of life's riches and strangeness rather than of easy thrills." (Publishers Weekly)

Unique and enjoyable

I think everyone dreams of time travel.....what if this were happening all around us, great book to get lost in.

Good enough

This kept my interest, but wasn't life changing. The narration seemed very Young Adult - probably my biggest issue with it, especially regarding the girl's voice. I suppose she had several ages to span, but I felt it cheapened the book. Overall, good enough though. Glad I read it. This book was good because of its different idea/format. It's almost like a mystery novel because you wait for parts to reveal themselves. I felt the characters were somewhat flat though. Didn't move me, even at "emotional" scenes which makes it very fluffy to me. Wouldn't highly recommend it, except maybe to my friends who do like many fluff novels and get sappy over just about everything.

My Favorite book (I think) ever

The tactile experience of having this book read to me is unsurpassed in my experience. I did not want it to end - ever.

Fantastic book!

This is one of those rare cases when the book and the movie are both equally good, just different. I saw the movie several years ago, and did not know there was a book behind it. I loved the movie, and expected the book to be just a little bit more detailed and better, as books usually are. This book seems to tell a different story, although it’s the same plot, just more details and different events. It’s a fantastic book, and doesn’t diminish the value of the movie either. It’s well written, and makes you want to read it all the way through with almost no interruption. The narrators also do an excellent job of conveying the characters.

Loved it!!!

Best story to listen to as my first audible book.I read this book before and listening to it made he story awesome.

Wonderful depth of character's

It started a little ho-hum but wow, as the story unfolds s I was enthralled. I enjoyed the writer’s character development and depth and the narration was well paced and toned. Although the story’s time line varies, significantly back and forth in time it is not difficult to follow. I highly recommended this book; it has much more depth and emotion than the movie ever could have possibly touched.

Great book!

Highly recommend if you're looking for a really great book, loved it! Narrators did a good job too.

Very touching.

Really good. I wonder if there will be sequels. loved it. one of my favorites.

Interesting, but far too long.

Any additional comments?

Interesting premise, good narration, and while difficult to follow the time line (for obvious reasons), very entertaining. That is, until I got to about half way through the second part. It really started to drag. I so wanted the author to end Henry and Claire's misery. When it FINALLY did end, the way it ended was so disappointing. It's not my place as a reader to dictate the final bow, and it's not that I mind being left wondering a bit. It's that this grand tale deserved a rich ending. That just didn't happen.

No time traveler here

Interesting book and story but not a SciFi book of time travel but a story of a person and family who suffers from/with epilepsy and schizophrenia. The story just incorporates the time travel mechanism to describe the effects of epilepsy and schizophrenia on the main character and his wife, family and friends. Still interesting if you pick up on this fact