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)

lovely

a compelling exploration of relationships and mortality. the time traveling character offers a unique opportunity to explore relationships and emotions more naturally, in a way that doesn't obey temporal laws. it was a thought provoking book, and week read.

Such differing responses to this book

There’s a word for this book—interminable. It’s far, far longer than it needs to be. I finished it; but when I still had TEN HOURS left, I couldn’t believe it wasn’t nearly over. Perhaps I should have just moved on but I persevered. I have rarely failed to finish a book so I listened to the end. I can’t say there was a reward for that. Lots of people love this book and lots of people sincerely dislike it. I think I would call myself ambivalent. I won’t say don’t read it; you may be one of the persons who loves it.

Brilliant novel, so-so narration

I loved the premise of this novel, and Niffenegger does a masterful job of creating time-traveling "rules" that stay consistent throughout. Even when we're pretty sure how things are going to end, I was riveted to the narrative to find out how all the pieces fit together. Thankfully, Clare and Henry had their own narrators, which really helped keep everything straight. My only complaint (thus the 4 stars) is with performances of the readers. They weren't terrible - far from it - but William Hope particularly seemed to lack a spark (surprising, given the number of high profile books he's narrated). Also, they both made some odd pronunciation choices in a few places. But overall I found this to be an excellent audiobook, well worth "reading" to the very end!

A compelling mind-bender

The Time Traveler’s Wife is a mind-bending love story that keeps the listener happily suspended somewhere between the past, present and future. It took a little while to orient myself, but once I understood the mechanics of time-shifting, I was able to give myself over to this compelling narrative technique. Ultimately, that's what the time traveling boils down to – a narrative device to tell the love story of Clare and Henry, who, with the exception of Henry’s unusual "disease", are an ordinary couple, faced with normal life challenges. The story is capably narrated by Maggi Reed and Christopher Burns, and the overall experience is solid. If you’re in the mood for a well-told, mind-trippy love story, this is a good one to try out.

Give it a chance. It grows on you!

I wasn't sure at first if I would enjoy this book, but LOVED it by?the end.

Love

Loved this book! Narrators were great. Kept me entertained to and from work 5 days a week.

Long but worth it.

Made me cry at the end. Full of very good characters. Narrators do a great job with the voices for the cast of characters portrayed.

Wonderful story, exceptional narration!

Why did I wait so long to experience this beautiful story? I am truly moved.

I am very glad I never saw the movie and did not have any preconception of the story,

Interesting love story

Would you consider the audio edition of The Time Traveler's Wife to be better than the print version?

I think each version compliments the other.

What did you like best about this story?

I'm a sucker for love story and am fascinated with time travel stories.

Have you listened to any of Fred Berman and Phoebe Strole ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Don't know if I have or not.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Female voice just didn't seem right for character but she wasn't horrible and didn't take away from story.

Any additional comments?

I liked this story enough to want to listen to story after I read it. Unique.

wonderful book & excellent narration

This was a wonderful book and had excellent narration. I loved the book because the characters were so captivating, very likable but also real, not perfect. The writing is quite beautiful at times and the romance and relationship between the two main characters is wonderful. It is very creative and innovative with, as I said, excellent writing, and although sad at times, extremely readable. The narrators are exquisite, really wonderful too. I have listened to this book three times and enjoyed it each time (this is the only audiobook I have ever listened to more than once). I highly recommend it.