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)

Interesting but . . .

After reading the summary and the reader's reviews, I thought it was going to be a very interesting and moving story. I thought the mix of sci-fi and love story was very clever. I think the writer tried to make the characters believable. Well, with any time-travel stories, there are several logical problems and paradoxes with time-traveling in the story, such as free will vs. determinism. Some of these illogical connections in the story made it difficult for me to follow the story.

I felt that many parts of the book were not much useful or helpful in developing the characters and plots. Much of them could have been left out, I think.

I did find the blending time-traveling with love story was very interesting. However if you are not very much into romance novels, this may not offer any deeper levels of relationships and life.

Great story!

This story keeps you hooked to see what happens next. Excellent narrators and I like the use of a male and female as the narrator. You cannot stop listening to the story.

Comparing the audiobook versions

First, the book is truly excellent and is highly recommended, whatever version you read/listen to.

Both the abridged & unabridged versions use two narrators, male & female, to read the different male & female sections of the book.

The earlier audio release was abridged, removing entire supporting characters and subplots -- a huge negative.

But the narrators for the first audiobook did a better job in my opinion. It could just be a situation where the first-heard readers are the ones I associate more with the characters, but I truly think they did an excellent job.

The unabridged version narrators did a good job, but they lack a certain spark or empathy with the characters that I felt with the abridged version narrators.

So take your pick. The book itself is definitely 5-star material. I just have slight issues with both audio versions.

Not one of my favorites

Would you try another book from Audrey Niffenegger and/or Fred Berman and Phoebe Strole ?

No

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Less bizarre

What three words best describe Fred Berman and Phoebe Strole ’s performance?

Ok

Was The Time Traveler's Wife worth the listening time?

Not really

Any additional comments?

After reading all the hype and comments about this book, I thought it would be fantastic. It wasn't. I found the story and the ending lacking depth.

A really well woven plot...

The premise of this book sounds confusing. Any book involving time travel has to be careful not to lose the reader. This book actually jumps all over in place and time, but somehow manages to slowly answer all your questions without handing you a boring 10 page dialog about how things work.

It was really enjoyable; however, if you have a hard time following books sometimes, it might be better to buy the written version.

Good Read but really different

I have listened to this book several times. It was difficult for me to wrap my brain around it. But I truly enjoyed it. I wanted to read/listen to the book before the movie. I still have questions about some aspects. Well written

Entertaining, clever, sentimental

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. One can criticize certain aspects of the novel: e.g. the paradoxes of time travel are glossed over; the relationship between Claire and Henry seems to be excessively centered on sex. But overall, I found it highly entertaining–a page turner. The narration by the 2 readers is decent.

Excellent book

This was a fascinating listen. Who are we as humans if we do not have our past and our future? Niffenegger offers an interesting theory in her character of Henry, opening up questions about the essence of time and morality. And she tells a good story to boot.

The narrators are fine, although clearly NOT from Chicago. As a Chicagoan myself, the constant mispronunciation of well-known restaurants, streets, suburbs and other locations drove me a little nuts.

I love sci-mance.

I loved the twilight series, and I love anything that combines science fiction and romance. This book was interesting, but revealed too much too soon. It was too much of a downer. Overshadowing was overbearing. Since I listen to these books to go to bed each night, I just thought it was too unhappy to spend my time on. Loved the concept, just not the execution.

Truly Amazing and Memorable

This book was an interesting read from the start as I was always guessing what would happen next. The time traveling is not as confusing as i thought it would be when i started, and the book itself is truly amazing. The emotions that this book evokes are powerful and irresistable, it can make you go from happy to sad in a matter of moments with the writers careful hand.

Overall the main character's are extremely well developed and by the end of the book you feel you know them so well that they are a part of yourself. The fact that the book reveals many things out of sequence always keeps you interested, and it was, at least to me, that one could never guess in which manner the next surprise will be.

Shocking, riviting, heart wrenching, arousing, and intriguing.

Truly an amazing read, wish there were more like it.