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)

Break out your tissues!!

Any additional comments?

I LOVED this book. The timeframes could be a little confusing at first, but once you sort it out its smooth sailing. One of the sweetest and heartbreaking stories I've listened to.

Great story, great narration

Great story, at first is kind of messy as all the plots are upside down (just as the written book) but the two narrators makes it easy to listen and to follow once you get use to the leaps in time and in characters. Story is touching and romantic with an erotic touch. If you saw the movie you will surely love this audibook as it is by far more dramatic and crude.

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,