Probably Won’t Be a Next Time
This book covers interesting themes and is redundant. There are two parallel stories that I found confusing (perhaps because I picked the book up and put it down too many times). I got tired of the women calling the men “eejits” and “amadans” (Gaelic for “eejits”) and telling them to “shut yer gob”, which they did every couple of pages. People being told that they just weren’t looking at what was in front of them, they weren’t asking the right question or hearing what was being said - that got old, too. The concept of reincarnation is fascinating, and Fox’s explanation of the destruction wrought by non-believers in it rings true. I also like his premise that fiction and stories hold truths (because they are fluid and open to interpretation by the beholder) as opposed to written history, as in the driving force behind this story, for example – the journal – because it is dangerous and offers only the writer’s point of view. “Lie to illuminate the truth” – certainly something to consider. Fox’s take on the Celt’s strengths and weaknesses was entertaining (drinking often, using unpredictability and individuality to win wars). But the icing was his invitation to show up at Inchmore on December 9 – I wonder if he actually goes, and if anyone thinks they’re his Kate…actually, I really don’t want to know.
Rated of 5
by Marge V. (Merriam, KS)
I Hope There Won't Be a Next Time
I found this book to have been very difficult to get into. Once I DID get into it, I found the changes in characters and in time periods disconcerting. The Irish folks' speeches were confusing now, weren't they? (:)) I found the Americans fathers to be awful men and the Irish relatives to be just as bad because they wouldn't share vital information to the 2 main American characters (and, therefore, to us the readers) in the different time periods. It was a very hard read for me. I didn't hate the book, it COULD have been a better one than it was.
Rated of 5
by Ann O. (Kansas City, MO)
Not one of my favorites about "time travel"!
I really wanted to love this book and requested it because a review said it was in the same category as Time and Again and The Time Traveler's Wife, two books I loved and read more than once. How mistaken that reviewer was! It was nothing like those two classics. Keeping track of the two main characters (Sean and Michael) what they were all about and what they wanted to do as well as understanding the language was a struggle. I had to keep flipping back to find out who was the subject of the chapter I was reading. I had such high hopes for this book and am disappointed that it wasn't what I expected.
Rated of 5
by Cynthia C. (Peekskill, NY)
Disappointing time-travel novel
Comparisons to The Time Traveler's Wife made me anxious to read this novel. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into this story and was hard-pressed to finish it. I found switching between characters & time periods confusing and really didn't care for any of the characters. I thought the premise was good, but the execution was not.
Rated of 5
by Eloise F. (Poway, CA)
Not what I expected.
The Irish invited no sympathy: they were consistently argumentative, unpleasant, and dishonest. The Americans’ patience in the face of bizarre adventures wasn’t believable. The love story was shallow. It was too hard to read: too many names, characters and time periods, and the Irish accents were difficult (contrast Diana Gabaldon’s quite readable Scottish accents). If you are looking for time travel or historical fiction, look elsewhere. A reader more familiar with Irish history and the personality of the Irish might enjoy it more.
Rated of 5
by Suzanne R. (Nashville, TN)
No Next Time for me
I chose this book because the premise of time travel via journal to meet a heretofore unknown grandfather intrigued me. Unfortunately, the story did not grab me. It was confusing because of the similarity of the character's names, I had to keep flipping back and forth. Not a book I would recommend.
Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
read more
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
read more
Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
read more
U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth...
Full Story
of 5
by Molly B. (Longmont, CO)
of 5
by Marge V. (Merriam, KS)
