How were you affected by the novel's braided timeline? What is the effect of watching the characters' hopes and fears intertwine?

How were you affected by the novel's braided timeline? What is the effect of watching the characters' hopes and fears intertwine?

The braided timeline is something I've encountered more of recently. It appears to be a popular way of holding the reader in suspense.

The intertwining of stories is a popular format and I like it. I don't have any trouble keeping the timeline straight as I read. I enjoy the way the stories are mixed.

I didn't like the braided timeline at first. It was somewhat difficult to follow. It was fine when I got far enough into the book to realize who was who. One encountered the intertwined hopes and fears of each as the story progressed. There were more similarities than differences.

Like other respondents I feel it is a technique used somewhat frequently. However I find it confusing.

I think it was the best use of the braided timeline that I have read. Woods used it artistically.

For me this has become an overused concept, I am tired of it. I still feel that the modern story one did nothing for me at all. The connection was tenuous> Every time the story jumped to the present I couldn't wait to go back to the past!

Braided timelines do seem to be the technique du jour. Sometimes it's well done, others not so well. I agree with ruthiea that the present tense story didn't add much, if anything, to the book.

I enjoyed Woods' use of the braided timeline. I do agree that I have seen this technique used more frequently. The current time line with Gaelle showed that the power of "Remembrance" carried on into the future and was not lost in the past. It showed to me, that the mystical empowerment these women possessed continued and most likely would continue throughout time. This led me to believe that the story as well as the powers would continue on and may indeed continue to vary in presentation as time passes.

I like it, keeps the story line moving along.

I agree with gerrib that the use of the braided timeline foreshadowed a continuation of the power passed through Mother Abigail.
As for the braided timeline in a narrative novel, it reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut who said that "time is a river." We perceive our lives as linear, but, in fact, the past influences the present and our actions today will impact what happens tomorrow. All timelines are braided because we humans are intertwined in timeless emotions, heroic acts, and acts of thoughtless decision. In the "river" of time all things blend to create who we are and how we behave.

I liked the foreshadowing of the braided timeline in this book. Woods did use it to pad the story occasionally, but most of the foreshadowing worked. Unfortunately, too many authors use it just to pad the story.

"Braided Timelines" - Definitely Overused Technique lately, so much so that we have even found a name for it. When I started the novel, I was disappointed at yet another such storyline. But the author captured my imagination immediately and kept me engaged, unlike another more recent novel I reviewed for Book Browse which I found most annoying. It reminds me of t.v. shows nowadays. Nothing ever begins and ends in one episode. The details of the lives of every single character allow the drama to be protracted for years. Meanwhile, I lose interest in the main event. It's been going on since the days of Dallas (night time soap operas). I hope something new comes along soon. Maybe I'm just simple-minded. Or, could it be that publishers want longer novels and authors are combining several stories into one big tome? For example, I could have been satisfied with a more fleshed out novel about Margot and her sister Veronique. Or, maybe a story about Gaelle and Toya and their friendship, how it started and what kept it alive. Perhaps the idea of superpowers being passed between Mother Abigail and her adopted daughter Winter could have sustained us. When I read a book, I want to read one story, not four. I'd like to see one protagonist, one antagonist and a few interesting characters, not thirty. I want to like somebody best and somebody least. I guess I'm just old-fashioned. Give me the classics any day!

I have encountered the braided timeline previously in books I have read and did not see it as a problem.

I find that I like usually one time line or the other. This concept has become very - maybe overly - popular recently. When there are a multitude of characters this format can be confusing, but honed down or taking relevant time to introduce characters makes it more palatable. I agree it can add to overall suspense in the book, but used unwisely can just cause frustrations and cause many to end their agony and quit the book.

With all that said, I believe it takes a well written author to pull off a braided timeline. Many are able to do that successfully, others are not.

For me, Woods did an acceptable job. Seeing each characters most intimate thoughts and longings give you better control over the reading of the novel itself, along with a better understand of where the novel may end up. What each characters purpose is, balanced against all other characters, lets you project a path upon which to move the novel through time.