The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

When Henry first saw Clare, he thought she was beautiful and captivating. Clare on the other hand was astonished to see Henry looking so young. 'The Time Traveler's Wife' follows the story of Clare and Henry. Henry has a rare disorder which means that he inadvertently time travels. When he does he just disappears to a random point in the past or the future (usually within 50 years either way). When he goes he can take nothing with him, including clothes. Henry must learn how to survive his condition and the perils associated with it. Clare must learn to love Henry, despite never knowing if she will wake up beside him in the morning and the side effects of Henry's condition. Is it really possible to happy as the time traveler's wife?

Its hard to sum up what this book is about in an interesting way without giving too much away. The concept is simple, Henry time travels. Unlike H G Well's time machine inventor, or Marty McFly, Henry can't take anything with him and has no control over where or when he goes. It's a good twist to what might otherwise be another time travel story. Henry must survive his condition anyway he can and so you end up with amusing scenarios when he's teaching a younger version of himself to pick pocket or he ends up in fight because he's managed to steal some very unusual clothing. Added to this mix is Clare, who is head over heels in love with Henry and some how manages to put up with the bizarre events as they unfold. It was a good book, well written, and tugged at the heart strings.

I think it's a good book on the imperfections of relationships. Nothing is perfect, least of all love. Niffenegger manages to illustrate this in numerous ways and shows that even the best relationships have their crosses to bare. For Clare and Henry this is coping with the unpredictability of his condition and Clare's desperation for a child which Henry does not necessarily share 100%. Each of them is able to reach some level of understanding about the other to cope though. Clare accepts to an extent Henry's condition and lives with it, while Henry is able to see what it means to Clare to have a child (and ultimately helps her to do so).

Any book that involves moving backwards and forwards in time and space at random is going to have a difficult job keeping their audience from total confusion. This has to be one of the best efforts I've read though. Yes, there is always a small element of confusion, but I feel it adds something to the book. It echoes the confusion of the characters at various points (e.g. Henry when he *first* meets Clare when he's 28, Clare's confusion at times in her youth about Henry, various members of Clare's family feeling like they've seen Henry before, Gomez's confusion over seeing Clare and Henry together when he's supposedly dating someone else etc etc). Yet for the most part you could still follow the storyline.

It is a very cleverly crafted book, with characters with depth and enough imperfections to keep them interesting. Even Alba sounds slightly pretentious when we meet her at the age of 10. It's what keeps the story real. No angels and no devils. It makes the characters feel like real people, even goody-two-shoes Clare has her faults.

It's definitely worth picking up and trying.

*4 stars*

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

The Birth of Venus tells the tale of a bright young teenager from a good Florence family during the 15th century. It is a story of love, relationships, politics and survival. The central character is female and as such it does focus on a woman's life in the 15th century. It is a really powerful story with twists and turns and beautifully told.

It's hard to describe this book as I don't want to give too much away. Suffice to say it's not normally the sort of book I would read as I'm not very good at books with incredible depth. I'm also not overly fond of books that are overly feminine. I realise this sounds odd as anyone who has read this blog will know one of my favourite books was 'Empress Orchid' by Anchee Min. I do enjoy reading about strong women in a male dominated society but I dislike books that are solely about love, sex and relationships. I don't know why this is but there you go. There is a certain amount about love and sex and relationships in this book but the way it was written alleviated any annoyance I might have felt.

I read this book because it is the book we're reading at the Book Club I've joined. I'd been told by one of my fellow members that I was really going to enjoy this book when she stopped me a few weeks ago to chat about it.

The book deals with the issues of a young girl with very little knowledge of the world beyond her books being thrust into the wide world. In an age where women who were avid readers were frowned upon and painting was also seen as an occupation not fit for ladies this girl has to learn how to express herself within the confines of society. It is a story about a girl, who despite everything, still manages to keep finding ways to be herself and be free. It is also a tale of a dysfunctional family set against the backdrop of political upheaval.

I would recommend anyone try this book. Don't let the strange prologue put you off. As you might expect all does not become clear until the final chapters.

*4 stars*