The Ministry of Time

A Novel

By: Kaliane Bradley

Narrated by: George Weightman, Katie Leung

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • “This summer’s hottest debut.”—Cosmopolitan • “Witty, sexy escapist fiction [that] packs a substantial punch...It’s a smart, gripping work that’s also a feast for the senses...Fresh and thrilling.”—Los Angeles Times • “Electric...I loved every second.”—Emily Henry

A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.

©2024 Kaliane Bradley (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Poetic but boring

The story doesn’t ever take off despite wading through many chapters. Advertised as funny and romantic, but actually depressing.

Lots of fun, B-plus light entertainment

I listened while doing sudoku or the easier NYTimes puzzles. Neither alone engages my full attention, but they were a great combination. The characters are interesting and well-drawn enough to be engaging, and the plot is pretty well done. I was sorry to be finished. Thought-provoking in the end. Very satisfying read, if you're someone who doesn't have the energy or patience for actual great literature.

Horrible narration

For months, I had eagerly awaited this novel. Perhaps, I would have enjoyed it more had I read the physical book vs. listened to the audiobook. Both narrators voices are pleasant enough, but the pauses the female narrator takes are overly long and extremely distracting to the flow. I should have returned it for my credit, however I struggled thru.

Not enough

There was so much more I wanted and think could have been done with this story. Not enough character development. Touched on too many things but not deep enough. The female lead was a bore.

Hard to follow the story line

I did not like this it was hard to follow and understand the point of the story