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)

Beautifully Constructed Novel!

I truly enjoyed this book. Usually I like to read books before I go see them in the theater, but it just didn't work out that way this time. I was hesitant about listening to the book because the movie was good but I wasn't sure if the book was going to live up to all of its hype. I really believe now that I have finished the book that this book among all others that I read in 2009 will most certainly come to stand the test of time and be considered a classic someday. My amazement and appreciation of this book comes from the mere beauty of the writing. The book had action, romance, drama, and at times poetry. All of it was intricately intertwined in a way that was breathtaking at times. The audio book was recorded with two different narrators: one for Henry and one for Claire. This made for a great listen and really helped to draw me into the story so that I could understand what everyone was feeling in the story.

If you are considering this book, then I highly recommend that you listen to the audiobook so that you can experience the story in the same way that I was able to.

I'd give it a 10 if I could

I absolutely loved this book! Humorous and sad and compelling and suspenseful and just about every adjective I can think of all at once. The story was unlike anything I'd ever read before. It sucked me in from the very first moment and didn't let go until the very end. I listened to the audio book, and at times I found myself wishing I'd bought the book so that I could actually savor the words on the page. I might still buy the book, even though I've already heard the audio. Kudos to William Hope and Laurel Lefkow who read the book on the audio I listened to, and who really brought the book to life for me.

If I have any criticism at all it's that at times I felt a bit bogged down by the little details, but at the same time, I was fascinated by Niffenegger's attention to the details, so, it turned own not to be such a negative. I am in awe of Niffenegger"s writing skills.

I'm now waiting for the movie with anticipation and dread....I'm really anxious to see how it plays out on the big screen, but hesitant because it could turn out to be completely awful. Anyway...I highly recommend this one. Five stars...wish I could give it Ten.

More than just a gimmick - Very enjoyable

I adored this book and got caught up in the characters and their complexity. What I most liked about the book is that they took an interesting concept - time traveling - and wove a great story around it. It was a robust and complicated story that would not have worked without the time travel concept and also went well beyond that. I found all of the characters including the supporting ones to be imperfect, intriguing and real. I wanted to know more about each one of them. Finally Niffenegger uses just the right amount of foreshadowing in her book. The readers were delightful. It may be easier to listen to versus read as the narrators give you vocal cues to anchor the story.

Good Book

This book had a great plot and just a good story. My regret is foul language used in it. The story line would have been just as good without the language being so terrible. Short of that, it was a great read.

Amazing !!!!!!

This is the best love story i have ever heard. I loved it and i couldn't stop listening to it.
Might even be better the then "The Note Book".

well devolopef, believable magical realism.

Artistically rendered. Wonderful characters. long but worth the listen. excellent narrators. As a papermaker, extra engaging.

Trying to keep all those dates straight

Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife is a love story across time where one partner is not quite grounded in time. Henry suffers from a genetic condition that causes him to periodically transition to another time, usually tangentially related to his life (in terms of places and significant events). As such, he meets and interacts with his future wife when she was a child (as young as 6) as well as travelling forward in time. When he travels, he arrives naked; no physical objects can go with him. As such, he has learned lock picking, shoplifting, and fisticuffs to survive. The story relates the tale of Henry and his partner Clare as they mature into a relationship that is able to transcend whatever time they find.

The time traveling basis is rooted in a genetic anomaly related to circadian rhythms and eventually, the biological basis for this disorder becomes understood. At the same time, there is an impact on his immune system that causes premature aging as well as conception and pregnancy issues. The real heart of the tale is a love story where each partner interacts asymmetrically in terms of their age and maturity: Clare as a child with an older Henry and Henry younger than a mature and older Clare. The story is both engaging and touching.

The narration is handled by two narrators, taking Henry's and Clare's perspectives. Each offers reasonable character distinction and pacing is well aligned with the casual tone of the tale.

Well done but weird

There is really no plot to this book. It is a voyeristic view into the life of Henry (an unwilling, uncontrolled time traveler) and his wife, Claire. The story ranges from when Claire is 6 to 86 (ish) and Henry is mostly from 25-43. The story unfolds in an interesting way, not told in a linear fashion, and is woven together well, but it is sort of pointless and odd. The book was well written & the narrators did a good job, but I can’t say I actually liked the book.

Good but not good

The narrators were fantastic! The story itself is a little difficult to follow in audio format due to the constantly jumping timeline. I think I might have to go back a read this one.

Great read!

My sister had given me this book a while back. I started but just couldn't get into it. I decided to get the audiobook instead. I'm so glad I did! The performances were outstanding. The book is really brought to life.