Reviews

I enjoyed reading this mostly because of the style and the depth of the characters. Also thought it was very well executed, the time travel didn’t make it feel like a wild sci fi book or anything, it managed to fit very naturally into what was otherwise just a normal world. There was nothing about the plot that completely blew me away, but a nice ending and just an enjoyable read

lita_tori's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

bookishneena's review against another edition

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5.0

oh this book was pure poetry - art, so subtle yet so powerful.
The family dynamics and family bonds, across oceans and time streams, love given and received in such bittersweet ways. Such an all-encompassing tender book, of loss, courage and the strength that can be found within it.

" And yet, when the object of your love has gone but the love remains,
what then?
How do you say goodbye to more than half your life?"

Tommy was such an interesting character to follow. I appreciated how raw and tumultuous his journey was - how he grappled with grief and pain, that sense of unmooring, of being lose and floating away, of wanting to do the right thing but being unable to show his vulnerability to those around him. His love for Peggy and Daisy, his sister, May and Chris. His inability to let go of Peggy, yet that sense of duty to stand by his family - I probably cried the most seeing how lost he was as the book progressed.

Overwhelmingly this was also a story of the complexity in family relationships. To love and appreciate family and all they do for you, to grieve when you lose them, to grieve who you were with them and how relationships change. How Tommy adored his parents and had that unresolved pain from all those years ago, but feared becoming his father, and the unforgiving phantom presence of his father's judgement on him. How this was an extension of Joshua's own confidence in himself built-up after a childhood of feeling inadequate under his own father. Lily loving her parents but wanting to be nothing like them.

Oh and the subtleties of the romance. The love Josh and Lily showed each other, in sharing the magic of travel together, in Peggy growing up with Tommy - unable to be with him outside of the constraints of time travel. May adoring Tommy so wholeheartedly and unreservedly, with Tommy torn between the two of them.

Reading the story of this family was such a moving experience and a pleasure. (I'm still crying).

note: if you don't like a lack of quotation marks for speech, this sadly falls into that!!! It can be confusing at times but try and stick it out <3

5 stars

veronicapex's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

wendyf's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

oftalone90's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A very poetic story, although I’m not sure there is a great deal of plot…. Stuff happens but it never really gets anywhere.

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