hollzmj's review against another edition
3.0
The book started well but about half way I was struggling to find the real and interesting story, rather than just a brief history lesson in each time period. by about half way I skipped major sections and then just read the last few pages.
thequeenofsheba3's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dinolil1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I absolutely loved this book. It was a fascinating exploration if different periods of time and I thought John was a great character
annashuk's review against another edition
4.0
"We are living on a frozen tears of our ancestors."
Well, this quote summes up a good chunk of the book for ya.
Trigger warning! for: abuse, multiple sexual assaults, violence.
Also, if a religious talk tires you up, be prepared. Cause Johnny-boy can deliver that to a great extent.
Wow.
I feel things.
And I don't know what to do with that at the moment...
Knowing at least a little about Mortimer's previous books, this work of historical fiction comes as no surprise. I haven't read any of his Time Traveller's guides, unfortunately ( I WILL!), but I can totally see - man knows his area.
This book was fascinating! A painful experience at times (Will's sexism and constant I-want-to-lay-with-that-gaaal comments and the triggering stuff mentioned above), yes, but still, I loved this book. It can be a Time traveller's guide to screwing things up and saving yourself and others in 24 hours through the ages (what a title it might be!) and you better not miss it.
Well, this quote summes up a good chunk of the book for ya.
Trigger warning! for: abuse, multiple sexual assaults, violence.
Also, if a religious talk tires you up, be prepared. Cause Johnny-boy can deliver that to a great extent.
Wow.
I feel things.
And I don't know what to do with that at the moment...
Knowing at least a little about Mortimer's previous books, this work of historical fiction comes as no surprise. I haven't read any of his Time Traveller's guides, unfortunately ( I WILL!), but I can totally see - man knows his area.
This book was fascinating! A painful experience at times (Will's sexism and constant I-want-to-lay-with-that-gaaal comments and the triggering stuff mentioned above), yes, but still, I loved this book. It can be a Time traveller's guide to screwing things up and saving yourself and others in 24 hours through the ages (what a title it might be!) and you better not miss it.
rileyzuckert's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leorejoanne's review against another edition
1.0
Very disappointed. This looked like such a promising book - two men from the middle ages, spending one day in each century, trying to save their souls. However, it was pretty much a fail for me. Although this book is aimed at adults, and grapples with adult themes (such as death, the meaning of a life, etc.), it reads like a children's book in its simplicity. I am all for historical fiction, and for lush, and detailed historical descriptions, but the historical descriptions in this book felt as if the author read a bunch of introductory texts about each of these periods, and simply put all of it in his book. There was no depth, the characters felt like cardboard, and the narrative was boring.
burritapal_1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Spoiler
In this historical novel, set in England of the 14th century, two brothers, John of Wrayment and William Beard (Wrayment, because that's where he's from, and Beard, because he has a beard, don't you know) are in the midst of the plague of the black Buboes. As scary as that image is envisioned in one's mind, here's an excerpt that makes the image even scarier:
"I am about to reply but I look ahead in the Gloom and see several carts parked near what appears to be an enormously long pit beside the road. It is about 400 ft long and 10 ft wide. It looks like the foundation trench for a new cathedral.
...
Then the stench rises, like the smell of a stagnant pond that has dried out with the deaths of the plants, weeds and many of the fish, frogs, eels and smaller creatures that live within its waters. But this is worse. This is the most terrible stink there is: the decaying flesh of a thousand men, women and children - a rotting smell that rides on the Blended air of their sore-encrusted bodies, of their excrement and urine, of their unclean clothes and of their death sweat."
A very religious man, this death scene causes John to question God's intention for humans. Visiting the cathedral where many of his Stone sculptures exist, John is addressed by a disembodied voice that sounds like his own. Is it God's voice? Is it the devil's voice? The Voice offers him a choice: to die almost immediately from the Black Plague, or to live for seven more days with the possible Redemption of his soul upon committing a good deed.
" 'the choice is yours, John, says the voice. You may stay here and return to your house, and spend the last 6 days with your wife and children. Or you may put yourself in my hands now. I will wipe the scars from your face and the swellings from your body. I will extinguish your fever. I will let you live your last six days in the distance of the future. 99 years shall pass before you will return to live the first of your remaining days. Another 99 years will pass before the second. 595 years will pass before your Sixth and final day, when I will come for you.' "
William is at first afraid and decides to stay there, but when John says he'll go for the 793 years, William says he can't be separated from him and goes along with John.
As that night comes to pass, they carefully choose where they sleep, as their time will be Advanced 99 years in the future, and this could be devastating. They creep into their other brother's barn, but when they wake the next day, 99 years in the future, everyone they ever knew is long dead. This is frightfully disorienting for them, As you can imagine.
They have problems with their clothes and their money sticking out, But as time keeps advancing, the author finds ways to get around these problems. William, the sexual predator of the two, seems to find this time travel a unique opportunity to Ogle and try to grab women.
The two are astounded at changes that come invented in the future, such as glass in windows, sugar, and clocks. John is meditative and worries about finding a chance to do a good deed. They get involved in a tin mine, when they are looking for work, in order to buy clothes. As they are standing in a group of their fellow workers...
"... one man extracts a small wooden comb from a pocket and starts dragging it through his hair, tugging at the knots, and wiping off the lights on his sleeve."
... and John finds out that his religion, the Catholic one, becomes illegal. He is sent to a workhouse where he finds out that children are born and brought up there, thus suffering a life of slavery.
At his second-to-last stop in time, 99 years before World War II, John is contemplating a dive into the river near his original home, to end his life, after his brother William is hung. A Good Samaritan saves his life and treats him very kindly. He's a cleric, but he has sensible opinions about religion.
" 'What do you think? I suspect I will go to purgatory. It is the length of time I must spend there that worries me.'
'John, there is no such place as purgatory. It's just an old Catholic superstition. No amount of prayer after your death can change the course of your soul.'
I look at him. But he smiles and says, 'who knows what the afterlife is like? Sometimes I think it is the biggest confidence trick in the history of the world. For 2,000 years we've been telling people what tortures are done to you in hell and never once have we explained exactly what is so attractive about heaven.' "
The author makes this father Harington character intelligent ahead of his time. The Catholic Church supposedly erased Purgatory in the year 2000, deciding that it no longer existed. LOL
The author does an entertaining job in this book, having John experience the totally disorienting effect of being bombed in Wartime England by the Germans, of hearing the music of the composer Mozart, of watching the play Dr Faustus, and encountering a toilet that flushes, which he can't figure out, and goes to pee on the side of the house.
cher_n_books's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - It was really good.
The man who has no knowledge of the past has no wisdom.
Such a fascinating synopsis and start to the book - A 14th century man contracts the plague and is visited by a supernatural being that explains his soul is currently destined to go to Hell. He has 7 days left to live; he can choose to live them out in his current time with his family, or spend each remaining day in a new century (plague-less), always 99 years in the future of his “yesterday” with the chance to redeem his soul.
The execution lost some of the luster and it was not the amazing 5 star read I was initially hopeful for. However, it was still engaging and enjoyable enough, even if it didn’t meet expectations.
-------------------------------------------
Favorite Quote: Of all the bad dreams, the worst is the one that could be true.
First Sentence: The first thing you need to understand is what it means to sell your soul.
The man who has no knowledge of the past has no wisdom.
Such a fascinating synopsis and start to the book - A 14th century man contracts the plague and is visited by a supernatural being that explains his soul is currently destined to go to Hell. He has 7 days left to live; he can choose to live them out in his current time with his family, or spend each remaining day in a new century (plague-less), always 99 years in the future of his “yesterday” with the chance to redeem his soul.
The execution lost some of the luster and it was not the amazing 5 star read I was initially hopeful for. However, it was still engaging and enjoyable enough, even if it didn’t meet expectations.
-------------------------------------------
Favorite Quote: Of all the bad dreams, the worst is the one that could be true.
First Sentence: The first thing you need to understand is what it means to sell your soul.
thegloomth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0