This is pretty well written, but not very illuminating. I don't really read much Bachelor news or spoilers, and I still didn't really learn much new hThis is pretty well written, but not very illuminating. I don't really read much Bachelor news or spoilers, and I still didn't really learn much new here....more
Received for free through Goodreads First Reads I have mixed feelings about this book. It's the very first 'chick-lit' I've ever read, and I did enjoy Received for free through Goodreads First Reads I have mixed feelings about this book. It's the very first 'chick-lit' I've ever read, and I did enjoy it more than I thought I would. Giffin keeps the story moving well and navigates its twists and turns without giving away too much ahead of time.
One thing I could particularly relate to was Rachel's relationship history. I've definitely missed opportunities because I was too shy, too scared, or deluding myself. I like that Rachel (eventually...) seizes this opportunity that she missed before, despite everything that's telling her not to - it's very redemptive.
I did feel, however, a little frustrated with Rachel. She did seem a little boring to me and I wasn't sure what Dex saw in her. Her personality was pretty flat and she had little drive. She was just too passive to be a fun character. Darcy is the absolute opposite of this, and I didn't understand why the two had remained friends so long.
I also think this book should have ended just a little sooner. After the climax, there's a chapter where Rachel is preparing dinner for her and Dex, cooking for the first time. The end of that chapter would have been a perfect ending.
On a side note, I can't believe the next book is from Darcy's perspective! I would not enjoy spending a whole novel in the mind of a character who seems to have no likable qualities.
Themes: friendship, relationships, New York City, love, marriage...more
This is a book with a gimmick that, to my amazement, managed to almost always be bigger than just that. For this, I credit Niffenegger's artful orderiThis is a book with a gimmick that, to my amazement, managed to almost always be bigger than just that. For this, I credit Niffenegger's artful ordering of the story and the fact that she created bold three-dimensional characters. If I could rate a 3.5, I would!
Towards the middle though, the book did drag - the reader already knows what is going to happen and the story was just marking time. For about 150 pages, I had much more fun considering the implications of Henry's style of time travel than I did reading the book.
What's most impressive in this book is that Niffenegger created this theme, managed to keep all the pieces organized, and made everything make sense without spending lots of time explaining the nuances of her theme.
However, I didn't find the meat of the story - the romance - very compelling. Clare's love for Henry is a child's crush because she knows they'll get married, and when Henry meets Clare in his present, it's just because she already knows they will marry. This is thought-provoking in a 'what came first, the chicken or the egg' sort of way, but loving someone because you know you're supposed to isn't very romantic.
If this story is about love, then it fails, but if it's about waiting and longing and determinism vs. free will, then it succeeds.
Themes: time travel, love, free will vs. determinism, waiting, longing, family, time ...more
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