The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (2004, Paperback, Reprint, Reissue)

An exhilirating, deeply touching book that will draw you in and won't let go. It's a unique tale about Henry and Clare, whose unusual meeting paves way for a highly romantic and unforgettable story about life and love.

Clare first meets Henry when she is six and he, thirty-six, but the first time Henry meets Clare is when he is twenty-eight and she is twenty. The story interweaves the notion of time-travel and uses it as a tool to make a truly memorable story of love. Both Henry and Clare are bound together by knowing that they are meant to be. They feel for each other, but it is intensified by them knowing that their future is there and it is all planned out. The books narrates the story of their lives as told by Henry and Clare, taking turns in telling their story - giving their own point of view of different events in their life. Though the story jumps timelines, from Henry and Clare's first meeting, their own childhood and married lives, to Henry's visits to the past and the future, it comes out as seamless, following the progression of their relationship from beginning to end.

Though basically a love story, it gives you more than just romance (though the romantic aspect of it alone is enough for a truly good read ) - it tackles the aspects of family, marriage and friendships - as well as a philosophical view of life and meaning. Henry, being a time-traveler is plagued by knowing events that will pass, but is unable to change them despite his ability to be able to time travel. Causation, from his experience - runs forward. He can't change what is about to happen when he is in the past - as it already has happened. The only reason why he goes to the past is that he already has and it contributes to the future. Though he feels trapped knowing a future that he cannot change - he partly accepts this and at times is relieved, knowing that his future will not change, especially with the knowledge that Clare will always be there.

I highly recommend this book, as it really gives a nice twist to your usual story of romance and love - which is executed quite well. It is endearing and heartwarming and you'll fall in love with the story, and the characters, whom you'll feel very close to. Heartbreaking but truly excellent, once you've , finished reading, you'll find yourself wanting to read parts of the book again and again. Had we world enough and time, we'd enjoy moments like what Henry and Clare had shared.

I read this book in a day, as part of a newly founded book club novel. I had seen this novel in the local book stores and picked it up, thinking it sounded like a great read, but never got around to it. I finally did read it -- in a day -- and it is one of best novels I have recently read.

The story is about two people and their nontraditional love story, but about their love that transcends time - past, present, and future, and even death. I knew halfway end that the novel would end sadly; I had a feeling. Niffenegger makes Henry and Clare so likable and easy to relate to in regards to normal couple interactions. She even makes the time travel seem plausible, describing it as a genetic defect.

Love stories are a dime a dozen; however, this one is different. My test of how good a love story is by how much emotion it evokes from me, whether it ends sadly or not. That's the key. This novel, is brilliantly written. How did it evoke my emotions? Suffice it to say that I couldn't stop crying for a good hour or so. THEN I recently read the last 100 pages again and I cried all over again.

Love that transcends everything. That's the kind of love I want.

As a rule, I eschew fiction that is not reality based but this book was recommended to me by several people and I knew that it is set in Chicago. (I live in Chicago.) Also, I find the concept of time travel fascinating. So I bought it.

At first I found the book a bit confusing but soon enough caught onto what was happening as far as the time travel was concerned. The author tells the story from the separate points of view of the two main characters, each alternating section clearly labeled as to the narrator.

Ms. Niffenegger is a master of her craft. The characters are well and richly drawn. The main characters are complex and sympathetic and I found all of the characters believable and interesting. She is a masterful storyteller - suspense builds as the reader is given a clue to the ending of a situation and then the story leading up to the resolution evolves.

This is, essentially, a love story. Yet, it is not, by any means, a "chick book." Time Traveler's Wife will introduce the reader to some mind-bending possibilities and fascinating people - and throw a Chicago "sense of place" into the bargain. I highly recommend this book.

Some people just don't get this book, and that's OK. But for those who prefer "brain candy" instead of the everyday humdrum novel, this book is a rare find.

Reminiscent of Richard Matheson's "Somewhere in Time," we follow the relationship of two somewhat ordinary people. One of them, Henry, happens to be an involuntary time traveler. During his adult years, he travels back to his wife's past, meeting her in person when she is only 5 years old.

The stage is beautifully set for a complex, emotionally charged lifetime romance. By the end of the book, I felt like Henry and Clare were real people. The author even made me feel as though time travel was entirely possible.

If you enjoy reading about the emotions of an extraordinary relationship, while having your brain buzzed at the same time, this book is definitely for you!

The debut novel by American author Audrey Niffenegger, published in 2003. It is a love story about a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel unpredictably, and about his wife, an artist, who has to cope with his frequent absences and dangerous experiences. Niffenegger, frustrated in love when she began the work, wrote the story as a metaphor for her failed relationships. The tale's central relationship came to her suddenly and subsequently supplied the novel's title. The novel, which has been classified as both science fiction and romance, examines issues of love, loss, and free will. In particular, it uses time travel to explore miscommunication and distance in relationships, while also investigating deeper existential questions.