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The Time Traveler's Wife

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The Time Traveler's Wife

By: Audrey Niffenegger
Narrated by: Fred Berman, Phoebe Strole
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About this listen

 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. Classics Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Science Fiction Time Travel Heartfelt Romance

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)
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Most relevant  
I think I had half-watched this movie, and didn't rate it, so I downloaded the book with skepticism as it was a "daily deal", and I felt safe in the knowledge that if it was not to my taste, I could return it.

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by this story. It's made me want to revisit the movie to see how it compares now I've completed the book.

The story of Henry and Claire's love is beautifully told and despite some potential creepy age differences due to the time travel, it remains a love of purity and depth. The tale of it traverses time and emphasises the inevitability of their true love and destiny. That said, it's not a sappy love story, there's despair and tragedy, but also lots of fun, love and laughter. It's a story with characters that will stay with me for a long time, I was sad to finish it.

Despite some overly descriptive scenes of Claire's arts and crafts and Henry's tastes in music, the book is well written and moves along at a good pace. Its a thoroughly enjoyable listen and definitely recommended.

An unexpected delight

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Fantastic characters whose painfully brief love spans decades.
Detailed gen-x high upper middle class cultural placement, vivid descriptions of their surroundings and activities, with glorious food and sex throughout.

Spectacular Love Story

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Love the story and the performances are excellent .... very highly recommend this audio book A+++++

Absolutely love this book

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loved it. will read again and again. really enjoying the characters the story line how weird and cool it would be to time travel or know someone who does travel

I loved it. nice change to what I normally read

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I was hooked from the second I started listening. What a beautiful story. Highly recommend

Beautiful story

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This one has all the feels. Really well written and the two leads did a great job of this book. Thoroughly recommend

A beautiful story

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Great to be able to read the extended version to the movie. I was surprised how closely the movie followed the book. I would normally read the book first and then be disappointed by the movie but this way around worked much better for me

Lovely book

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This book is written so thoughtfully and I've always thought it was an art peice itself.
I read the hard copy every other year and decided to get the audio version.
Their performance doesn't disappoint.

A must read/listen

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One of my favourite books.
I loved the experience of enjoying it in audio format.
The narrators portrayed the characters beautifully.

Wonderful

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I was curious about the premise after seeing the movie.

It is a rich and engaging story. Beautifully narrated by a duo with talent.

Thank you

Elegant and engaging

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