"The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger book review

The Time Traveler's Wife is such a beautiful story! It's a favorite, that's for sure! Before I read this book I had already seen the movie, and, of course, movies are never as good as the books. Now that I have finished the book, I still think the book was better (of course), but the movie was pretty good too. =]

The characters in this book are interesting; each character has their own personality that is so believeable and real. Compared to other books I have read, the characters that Niffenegger created are very original. Clare is not a helpless or psycho-independent female, and Henry is not a prince perfect knight in shinning armor, he's just an agerage librarian who happens to be a time traveling sex-addict. Each character has their flaws (big and small) that make them believable, as though you'd expcet to see this person walking down the street.

I enjoyed the way the author told the story, how she switched between point-of-views. Also when telling this story, for obvious purposes, Niffenegger used a chronological time-line to help the reader understand where Henry is, whether it be past, present, or future. One thing I really like specifically was the way the author incorporated real events into the novel, such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Only a couple of things made me uncomfortable when reading this book. One BIG thing was the intimacy between Henry and Clare that Niffenegger wrote, and also the relationship between Gomez and Clare. Those couple of things irked me...but I suppose it was necessary in keeping the book original and believable.

Obviously, time was a theme in this book. Time and waiting. When I finished the book I began to think about Clare and how she is always waiting for Henry, even at the end. It made me wonder about myself. In a way, I can relate to Clare's waiting but in two different ways. As a girl she waited on Henry to visit her in the clearing, but she also waited on him to notice her, I suppose. That is something I can easily (>.<) relate to, haha. Heck, any girl can relate to that, waiting on that stupid boy to notice them. Also in the end, when Clare decided she'd still wait on Henry, it turned into a different kind of waiting. She knew he would come, she just didn't know when. That waiting is something I, and I'm sure others, can relate to, but maybe not in the same way. Clare knew Henry would come some day, but when, she wasn't sure. For a lot of girls, and even guys too, it's the same. A lot of people wait on "the one". They know he or she will come, but when they will come is unknown, so they simply wait. Clare is a different case because she knows Henry. O_o

All in all, this book was really good, it's a favorite (despite awkward moments), and maybe one day I'll re-read it....bahaha...recommended! :D