I've read this book as a bookring. But I enjoyed it so much, that I had to buy it again for myself and for my Permanent Collection...

Here you can read my entry for the bookring

Now I read the book for the second time, really slowly and carefully. It's one of the books that get better with second reading, because a lot of things get clearer.

I especially like the first part, when Clare is a child and a teenager. The world is light and happy and there aren't a lot of sorrows. I also like the time when Clare and Henry meet in the present. At the beginning of their relationship everything looks great.

The middle part is much more sad. I feel deeply with Clare when she fights for her baby, when she just doesn't want to give up on hope. I feel very related to her, maybe because we're almost exactly the same age (she's a few months older than me, today I even read about June 12th 2005 which was just yesterday, almost a little spooky ;-) I'm very happy for her that they manage to have a child, especially one as lovely as Alba.

I still don't like the ending of the book. Everything is so sad. Henry's feet, Ingrid's death, Henry's death and the saddest of it all is that Clare has to wait for such a long time to see him again.

Anyway, I think the concept of the book is extremly clever and wonderful. It's really really a new idea, what a book to write, and as a first novel as well!

I'm looking forward very much to discussing this book on Thursday with the Bookgroup...

This will become a bookring now:

1. KatColorado
2. enitsirhc72 (Germany)
3. fairy1 (Germany)
4. Maenade (Germany)

5. -Baghira- (Germany) --> the book is here!

6. J-sama (Germany)
7. sintra (Germany)
8. weesisj (GB/Germany)


... und am Schluss wieder zu KatColorado ;-)

RELEASE NOTES:

Henry and Clare will travel together, for once to enitsirhc72 tomorrow. Don't lose each other and travel safely ;-)

The book arrived today. Thank you very much, Kat. I also like your Bookcrossing-Card. And of course the Schokostängelis. Thank you!!! I put dem immediately in the fridge, because it is too warm for chocolate and they are quite squashy.

I love this book. Thank you very much, KatColorado for this bookring. I will have to buy this book for my permanent collection, so I can read it again.

I especially enjoyed the beginnig, when Clare is a girl an Henry visits her. Henry is very confident and composed and Clare is a lovely girl, who has no problems and does not know about Henry's problems.

In the present, when Henry and Clare meet, has the situation changed. Henry knows nothing and Clare knows a lot. The beginning ist very sweet, but Clare soon learns, that this younger Henry is not so calm and confident. I liked the situation at the concert, when the older Henry reassures her that he will become the man she knows because of her.

The next years were very sad. Clare is about my age (she ist 1,5 years older) and I felt for her, when she wants this baby so much. I didn't believe, they could get a child, so it was a great relief for me.

The last part with Henry's feet, Henry's death (which I didn't quite understand) and Clare's suffering is even more sad. I'm not sure about Clare's waiting for Henry, if it is rather a hopeful waiting or a sad waiting.

Nevertheless I loved this book, it made me laugh and cry and I couldn't stop reading. I'm looking forward to a next book by Audrey Niffenegger.

I will send this book today to fairy1.

The book arrived a few days ago when I was on vacation.
Thank you! I'm looking forward to read it!

I really loved reading the book and that was a litte surprising because I actually don't like romance novels. But here in connection with the time travel aspect I really liked it.

I wanted to send the book now to J-sama but she doesn't answer to my pm!

edit: J-sama has now answered. She has at the moment no time to read the book so I'll send it to the next on the list.

The book is now travelling to Maenade!

Ist gestern angekommen. Vielen Dank!

Das Buch ist eines der schönsten und vor allem ergreifendsten der letzten Zeit. Hat mich sehr gefesselt und auch nach dem Auslesen den ganzen Tag nicht losgelassen. Schwer zu sagen, was konkret mich so angesprochen hat. Die Liebesgeschichte ist wunderschön, gerade weil auch die dunklen Seiten gezeigt werden. Allein der Mittelteil mit Clares Schwangerschaften und Missgeburten war mir zu lang und hätte für mich nicht zwingend in das Buch gehört.
Gerade die Tatsache, dass Henry und Clare sich auch am Ende ihres Lebens noch einmal begegnen hat mir gefallen oder vielleicht besser: getröstet. Genauso wie Henrys Besuche in Albas Zukunft. Gerade das lange Warten (das hoffentlich nicht nur Warten für Clare war) zeigt doch, wie gut die beiden ihre gemeinsame Zeit nutzten. Mehr Zeit in Clares Zukunft hätte weniger gemeinsame Zeit in der gemeinsamen Gegenwart bedeutet. Und das Wissen, dem geliebten Menschen noch einmal zu begegnen, ist wohl etwas, das sich jeder Mensch erhofft, der schon einmal eine wichtige Person verloren hat. Auch wenn es nur einmal ist. Und auch, wenn man dafür sehr lange warten muss.
Auch ich habe geweint und gelacht bei diesem Buch.
Vielen Dank KatColorado und fairy1!

Das Buch hat sich am 1.11. auf den Weg zu -Baghira- gemacht. Lisa-B hat das Buch schon gelesen und möchte deswegen nicht mehr beim Ring mitmachen.

Sorry for the delay (I was away for a longer weekend)! But the book arrived savely here and I will start reading soon.

The book is on its way to J-sama and now I have some time to finally make my journal-entry for it.

I really liked this book a lot, although (or maybe because ?)it was partly very sad. The idea of this way of time traveling is very fascinating althogh I think some things are a bit illogical in the concept of how the past/future can be influenced or not influenced: the idea is that Henry can't change the things because they already happenend but lots of things he is doing are influencing the future...and sometimes it's kind of a circular reasoning: he can visit Claire as a child because they are married in the future but they are only married because she knows him from her childhood on...Well, these kind of things made me think a lot during reading, but I like the story anyway!

Like most of the others who wrote here, I liked the beginning of the book (although the very beginning was a bit confusing, it took me some time to get into the way the story is told and to understand what is going on) and I liked the change in the roles when -after the long time where Henry is the one who knows about the future - they suddenly meet in the present and Clare has to tell him what will happen..

The middle part when they try to get a baby is very sad, I was really relieved when Alba was born and I like the time when she starts time traveling and meets Henry in the future. What is nice that there are so many things you got a hint about in the beginning of book and from time to time you disover more small parts of the puzzle until the story is complete -you really get the feeling how it is for Henry to understand the glimpses of is future life , and how he fully understands them the moment they "really" happen in hs present.

The end is even more sad and it's hard because there are so many sad things happening at the end of the book even though some happenend in fact long time before (like Ingrid's death). The thing with Henry's feet and his death is the saddest part, but is was very exciting how the details way of his death become more and more evident (again like parts of a puzzle)- but then I was also disappointed because and confused I didn't understand what really happenend now: How did he die? He was hit by some accidental shot (from Clare's father? or did he just found him?) and couldn't move away because of his missing feet?

I didn't like the very ending either. The idea that Clare and Henry have one final meeting when Clare is in their 80s is really nice and I agree to one of the former entries that more time in Clare's future would have meant less time in the present - but I didn't like the way her waiting was presented. I'm also not sure if it a hopeful or a sad wating but it seemed very sad to me..and this made me unhappy because this meeting will also be a very short one.

But, anyway altogether I really like this book - thanks a lot to KatColorado for this ring because I'm sure I wouldn't have discovered this book without it!

Bin gestern nach Hause gekommen und hab das Buch wohlbehalten auf meinem Schreibtisch gefunden. Wird gleich in meine Weihnachtsleseprogramm aufgenommen.

What a beautiful piece of writing!
Well I couldn't quite make it before or rather during christmas holidays but I finally started to catch up on all the bookrings I have around here at the moment.
Anways I finally read it and it was worth every single page. I must admit, the beginning was quite confusing but eventually everything fitted somehow. It was like a jigsaw puzzle. I even shed some tears at the end but all in all I believe it is an ending full of hope. Especially the fact that Clare meets Henry one last time, when she is an old lady.

I think I will read the book again some time, because that is the type of book you have to read more than once to fully grasp every single allusion to past, present and future.

The book will be on its way to sintra by Friday
Thank you for that nice bookring!

I just found the book in my letter box with a nice card from J-sama (it made me feel a wee bit nostalgic...*g*). Thank you very much!

Sorry about the delay! I honestly have no idea why I was under the impression that I had already sent this book on...

Spoilers ahead!
This one was a bit difficult for me to rate. I really thought it was a good read although I normally don't like stories about time travelling because very few of them really "work" for me. Even though Audrey Niffenegger can't escape the paradox, her novel is cleverly contructed and made me want to read it in one go. The language isn't grand but the shifting perspectives and time levels are interesting and create a bit of suspense, too.

My problem with this book, on the other hand, concerns the relation between the protagonists. I'm always surprised to read that so many people consider this novel the most romantic book they've ever read. I don't think it's romantic at all. Clare's whole life is determined by the notion that she and Henry are made for each other because his time travelling older self keeps visiting her from early childhood. She never really gets a chance to develop independently or to question the relationship later on because she's constantly waiting for things to come. She's waiting to meet Henry for the first time in his regular time line and doesn't seriously take any other man into consideration. When Henry doesn't turn out to be quite the man every woman dreams of, his older self goes back and tells her to wait for him to turn into the man she's known as a child - and she patiently waits. When their attempts to have a baby fail and their marriage is seriously put to the test, Henry's older self tells her about their daughter so all she has to do is wait and all things come to pass. And consequently she spends the rest of her life waiting for that one moment when she'll see Henry again even though for the first time he tells her not to wait (boy, that was a good one! If you really want her to stop waiting and get a new life why tell her about the last meeting at all?). For me that isn't romantic but utterly sad and in a way scary. Clare's life is centred around Henry because she's been conditioned all her life - there's no other way for me to put it.

There was one episode I particularly disliked. Some people in other reviews complained about the sex scenes which I didn't mind at all, with one exception. I can't exactly say why but I found the episode in which the older Henry comes back to sleep with Clare for the first time on her birthday rather unsettling. And I'm still surprised Clare didn't give destiny the finger after Henry's "don't worry, you'll be a real pro next time we meet"-comment... ;-)

Well, as I said I still quite enjoyed reading this novel. Thanks a lot for the bookring! I'll send it on as soon as I get weesisj's address.

Edit: Since weesisj has got the book herself now, the bookring will go back to KatColorado.