Journal Entry 1 by Semming from Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Tuesday, August 16, 2005

PERMANENT COLLECTION

Back Cover:
"This is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. In the face of this force they can neither prevent nor control, Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable."

I truly enjoyed this book and wait anxiously for Niffenegger's next book. Somebody said that it seems as if the author had written the story, then clipped it to pieces to create this book. :) I can understand this reaction, but personally I'd say that Niffenegger has done well in balancing the tricky subject of time travel. This is a sweet and interesting story, a very good read. 

Journal Entry 2 by Semming from Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Saturday, February 11, 2006

Journal Entry 3 by Annelis from Kerava, Uusimaa Finland on Tuesday, March 07, 2006

I got the book today at the meet-up Helsinki. I have been wanting to read this for a long time. Now it is possible! thank you, Semming! 

Journal Entry 4 by Annelis from Kerava, Uusimaa Finland on Monday, May 01, 2006

I was taken away to time travelling by this book and forgot to do anything else during the Labour Day Weekend. I was a little confused at the beginning but Niffenegger was handling the things with skill. I was expecting by the title a story about somebody who is in charge of his time travelling and going where ever he will. As a child I loved books like that.
Well, maybe I had better not to say more so I don't spoil anything for future readers of this book.
On the cover it says "Here's the next The Lovely Bones", but in my opinion you can't even talk of these two books on the same day. This book is so much better! 

Journal Entry 5 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Friday, May 05, 2006

I'm glad semming said there was no rush with this... because in the mailbox today I found this AND another ring book (The Eyre Affair)! But I'll try to get this read and moved on within the next three weeks. If there's any need to give it more priority, just drop me a PM! 

Journal Entry 6 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Sunday, May 21, 2006

Simply marvellous! I could barely stop thinking about this while I was reading it. I would stop for lunch, for example, but then stare out the window while I ate, pondering on the lives of Henry and Clare.

The book touches on subjects that are a little like science fiction (time travel), and has hints of philosophical questions about the nature of free will: Do we really choose who we fall in love with? Is there one “Mr Right” (or “Ms Right”) for any/some/all of us?

However, this is not a science fiction book, and it is not a philosophical novel – although those are things I thought about while staring out the window, physically in Joensuu but mentally in Chicago with Clare... Mostly, the book is a love story, an account of Henry and Clare’s wholehearted acceptance of eachother. It is well-written; at first I felt a tension between wanting to read quickly (to keep the ring moving) versus wanting to savor the experience by reading slowly. But then I got caught up in needing to know what would happen “next”.

Like Annelis, I don’t want to ruin the anyone else’s experience of the book by saying too much. But I can’t resist writing a little more – I’ll put it in white (select with your mouse to read it): I was disappointed by the end. Did Clare really shrivel up after Henry died, like Henry’s father did when his wife died? What does she mean that she is “vanishing”? I tried to read that passage in her studio to mean that she was returning to her art... but then when her elderly life just seemed merely to be a waiting for Henry’s final visit... That didn’t seem beautiful anymore, but rather dreadful.

In the middle of the novel she “secretly” admits that sometimes when Henry is gone she enjoys being alone and doing her own thing. I would like to think that she eventually finished grieving for Henry and achieved some of that independent feeling again. I thought at first, “Why didn’t Niffenegger show us any of that?” but then realized that usually we were only shown those scenes that both Henry and Clare experienced, or at least that they told eachother about. But what happened when they met at the end? Just I take her into my arms? Did they have time to talk? I was so frustrated! But I did think it was an amazingly beautiful, and surprisingly believable, relationship. A marvellous, marvellous book.

Thank you Semming and Annelis for passing this on. I have written to ask for Oikku's address. My husband wants to read this too, but since I don’t want to keep a ring book for too long (and because I know I will want to re-read this again) I told him we should buy our own copy! 

Journal Entry 7 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Wednesday, May 24, 2006

I got Oikku's address, but I have to go away again for a couple of days and it looks like I won't make it to the post office before I go. Sorry about that! I'll plan to post the book on Monday.

EDIT (13/6): Readers might be interested in this discussion thread from the forum: http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/6/3588778. It includes links to journal entries for two other copies of this book, and I included a link to this page. 

Journal Entry 8 by Oikku from Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo Finland on Wednesday, June 14, 2006

What more can I say? It was a fascinating book, an extraordinary story of a "chrono-displaced-person" and his life. I really enjoyed reading this one!

Ready to pass the book on to Elina in Oulu. 

Journal Entry 9 by ruzena from Vantaa, Uusimaa Finland on Monday, June 26, 2006

To Elina in Oulu? No time-travelling but a controlled change of route: the book did come to me first, and Elina will be the next. She will not be in Finland until August 20 - good for my TBR efforts...
Thank you Oikku! 

Journal Entry 10 by ruzena from Vantaa, Uusimaa Finland on Saturday, August 12, 2006

(Vintage 2005. 520 p.)

Having read the above journals and those of another copy (the one in Finnish), I entered for the ring, convinced that this is really something for me.

Sad to say I did not enjoy.

Maybe I should time travel ages back to like this novel. Maybe not even then.

The idea is fascinating, and the story is skilfully constructed. A major problem is the length. For me, the themes became evident in 50 pages. Then I was bored to death. And I am a heavy reader!
I was annoyed by the clothes lists, food lists, name lists, and the sophisticated quotations and overwhelming intertextualities, including the names Clare and Alba...

This is Niffenegger's first literary work, and if I were asked, my good advise would be: less is more.

- ruzena 

Journal Entry 11 by ruzena from Vantaa, Uusimaa Finland on Monday, August 28, 2006

Kirja lähti vihdoin Ouluun odottelemaan Elinaa kotiin :) 

Journal Entry 12 by Elina from Espoo, Uusimaa Finland on Thursday, October 12, 2006

Oops, I guess I forgot to journal the book when receiving it. Sorry about that. I have now read it and I really really enjoyed it. I loved the whole idea of time travelling and got sucked in to the story. Now that I finished the book I feel a bit sad, I wish I could have read a bit longer.
I'll send the book back to Semming with Kemppu next week. 

Journal Entry 13 by harmaja from Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Saturday, October 21, 2006

I got a plastic bag full of books today. Kemppu brought the books from Oulu and I will pass them round in the next Helsinki meet-up. Since I'm only acting as a courier, I needen't really journal the books, but I like to leave my mark on things. Besides, now I receive fresh journal entries every time these books travel on, and it's exciting to see books move about.

Well, this book is actually going back to Semming now, to stay in her permanent collection, but I did leave my mark. :-) I'll give the book to Semming as soon as I can.
 

Journal Entry 14 by Semming from Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Saturday, October 28, 2006

The book is home again, thank you for participating! This will remain in my Permanent Collection, but will still be available for another ring or loaning, if needed!