I heard this book being recommended as summer reading on NPR. Realized I had it on my bookshelf. Read it. LOVED IT. My husband loved it, too. So did my son. So I could recommend this book to just about anyone.

It's hard to classify. Mystery? Science Fiction? Historical Fiction? I would normally never read anything about time travel but this book was so convincing. Paints a vivid portrait of New York City also. I couldn't put it down. So read it at your own risk!

I've set up a bookring for this book. It will be mailed at the end of May to:

1. Avanta7
2. MaryZee
3. Bookaholic1346

Released on Friday, May 30, 2003 at Post Office on California Avenue in West Seattle in Seattle, Washington USA.

Final list for this bookring:

1. Avanta7
2. MaryZee
3. Bookaholic1346
4. minerswifebb

and back to me, alsomama.

Received in yesterday's mail. Thank you, alsomama. Multiple bookrings have converged on me at once, so it may be several weeks before I can get to this series. I promise to get to it as quickly as possible!

I started reading this book about a week ago, and while interesting, initially it failed to thoroughly capture my interest. But yesterday, at about half-way through, when I was just about to put the book down for good and pass it on to the next in line, one sentence caught me. The narrator observes that a particular sign now haunts his nightmares. Well then. Now I want to know what happens in the rest of the novel.

After an excruciatingly slow start, the story finally caught my attention at page 203(see above journal entry), and held it well enough for me to finish the book. I had only stuck with it that far because I started to care about some of characters, Julia in particular.

I didn't like the protagonist, Simon Morley -- even making allowances for the 1970 publication date, he, and every other male who graced the text, struck me as an unrepentant sexist pig, whose sole basis for evaluating a woman's worth was the prettiness of her face, legs, or some other body part. The set-up seemed interminable; the first trip or two back in time was long on descriptive detail and short on action. And frankly, the 1880's is one historical period about which I care very little. But still, but still, that ONE sentence, as I stated before, intrigued me enough to stick with the story.

A good portion of my disappointment with this book is my own fault. I was expecting the Jack the Ripper story as told in the movie TIME AFTER TIME, which I had confused with a Christopher Reeve movie called SOMEWHERE IN TIME which was loosely based on Finney's novel. That will teach me to make assumptions! ;-)

Mailing to MaryZee today.

Just received this in the mail today. Looks like a good book. I'll start in on this as soon as I finish my current read, probably less than a week.
(I'm currently reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - which I've been wanting to read for a while, and I've been telling my daughter for nearly 2 yrs that "I'm going to read it." You can only tell a teenager that for so long, till they think you're lying - so I had to prove her wrong.
And I just realized the other day that I'm definitely in a NYC historical-read frame of mind - after I finish this book and From Time to Time, I'm expecting Up At The Old Hotel in a few weeks - another historical NYC read.)

I'm a bit more than half finished this book - wanted to make an entry while certain early thoughts are still in my (getting older) head. I'll come back and update this entry when I've finished with this book.

Before getting this ring book(s), I kept wondering if I had read this before - since it's an older book, and I do generally enjoy time travel stories (read some - not a lot). But as I started getting into the story, I don't believe I have ever read it before.

As I started the story, I kept reminding myself of the time period during which this was written - 1970. Pre-personal computers, pre-Watergate, pre-womens movement. In other words, this book was written during a whole different world. Businessmen held all the power at the time; women were employed but usually only in the good graces of men. As I wrapped my head around this time setting for the "modern" portion of the book, I started getting involved in the story.

I've visited NY several times in the last 10 years - the last visit was Christmas 2002. Took my daughter up to see this, and we visited the site of the former World Trade Center, which of course did not exist yet in 1970, when this book was written. Having been there that recently, and having recently read "Report from Ground Zero" (about the tragedy and the rescue/cleanup efforts, told from a behind-the-scenes viewpoint of a retired firefighter), it was interesting to compare my experiences (seeing changes in NYC) with those of Si Morley, who after taking a tourist's visit to the top of the Trinity Church to see the 19th century view, compared this sight with the view from the top of the Empire State Bldg. which was the highest view in 1970.

Since the mystery element of this story isn't really brought into the story until about halfway through, I'm just getting to this part of the story now. Looking forward to seeing how it all pans out...

7/23/03 - Finished this book this evening. Background established in this book is definitely a good set up for the next book, From Time to Time. I think I had some problems following the end of the story - I couldn't figure out why the sudden shift to Danziger's ancestors. But as I just started the 2nd book - I get it. What a link, and what a setup for the next book! Eagerly starting the second one now - I think this will go much quicker, since it's written in more of a "current" style.

7/31/03 - Mailing the books this weekend off to Bookaholic1346.

Sorry for the delay in journaling - computer was down! Will read and pass it along. Thanks!

Received today...looking forward to reading this one again and to the sequel which I have not read. Loved this book.

I'm making a new journal entry on this book, just to show it's currently traveling somewhere out there. Happy journeys, book, and may someone new make a journal entry on you someday.