Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49148 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
Every once in a blue moon a novel turns up which has a magic all of its own. Such a book was In the Place of Fallen Leaves by Tim Pears back in 1993; and now here is another heralded by Dan Franklin, publishing director of Cape, as a book "everyone falls in love with". How right he is. It's the story of Henry and Claire, who meet when Claire is aged six and Henry in his 30s. They were married when Claire was 20 and Henry 28, which is possible because Henry can time travel. It is not science fiction, but a love story with a difference - a wonderful, strange and original novel which is both moving and funny - you must get a copy and read it. I can't praise it too highly. Film rights bought by New Line Cinema in association with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.

You magazine, Mail on Sunday, 21st December 2003
'A magical debut novel'

Zembla magazine, Dec 2003
'Quite simply stunning - sensitive, inventive, original and todl with a mature and evenly weighed style'

Customer Reviews

awful
I belong to a book club and we had to read this book this month. I have never read such a load of garbage in my life. I thought it was confusing, jumping about from one year to another. I did not find it credible that a 30 odd year old man would suddenly appear naked to a 6 year old girl and not have her screaming, terrified and running to her parents for help. I did not like the inconsistent sizes of the chapters. I thought it went into far too much detail. Page 195 - the snooker game - does anyone really care about how the order in which the balls were hit into the pocket. The chapter about the wedding was really ridiculous and I was really offended by one word on page 391. There are loads of variations of this word that could be used and and if I hadn't had to read it for the book club, I would have thrown the book out of the window after reading that word.

Very disappointing
I had read so many enthusiastic reviews of this book that claimed it was an absolute masterpiece that I felt sure I would enjoy it. Unfortunately it fell well and truly flat. I think maybe I was reading a different book to all those who raved about it. Other reviewers have said how they fell in love with the Clare and Henry, yet I thought they were both utterly characterless. How would I describe either of them? I really don't know, there was nothing whatever to give me an inkling of their personalities, and due to that I didn't really care what happened to them.
It's a shame, I thought the basic idea of the story was quite promising but it just never took off. I ploughed through the first 200 pages expecting it to suddenly grip me but it didn't. It was dull and uninteresting. In the end I decided I had far too many other books on my shelves to waste any more time on something so tedious.

Unputdownable
I read this book when it first came out and I find when I try to describe its appeal to others I can never do it justice. Talking about a love story involving a time traveller just makes it sound lightweight and silly. And yet I think it's one of the best novels I've ever read. It even made me laugh out loud at times - something I rarely do when reading! I found myself hiding upstairs reading it when I was supposed to be doing something else and even felt compelled to take it everywhere with me just in case I found a spare minute or so. It got dangerous at the point when I found myself wanting to pick it up at traffic lights! (I resisted the temptation!) Sadly I've lent it to so many people I've now lost track of it.