I have three fairly basic criteria that will earn a book an instant 5-star review: It's makes me laugh, it makes me cry, and it keeps me up past my bedtime. As you have probably guessed, "Stealing Time" definitely hit the mark. I also have tremendous respect for an author who takes nine years to bring a book to completion. Now, of course, this is really bad news if you have to wait that long for the next episode, which hopefully won't be the case! But IMHO, there's a certain richness that a novel achieves with time versus those that are kicked out in a few weeks. No offense to those who do so, of course, I'm probably just jealous, because I'm another one who takes a while to finish up a book. Sometimes much longer than nine years, but that's another story. What I'm getting at is the quality of the characters, imagery and plot details show when a book, like a fine wine, has aged a bit, giving the author time to rethink, embellish and perfect their story. Yeah. Like a fine wine.
As a time travel story, this one is outstanding. The mechanism that transfers the heroine, Ronnie, back in time is in the realm of science fiction, i.e., credible, but not belabored. Thus, this is not true science fiction fodder, but more in the realm for those who love historical fiction since the majority of the story takes place in 18th Century England with some flashbacks (or would it be flashforwards?) to Florida enduring Hurricane Charley, back in 2004, which precipitated the transfer.
The research for this period of time was incredible. The reader is truly transferred back in time to a world so different than ours it feels like another planet. If you don't think the world has made any progress in the past two hundred fifty years, you definitely need to read this book. While today's world definitely has its problems and fundamental human nature doesn't change, it's incredible to get a glimpse of what England was like back in 1752. Wow. I, for one, am reminded how lucky I am to be living in this century. There are plenty of undercover lessons here, too, with regard to superstitious and unreasonable beliefs that drive a culture, in this case the ridiculous view of what qualified a woman as a witch and how she was subsequently tried and treated. Chilling and horrifying are the first words that come to mind.
The imagery and action was absolutely breathtaking, especially the last fourth of the book, at which point I just sucked it up regardless of the late hour and finished. Since this is the first book in a trilogy, I knew everything wouldn't be solved, but it did provide a satisfying ending, though there were certainly plenty of unanswered questions to drive the reader's hunger for the next volume. I highly recommend this well-written story to anyone who loves a thriller, historical fiction or romanticizes the past. Believe me when I say we have come much farther than you may think.
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There are 4 books in this series.
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About the author
Bananas time-travel entertainment
With its bananas time-travel plot, whirlwind-fast pace, and considerable evidence of diligent research, Stealing Time is one heck of an entertaining read. Switching back and forth between present-day (2004) Florida and 18th century (1752) London in this series starter, Ms. Waters tells the story of American Ronnie Andrews who was flung into the past right before the Calendar Change, and her Scottish best friend Steph who had to endure the calamitous Hurricane Charley. Both stories were action-packed and placed the major characters in life-threatening situations. Of the two parallel plotlines, I am partial to Ronnie’s unwilling adventures in the past. Those scenes brought to life the awful living conditions of the common people in England, the evils of the patriarchy, and the horrors of the Witch Trials. Ronnie’s plight as the hapless Regina Ingram was downright heartbreaking. Her fight to survive amidst impossible obstacles endeared her to me. Matthias’ wholehearted support of her despite physical damage to himself did as well. My interest in the succeeding books is all because of the promise of these two eventually achieving their happily-ever-after ending. While I was impressed with the realistic description of the disasters caused by a powerful hurricane, I wasn’t too engaged with the story of Steph and her friend Nick. Their scenes only distracted from knowing about what’s happening in Ronnie’s fight for her life. One of the things I liked about this book is that it incorporated historical facts seamlessly. Before reading this, I wasn’t aware of the details of England’s switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar and the missing eleven days. And, although gruesome, the vivid depiction of the hangings was incredibly fascinating. Along with the weakness in the B plot, the inconsistencies of the accents and the punctuation errors brought my rating lower for this otherwise entertaining book.
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2016
- Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2025
Top reviews from other countries
- Nicole B.Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2024
Great read!! A fast paced page turner.
