Pentapod reviewed Time Was by Ian McDonald
Review of 'Time Was' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
First and foremost, the publisher's description on the back of this book is near totally misleading and @torbooks has done the book a serious disservice by setting up completely incorrect expectations. This is not the book described on the back cover. What it actually is, is a novella about a present day used book hunter who comes across a letter in an old book and becomes obsessed with tracking down the two lovers - Tom and Ben - mentioned in it. While we occasionally see snatches of the story from Tom or Ben's perspective they're very brief and disjointed. We never really get a full and satisfying explanation of what is happening or why. The whole book feels rather disjointed and almost more like a wistful exploration of some connected ideas than a solid story. While there are some interesting ideas and good writing, it's not at all what I …
First and foremost, the publisher's description on the back of this book is near totally misleading and @torbooks has done the book a serious disservice by setting up completely incorrect expectations. This is not the book described on the back cover. What it actually is, is a novella about a present day used book hunter who comes across a letter in an old book and becomes obsessed with tracking down the two lovers - Tom and Ben - mentioned in it. While we occasionally see snatches of the story from Tom or Ben's perspective they're very brief and disjointed. We never really get a full and satisfying explanation of what is happening or why. The whole book feels rather disjointed and almost more like a wistful exploration of some connected ideas than a solid story. While there are some interesting ideas and good writing, it's not at all what I expected from the back and overall left me feeling unsatisfied.