I love Connie Willis' writing; every single thing I've read by her (which is most of it) just grabs you, draws you in, and keeps you reading till the last page. Add to that interesting stories, well developed characters, and original ideas, and Willis is one of the authors that I'll read absolutely anything they publish.

This particular book is in the same universe as the story "Fire Watch" which I read several years ago. The basic premise is that time travel back in time is possible, and has become the main method of research for historians. Willis' stories in this universe center around the historians at Oxford University, and in this novel three of them are sent back to study various events during World War II. Of course, things go slightly wrong, and the unfolding of their stories is told through an extremely detailed and believeable, and as far as I can tell accurate, account of wartime England that brings it vividly to life for the reader. (Having recently seen the movie "The King's Speech" I was also pleased to notice one character in WWII London making fun of the king's stutter in passing.)

I haven't given this 5 stars because the constant jumping between protagonists was a little bit confusing at times, and if you aren't at all interested in wartime England then this would definitely be less accessible than some of Willis' other books. It also ends in a cliffhanger which I am never a fan of, though I do have the sequel ready and waiting ... Still, I finished the book in 2 evenings definitely had trouble putting it down. But, for someone who hasn't read any Connie Willis before, I would say start with another book (maybe Bellwether, or To Say Nothing Of The Dog).