Time Probably Has More Than Two Sides

Published:  January 1st, 1997 (Originally published July 1st, 1995)
Both Sides of Time (Time Travelers # 1)
By: Caroline B. Cooney
Perfection Learning
ISBN-13:  9780780769670

Imagine changing centuries--and making things worse, not better, on both sides of time.

Imagine being involved in two love triangles in two different centuries. What if, no matter which direction you travel in time, you must abandon someone you love?

Meet 15-year-old Annie Lockwood, a romantic living in the wrong century. When she travels back a hundred years and lands in 1895--a time when privileged young ladies wear magnificent gowns, attend elegant parties, and are courted by handsome gentlemen--Annie at last finds romance. But she is a trespasser in time. Will she choose to stay in the past? Will she be allowed to?

Review

 

     Annie Lockwood has always been a hopeless romantic.  But she is stuck in the twentieth century, with a seriously cute boyfriend, Sean, who calls her by her initials, spends all his time working on cars and doesn't have a single romantic bone in his entire body.  When the town decides to tear down the crumbling Stratton mansion, Annie rides out there on her bike the day summer vacation begins to visit Sean and help him pack up all his tools before the demolition - she never expects to fall back in time!  Now Annie is in a world of riches, parties, old-fashioned romance and a boy named Strat who just might be her true love.  But they come from different worlds and Annie doesn't belong in 1895 and when she is accused of murder, the clock starts ticking.   Can Annie find a way to get back home to her own family, which is falling apart at the seams?  And does she even want to?  I read this series for the first time when I was about 8 or 9 years old and LOVED it to pieces!  I adored anything with time travel and the fact that it had romance was a bonus.  I've re-read the series a couple times as a middle-schooler and again in high school (one of those times was for when book #4 in the series was released).  I shouldn't have picked it up again as an adult.  I remembered a fun read that was romance, murder mystery and time travel all rolled into one.  What I got was overall bland characterizations (except for a few exceptions) and shoddily constructed plots - except for the murder, which was one that I never expected, although I'm sure others have guessed it before.  I guess I'm just naïve like that! :)  Annie is basically a placeholder character, who hates her life and wants adventure to come along and to have a romantic guy sweep her off her feet.  But she is content enough to stay with Sean and be bored until time takes the decision from her.  Strat is a product of his time period, wanting to save the women from themselves and not being able to see past outer appearance in favor of  his plainer best friend, Harriet, who is in love with him.  His sister Devonny is young and not a very prominent character, but I did love her excitement over new technology and inventions, along with her determination to be a modern woman.  She was a great role model for younger girls reading this book and the ones after it.  Harriet's only purpose seems to be as the requisite plain, orphaned, rich girl who never gets the guy.  She was devoid mostly of personality and really the only emotion we ever see on her part is some form of jealousy for Annie (either her looks, personality, etc. or her interactions/relationship with Strat). 

     The villains of this book were mostly cookie cutter and easy enough to understand once they were found out.  The most common motive in this book for anything was money.  But one villain in particular (who is carted off screaming and acting insane [in a believable way] at the end) stuck with me and was realistic enough to send chills up my spine.  The constant emphasis of the author on class distinctions, especially the romance between the maid  Bridget and the stable boy Jeb, was somewhat overdone and in your face.  The same thing goes for the constant downtrodden state of the women in the novel.  Although the ending and the part Florinda (Strat's ditzy Stepmother) has in catching the murderer was awesome.  A lot of plot holes existed and we never really find out how or why Annie is suddenly traveling through time.  And now that I'm older, the whole 'love at first sight' thing made me want to gag.  Plus, would you really act so 20th century in the presence of people 100 years in the past?  And go around announcing that you'd traveled through time, causally like they wouldn't lock you in a nuthouse for it???  Yeah, didn't think so!  That said, even with some of the heavy-handedness, it's a fun read and sets up for the rest of the series nicely.  I would recommend it more to kids  around ages 10-18 though.  Adults, be prepared to feel underwhelmed unless you're a fan of somewhat questionably done writing.  Overall, won't be reading again but might give it to my niece someday.

 

 

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars (Some of this is based on old feelings.  I'll always have a soft spot for this series!)

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Comfort Books, Our Lifetime Companions

   I don't know about any of you guys, but when I'm in trouble or having a bad day, a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia always makes me feel a little bit better.  That's MY comfort food.  Every one has a different, special or unique thing that makes them feel like everything is going to be okay whether it's food, music, a movie, a t.v. show or a book.  This post was something that came to me last night when I was watching the movie Matilda with my little brother.  I got to thinking about my own personal comforts and I thought it would be fun to do a post about comfort books.  Do you guys have a certain book (or books plural) that you can read a million times and never get tired of?  Is there a book that speaks to your soul in a certain way and it always has the power to soothe you and make you smile?  I have a select set of books that always remind me of who I am when times are tough and showcase the power of the written word.  A few of them even take me back to my childhood, when we were first introduced and started our long-term relationship!  So, without further adieu, here are my best friends of the book world who give the best hugs in the universe:

My Comfort Books (In No Particular Order)

1.   Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

What can I say about something that is so ingrained into who I am as a person?  This was the first book that truly made me question what it would be like to live forever.  Was it really such a good thing or would it be horrible beyond belief?  Plus, watching Winnie stumble as she figures out her place in the world is truly beautiful.  This is the kind of book that used to make me wish I could live inside of its pages.  

2.  Ordinary People by Judith Guest

I didn't happen to discover this particular book until I was in college, although it feels like we've been friends forever.  It is all about a family that has a difficult time coping with the loss of a child and the sibling left behind's struggle to discover a reason to continue living.  On the surface this might not seem like a COMFORT book at all, but it has such a hopeful undertone that it's hard not to reach the ending feeling like things are looking up.  And if things can be better for the Jarretts, why not me?  I never tire of the lingering questions raised by this book.

3.  The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

This is a book that I have carried in my heart for the past twelve years.  It has been with me through being bullied practically into extinction, the worst break-up imaginable and times when I felt depressed about the state of the world in general.  Even though it has enough tragedy for a Shakespeare play, in the end it still feels hopeful and true to what is in the hearts of millions - that sometimes you just have to press on, even if you feel like quitting.  Life can be good at times and that makes it worth it.

4.  I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

This is another book that I didn't discover until college.  I normally have a really hard time with British books, because it feels like they're speaking an alien language.  Cassandra Mortmain, a seventeen year old impoverished British girl, is just my speed.  She's witty and charming, with such a heart-breakingly real personality that I always felt like reaching through the pages and giving her a hug.  As Cassandra falls in love for the first time, discovers what it means to truly be a family and tries to become a writer, I was beside her the whole way.  It has such a wonderful bittersweet feeling to it that I sometimes catch myself thinking about it out of the blue.  How can you not love a book with a first line like this?

   "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.” 

5.  Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

I believe that this book was my first real encounter with the death of someone my own age and the fact that it was even in the realm of possibility.  I remember reading this for the first time in my third grade class and loving the imaginations of Jess and Leslie, but being devastated by the way the book ended.  Now that I'm older I can recognize the mastery of Ms. Paterson's writing that she was able to be so delicate with the subject matter and yet bring out such an emotional response from me.  I still feel deeply when I read this book.  I spent the entire summer of 2010 going the park every Tuesday after work, lying in the sun, taking naps and reading either Bridge to Terabithia or Tuck Everlasting.  That pretty much says it all, at least in my mind.  

Honorable Mentions

1.  Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

2.  Matilda by Roald Dahl

3.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

4.  Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars

5.  Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

6.  Both Sides of Time by Caroline B. Cooney

7.  Forever by Judy Blume

   

   Now I want to know one thing:  What are your comfort books?  Do you agree with my choices, have you read any of them or do you hate them all?  Leave me a comment and we'll discuss the books that will stay on our buddy lists for years to come! :)