Read With Us: The Ministry of Time Promo Post
My job today, friends, is to convince you to read The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, our Summer 2024 Read With Us pick. And that puts me in a somewhat awkward position because . . . I didn’t love it. I still think you should read it, though, because it’s highly discussable and this is why:
There is a lot going on and a lot of themes to consider . . . love and friendship and responsibility and making choices about whether to put yourself or others first when making decisions. There’s also over-reaching government bureaucracy and espionage and hopelessness. And some romance, too.
It’s occasionally confusing. I’m not going to share any spoilers but I will say that the ending had me confused enough about who were the good guys (and the bad guys) that I had to read some sections repeatedly. And there’s also the whole time travel thing and wrapping your head around how someone from the past can exist in the present day and how they have to learn about all of the . . . stuff . . . of our world.
It’s well written. The prose is sparse and sharp and thoughtful. As debut novels go, this one is good and makes me want to follow Bradley to see what she does next.
I hope I’ve convinced you to take the plunge on this one. Just keep in mind that it’s a bit of a slow start but it’s worth sticking with it.
Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 17, 2024 so that you can join Bonny and Kym and I to discuss this very interesting selection.
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I’m #52 win the queue at my library (I was in the 70’s not too long ago, so am hopeful I will get it in time).
I picked up a copy from my library on Saturday and cracking it open will be my reward for The Great Closet Clean Out! LOL
I am sure I may be the odd man out because I loved it. It is a total mish-mash of genres, and that is one of the things I loved about it. And I usually don’t love multi-themed books, but I thought this novel was so thought provoking that I plan to reread it.
I’m not quite finished with it yet, but really close . . . and I love it! It’s not going to be the best-book-of-my-year, but I think it’s clever and insightful and really imaginative! I can’t wait to talk about some of the “heavier” themes lurking in the background. I have a feeling that opinions about this book will be all over the place — and that always makes for the best kind of book group discussions.
I also got a bit confused towards the end, but I hop a re-read in August helps with that. I can’t say that I loved it, but I do kind of admire how many different things Kaliane Bradley was able to fit into the book.
I really think the books that not everyone likes make for the best discussions, so I’m sure we’ll have a good one. I haven’t started reading yet (I plan to read it next month so I’ll still remember it for our Zoom), but I did get the Kindle version when it was on sale. It’s a little outside my comfort zone!
I loved a lot of it but the ending had me incredibly confused. It has some very important themes in it, and I had to google some of the historical references, and the writing is terrific.