Hellooooooo, and welcome to the GRETAGRAM book club! It’s just like a regular book club except it’s more introverted than ever before!!!!!
The July book!!!
Before we get to the spoilers for The Ministry of Time, I wanted to announce the July pick, which will probably surprise none of you. It’s Rufi Thorpe’s utterly weird and wonderful novel Margo’s Got Money Troubles! I am so so so excited to hear what y’all think of this one.
A book giveaway!
Before we get to the discussion: Riverhead very kindly send me a copy of Liz Moore’s phenomenal new novel The God of the Woods, and I want to give it away to a paid subscriber! I will do the drawing at 3pm CT today, so if you upgrade to a paid membership before then, you’ll be in the pool to win. At this point about 10% of the people signed up to get this newsletter are paid subscribers, which is wonderful! If you’re in a position to help support my work, I certainly would appreciate it. And you might even win a really good book!
SPOILER CENTRAL: The Ministry of TIme, discussed!
I compiled many of your thoughts from the earlier thread, and added in some spoilery comments of my own. FIRST, HERE IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING. If you’re still on the holds list for the book, come back to this thread when you’ve read it!
Let’s start with a comment from Denise: “Not a spoiler but I loved it. SEVEN DENISE STARS.” (Love a Denise star!)
Questions I have for you:
How many of you picked up on the fact that we never learned the protagonist’s name? I did not, but Lera mentioned it in the comments, and also said “Love her weird brain.”
I did NOT see the “I’m you in the future” reveal coming! I liked it a lot. Sometimes when something feels THAT out of the blue, I’m irritated, because it feels unearned. But in this case, it totally worked for me. Did it work for you?
I really liked that the ending left room for them getting together, but didn’t have to go there. Also, the Alaska of it all! This does technically mean it is NOT a rom com, though, right?
This book has been optioned by A24 and the BBC to be a TV show. How well do you think it’ll translate to the screen? As many of you pointed out, the TONE seems like a major part of this book (which obviously worked for some of you and didn’t for others). Do you think an adaptation will be able to capture that?
GRETAGRAM reader Linda said this was probably her favorite book of the year: “It grabbed me on so many levels: immersive storytelling, deep connection to specific times and places, fully realized, multi dimensional characters… I could go on and on but at bottom it was truly gripping and the issues and the stakes felt so real.”
Overall, I agree with Linda – I think this book balanced plot and substance really well, and I loved that it used a sci-fi premise to explore issues around exploration and colonialism. I thought it was deeply clever and I can’t wait to see what Kaliane writes next.
Not all of you loved it, though! Several of you mentioned your frustrations with the pacing. “I wanted to love it and I did like it but it was just fine,” Ava said.
“I wanted more plot and better pacing. The middle was a slog and then I didn’t care much about the payoff at the end.”
Megan thought the payoff was there, but didn’t think it was perfect: “I felt similarly, like the good premise was getting stretched a bit thin. Very glad I finished.”
Claire brought up an interesting point about the book’s narrator, and whether that had something to do with the pacing: “At first I loved it. Now, 3/4 of the way in, I’m wondering whether having such a cerebral protagonist is sucking some of the emotion out of the book.”
And Chrissie agreed: “I think her writing wasn't quite for me, or maybe it was the main character?”
For me, I think my biggest issue with this book might have just been the marketing. I get why they’d want to connect it to Outlander, an extreeemely sexy historical fiction series. A blurb from Emily Henry is amazing! But I fear that might be a bit misleading. It seems like that stuck with Amie, too.
“It was described with all my book words. Quirky, rom com, sci fi, mystery, etc. But for a time travel sci fi novel, it didn’t feel plot-y enough for me. The story was great! But I wanted it to read like a movie, and it didn’t in the middle half (beginning and end were great). I just wish it would’ve been more action packed.”
THAT SAID, some of you seemed into the comparison!
“LOVED Ministry of Time,” Megan said. “It’s an amalgamation of so many things… a little bit Outlander/Dr. Who/Ghosts UK/ dare I say even a TINY bit of why people love Edward Cullen in Twilight 😬. And SO MUCH MORE to flesh out in the dynamics of politics, war, displacement, and relocating ourselves.”
Yes yes yes!
Extra credit
I’d love to know – for someone who read this one and loved it, what other book(s) would you recommend? The first one that comes to mind is Micaiah Johnson’s The Space Between Worlds, which was a 2021 book club pick (and has a sequel out now!!).
Megan mentioned Kaliane was interviewed on the NPR podcast Code Switch, and it’s a GREAT conversation. Here’s a link!
Ok, that’s it for this month! Thanks to all of you for reading along with me!
Greta
P.S. Do you like this email?! Spread the delight and forward it to a friend! (Or spam an enemy, lol!)
I just finished and loved it. I find myself thinking a lot about the point where the main character and Adela’s lives diverged- telling Graham about the holocaust instead of 9/11 and how the different perspectives about power then shaped their lives. Graham finding out about 9/11 made him a full ministry man thinking about radical outsiders and closing ranks to protect power. Finding out about the holocaust made him consider more the horror of “just following orders” and reconsideration of everything she told him about his involvement in the horrors of the slave ships. And how the real time travel and changes to the future are made from just a change in perspective. It made me more hopeful for the future of the world in the book
I was really into this book at first- it made me think about Jeanette Winterson's The Stone Gods- and I love all things Jeanette Winterson. Another similarity to Winterson was her book Written on the body- in which you never know the gender of the main character and in this book- you never know the name. I guess since I don't read alot of British action books- but every time I read about The Ministry- I could only think about The Ministry of Magic from Harry Potter, and that threw me off. I loved the romance of the 19th century heartthrob- I felt like Gore was a saucy and super sexy Captain Wentworth- yes, please! But, I did t love the end. It was just too much action in too short if a period, after a lovely stroll through the development of the romance. It was an enjoyable book, though, and I would recommend it. I just finished The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel and now I'm reading The Mountain in the Sea- which are all about reaching beyond and into foreign cultures- so they are 3 enjoyable books to read at the same time. Thanks for the recommendation!
Greta, I'm so thankful that you're still doing a book club! Nerdette's book club has focused so much of my reading for the last several years, and I've been so appreciative of the wide range of books I've gotten to read and think about in different ways through your suggestions! I've been listening to you talk about books, and so many other things, for years upon years, and this is my first time actually chiming into the conversation (though in my head, I've left a lot of voicemails... The follow-through has been less than stellar!).
This one was an interesting one... I really enjoyed and completely devoured it, but also wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the writing or The narrative. I admitted to my husband last night that I'm pretty sure one of my big reasons for being so enamored with the book was just a massive crush on Commander Gore. Complete swoon... I do wish she hadn't assumed an ability to identify a lake with Sitka spruce as being in Alaska, as if that was a place that could be identified quite so easily. We live in Homer, and you can appreciate that the state of Alaska is an incredibly diverse and not so easily identified, save for some substantial landmarks. And/but I'll take it, the idea that Gore could be here in state! 😂
I think I'd give it 7 out of 10 time machines, for a lot of fantastic and complex thoughts around colonialism, time, travel, relationship and community, and a fascinatingly deeply flawed main character. But maybe trying to do a little bit too much overall, and wrapped up a bit too fast there at the end.
I overall really enjoyed this read, but I love a timey-wimey plot. The pacing did feel very rushed at the end, but I’m excited for the tv adaptation ESPECIALLY knowing A24 is at the helm. I cannot wait to see all the expats come to life
I agree with you. The pacing issue for me wasn’t that the middle felt too slow, it was that the end felt too rushed. I listened to it as an audiobook and had to pause and go back to when the plot picked up because I was still in slow, contemplative mode and was starting to miss things.
I really enjoyed getting to know the expats and seeing all of their interactions.
I agree that this book suffered a marketing issue. It definitely didn't meet my expectations of fun, fast-paced, and swoony. I wanted more swoon! I also wanted more of the historical ex-pats adjusting to their new era. Those were my favorite bits and I feel like there wasn't enough. I did like how this novel explores issues of exploration and colonialism through a new lens, but I didn't love... how she did it. I think it was tone and pacing, and the MC was a tough hang. Perhaps that'll be a boon for the adaptation though. We shall see! I definitely didn't see the big reveal coming, which was great, but still. It was a LOT to wrap my brain around, and the whole thing felt murky by the end.
The exploration of colonialism is what stuck with me most about this novel. Seeing the MC struggle with passing for white (and then learning she wasn’t passing as much as she thought) and dealing with the generational trauma of being the daughter of a refugee took her from being a flat, 2-D narrator to a more fully realized character for me.
As I was reading, seeing the ex-pats interact with their bridges and one another, and the slow-burn-to-on-fire relationship kept me going.
The flashbacks to Graham’s life didn’t do much for me.
I really enjoyed this book! The structure kept you guessing and the friction between the MC and Graham remained me a lot of “Kate and Leopold” in that they were coming at their interactions from separate cultural expectations. The writing was witty and held my interest even when the plot lagged.
For a something similar, I would recommend “Husbands” by Holly Gramazio. It also plays with time and a flawed MC. There are moments of comedy and absurdity in a way that keeps you guessing.
I enjoyed this book but also didn’t love. For me I think it was the main character that really just dragged me down, especially with her comments such as, looking back on this, and other reflections about her mistakes. Because her mistakes were significant and I didn’t feel like she earned forgiveness or an invitation to Alaska, and I didn’t really buy that Graham was in to her enough to overlook the betrayal. All this being said, i’m glad I read it and it is a meaty book to discuss.
A book I love that is not necessarily similar but in a way is genre bending is another early Nerdette book club pick- cLight from Uncommon Stars. I am a book bully about this one and have gifted it several times.
PS I didnr know there is now a sequel to the Space Between Worlds. So exciting!!
I didn't love this book. I medium liked it. But in the end, I think it wasn't far enough in the direction of any genre. It had a little romance, a little historical fiction, a little multiverse/sci-fi, and a little government conspiracy. The tone seemed mixed, like it couldn't decide if it was cloak and dagger or rom-com or a political/environmental statement.
I thought the middle dragged, but the end picked up and I liked the reveal about the boss being her. The parts I liked the best were when the story went back to the men on the ice. I also loved the author's notes on who Graham was in reality and how they decided how to shape his character. I also enjoyed seeing how the characters from the past adjusted to the modern day.
If you enjoyed the multiverse aspect of this book, and are looking for something a little faster paced, I would recommend Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch, which is going to be made into a series on Apple TV soon!
Same! Medium liked, and this was my exact quibble - not far enough in the direction of any genre. I don’t mind a mashup, but this was a little too mashed for me, I think. I liked the last third. Did not need the explicit sex scenes (that’s probably just me though 🤣). At the beginning it did remind me of the BBC Ghosts (as others have mentioned), and that was fun because I loved that show.
I medium liked this book too and felt similarly about the tone. Also LOVED Dark Matter. The adaptation is pretty good but of course, the book was better. ;)
I really enjoyed this book, and honestly wasn't sure I would, mostly because of the historical fiction aspect. I love the comment about it feeling very Ghosts UK, cause I definitely got that vibe as well! I thought it would be more Romancy because of the marketing, but I think there was just the right amount of romance. I would love to see how a movie/tv adaptation would do. I love a multiverse story!
I really liked the reveal of the MC being her own boss - it made the whole thing that bugged me (the 'don't worry about time travel' statement in the opening of the novel) make sense (though it still bugged me since I had spent a lot of time worrying about time travel by that point!). It made me less annoyed since it explained why she said it (she couldn't tell us b/c then it would spoil everything).
I agree with you about the reveal. I did not see that coming and like when I am surprised by a book. Overall I thought this was an ambitious debut that didn’t suffer from having too many things happening, but I did wish the middle had more going on
Love you! Finished Ministry of Time and it was not for me (maybe a generational issue, too??). I did like the twisty twist at the end but it was a long way to go with very little payoff for me. Looking forward to our next book! I have been obsessed with the Karen Read trial in MA, so I need something good to take my mind off of that.
I just finished and loved it. I find myself thinking a lot about the point where the main character and Adela’s lives diverged- telling Graham about the holocaust instead of 9/11 and how the different perspectives about power then shaped their lives. Graham finding out about 9/11 made him a full ministry man thinking about radical outsiders and closing ranks to protect power. Finding out about the holocaust made him consider more the horror of “just following orders” and reconsideration of everything she told him about his involvement in the horrors of the slave ships. And how the real time travel and changes to the future are made from just a change in perspective. It made me more hopeful for the future of the world in the book
I was really into this book at first- it made me think about Jeanette Winterson's The Stone Gods- and I love all things Jeanette Winterson. Another similarity to Winterson was her book Written on the body- in which you never know the gender of the main character and in this book- you never know the name. I guess since I don't read alot of British action books- but every time I read about The Ministry- I could only think about The Ministry of Magic from Harry Potter, and that threw me off. I loved the romance of the 19th century heartthrob- I felt like Gore was a saucy and super sexy Captain Wentworth- yes, please! But, I did t love the end. It was just too much action in too short if a period, after a lovely stroll through the development of the romance. It was an enjoyable book, though, and I would recommend it. I just finished The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel and now I'm reading The Mountain in the Sea- which are all about reaching beyond and into foreign cultures- so they are 3 enjoyable books to read at the same time. Thanks for the recommendation!
I had the same reaction to the ending—it wrapped up so quickly that I was a bit thrown off.
Greta, I'm so thankful that you're still doing a book club! Nerdette's book club has focused so much of my reading for the last several years, and I've been so appreciative of the wide range of books I've gotten to read and think about in different ways through your suggestions! I've been listening to you talk about books, and so many other things, for years upon years, and this is my first time actually chiming into the conversation (though in my head, I've left a lot of voicemails... The follow-through has been less than stellar!).
This one was an interesting one... I really enjoyed and completely devoured it, but also wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the writing or The narrative. I admitted to my husband last night that I'm pretty sure one of my big reasons for being so enamored with the book was just a massive crush on Commander Gore. Complete swoon... I do wish she hadn't assumed an ability to identify a lake with Sitka spruce as being in Alaska, as if that was a place that could be identified quite so easily. We live in Homer, and you can appreciate that the state of Alaska is an incredibly diverse and not so easily identified, save for some substantial landmarks. And/but I'll take it, the idea that Gore could be here in state! 😂
I think I'd give it 7 out of 10 time machines, for a lot of fantastic and complex thoughts around colonialism, time, travel, relationship and community, and a fascinatingly deeply flawed main character. But maybe trying to do a little bit too much overall, and wrapped up a bit too fast there at the end.
I overall really enjoyed this read, but I love a timey-wimey plot. The pacing did feel very rushed at the end, but I’m excited for the tv adaptation ESPECIALLY knowing A24 is at the helm. I cannot wait to see all the expats come to life
I agree with you. The pacing issue for me wasn’t that the middle felt too slow, it was that the end felt too rushed. I listened to it as an audiobook and had to pause and go back to when the plot picked up because I was still in slow, contemplative mode and was starting to miss things.
I really enjoyed getting to know the expats and seeing all of their interactions.
Did she really not have a name? I could have sworn we knew her name! Wild!
I agree that this book suffered a marketing issue. It definitely didn't meet my expectations of fun, fast-paced, and swoony. I wanted more swoon! I also wanted more of the historical ex-pats adjusting to their new era. Those were my favorite bits and I feel like there wasn't enough. I did like how this novel explores issues of exploration and colonialism through a new lens, but I didn't love... how she did it. I think it was tone and pacing, and the MC was a tough hang. Perhaps that'll be a boon for the adaptation though. We shall see! I definitely didn't see the big reveal coming, which was great, but still. It was a LOT to wrap my brain around, and the whole thing felt murky by the end.
The exploration of colonialism is what stuck with me most about this novel. Seeing the MC struggle with passing for white (and then learning she wasn’t passing as much as she thought) and dealing with the generational trauma of being the daughter of a refugee took her from being a flat, 2-D narrator to a more fully realized character for me.
As I was reading, seeing the ex-pats interact with their bridges and one another, and the slow-burn-to-on-fire relationship kept me going.
The flashbacks to Graham’s life didn’t do much for me.
I really enjoyed this book! The structure kept you guessing and the friction between the MC and Graham remained me a lot of “Kate and Leopold” in that they were coming at their interactions from separate cultural expectations. The writing was witty and held my interest even when the plot lagged.
For a something similar, I would recommend “Husbands” by Holly Gramazio. It also plays with time and a flawed MC. There are moments of comedy and absurdity in a way that keeps you guessing.
I enjoyed this book but also didn’t love. For me I think it was the main character that really just dragged me down, especially with her comments such as, looking back on this, and other reflections about her mistakes. Because her mistakes were significant and I didn’t feel like she earned forgiveness or an invitation to Alaska, and I didn’t really buy that Graham was in to her enough to overlook the betrayal. All this being said, i’m glad I read it and it is a meaty book to discuss.
A book I love that is not necessarily similar but in a way is genre bending is another early Nerdette book club pick- cLight from Uncommon Stars. I am a book bully about this one and have gifted it several times.
PS I didnr know there is now a sequel to the Space Between Worlds. So exciting!!
I didn't love this book. I medium liked it. But in the end, I think it wasn't far enough in the direction of any genre. It had a little romance, a little historical fiction, a little multiverse/sci-fi, and a little government conspiracy. The tone seemed mixed, like it couldn't decide if it was cloak and dagger or rom-com or a political/environmental statement.
I thought the middle dragged, but the end picked up and I liked the reveal about the boss being her. The parts I liked the best were when the story went back to the men on the ice. I also loved the author's notes on who Graham was in reality and how they decided how to shape his character. I also enjoyed seeing how the characters from the past adjusted to the modern day.
If you enjoyed the multiverse aspect of this book, and are looking for something a little faster paced, I would recommend Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch, which is going to be made into a series on Apple TV soon!
Same! Medium liked, and this was my exact quibble - not far enough in the direction of any genre. I don’t mind a mashup, but this was a little too mashed for me, I think. I liked the last third. Did not need the explicit sex scenes (that’s probably just me though 🤣). At the beginning it did remind me of the BBC Ghosts (as others have mentioned), and that was fun because I loved that show.
I medium liked this book too and felt similarly about the tone. Also LOVED Dark Matter. The adaptation is pretty good but of course, the book was better. ;)
I read it so long ago I probably won't remember most of the details, so I'm looking forward to it!
I really enjoyed this book, and honestly wasn't sure I would, mostly because of the historical fiction aspect. I love the comment about it feeling very Ghosts UK, cause I definitely got that vibe as well! I thought it would be more Romancy because of the marketing, but I think there was just the right amount of romance. I would love to see how a movie/tv adaptation would do. I love a multiverse story!
I really liked the reveal of the MC being her own boss - it made the whole thing that bugged me (the 'don't worry about time travel' statement in the opening of the novel) make sense (though it still bugged me since I had spent a lot of time worrying about time travel by that point!). It made me less annoyed since it explained why she said it (she couldn't tell us b/c then it would spoil everything).
I agree with you about the reveal. I did not see that coming and like when I am surprised by a book. Overall I thought this was an ambitious debut that didn’t suffer from having too many things happening, but I did wish the middle had more going on
Love you! Finished Ministry of Time and it was not for me (maybe a generational issue, too??). I did like the twisty twist at the end but it was a long way to go with very little payoff for me. Looking forward to our next book! I have been obsessed with the Karen Read trial in MA, so I need something good to take my mind off of that.