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Time Breaking
15-year-old Molly is determined to become a swimmer, to the dismay of her parents. When the family go to stay in a 17th century manor house, Molly inadvertently triggers a time-chute and re-appears in 1648, at the end of the Civil War, to find she has taken the place of Molly Hampton, the eldest daughter in a Puritan family.
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Spencer
20 books42 followersIn 1967, considering herself to be destined for a life of mediocrity, Barbara Spencer hi-tailed it to the West Indies to watch cricket, the precursor to a highly colourful career spanning three continents, in which she was caught up in riots, wars and choosing Miss World. She eventually settled in Somerset, to bring up a family, tap-dance and teach at the local swimming club. But, as her daughter says: 'teaching swimming and tap dancing does rather lack the wow factor, Mum.'
After a dozen books for children and YA's after another memorable visit to Amsterdam, Barbara changed tack and embarked on a series of books associated at various times with the city. Beginning with 'The Year the Swans Came' an historical romance, which was published in 2018. The Click of a Pebble, book 1 of the trilogy Children of Zeus, followed with Books 2 & 3, and finally the sequel to Swans: Sunset on Golden Wings in April 2021which links up the stories of all the characters and brings them all to a conclusion.
After a dozen books for children and YA's after another memorable visit to Amsterdam, Barbara changed tack and embarked on a series of books associated at various times with the city. Beginning with 'The Year the Swans Came' an historical romance, which was published in 2018. The Click of a Pebble, book 1 of the trilogy Children of Zeus, followed with Books 2 & 3, and finally the sequel to Swans: Sunset on Golden Wings in April 2021which links up the stories of all the characters and brings them all to a conclusion.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 12, 2013
Helen for www.bigbooklittlebook.com
Molly is a fairly typical teenager at odds with her world. She lives with her parents who drive her nuts and she tries to avoid them as much as she can. She does ok at school and has a good group of friends, they are all misfits like her. She has a passion for swimming and is good at it, she wants to pursue it as far as she can but her Mum and Dad want her to go to university and study for a more suitable career. Molly does feel frustrated and a bit hard done by, but she is shown early on to have courage (she stands up for a girl being bullied), resourcefulness and a caring side to her.
Away for a weekend swimming competition, she has to stay in a remote Manor house as her father is a history buff and something very mysterious happens. Molly looks at an old picture and suddenly slips through time finding herself lying on the floor of the same Manor house but, as she discovers later, it is now 1648! A bit of a shock to say the least!
Molly finds herself recognised and taken ‘home’ to a Puritan families’ house. Here she begins her very intense first hand history lesson and it doesn’t take her long to learn that this is a tough time to live in. There are only two sets of clothes, the toilet, such as it is, is outside and there is no hot water. Then there are all the jobs that need to be done, the lack of freedom and the tyrant father. Before the end of her first day Molly has endured a punishment the like of which she has never experienced before. Times are indeed very different.
As Molly stays with the family in 1648 she begins to learn about the positive side of this life. She admires the mother and forms a bond with her, completely different to her relationship with her own mother. She enjoys spending time with her newly acquired brother and sisters. Then she meets Richard.
Richard was friends with the other Molly whose place our Molly has taken. Through him she learns about spirited and independent Molly Hampton who defies her father and longs for a life like that which Richard, who lives in the Manor, is entitled to. Our Molly is curious about what has happened to the other Molly but she finds herself with a growing attraction to Richard and this becomes more important to her. Their relationship is what begins to make Molly question everything she knows.
Initially Molly’s highest priority is to get home to the 21st century. but as she develops relationships in 1648 and begins to enjoy parts of her life there, she begins to question whether going home is really what she wants. All this helps her look at her 21st century relationships differently too, as well as the values that are important to her and what is it that really matters.
There are other twists and turns through the story and Molly goes on an interesting journey. The history in this novel is beautifully detailed and it is so easy to imagine Molly floundering in these starkly different surroundings. The look back at the 17th century was the best part of this for me. It would be a great way to introduce younger readers to the delights of historical fiction. Molly’s discovery of the town, trying to use old money and her realisation that there really were witch hunts, religious zealotry and that the wars of the roses impacted everybody all contribute to this.
I enjoyed the mystery side of the book too, with the whole dilemma about how to get back, however I did feel that this was worked out by Molly fairly easily, even if the execution of how to do it was a bit more difficult! That said there was enough to keep me turning the pages and there were definitely plot twists that you couldn’t predict. I liked the way that Molly found out things about Molly Hampton that made the prices fit together differently and that other Molly never knew about herself.
There are some dramatic moments as the story reaches its climax and you should read it to discover if Molly stays or goes!
Verdict: Overall a good read, great history and nice to find a YA book set in England too.
Molly is a fairly typical teenager at odds with her world. She lives with her parents who drive her nuts and she tries to avoid them as much as she can. She does ok at school and has a good group of friends, they are all misfits like her. She has a passion for swimming and is good at it, she wants to pursue it as far as she can but her Mum and Dad want her to go to university and study for a more suitable career. Molly does feel frustrated and a bit hard done by, but she is shown early on to have courage (she stands up for a girl being bullied), resourcefulness and a caring side to her.
Away for a weekend swimming competition, she has to stay in a remote Manor house as her father is a history buff and something very mysterious happens. Molly looks at an old picture and suddenly slips through time finding herself lying on the floor of the same Manor house but, as she discovers later, it is now 1648! A bit of a shock to say the least!
Molly finds herself recognised and taken ‘home’ to a Puritan families’ house. Here she begins her very intense first hand history lesson and it doesn’t take her long to learn that this is a tough time to live in. There are only two sets of clothes, the toilet, such as it is, is outside and there is no hot water. Then there are all the jobs that need to be done, the lack of freedom and the tyrant father. Before the end of her first day Molly has endured a punishment the like of which she has never experienced before. Times are indeed very different.
As Molly stays with the family in 1648 she begins to learn about the positive side of this life. She admires the mother and forms a bond with her, completely different to her relationship with her own mother. She enjoys spending time with her newly acquired brother and sisters. Then she meets Richard.
Richard was friends with the other Molly whose place our Molly has taken. Through him she learns about spirited and independent Molly Hampton who defies her father and longs for a life like that which Richard, who lives in the Manor, is entitled to. Our Molly is curious about what has happened to the other Molly but she finds herself with a growing attraction to Richard and this becomes more important to her. Their relationship is what begins to make Molly question everything she knows.
Initially Molly’s highest priority is to get home to the 21st century. but as she develops relationships in 1648 and begins to enjoy parts of her life there, she begins to question whether going home is really what she wants. All this helps her look at her 21st century relationships differently too, as well as the values that are important to her and what is it that really matters.
There are other twists and turns through the story and Molly goes on an interesting journey. The history in this novel is beautifully detailed and it is so easy to imagine Molly floundering in these starkly different surroundings. The look back at the 17th century was the best part of this for me. It would be a great way to introduce younger readers to the delights of historical fiction. Molly’s discovery of the town, trying to use old money and her realisation that there really were witch hunts, religious zealotry and that the wars of the roses impacted everybody all contribute to this.
I enjoyed the mystery side of the book too, with the whole dilemma about how to get back, however I did feel that this was worked out by Molly fairly easily, even if the execution of how to do it was a bit more difficult! That said there was enough to keep me turning the pages and there were definitely plot twists that you couldn’t predict. I liked the way that Molly found out things about Molly Hampton that made the prices fit together differently and that other Molly never knew about herself.
There are some dramatic moments as the story reaches its climax and you should read it to discover if Molly stays or goes!
Verdict: Overall a good read, great history and nice to find a YA book set in England too.
February 2, 2018
I didn't realise this story was for the younger reader, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. I took Molly to my heart and thought her anti-bullying strategy wonderful. Her journey into the seventeenth century was intriguing and the research of those times was very thorough. I felt as though I was there with her, sharing all her new experiences (and terrors). Not to give the plot away, I wondered if they would have had the knowledge to tell how long someone had been dead. If they had, then they might have worked out if a body had been in water one hour or one week. It would have been interesting to know what they made of that and what the repercussions were for the family.
Even so, when I reached the end of the story I felt sad and wanted it to continue. That's the true mark of a good story which is why it deserves five stars.
Even so, when I reached the end of the story I felt sad and wanted it to continue. That's the true mark of a good story which is why it deserves five stars.
June 1, 2012
Overall, this book was really good and I'd happily read most of it again.
I liked the fact that she wasn't a geek in history to start with when she was thrown back in time - makes her seem 'normal' (no offense to history geeks who are 15).In fact, I liked most of the characters - especially Richard with his modern views. I found that all the characters - even the little ones had a story behind them.
What did surprise me was that we didn't learn a lot about Richard's background. Sure he lived in the manor, and they were royalists but other than his father, there no mention of the family or what his future at university was going to hold. Maybe that was a writing technique to make us look forward to the next meeting with Richard because it certainly worked but to finish the book and not know a lot about one of the main characters wasn't very good.
The plot was clearly well thought out with its twists. I thoroughly enjoyed finding out about Molly B’s life and how independent she was for living in the 17th century. Finding out about it gradually with all its surprises made a really good read and taught me a large amount on history at that time, not that I’d want to live there.
The style of writing was generally quite engaging and I found it quite easy to picture the crowded streets with all the people bustling. People’s reactions were constantly noted showing rather than telling us their emotions which I rather much prefer.
However, onto the more exciting part (for me anyway), what I didn’t like about this book.
Molly’s character in her present life – at the start and end of the book, I found her to be a moaner. I just didn’t seem to connect as well with her as I had when she went back in time. Weird? I know. I’ve been thinking why and maybe it’s because the struggles she faced in the 17th century were much bigger than at home. Ok, she was an outcast at school but she had friends and a laugh at the swimming club to make up for that. Her sister hated her for having to babysit her all the time but don’t all siblings have that rivalry? I didn’t quite see the problem to that one either because her sister is at uni and completely avoidable so it doesn’t even matter if the sister hates Molly. She doesn’t connect with her parents – a lot of people don’t until they are adults. I didn’t see what the problem was if her mother was asking her daughter what she wanted to do. Maybe I’m just not understanding but personally, I didn’t tell my family about what I wanted to do for ages when they were nagging me and then when I had decided I told them and problem solved. If it’s been causing arguments in her household just because she hasn’t told them, I don’t see why she can’t just confess her thoughts. It was for this reason that I didn’t give the book five stars which the middle bit deserved.
Also, really picky I guess but the time difference between Janet and Molly annoyed me slightly. When Molly had only been gone for 5 hours and Janet 2 years (which was the same length of time she had stayed in the village), the ratio of time passing did not match up. If the ratios did, due to Janet being there for over 2 years, she still would have been reported missing. For such a small section of the book, I would have preferred it if she had made the ratios match up.
Anyways….I’m recommending this to all history lovers, even to people who like romance (such a sad heartbreak (though nothing actually happened: P)). Please take your time to read this book because despite the above criticisms, it’s still worth a read.
Favourite parts:
I liked the fact that she wasn't a geek in history to start with when she was thrown back in time - makes her seem 'normal' (no offense to history geeks who are 15).In fact, I liked most of the characters - especially Richard with his modern views. I found that all the characters - even the little ones had a story behind them.
What did surprise me was that we didn't learn a lot about Richard's background. Sure he lived in the manor, and they were royalists but other than his father, there no mention of the family or what his future at university was going to hold. Maybe that was a writing technique to make us look forward to the next meeting with Richard because it certainly worked but to finish the book and not know a lot about one of the main characters wasn't very good.
The plot was clearly well thought out with its twists. I thoroughly enjoyed finding out about Molly B’s life and how independent she was for living in the 17th century. Finding out about it gradually with all its surprises made a really good read and taught me a large amount on history at that time, not that I’d want to live there.
The style of writing was generally quite engaging and I found it quite easy to picture the crowded streets with all the people bustling. People’s reactions were constantly noted showing rather than telling us their emotions which I rather much prefer.
However, onto the more exciting part (for me anyway), what I didn’t like about this book.
Molly’s character in her present life – at the start and end of the book, I found her to be a moaner. I just didn’t seem to connect as well with her as I had when she went back in time. Weird? I know. I’ve been thinking why and maybe it’s because the struggles she faced in the 17th century were much bigger than at home. Ok, she was an outcast at school but she had friends and a laugh at the swimming club to make up for that. Her sister hated her for having to babysit her all the time but don’t all siblings have that rivalry? I didn’t quite see the problem to that one either because her sister is at uni and completely avoidable so it doesn’t even matter if the sister hates Molly. She doesn’t connect with her parents – a lot of people don’t until they are adults. I didn’t see what the problem was if her mother was asking her daughter what she wanted to do. Maybe I’m just not understanding but personally, I didn’t tell my family about what I wanted to do for ages when they were nagging me and then when I had decided I told them and problem solved. If it’s been causing arguments in her household just because she hasn’t told them, I don’t see why she can’t just confess her thoughts. It was for this reason that I didn’t give the book five stars which the middle bit deserved.
Also, really picky I guess but the time difference between Janet and Molly annoyed me slightly. When Molly had only been gone for 5 hours and Janet 2 years (which was the same length of time she had stayed in the village), the ratio of time passing did not match up. If the ratios did, due to Janet being there for over 2 years, she still would have been reported missing. For such a small section of the book, I would have preferred it if she had made the ratios match up.
Anyways….I’m recommending this to all history lovers, even to people who like romance (such a sad heartbreak (though nothing actually happened: P)). Please take your time to read this book because despite the above criticisms, it’s still worth a read.
Favourite parts:
December 20, 2015
I love this type of story, and as a young girl I had always dreamed of the ability to time travel so the story of Molly and her adventures really pulled me in very quickly.
She is a normal teenage girl, and the story starts with her seemingly normal teenage life, including her frustrations. But when she is suddenly catapulted to 1648, and life through a modern day teenager is so well told in comparison with what she sees and experiences in a completely different day and age. I felt that I was there with her, experiencing all the differences and difficulties first hand, when you go from such a different way of living, and the author tells it with such style that you grow to quickly love the time and age with Molly.
The story has lots of twists, adventure and is filled with mystery, which certainly makes for a captivating read.
Definitely my favourite of this author's books!!
She is a normal teenage girl, and the story starts with her seemingly normal teenage life, including her frustrations. But when she is suddenly catapulted to 1648, and life through a modern day teenager is so well told in comparison with what she sees and experiences in a completely different day and age. I felt that I was there with her, experiencing all the differences and difficulties first hand, when you go from such a different way of living, and the author tells it with such style that you grow to quickly love the time and age with Molly.
The story has lots of twists, adventure and is filled with mystery, which certainly makes for a captivating read.
Definitely my favourite of this author's books!!
January 28, 2016
Lots of historical information aimed at the young teen in story form. If you’re a youngster trying to find out more about the times of Cavaliers and Parliamentarians in story form, without being bogged down in history books, this might be the book for you. Not really my cup of tea though. ***
January 29, 2012
Omg.. i cant believe it took me ages to actually pick this up and FINISH IT :D WOWOWOWOW
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews