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Time Travelers #1
Both Sides of Time
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?
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?
224 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1995
38 people are currently reading
2718 people want to read
About the author
Caroline B. Cooney
129 books1,775 followersCaroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
November 19, 2014
I can't remember the number of times I read this series. Over and over and over. I loved Annie because she was just like me - a little awkward, a hopeless romantic, and better fitted for a previous century. I was infatuated with Strat. I was addicted to every book when I first got it until I finished it. I spent every spare moment dreaming of being in the 1800s with the two of them. Cooney gave me an obsession and I'm so happy I had it...and secretly still do have it.
February 24, 2013
Everyone in this book is an idiot. Which is OK, because most of the characters are teenagers and everyone knows that teenagers are idiots. I can say that, because I used to be one.
Both Sides of Time, by Caroline B. Cooney, is a book I read MANY MANY times when it came out, a book I loved because it contained NOT ONLY a sassy heroine, smitten hero, and love story, but TIME TRAVEL. My tastes? They have not changed much (see: Lost, Doctor Who, Safety Not Guaranteed, etc).
The only thing I really remembered about this book was that the heroine somehow went back in time. Which is pretty much all you need to know. Annie Lockwood, fed up with her distant boyfriend and her romance-missing life, somehow travels back in time, from 1995 to 1895. There, she meets Strat, a handsome, rich, almost-betrothed young man who obviously falls immediately in love with Annie, since she’s completely unlike any other girls he’s ever met. Meaning: she’s a total harlot who appears out of nowhere with HER LEGS EXPOSED LE GASP!
In 1895, she breaks up the almost-engagement, learns what it was like to have servants dress her, and stumbles across a murder investigation, all while falling deeply and hopelessly in love with Strat, as only a teenager can.
I have to say, after more recently going on journeys with the likes of Katniss Everdeen, Beatrice Prior, and most especially Hermione Granger, I found the character of Annie Lockwood to be a bit lacking. This book was written in 1995 (and is JUST SO 90s) and I seem to remember there being an overabundance of these types of books around that time, each featuring a beautiful but damsel-in-distress-like heroine, bored with normal life but really taking no ownership over it, who at some point meets a beefy, handsome stranger who throws her life into turmoil. But in a good way. Usually.
Then again, it’s unrealistic to expect teenagers to be proficient in bow-hunting or magic or, hell, even their FEELINGS, so I’m going to cut Annie some slack here. She’s pretty preoccupied with her own family, which is falling apart, and, in the end, she makes a mature, grown-up decision, so good on her.
Something that cracked me up was the focus on how bad women used to have it. I mean, obviously, it’s not funny that women used to have no power, etc, but the way it’s brought up in this book, over and over and over again, was both awesome and completely heavy-handed. This book is for 12-year-olds, though, so I guess good for Cooney for making sure any girls reading would know how shitty things used to be?
(There is, of course, a sequel, which I will obviously be reading and reviewing. I mean, duh.)
Both Sides of Time, by Caroline B. Cooney, is a book I read MANY MANY times when it came out, a book I loved because it contained NOT ONLY a sassy heroine, smitten hero, and love story, but TIME TRAVEL. My tastes? They have not changed much (see: Lost, Doctor Who, Safety Not Guaranteed, etc).
The only thing I really remembered about this book was that the heroine somehow went back in time. Which is pretty much all you need to know. Annie Lockwood, fed up with her distant boyfriend and her romance-missing life, somehow travels back in time, from 1995 to 1895. There, she meets Strat, a handsome, rich, almost-betrothed young man who obviously falls immediately in love with Annie, since she’s completely unlike any other girls he’s ever met. Meaning: she’s a total harlot who appears out of nowhere with HER LEGS EXPOSED LE GASP!
In 1895, she breaks up the almost-engagement, learns what it was like to have servants dress her, and stumbles across a murder investigation, all while falling deeply and hopelessly in love with Strat, as only a teenager can.
I have to say, after more recently going on journeys with the likes of Katniss Everdeen, Beatrice Prior, and most especially Hermione Granger, I found the character of Annie Lockwood to be a bit lacking. This book was written in 1995 (and is JUST SO 90s) and I seem to remember there being an overabundance of these types of books around that time, each featuring a beautiful but damsel-in-distress-like heroine, bored with normal life but really taking no ownership over it, who at some point meets a beefy, handsome stranger who throws her life into turmoil. But in a good way. Usually.
Then again, it’s unrealistic to expect teenagers to be proficient in bow-hunting or magic or, hell, even their FEELINGS, so I’m going to cut Annie some slack here. She’s pretty preoccupied with her own family, which is falling apart, and, in the end, she makes a mature, grown-up decision, so good on her.
Something that cracked me up was the focus on how bad women used to have it. I mean, obviously, it’s not funny that women used to have no power, etc, but the way it’s brought up in this book, over and over and over again, was both awesome and completely heavy-handed. This book is for 12-year-olds, though, so I guess good for Cooney for making sure any girls reading would know how shitty things used to be?
(There is, of course, a sequel, which I will obviously be reading and reviewing. I mean, duh.)
July 27, 2016
Until running across one completely by accident a few weeks ago, I had completely forgotten these books existed. This is surprising since I was completely obsessed with them in middle school. I have always been a history buff so any tale where the heroine gets to travel back in time is right up my alley. I am no longer as smitten as I was back then (though middle school me is glaring over my shoulder demanding a 5 star review) but I still enjoyed this series.
This time around, I found myself a little disgusted with Annie and her passive, whiny nature. It feels as though she always needs someone else (or Time) to push her into action or make her decisions for her. She even openly admits wanting someone else to call the shots on several occasions. The other characters, however, completely make up for her wishy-washy nature. They step up to the plate and take control of their own destinies in a time when they should simply keep their mouths shut and do as they're told. I love it. And, by the end of the series, I was beginning to warm back up to Annie too.
All in all, I still enjoy these books!
This time around, I found myself a little disgusted with Annie and her passive, whiny nature. It feels as though she always needs someone else (or Time) to push her into action or make her decisions for her. She even openly admits wanting someone else to call the shots on several occasions. The other characters, however, completely make up for her wishy-washy nature. They step up to the plate and take control of their own destinies in a time when they should simply keep their mouths shut and do as they're told. I love it. And, by the end of the series, I was beginning to warm back up to Annie too.
All in all, I still enjoy these books!
November 14, 2011
Like all three of the books from this series I've read so far, enjoyable YA fare with interesting historical and interpersonal notes. The first two must be read together; the third is a nice addition but not necessary to complete the first two. And the fourth (why is there always a fourth with Cooney series? ;) ) looks interesting enough that I plan to get my hands on it.
January 18, 2012
Annie is a “romantic in the wrong century,” but her boyfriend is more interested in his old cars. But one day at the derelict mansion outside of town, when “something was wrong with the day, or something wrong with her” she falls back one century and falls in love with Strat, a boy who is everything she’s been dreaming of—everything her boyfriend is not. He is handsome, honorable, and heir to the Stratton mansion and fortune.
The 1880s seem incredibly romantic to Annie, so much better than her own ugly, plastic century. It is an age when men are men and women are women and no one mistakes one for the other. The men are charming and chivalrous. Their courtliness is so attractive to girl whose boyfriend expected her to load his tools in his truck for him. What could be better than to wear beautiful, feminine dresses and live in a luxurious mansion?
But it’s also a time of tremendous stiffness and formality. Even young people call each other by their formal titles of Mr. and Miss. And everyone is expected to “modulate” themselves and be subject to elaborate “rules of behavior.” Women’s lives are even more restrictive than the corsets they wear.
Strat is fascinated by this beautiful free-spirited girl that lands in his world. He is both attracted to and shocked by her unconfined body and bare legs. Unlike his peers, he seems willing to let her be who she is, and loves her in spite of her alien nature.
But Annie realizes that we don’t own time as we think we do with our clocks and watches. Time owns us. We are a product of our time. Will her relationship with Strat be sustainable in a world where men make the rules and govern the lives of their women, own their women? A world where a woman who doesn’t marry ceases to have any value? In Strat’s world women are so desperate for marriage that they sometimes give up relative freedom and a chance to go to college to marry repellant men old enough to be their fathers, men who only want their money.
Annie is a "Century Changer.” She can choose which century she wants to live in. But no matter which century she chooses, someone will be unhappy. She has made a mess of it on both sides of time. If only she can keep everybody safe and still get a happily ever after for herself.
Deborah Heal, author of Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station. I bought this book. http://www.deborahheal.com
The 1880s seem incredibly romantic to Annie, so much better than her own ugly, plastic century. It is an age when men are men and women are women and no one mistakes one for the other. The men are charming and chivalrous. Their courtliness is so attractive to girl whose boyfriend expected her to load his tools in his truck for him. What could be better than to wear beautiful, feminine dresses and live in a luxurious mansion?
But it’s also a time of tremendous stiffness and formality. Even young people call each other by their formal titles of Mr. and Miss. And everyone is expected to “modulate” themselves and be subject to elaborate “rules of behavior.” Women’s lives are even more restrictive than the corsets they wear.
Strat is fascinated by this beautiful free-spirited girl that lands in his world. He is both attracted to and shocked by her unconfined body and bare legs. Unlike his peers, he seems willing to let her be who she is, and loves her in spite of her alien nature.
But Annie realizes that we don’t own time as we think we do with our clocks and watches. Time owns us. We are a product of our time. Will her relationship with Strat be sustainable in a world where men make the rules and govern the lives of their women, own their women? A world where a woman who doesn’t marry ceases to have any value? In Strat’s world women are so desperate for marriage that they sometimes give up relative freedom and a chance to go to college to marry repellant men old enough to be their fathers, men who only want their money.
Annie is a "Century Changer.” She can choose which century she wants to live in. But no matter which century she chooses, someone will be unhappy. She has made a mess of it on both sides of time. If only she can keep everybody safe and still get a happily ever after for herself.
Deborah Heal, author of Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station. I bought this book. http://www.deborahheal.com
March 22, 2017
Read this YA series when I was in middle school. Have no idea what made it spring to mind again, but all I remembered was that the main character's name was Annie, like mine, and that she traveled through time. And that there was a very interesting character named Harriett who had tuberculosis in one of the books, I remembered her being in a sanatorium. Happily managed to find the name.
It's more engrossing than I remember, honestly. Strat, Annie's love interest, is a bit boring, and Annie is okay for a YA protag, but Strat's sister Devonny and friend Harriett are the real star characters here. They made the book un-put-down-able.
It's more engrossing than I remember, honestly. Strat, Annie's love interest, is a bit boring, and Annie is okay for a YA protag, but Strat's sister Devonny and friend Harriett are the real star characters here. They made the book un-put-down-able.
June 17, 2021
I love Caroline B Cooney’s books. She was my favorite author in middle school. I remember this being one of the series I read in middle school and I remember thinking about how good it was at the time. I think I thought it was so much better than it actually was (Hahaha!)
I really enjoy the historical fiction and time traveling part of the book, because it’s fun to read about the different social customs and the fashion changes. But now that I’m older the romance is soooo immature and cliche. They literally tell each other that they love each other in the SAME DAY! But in perspective my husband says that is how teens really feel at that time.
I really enjoy the historical fiction and time traveling part of the book, because it’s fun to read about the different social customs and the fashion changes. But now that I’m older the romance is soooo immature and cliche. They literally tell each other that they love each other in the SAME DAY! But in perspective my husband says that is how teens really feel at that time.
November 13, 2014
I really liked this book! I got it because it looked interesting and one of my friends (zoe) told me she liked the author.It's about a girl that went back in time and had an amazing time!First,there was a murder mystery!Then,she met Strat, his sister Devonny,his stepmom,his dad,and his gf Harriet. Strat and the girl that went back in time fell in love,so Harriet is (obviously) heartbroken and is forced to go to desperate measures. I hope I've said enough to get you excited about it,but I won't say anymore in case you read it.
February 21, 2015
I'm not gonna right a full review cuz this book doesn't deserve it. IT WAS AWFUL! It was ridiculously cheesey and there was so much instalove. The writing style was so bad it felt like a first grader wrote it. Just yuck ew
March 9, 2013
I know a book is bad when after every single chapter I find myself thinking, "yeah...so?" That being said, I got this book when I was eleven and I really should have read it then, before I had any real concept of writing and character development. This is literally like a story I would have written for sixth grade english. It's not unbearable at first, but it becomes frighteningly pathetic very quickly. Cheesy, "romantic" bull shit practically oozes from every page. The plot is shallow, the characters are uninteresting, and don't get me started on the...um..."love story." She falls back in time (how this happens, I might add, is never really explained. Yeah, I know it's a series but still...) walks on the beach with him for five minutes, and from then on they are both madly in love. No chemistry, no tension, no build up, nothing. I could care less about these two. The incessant proclamations of "Oh, Strat" and "I don't want a souvenir. I want Strat." make this book nothing more than a middle schoolers wet dream. Which is why, once again, I probably should have read this a few years ago. But I didn't, and I can honestly say I am so glad this reading experience is over.
January 20, 2019
This was a re-read from my middle school days. I was OBSESSED with this series, and Caroline B. Cooney in general. (We shared the same name. That was enough to get me to read her. LOL)
This is a very short book. The instalove is strong. The characters are shallow.
And yet… the nostalgia at reading this one made the read worth it. This was my first introduction to time travel (specifically time travel romance) and I might re-read it again. Even though my book tastes have vastly matured.
This is a very short book. The instalove is strong. The characters are shallow.
And yet… the nostalgia at reading this one made the read worth it. This was my first introduction to time travel (specifically time travel romance) and I might re-read it again. Even though my book tastes have vastly matured.
January 10, 2020
For part of my reading challenge for 2020, one of the categories is "a reread." By happenstance, my parents just dropped off all my old books from high school. I remember this book in particular I loved, but I only remember that 1) it's a time traveling romance and 2) there's a scene where 19th century ladies are horrified by a 20th century hot pink bra.
So, how does it hold up? Surprisingly well, especially for a 90s YA novel. I couldn't help but roll my eyes when we meet Annie Lockwood in 1995 who longs for the romance of the 1890s and coincidentally gets transported there. However, instead of a teen romance novel that glosses over how crappy this time period actually is for most people, women and the poor especially, the novel does a decent job of illuminating the powerlessness of women and the lower class. There's even a few not-too-deep parallels between gender dynamics of then and now.
"For none of this was about love and romance: it was about power." I just really like that line because that's what a lesser book about Victorian era romance would miss.
I think the book even does a good job not romanticizing chauvinism. No, Annie doesn't have much of a personality besides teenage girl in love, but our strapping hero is a romantic gentleman who is also a privileged moron. From his sister's point of view, "He smiled that infuriating male smile." Good stuff.
Last point, wow do I have a surprising amount to say, was I felt my age in reading this. All those scenes I thought were so romantic when I was 14, I now think, oh, you adorable, stupid kids. Time owns all of us, which I think might be a real line in the book.
Anyway, if you like the idea of time traveling YA romance with a bit of societal commentary, 90s throwbacks, a fun little murder mystery and an easy read, this could be for you. Only four stars because the silliness can be a bit much and the lead character is pretty thin. I've also now found out there are four of these, so my weekend is shot.
So, how does it hold up? Surprisingly well, especially for a 90s YA novel. I couldn't help but roll my eyes when we meet Annie Lockwood in 1995 who longs for the romance of the 1890s and coincidentally gets transported there. However, instead of a teen romance novel that glosses over how crappy this time period actually is for most people, women and the poor especially, the novel does a decent job of illuminating the powerlessness of women and the lower class. There's even a few not-too-deep parallels between gender dynamics of then and now.
"For none of this was about love and romance: it was about power." I just really like that line because that's what a lesser book about Victorian era romance would miss.
I think the book even does a good job not romanticizing chauvinism. No, Annie doesn't have much of a personality besides teenage girl in love, but our strapping hero is a romantic gentleman who is also a privileged moron. From his sister's point of view, "He smiled that infuriating male smile." Good stuff.
Last point, wow do I have a surprising amount to say, was I felt my age in reading this. All those scenes I thought were so romantic when I was 14, I now think, oh, you adorable, stupid kids. Time owns all of us, which I think might be a real line in the book.
Anyway, if you like the idea of time traveling YA romance with a bit of societal commentary, 90s throwbacks, a fun little murder mystery and an easy read, this could be for you. Only four stars because the silliness can be a bit much and the lead character is pretty thin. I've also now found out there are four of these, so my weekend is shot.
September 9, 2019
I’m giving this book 4 stars because when I first read it, I would give it 5, but in 2019 it isn’t age well... and I’d probably give it 3 stars.
First off - in the first chapter alone Cooney chooses to use the word romantic like 30 times. We get it, Annie is looking for more in her 15 year old relationship.
Also there is a hyper focus on her father cheating on her mother. It’s intense.
There are references to VCRs that readers today couldn’t identify with.
The book suffers from something I dislike more than anything in YA books - the one day fall in love. I think it gives young people insane perceptions of real love. I get why it’s appealing “soulmates” and all that, but it makes young people, girls particularly, think that it’s not true love or a good relationship if they don’t immediately “love” the person they are dating. All that being said though, cooney was the leading example of growth in young adult literary in the late 90s. If I hadn’t had her books I would have probably not become the voracious reader I am today.
First off - in the first chapter alone Cooney chooses to use the word romantic like 30 times. We get it, Annie is looking for more in her 15 year old relationship.
Also there is a hyper focus on her father cheating on her mother. It’s intense.
There are references to VCRs that readers today couldn’t identify with.
The book suffers from something I dislike more than anything in YA books - the one day fall in love. I think it gives young people insane perceptions of real love. I get why it’s appealing “soulmates” and all that, but it makes young people, girls particularly, think that it’s not true love or a good relationship if they don’t immediately “love” the person they are dating. All that being said though, cooney was the leading example of growth in young adult literary in the late 90s. If I hadn’t had her books I would have probably not become the voracious reader I am today.
February 20, 2024
This series was one of my favorites when I was a teen, so when I found it in my closet yesterday, I knew I had to re-read them.
Apparently this series kicked off a life-long love of time traveling fantasy romance that I'm still in love with to this day. Oddly, there was a lot of similarities to Outlander, with this being written first (Hmm...)
Anyway... It's very YA, so the writing is simpler, the story was short. Honestly, I would love this to be adapted to an adult book, filled out, with more drama, some sex, some swearing. Just more!
Apparently this series kicked off a life-long love of time traveling fantasy romance that I'm still in love with to this day. Oddly, there was a lot of similarities to Outlander, with this being written first (Hmm...)
Anyway... It's very YA, so the writing is simpler, the story was short. Honestly, I would love this to be adapted to an adult book, filled out, with more drama, some sex, some swearing. Just more!
March 29, 2021
When I was much younger, my small local library had this book, and I would borrow it every time we went. It's what made me fall in love with the smell of old books.
Rereading it I'm very disappointed. This was kind of hard to get through, and I'm only giving it 3 stars because of how much I sued to love it. I guess I would only recommend it for 9yo like I was.
Rereading it I'm very disappointed. This was kind of hard to get through, and I'm only giving it 3 stars because of how much I sued to love it. I guess I would only recommend it for 9yo like I was.
April 24, 2021
Interesting YA book with time traveling element. I appreciate the focus the author made on the treatment of women. There was teen angst, but it didn’t overwhelm the book. Overall, entertaining. 4 stars
February 25, 2023
This was my very favorite book in middle school and I still have the same copy from 1998 on my shelf!
March 10, 2025
very enjoyable, not super serious but enough to keep me invested
October 15, 2020
Onvan : Both Sides of Time (Time Travelers, #1) - Nevisande : Caroline B. Cooney - ISBN : 0385729480 - ISBN13 : 9780385729482 - Dar 224 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 1995
October 28, 2007
[Giving romance stories a second chance:] I was partly influenced by my best friend to read this book, for I'll never read pointless romance for I had once read a really mushy one that made me sick, with pointless sweet nothings in addition. Both Sides of Time. As if Time was a person with two faces, someone who can hear your cries, and hear your pleas and will then cruelly decide whether or not it shall fulfil your plea, which, after reading the book, I felt that it must have been what Annie Lockwood felt, being a century-changer, succumbed to time. Time is ALIVE and constantly moving ahead. Time waits for no one. And no one waits for time, as everyone moves on with their own lives and who would give a second thought to it? Time won't stop so why bother about it? Time is but another constant thing to most, but time was a race for Annie, for any moment later, she or STrat, could have vanished and never to have met again. In the case of the scond book, it was Devonny [Strat's sister:] and Tod [Annie's brother:], whom were also brought together, and later separated, by time. This book[s:] taught me all about the concept of time, the part of time that i had never experienced. And now i wonder how it feels like to be able to manipulate centuries and switch between them as and and when you like, for example when you absolutely hate a teacher, you can materialise in front of his/her eyes instantly and appear twenty years before as the teacher's friend or something. The world would be such a wonderful place to live in. I reckon history classes would be more interesting too, when we could appear in the middle of WW11 and live as the people had lived.
Speaking of the protagonist, Annie Lockwood is really a kindred spirit, someone i would have liked to know and i would have liked to have met. She is a lot like me in some ways, in the sense that she feels that her century isn't romantic enough. In Sec 2, my Literature teacher once said that SIngaporeans are not romantic. Their meeting places often include 'that table in KFC' or 'you know that huge longkang?' or 'outside first floor toilet', never 'under that beautiful maple tree' or 'that beautiful Victorian house'. Annie Lockwood is the "romantic living in the wrong century' for she feels she belongs in the time period where men were gentlemen and that women wore ridiculous huge hats and poofy dresses over tight corsets that literally take your breath away. It was exciting, when Annie fell back through time while riding on her bicycle, when her prosaic boyfriend in the 20th century was working on a car like a typical modern down-to-earth guy with no sense of how to please a girl, to the 19th century where Strat and Devonny lived---1895. How they met was very interesting, as Strat thought Annie was some soulless ghoul and out of curiosity for this beautiful girl, Strat followed her. He was also fascinated with the way Annie dressed, baring her legs like no other 19th century girl would ever dream of doing for their underwears were probably ten times thicker than Annie's white schooldress. The author takes on a Old Victorian man Voice, making strat so different from the 21st century guys. And Strat finally is able to talk to her when Annie finally noticed him and the two of them quickly became friends. But when Annie finally realises that she was doing a terrible thing to Strat's betrothed girl, Harriet, who loved Strat but was too shy and reserved, as all 1800s girls were. Yet Strat was deeply in love with Annie and he was the love Annie ever wanted. What was heartbreaking was that time was beckoning and she hasto go back, for she is only a trespasser of this time. Also, Annie feels very guilty for breaking Harriet's heart by appearing out of nowhere and steals Strat's heart, while she tries so hard but to no avail. Poor Harriet dies in the third book due to consumption. Annie finally leaves after a series of adventure. But the story doesn't end with the first book.
Speaking of the protagonist, Annie Lockwood is really a kindred spirit, someone i would have liked to know and i would have liked to have met. She is a lot like me in some ways, in the sense that she feels that her century isn't romantic enough. In Sec 2, my Literature teacher once said that SIngaporeans are not romantic. Their meeting places often include 'that table in KFC' or 'you know that huge longkang?' or 'outside first floor toilet', never 'under that beautiful maple tree' or 'that beautiful Victorian house'. Annie Lockwood is the "romantic living in the wrong century' for she feels she belongs in the time period where men were gentlemen and that women wore ridiculous huge hats and poofy dresses over tight corsets that literally take your breath away. It was exciting, when Annie fell back through time while riding on her bicycle, when her prosaic boyfriend in the 20th century was working on a car like a typical modern down-to-earth guy with no sense of how to please a girl, to the 19th century where Strat and Devonny lived---1895. How they met was very interesting, as Strat thought Annie was some soulless ghoul and out of curiosity for this beautiful girl, Strat followed her. He was also fascinated with the way Annie dressed, baring her legs like no other 19th century girl would ever dream of doing for their underwears were probably ten times thicker than Annie's white schooldress. The author takes on a Old Victorian man Voice, making strat so different from the 21st century guys. And Strat finally is able to talk to her when Annie finally noticed him and the two of them quickly became friends. But when Annie finally realises that she was doing a terrible thing to Strat's betrothed girl, Harriet, who loved Strat but was too shy and reserved, as all 1800s girls were. Yet Strat was deeply in love with Annie and he was the love Annie ever wanted. What was heartbreaking was that time was beckoning and she hasto go back, for she is only a trespasser of this time. Also, Annie feels very guilty for breaking Harriet's heart by appearing out of nowhere and steals Strat's heart, while she tries so hard but to no avail. Poor Harriet dies in the third book due to consumption. Annie finally leaves after a series of adventure. But the story doesn't end with the first book.
January 16, 2025
I was OBSESSED with this book growing up! It didn’t really hold up if I’m completely honest, but all the points for nostalgia.
February 19, 2026
This year I decided I wanted to go back and re-read many of the books that shaped me as a young writer in the 90s. Mostly on a whim, I chose to read Both Sides of Time by Caroline B. Cooney first. I’m still in love with that cover from 1997, and I still have my original paperback stored in my cedar/hope chest down in the basement.
But boy howdy, did this book not hold up.
Not even in the “aw shucks, I was definitely wearing rose-colored glasses when I read this as a girl” kind of way. Where you can forgive your younger self for her (now) terrible taste. This is … borderline bad. I honestly wish I could speak to Ms. Cooney herself. I can’t tell if she had instructions to keep things as simple (and dramatic) as possible, had bills to pay, or something in her contract shaping how she wrote. But if ever there was a book that didn’t give YA readers credit due, it might be this one.
Annie, a modern girl of 1995, is running away from her crappy life. She’s struggling with her parents’ rocky marriage - thanks primarily to her father’s ongoing affair - and home is the last place she wants to be. She yearns for balls and gossip and poofy gowns and boys with period hairstyles. Annie is seeking, above all else, an escape. So when she falls through time exploring a local derelict mansion, she lands precisely where she dreams of.
1895, one-hundred years in the past.
Her initial excitement over the trappings of the era makes perfect sense. Within the first three chapters, she isn’t even sure if what she’s experiencing is real or not. But once she does accept the premise that - yes, she is actually in 1895 - she quickly becomes the thing she is trying so hard to escape: selfish.
Even when an innocent woman’s life is in actual danger, she doesn’t return to save Bridget. She returns because she loves Strat. Even though she knows she’s ripped apart multiple people’s lives. Even though she knows she’s put her family and friends, her entire town, through the wringer when she disappeared. The first fall through time wasn’t her fault. But everything after? Was absolutely a choice.
I cannot overstate this. An innocent Irish woman (Bridget, the only wholly decent person in the book) is put in jail for a murder she did not commit, and still Annie - doggedly - thinks only of herself. I genuinely wonder if the murder plot was an attempt to add bulk to an already slim volume. I wish Cooney had actually taken this plot and put it front and center, rather than focusing on the “romance”.
Because here’s the crux of where this book falls apart for me. Annie and Strat don’t love each other. They are in lust with one another. Strat doesn’t fancy Annie for her mind or any particular talent, he wants her because she is beautiful. Much more so than the woman he’s supposed to marry, the plain - don’t forget that, because the novel sure loves to drive it home - Harriett Ranleigh.
One of the first interactions they have, Strat sees a flash of Annie’s thigh while they’re bike-riding together, and one of his first thoughts is about taking her clothes off. A woman he just met. Someone he just watched appear out of nowhere, and knows nothing about, and one of his first thoughts is to undress her.
That’s from chapter two, in a book aimed at 12 year olds. Yay?
It’s not the last time Strat treats Annie like a beautiful object he wants to possess. He’s not that far off from his terrible, sexist, abusive father (who already has a whopping 3 divorces under his belt), and yet this is our grand romantic hero? In fact, they both speak of owning each other.
Annie likes him because he … pays attention to her. Because he has a hairstyle and clothes that she finds charming. She doesn’t spend enough time with Strat to genuinely see him as a person. He’s just another charming accessory in her 1895 dollhouse collection.
Naturally, they declare their love for each other after less than a day. Edward and Bella at least had a few weeks (months? I’ve not read the books or seen the films) of build-up. It’s damning with faint praise, I know, but still.
Meanwhile, Annie’s only viewing the pleasures of the era through her own, very entitled, lens. Of course, she didn’t fall back an entire century to be a ladies maid like Bridget, with no money or control over her own destiny.
She has the absolute pleasure (and, dare I say it, privilege) to be attached to a wealthy man, which makes her experience gilded, to say the least. She wears fine clothes from Devonny, Strat’s younger sister, as well as Harriett.
Honestly, the more I think about this book the more annoyed I get, because there’s real story here that gets blatantly tossed aside.
I want Bridget’s story. An Irish immigrant who sailed overseas with virtually nothing in her pocket, to build a new life, only to have it thrown away because some bastard wants to frame her for murder. Not to mention, as a Catholic, Bridget loses the love of a Protestant stableboy who will claim to love her, but won’t put any spine to that love. And her great reward is that she goes off to Texas (because her “sweetheart” Jeb, went to California, which was her dream), where she has no one, and only the money she’s given by Mrs. Florinda Stratton - Strat’s step-mother who is an absolute BAMF in the third act. Pistol and all!
I want Florinda’s story. The fourth wife of a monster. Who hides a strong spirit under vapors and fainting, who pulls through in the end for an under-loved woman in danger - Harriett - at the risk of her own standing. But is still stuck in the clutches of having produced no heirs - male or otherwise - and having no prospects outside her deeply terrible marriage.
I want Harriett’s story. The PLAIN one. The one who has to use wit and intelligence to capture anyone’s attention. Because even though she’s bent over backwards to show Strat her love for years, she’ll never compare to the impossible beauty that is Annie. I wanna see the plain girl win, damnit! Justice for the Harriett Ranleigh! For all the kind, dutiful plain ladies who can’t live up to the perfection of Annie Lockwood.
You know, as I write this, I think I have a clearer idea of why I didn’t like it. Despite being the primary character, Annie doesn’t actually change as a person. If anything she becomes more selfish. Sure, Bridget is freed and Harriett gets to escape a marriage to a terrible man. But none of that has to do with Annie. Bridget and Harriett are rescued from doom and death thanks to Devonny and Florinda. Annie herself, in the midst of much dramatic moaning, only returns for Strat.
The story tries very hard to make us believe that Annie has grown as a character. And yes, she returns to her own time, and tells Strat to be kind and marry Harriett. But here’s the rub, she’s telling him to do something he was already honor-bound to do. Meanwhile her “sacrifice” is couched in such self-centered language that it just further proves how little she’s actually grown.
There’s a novel in here somewhere about a young woman who falls in love with a dream man she can never have. Not just star-crossed lovers but time-crossed lovers, yet in the attempt to sound “romantic” the weak underbelly is constantly exposed. Lust and fascination do not equal love, and readers - especially young readers - deserve much more than this book has to offer.
But boy howdy, did this book not hold up.
Not even in the “aw shucks, I was definitely wearing rose-colored glasses when I read this as a girl” kind of way. Where you can forgive your younger self for her (now) terrible taste. This is … borderline bad. I honestly wish I could speak to Ms. Cooney herself. I can’t tell if she had instructions to keep things as simple (and dramatic) as possible, had bills to pay, or something in her contract shaping how she wrote. But if ever there was a book that didn’t give YA readers credit due, it might be this one.
On this note, I have to issue a public apology to Stephenie Meyer and Twilight fans. I’m sorry. Edward and Bella are not the worst insta-love couple ever. I still loathe the series, but I can’t hold that particular issue against it any more.
Annie, a modern girl of 1995, is running away from her crappy life. She’s struggling with her parents’ rocky marriage - thanks primarily to her father’s ongoing affair - and home is the last place she wants to be. She yearns for balls and gossip and poofy gowns and boys with period hairstyles. Annie is seeking, above all else, an escape. So when she falls through time exploring a local derelict mansion, she lands precisely where she dreams of.
1895, one-hundred years in the past.
Her initial excitement over the trappings of the era makes perfect sense. Within the first three chapters, she isn’t even sure if what she’s experiencing is real or not. But once she does accept the premise that - yes, she is actually in 1895 - she quickly becomes the thing she is trying so hard to escape: selfish.
Even when an innocent woman’s life is in actual danger, she doesn’t return to save Bridget. She returns because she loves Strat. Even though she knows she’s ripped apart multiple people’s lives. Even though she knows she’s put her family and friends, her entire town, through the wringer when she disappeared. The first fall through time wasn’t her fault. But everything after? Was absolutely a choice.
I cannot overstate this. An innocent Irish woman (Bridget, the only wholly decent person in the book) is put in jail for a murder she did not commit, and still Annie - doggedly - thinks only of herself. I genuinely wonder if the murder plot was an attempt to add bulk to an already slim volume. I wish Cooney had actually taken this plot and put it front and center, rather than focusing on the “romance”.
Because here’s the crux of where this book falls apart for me. Annie and Strat don’t love each other. They are in lust with one another. Strat doesn’t fancy Annie for her mind or any particular talent, he wants her because she is beautiful. Much more so than the woman he’s supposed to marry, the plain - don’t forget that, because the novel sure loves to drive it home - Harriett Ranleigh.
One of the first interactions they have, Strat sees a flash of Annie’s thigh while they’re bike-riding together, and one of his first thoughts is about taking her clothes off. A woman he just met. Someone he just watched appear out of nowhere, and knows nothing about, and one of his first thoughts is to undress her.
Strat yearned to imagine her without even the thin white dress, but it would not be honorable, so he prevented himself from having such a fantasy.
That’s from chapter two, in a book aimed at 12 year olds. Yay?
It’s not the last time Strat treats Annie like a beautiful object he wants to possess. He’s not that far off from his terrible, sexist, abusive father (who already has a whopping 3 divorces under his belt), and yet this is our grand romantic hero? In fact, they both speak of owning each other.
Annie likes him because he … pays attention to her. Because he has a hairstyle and clothes that she finds charming. She doesn’t spend enough time with Strat to genuinely see him as a person. He’s just another charming accessory in her 1895 dollhouse collection.
Naturally, they declare their love for each other after less than a day. Edward and Bella at least had a few weeks (months? I’ve not read the books or seen the films) of build-up. It’s damning with faint praise, I know, but still.
Meanwhile, Annie’s only viewing the pleasures of the era through her own, very entitled, lens. Of course, she didn’t fall back an entire century to be a ladies maid like Bridget, with no money or control over her own destiny.
She has the absolute pleasure (and, dare I say it, privilege) to be attached to a wealthy man, which makes her experience gilded, to say the least. She wears fine clothes from Devonny, Strat’s younger sister, as well as Harriett.
Honestly, the more I think about this book the more annoyed I get, because there’s real story here that gets blatantly tossed aside.
I want Bridget’s story. An Irish immigrant who sailed overseas with virtually nothing in her pocket, to build a new life, only to have it thrown away because some bastard wants to frame her for murder. Not to mention, as a Catholic, Bridget loses the love of a Protestant stableboy who will claim to love her, but won’t put any spine to that love. And her great reward is that she goes off to Texas (because her “sweetheart” Jeb, went to California, which was her dream), where she has no one, and only the money she’s given by Mrs. Florinda Stratton - Strat’s step-mother who is an absolute BAMF in the third act. Pistol and all!
I want Florinda’s story. The fourth wife of a monster. Who hides a strong spirit under vapors and fainting, who pulls through in the end for an under-loved woman in danger - Harriett - at the risk of her own standing. But is still stuck in the clutches of having produced no heirs - male or otherwise - and having no prospects outside her deeply terrible marriage.
I want Harriett’s story. The PLAIN one. The one who has to use wit and intelligence to capture anyone’s attention. Because even though she’s bent over backwards to show Strat her love for years, she’ll never compare to the impossible beauty that is Annie. I wanna see the plain girl win, damnit! Justice for the Harriett Ranleigh! For all the kind, dutiful plain ladies who can’t live up to the perfection of Annie Lockwood.
You know, as I write this, I think I have a clearer idea of why I didn’t like it. Despite being the primary character, Annie doesn’t actually change as a person. If anything she becomes more selfish. Sure, Bridget is freed and Harriett gets to escape a marriage to a terrible man. But none of that has to do with Annie. Bridget and Harriett are rescued from doom and death thanks to Devonny and Florinda. Annie herself, in the midst of much dramatic moaning, only returns for Strat.
The story tries very hard to make us believe that Annie has grown as a character. And yes, she returns to her own time, and tells Strat to be kind and marry Harriett. But here’s the rub, she’s telling him to do something he was already honor-bound to do. Meanwhile her “sacrifice” is couched in such self-centered language that it just further proves how little she’s actually grown.
There’s a novel in here somewhere about a young woman who falls in love with a dream man she can never have. Not just star-crossed lovers but time-crossed lovers, yet in the attempt to sound “romantic” the weak underbelly is constantly exposed. Lust and fascination do not equal love, and readers - especially young readers - deserve much more than this book has to offer.
August 25, 2013
I kind of bad-mouthed Caroline B. Cooney in my review of Lois Duncan's Down a Dark Hall, and now I feel bad because this book is so good!! Well, when I said she wasn't as skilled a writer as Duncan, I was really thinking of the Christina series, of which I read book one. I didn't like it, and it wasn't as good as other books I've read by Cooney. This book definitely redeems her in my view.
Annie, Devonny, Strat, Harriett, Bridgett, they're all well-written, realistic, sympathetic characters. The action is interesting, keeping me wanting more. The concept of the book, involving time travel, isn't new exactly, but Cooney puts an interesting spin on things by making Annie travel backwards in time by accident and then falling in love but feeling trapped between both sides of time (title reference purposeful, of course!).
The plot moves swiftly, everything falls together nicely, and there is a very nice cliff hanger ending that makes me happy I took out all three books from the library at once, so I won't have to wait to find out what happens next. I know Cooney eventually added a fourth book, but this was called a triology first, so I'm guessing the last book was an afterthought. It's not at my library, but if I need to find out what happens after Prisoner of Time, I'll order the fourth book from interlibrary loan.
I recommend this book to lovers of YA fiction, to readers interested in fiction about time travel, and to people who love history, especially the Victorian Era, which is when Annie goes.
Cooney, I'm sorry that I doubted you!
Annie, Devonny, Strat, Harriett, Bridgett, they're all well-written, realistic, sympathetic characters. The action is interesting, keeping me wanting more. The concept of the book, involving time travel, isn't new exactly, but Cooney puts an interesting spin on things by making Annie travel backwards in time by accident and then falling in love but feeling trapped between both sides of time (title reference purposeful, of course!).
The plot moves swiftly, everything falls together nicely, and there is a very nice cliff hanger ending that makes me happy I took out all three books from the library at once, so I won't have to wait to find out what happens next. I know Cooney eventually added a fourth book, but this was called a triology first, so I'm guessing the last book was an afterthought. It's not at my library, but if I need to find out what happens after Prisoner of Time, I'll order the fourth book from interlibrary loan.
I recommend this book to lovers of YA fiction, to readers interested in fiction about time travel, and to people who love history, especially the Victorian Era, which is when Annie goes.
Cooney, I'm sorry that I doubted you!
February 28, 2021
Somewhere between a guilty pleasure and a childhood favorite. When I was a kid I thought this book was so sweepingly romantic and believed that Annie and Strat's love was so true and heart-aching. But...they know each other for a total of, like, a day. If that. He also doesn't actually have much personality aside from being perfect and in love with her. She, meanwhile, is really narcissistic, selfish, and condescending. There is slightly a message about how romance is not the be-all end-all of life, but it's pretty buried under all the stuff about a women's uselessness if she doesn't have a man in her life (either in 1895 or 1995). It doesn't really feel like "commentary" on gender roles so much as it seems like the author thinks that it's simply true that women are incomplete till they got a mate.
The mechanism for time travel is never cleared up. I mean, you could say that's on purpose, but it feels more like Cooney was lazy and just wanted to make that the plot device without any explanation.
Some side characters are nice though: Devonny (at least not in this book) doesn't really think about getting a husband, Florinda while needing a husband to survive in her society doesn't necessarily want to need one and shows surprising strength.
The mechanism for time travel is never cleared up. I mean, you could say that's on purpose, but it feels more like Cooney was lazy and just wanted to make that the plot device without any explanation.
Some side characters are nice though: Devonny (at least not in this book) doesn't really think about getting a husband, Florinda while needing a husband to survive in her society doesn't necessarily want to need one and shows surprising strength.
August 5, 2014
Why my thirteen year-old time-travel obssessed self never came across this inter-century adolescent romance when it was first published in 1995, I'll never know. But, I'm sure that I would have loved "Both Sides of Time" as much then as I do now. At times, I felt that Cooney was trying too hard to make sure that her book was a "historical" novel that was also "educational" (stressing and re-stressing, for example, the resticted role of women in 1895 and the dominant power of men). At times, too, I wondered if Cooney's writing style was edgy and modern enough for today's teenage set, especially in the wake of a series such as "Twilight". But the story, the story, beautiful and romantic, surpasses all possible technical flaws. Here is a story I could read again and again at any age, a book I wish I would have written (with a few alterations here and there) and a journey through time that any girl in any century would no doubt love to take.
December 10, 2008
Oh, the ridiculous time travel melodrama of my youth! This was actually better than I remembered. Yes, Annie and Strat do find TRUE LOVE at FIRST SIGHT, and yes, the ending’s a bit abrupt and not terribly well set-up. But I liked that Cooney kept this away from being total fluff by emphasizing how hard it would have been to be a woman—of any class—in the 19th century. Wow, books for teenage girls used to actually have empowering, feminist messages in them? Too bad that’s gone out of style. *cough TwilightyesIstillhaveissuescough*
Though I remember pretty distinctly reading this when I was 12, I never read the sequels. (Maybe our tiny town library didn’t have them?) I intend to remedy that now.
Though I remember pretty distinctly reading this when I was 12, I never read the sequels. (Maybe our tiny town library didn’t have them?) I intend to remedy that now.
February 7, 2016
This is a time travel romance. Annie is from the year 1995. She has a boyfriend who doesn't even notice if she is around or not. Then she falls (literally) back in time to 1895. She becomes involved with people in that time and becomes involved in a love triangle. The problem is that she is hurtled through time without knowing why or how. Will she ever be able to stay in one time period?
I love time travel romances and this one is a pleasant one to read. It does leave a lot of questions that I hope will be resolved later in the series. I am intrigued enough to continue on the journey.
I love time travel romances and this one is a pleasant one to read. It does leave a lot of questions that I hope will be resolved later in the series. I am intrigued enough to continue on the journey.
July 23, 2014
I loved this book, one of the few modern time-travel books that I've thought was very good (since, say, the 1960s). Characters are funny and show hidden depths (or, as the case may be, characters are truly creepy). The writing is occasionally a little overwrought, but there are some real gems of sentences in here. Period details seem good to me.
May 17, 2020
This book is very simply written but beautiful. I can't recall how many times I have reread it. I must have started reading the series between ages 12-14 and now, at 22, I still love to read them.
The idea of a true love/soul mate existing generations before, in another time and space, is wonderfully portrayed in this series and beautiful. One of my favorite love stories :)
The idea of a true love/soul mate existing generations before, in another time and space, is wonderfully portrayed in this series and beautiful. One of my favorite love stories :)
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