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Traveler
With a thriving business and a stalled personal life, Shelby Manning never figured her life was any worse--or better--than the norm. Then a late-night stroll through a Civil War battlefield park led her to a most intriguing stranger. Bloody, confused, and dressed in Union blue, he insisted he had just come from the Battle of Fredericksburg--more than 100 years in the past.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
21 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Elaine Fox
43 books84 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 2, 2015
I picked this book up for two reasons. First, I like time travel books and there aren't many I've read during this time period. Second, it takes place in Fredericksburg, Virginia, which is where I live. I'm glad I did, because it was a very well done book.
When Shelby stumbled across Carter on the battlefield park grounds she couldn't just leave him there. She was especially concerned by his apparent mental confusion about where/when he was, so she took him home with her. She then makes sure he gets medical attention and against her boyfriend's recommendation, brings him back to her house after he's released from the hospital. Though she is a little concerned for herself, there's something about him that makes her want to help him.
Carter doesn't know what happened. One moment he's on the battlefield, wishing he were anywhere else, the next he's in a place both familiar and vastly different. He's grateful for the young woman who has rescued him.
I loved how real all the characters felt to me. Shelby's a kindhearted person who can't stand the idea of leaving Carter alone and confused. I really enjoyed that she's a bookstore owner and has a pretty ordinary life. It's not surprising that she doesn't believe Carter's story of being a Union soldier. I really liked that it didn't stop her from helping him. I also liked the way that she stood up to her obnoxious boyfriend when he got so nasty about Carter staying at her house. I thought that Carter was amazingly calm about what had happened to him. He did get pretty vehement about not going to the hospital, but considering what Civil War hospitals were like, it's not surprising. I loved his curiosity about everything around him.
The romance between Shelby and Carter was a slow growing one as they got to know each other. Shelby saw the differences between Carter and her boyfriend, Rory, and realized that she deserved more than she was getting. She also slowly began to accept that Carter was telling the truth. I loved seeing the way that Carter treated her. He was so sweet, but also very protective. I also liked his sense of honor, that made him hold back because of his marriage. I also liked the similarities that were shown between Rory and Carter's wife Meg, both in their attitudes and their actions. It made the ending even more satisfying.
The time travel itself was really good. The trouble that Shelby had believing it was logical. I enjoyed the gradual growing of her belief, and the final confirmation that really blew her away. Carter's reactions to things like riding in a car were fun to see. His description of the Battle of Fredericksburg was incredibly vivid and moving, as was what he said about the day to day life of a soldier. The investigation they did in trying to find any descendants of Carter's was interesting, especially with what they found out.
The only complaint I have is that I would have liked to see more of what happened after Carter rescued Shelby from the fire. I wanted to see Carter's reaction to what she found out, if they found the jewels, and if Rory had to face consequences for what he did. Oh yeah - the cover is awful, but typical of when the book was published...
When Shelby stumbled across Carter on the battlefield park grounds she couldn't just leave him there. She was especially concerned by his apparent mental confusion about where/when he was, so she took him home with her. She then makes sure he gets medical attention and against her boyfriend's recommendation, brings him back to her house after he's released from the hospital. Though she is a little concerned for herself, there's something about him that makes her want to help him.
Carter doesn't know what happened. One moment he's on the battlefield, wishing he were anywhere else, the next he's in a place both familiar and vastly different. He's grateful for the young woman who has rescued him.
I loved how real all the characters felt to me. Shelby's a kindhearted person who can't stand the idea of leaving Carter alone and confused. I really enjoyed that she's a bookstore owner and has a pretty ordinary life. It's not surprising that she doesn't believe Carter's story of being a Union soldier. I really liked that it didn't stop her from helping him. I also liked the way that she stood up to her obnoxious boyfriend when he got so nasty about Carter staying at her house. I thought that Carter was amazingly calm about what had happened to him. He did get pretty vehement about not going to the hospital, but considering what Civil War hospitals were like, it's not surprising. I loved his curiosity about everything around him.
The romance between Shelby and Carter was a slow growing one as they got to know each other. Shelby saw the differences between Carter and her boyfriend, Rory, and realized that she deserved more than she was getting. She also slowly began to accept that Carter was telling the truth. I loved seeing the way that Carter treated her. He was so sweet, but also very protective. I also liked his sense of honor, that made him hold back because of his marriage. I also liked the similarities that were shown between Rory and Carter's wife Meg, both in their attitudes and their actions. It made the ending even more satisfying.
The time travel itself was really good. The trouble that Shelby had believing it was logical. I enjoyed the gradual growing of her belief, and the final confirmation that really blew her away. Carter's reactions to things like riding in a car were fun to see. His description of the Battle of Fredericksburg was incredibly vivid and moving, as was what he said about the day to day life of a soldier. The investigation they did in trying to find any descendants of Carter's was interesting, especially with what they found out.
The only complaint I have is that I would have liked to see more of what happened after Carter rescued Shelby from the fire. I wanted to see Carter's reaction to what she found out, if they found the jewels, and if Rory had to face consequences for what he did. Oh yeah - the cover is awful, but typical of when the book was published...
May 10, 2023
This has to be one of the best time travels I've ever read -- and I read a lot of them. Time Travel Romances are my all time favorite reads. I had it on my TBR for YEARS and life just kept getting. Time travel romances are my go-to when I need to escape and not just into a good book. Fox takes her readers into the hearts and minds of her characters and they strongly reflect what we all feel at some points in our lives. I fell in love with Carter and more than once wished he was real and someone in my life -- even as a friend.
The ending was disappointing though. It was like Fox got to a point where either she was bored with the book or couldn't figure out how to make things happen. I'm not sure why she had Shelby's hair burned off but that Carter didn't seem to notice or that there was some kind of discussion about it. Her return to the present -- if she even left -- was rushed. If Fox had written maybe another 50 pages or broke it into a series taking place in the different time periods it would have made more sense and been more enjoyable. She's now a psychologist and writing non-fiction (which I'll be checking out since I have a masters in psychology myself) but it's not too late to pick up the thread of the story even though it came out in 1996 -- 27 years ago -- it IS a time travel and not too late to return to her fiction roots.
The ending was disappointing though. It was like Fox got to a point where either she was bored with the book or couldn't figure out how to make things happen. I'm not sure why she had Shelby's hair burned off but that Carter didn't seem to notice or that there was some kind of discussion about it. Her return to the present -- if she even left -- was rushed. If Fox had written maybe another 50 pages or broke it into a series taking place in the different time periods it would have made more sense and been more enjoyable. She's now a psychologist and writing non-fiction (which I'll be checking out since I have a masters in psychology myself) but it's not too late to pick up the thread of the story even though it came out in 1996 -- 27 years ago -- it IS a time travel and not too late to return to her fiction roots.
December 1, 2019
3/4 of this book was a pretty decent read, especially for a time-travel. I thought most of the book was 4 star worthy, but not the conclusion. 3/5 stars
September 30, 2019
Almost Nailed It
I love a good time travel/romance novel and Ms. Fox did not fail to deliver. Most of the book rang true both with it's direction and attention to detail. I found the last 20 pages or so to be hurried and lacking the cohesiveness encompassed by the previous chapters. It's almost as if the author decided to be done and quickly addressed any unresolved details in the fastest possible way whether it made sense or not. Time travel often has a difficult time with believability especially if the author tries to get scientific about it. Ms. Fox chose to mostly skirt the topic other than a vague reference to the northern lights. In this case, however, the book ends up lacking that believability simply because there wasn't enough information given about the how and why of time travel. All in all it's a good and entertaining read. Just don't be disappointed with the rushed ending.
I love a good time travel/romance novel and Ms. Fox did not fail to deliver. Most of the book rang true both with it's direction and attention to detail. I found the last 20 pages or so to be hurried and lacking the cohesiveness encompassed by the previous chapters. It's almost as if the author decided to be done and quickly addressed any unresolved details in the fastest possible way whether it made sense or not. Time travel often has a difficult time with believability especially if the author tries to get scientific about it. Ms. Fox chose to mostly skirt the topic other than a vague reference to the northern lights. In this case, however, the book ends up lacking that believability simply because there wasn't enough information given about the how and why of time travel. All in all it's a good and entertaining read. Just don't be disappointed with the rushed ending.
August 18, 2012
I bought this as an ebook and am so glad that I didn't see this horrible cover before I did or my enjoyment of this book would have been takendown considerably. But cover aside,
I bought this book because I wanted to read a time travel book of somekind where the female character didn't go back to medival Scotland. Apparently all time travel leads to Scotland in the land of romance novels.
I thought the characters here were real, not perfect people. I appreciate some character flaws. If I have one criticism is that the end got wrapped up alittle too quickly for me, and that it as ok for the the "Traveler" to stay in the modern world because his 1860's wife was so extremely bad. It's ok for someone's ex to just be an ex sometimes.
I bought this book because I wanted to read a time travel book of somekind where the female character didn't go back to medival Scotland. Apparently all time travel leads to Scotland in the land of romance novels.
I thought the characters here were real, not perfect people. I appreciate some character flaws. If I have one criticism is that the end got wrapped up alittle too quickly for me, and that it as ok for the the "Traveler" to stay in the modern world because his 1860's wife was so extremely bad. It's ok for someone's ex to just be an ex sometimes.
November 4, 2019
GREAT TIMETRAVELING NOVEL
I love books about time travel and this was one of the best! This one is definitely a keeper. I need to read it again. I wish it had a sequel. I’d just like to know if Shelby had a dream or if she actually traveled through time.
I love books about time travel and this was one of the best! This one is definitely a keeper. I need to read it again. I wish it had a sequel. I’d just like to know if Shelby had a dream or if she actually traveled through time.
July 15, 2022
Much better than expected. I am not a fan of 1st person POV, but it works here, wih a good balance if dialogue and action. Would have been 4 stars if not for the sudden ending. Still, I'd recommend this one.
June 22, 2020
The story was good, but the Nook version I read was full of spelling and grammatical errors.
March 26, 2013
I don't read romances, but I do read sci-fi, so when I saw that this book had been reissued as an e-book, I decided it would be my first dip into the romance literature. I enjoyed reading this book and still, months later, remember scenes and images from the story. The plot is intriguing and I found it interesting to imagine how a civil war-era man transplanted to modern time would find us and our way of life. The romance itself was compelling and believable and with just enough twists and setbacks that I had to keep reading. A well-paced read that was fun and interesting at the same time.
October 23, 2012
"Traveler" is a time travel story about a Civil War soldier who desperately wished to leave the battlefield in any way possible. I grew up in Fredericksburg, VA, where this novel is set. I walked and drove the streets the author describes, ate at Kenmore Lodge, worked at several downtown stores. From her descriptions, so did Elaine Fox. I have always found her 'doggy' romances fun, but this book is a bit more serious and just as interesting. Definitely a good read!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews