Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Progress Posts 2017
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10: A dual-timeline novel
It's the first time I'm participating in the challenge and this is my first book, I hope I got it right :)- What are you reading this week?
Find Her by Lisa Gardner, one of the main characters is a young woman who was abducted for over a year, she get involved in another police investigation.
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
The novel alternates between the current time and flashbacks of the abduction, the time when she was held captive.
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No, not difficult at all, it was quite clear, the MC narration was in the first person.
What are you reading this week?I'm reading If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo. It's about Amanda who suffered from gender identity disorder and underwent a sex change surgery and is struggling to live a normal life.
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
The novel is written in the present with flashbacks from before, back when she was still called Andrew.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No. At the end of most of the chapters a little more of her past is revealed and Meredith Russo has written it so well.
- What are you reading this week?
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel? 1942-45 and 1986
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? No, because at the beginning of each chapter it tells you what year it is.
- What are you reading this week?The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?Past - 1984, Present, I think 30 years later.
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? No, there are just flashback with cursive letter and the date at the beginning.
What are you reading this week?Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
Seeing as how I just started it, the only time frame I've come across is 1945. I know it goes back farther in time, I'm just not sure of the exact year.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
I haven't experienced the dual timelines yet, so I'm not sure it'll be hard to follow or not.
- What are you reading this week?LaRose by Louise Erdrich
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1999-2003 and 1840s
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No. The author separates the sections in the book and clearly indicates the year until the reader gets into the story lines.
What are you reading this week?Outlander
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1946 and 1743
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Well, I just started it...so at this point not at all! :)
- What are you reading this week?
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1969 and 2016(I think it is)
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No not at all.
Read The Snow Rose by Lulu Taylor. Set in the 1920s and present times. Time line was back and for but easy to follow. Really enjoyed it.
What are you reading this week?I read The Invisible Hand: Shakespeare's Moon, ACT I by James Hartley.
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
It was set in present time and a fictional medieval Europe where everything that happened in Macbeth was real. So it was when Macbeth killed the king and became the king himself.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
I did at first. He goes to the past only when he sleeps so he first thinks it's a dream, and I don't have any clue what's happening, but I enjoyed reading this book once I finally understood what was going on.
What are you reading this week?The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson.
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
The present, and the protagonists childhood, 25 years previously.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No, it is always clear which timeline we are in.
What are you reading this week?Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1942 Paris & 2002 Paris
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No, I really enjoy novels with multiple timelines. The tone is very different in the 2 timelines. I enjoy that the sections are very short before it changes back to the other timeline. It keeps the momentum going for sure.
- What are you reading this week?This week I read The Other Me by Saskia Sarginson.
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
Germany during WWII and England in the 1980's-1990's.
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Sometimes novels that follow multiple timelines can be confusing, but since the characters' stories within the different time periods were tightly woven it wasn't difficult at all to follow. In fact, the connections made verged on the border of being a little too straight forward at times.
-What are you reading this week?The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
The current timeline and early 1830's Boston Massachusetts.
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No. In fact the way the author wrote this book switching between the modern day characters with their questions; and then back to the early 1800's characters whose lives were the mystery to be solved was excellent. I was actually disappointed when the book ended wanting it to keep going.
What are you reading this week?The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
I didn't quite catch it... It's not entirely explicit, but GoodReads says 1974? It's two different stories told from a father and a daughter, both when they are fairly young (college age).
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Just because I am constantly rotating between several books already. I'm sure it would be much easier to follow if this were the only one.
What are you reading this week?Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: - What are the 2 time periods in your novel?Scottish Highlands, 1945 and 1743
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? No
Update: DNF Outlander
Using Wild card:
A book you chose because of the cover:
What are you reading :The Sinner2/11/17
What are you reading this week? History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund .
What are the 2 time periods in your novel? Current and approx 10 years prior.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? Not at all, Author clearly delineates by using the age of the main character, Linda.
What are you reading this week? Oryx and Crake by Margaret AtwoodWhat are the 2 time periods in your novel? Both in the future. But it is the present and past of the main character.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? At first it was slightly odd, I didn't know the two characters were the same one and the jumps of action bothered me, but after not long, it wasn't hard at all, became very clear.
What are you reading this week?Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
The past and present of the main character, both set in contemporary times. I'd say there were 18 months between timelines.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No, not at all.
Mod
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel? 1920s Paris and 1950s London/Paris
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? Have only just begun but I feel like lots of books are dual timeline now, its kinda becoming a cliche. Although I keep reading them!
What are you reading this week?The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
What are the two time periods in your novel?
WWII and 2004
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Not at all. Dual timeline books are some of my favorites!
- What are you reading this week?What Alice Fogot
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1998 and 2008
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
I just started but think it will be easy to follow.
What are you reading this week?Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
Present day (2011) and the 1920's - 40's
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Not at all. It follows a different girl in each timeline so it was quite easy to track with what was happening.
Progress Post:What are you reading this week?
I will be reading The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
From what little I've seen, it seems the book goes back and forth between two characters and a year apart. One woman in present day, and another woman from a year before.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? Oh no, not at all. Authors are pretty good about clearly showing when the action is taking place, UNLESS, they are deliberately trying to stay vague to keep you from knowing that the action is taking place at two different time periods.
What are you reading this week?The Heather Blazing by Colm Tóibín.
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
The MC's childhood (during WWII) and his current time (late 20th century).
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No, not at all.
What are you reading this week?The bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1962 and 1963! But they are dual realities for the same person.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Not especially.
What are you reading this week?- The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
- 1996 and 2007
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
- no, this one is kind of cheating! The book is arranged into two parts, so there was no back and forth
What are you reading this week?Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
The 1930s and 1980s.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No, it's pretty easy to follow. The chapters are short and each begins with the date and location of the events it describes.
- What are you reading this week?The Secret Keeper
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
The story starts in summer 1961, when 16 year old Laurel hides in the family tree house to escape her baby brother's birthday picnic. Before the afternoon is over she witnesses a shocking event involving her mother, which she can never forget. In 2011 Laurel, now a well known character actress, is aware that her mother is dying, so seeks to unravel the mystery of what she saw that summer's day and it's meaning for her family. The novel takes us back to World War II London to gradually weave together three main characters and their stories, which culminate in love, jealousy, betrayal, violence and murder.
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No
- What are you reading this week?
Perfect by Rachel Joyce- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1972 and the present day
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No
What are you reading this week?The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
The present and an unspecified time period in the past. Most readers seem to agree it's probably the 1950's, though I saw some suggestions it could be as early as 1900.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
I haven't started it yet (I have copies requested from two different libraries and yet to get it in!), but I've never found dual timelines hard to follow. Honestly, I much prefer when it's indicated in the narrative rather than with chapter headings - that seems an excuse for lazier writing.
- What are you reading this week?Life After Life
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
Not sure but looks like 1910's and 1940's/70s
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Nope, it is clearly labeled
- What are you reading this week? The Forgotten Garden- What are the 2 time periods in your novel? Mid 1900's and early 2000's
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? No very easy to follow so far! :)
- What are you reading this week?11/22/63- What are the 2 time periods in your novel? Present day and late 1950s- early 1960s
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? Not at all, both of the time lines are very distinct.
- What are you reading this week?Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1819 and 1976
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No, not at all!
What are you reading this week?Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1910 seems to run through the whole book on its own, and there's another time period that runs from the 1930s to 1970s (I think). But there's lots of backwards and forwards within those dates.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
It was easy to tell them apart, because there are dates at the switches between them. I'd probably say there are multiple timelines, rather than two, and the rewinds and repeats did get a little bit difficult to follow. I read this over a couple of weeks, maybe if I'd just dedicated a weekend to it I would've found it easier to keep track.
Beautiful Ruins- What are you reading this week? Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel? Current day Hollywood and 1962 Italian Coast
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? Idk if this one will give me difficulties. We shall see. I've read other ones that weren't conplicated.
What are you reading this week?
03/14/2017What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1985 and 2009
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No, not at all. They were obvious as in different points of view, then and now.
Progress Post:- What are you reading this week?
India Was One- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
not just two but span of time ...1986 to 2011
most drastic 1989
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
not at all, its fun read.
My book is going very slowly, so I hoped maybe posting here would inspire me to get back to it....- What are you reading this week?
by Lauren Willig- What are the 2 time periods in your novel? Present day and early nineteenth century.
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? Not difficult to follow but the characters in 1803 speak as if they are living in 2017 and it is incredibly distracting and annoying and I don't really want to finish this book at all. But I will.
- What are you reading this week?A Closed and Common Orbit
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
It's a futuristic scifi so no real time periods. There is a period in the present of the characters and another in the past of one of them.
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Not at all, the author alternated the chapters from the 2 points of view and each of them corresponded to a time period.
What are you reading this week?The Roanoke Girls
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
There's two main time periods: summer of 2004-ish and 2015. There's also single chapters from the perspective of other characters from a bunch of different times.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
The secondary timelines were pretty easy to follow but the two main ones got mixed up in my head a bit. It didn't help that the twist from one timeline was revealed at the beginning of the other. I literally didn't know what I was supposed to be discovering about the 2004 timeline. As a mystery, it was kind of a disaster.
What are you reading this week?Kindred by Octavia Butler
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
Early 1800s and 1976
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
No not at all. It's clear throughout the entire book which time periode we are in.
- What are you reading this week?
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1969 and the present day
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Not really. The narrative voice changes slightly between the two time periods, and they are delineated elsewhere by breaking up the text or stating the time period if a large section/chapter of the book is dedicated to a specific period.
What are you reading this week? What She Left Behind
by Ellen Marie WisemanWhat are the 2 time periods in your novel? Now (the book was written in 2013) and the 1930s.
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? No, not at all. The chapters are clearly marked and I enjoy dual timeline books so I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
What are you reading this week?I am reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel? The present as Vida and Margaret experience it, as Margaret interviews Vida to write her biography. And Vida's life, which naturally precedes the present.
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
I have read a few dual timeline novels this year. Since mostly the past is presented as a memory flashback, I have had not had any problems. Many, many, many of the books we read are dual timeline...just think about it.
- What are you reading this week? The Girls by Emma Cline- What are the 2 time periods in your novel? 1969 and current
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel? No it seems to be marked so far. I agree with Valerie. It seems like a lot of books are dual timeline. I feel like I've read a bunch lately.
What are you reading this week?The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
1940's and current
Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Not at all. Read these often.
- What are you reading this week?
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
The present and the past
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?
Yes at times I found it difficult to read because it switches often by changing the font.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Here (other topics)The Roanoke Girls (other topics)
Hold Still (other topics)
The Unclaimed Victim (other topics)
Voyager (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Denise Grover Swank (other topics)Amy Engel (other topics)
Lynn Steger Strong (other topics)
D.M. Pulley (other topics)
Vi Keeland (other topics)
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For those reading in order: March 6 – March 12, 2017
Suggestions for this category: link
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Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?
- What are the 2 time periods in your novel?
- Did you find it difficult to follow the dual timelines in your novel?