By the Chapter, Day 1 | Somewhere In Time by Richard Matheson
Welcome to By the Chapter. This week’s featured book is Somewhere In Time by Richard Matheson. Sharing hosting duties with me this week is Elizabeth from As usual, I need more bookshelves.
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If you’re not familiar with Somewhere In Time here’s a little background:
Somewhere in Time is the powerful story of a love that transcends time and space, written by one of the Grand Masters of modern fantasy.
Matheson’s classic novel tells the moving, romantic story of a modern man whose love for a woman he has never met draws him back in time to a luxury hotel in San Diego in 1896, where he finds his soul mate in the form of a celebrated actress of the previous century. Somewhere in Time won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the 1979 movie version, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, remains a cult classic.
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I’m about a third of the way through this story. The writing style is a bit different and threw me off at first. It’s written as if you’re reading a character’s thoughts, his thinking process, personal self-talk instead of reading a story in the narrative form. Which is exactly what our main character is doing. Richard Collier, the narrator, is recording his thoughts as he isn’t much longer for this world and these will be his final words, his goodbye. Definitely not my favored story style. Also, it’s a bit drawn out and slow for me right now. It hasn’t really captured my attention like I was hoping it would. And, no, I haven’t seen the movie so I have no comparisons to make. It’s not bad but it’s not great either or I’m not apperciating the story for what it is.
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If you’ve read, or are currently reading, Somewhere In Time please share your thoughts with us.
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This week’s reading scheduling:
Monday: The Printed Page/
Wednesday: Elizabeth from As usual, I need more bookshelves
Friday: The Printed Page/Elizabeth from As usual, I need more bookshelves
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Oh, I’d like to read this! I loved the movie- it’s one of the few that’s ever made me cry- and I had no idea it was a book first. I’m glad to know.
Oh no! Boy, my book choosing skills are bust, huh? I’m actually enjoying this one so far – the narration is different, but hasn’t bothered me. I’ve just read to the point where he makes it to 1896, and I feel like it’s a good stopping point, so I’m gonna do my first post. I hope it gets better for you!
It gets so much better once he gets to 1896. It starts reading like a story. I stayed up way late one night reading.
I saw the movie years ago when I was living overseas. I was a teenaged girl and thought that the movie was terribly romantic and hauntingly beautiful. Of course, years later
I had to pick up the book as well. I have to say that the book didn’t strike me as being nearly so wonderful as the movie.