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I really wanted to but couldn't get into this book. I was so optimistic about the female protagonists and the premise of the book seemed really interesting but the characters felt too forced and fell flat for me personally. DNF
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This was a good book. Definitely a twist on time-travel I had not yet experienced. And the mental health consequences of a career of timeline hopping, well that was definitely an interesting layer. If you enjoy spec. fic and don't mind turning some long accepted time-travel tropes on their heads, give this book a go. Just keep an open mind....
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This book is different. At some points it hit me at good vibes and disappointed at others.
It is about six girls and effect of time travel on human psychology and everything is interwined with a thrilling inquiry into a murder.
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First of all it is layered and jumps between past and present and you have to suppose a lot of things like time machine, its fuel, its research team and lots of other things.
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Everything is different and although story takes place in London, time travel corporation has its own rules..
.lt is superficial in narrative with lack of focus on minor details. Lots of stuff is left to imagination.
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There is weired law mechanism where court decides fate of accused by providing him to complete a task..
It will need a lot of focus.
But it is Innovative and different and hence will require focused reading.
Best part which is moving is chapter 40 when time travelling daughter tells a painful secret to her family..
It is a thriller with moving backgrounds which is always just behind its magic.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.
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"Four women will invent time travel.
Three will make their mark on history.
Two will do anything to be remembered.
One will not survive."
I’ll be honest: I didn’t like this book nearly as much as I was hoping I would.
Don’t get me wrong, the story itself was intriguing. We follow the lives of the four women who invented time travel and forever altered society. Fifty years later, following a mysterious message that hints at a violent death in the near future, Ruby Rebello suspects that it is about her grandmother, Barbara – one of the original pioneers – and starts to investigate. Concurrent to this storyline, we also follow Odette (one year later) as she makes the initial gruesome discovery and commences an investigation of her own.
I think my main problem with this book stems from the fact that the author tried to do too much, and as a result, I don’t feel like it was as realistic as it could have been. I think it would have fared better if it was either a science fiction or a murder mystery – not both. Because of this disparity, the science fiction wasn’t science-y enough, and the mystery wasn’t as gripping as it had the potential to be. There were also too many timelines going on at the same time; I get it’s a time travel book, but still. Not only do we get a more-or-less chronological portrayal of the history of time travel – from its invention in 1967 – but we also follow Ruby in 2017 and Odette in 2018; further interspersed are accounts of other secondary characters that offer a behind-the-scenes look at time travel culture.
I did really liked the female-centric storyline and the fact that these “genius” women were able to make significant scientific strides without question. However, it was unfortunate that the author simultaneously seemed to gloss over gender and racial inequality as non-contributing factors to the story; it was as if time-travel was this convenient blanket, e.g., “Inequality is not an issue in the future, thus it is not an issue in 1967, 2017, or any other year in between or beyond” (since the Conclave existed in all times with time travel simultaneously). It was all too easy. I also felt that most of the characters were too one-dimensional: Margaret was ruthless, Barbara was naïve, Grace was mysterious, and Lucille was largely relegated to the background. Even Ruby and Odette felt flat, though I admittedly liked their characters better than the others.
Overall, I liked the story, but the execution was not as well-done as it could have been.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Publishing for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.
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This was well written and an interesting story. Science Fiction is not my major reading category. It does read as a very plausible story. Starting in 1967 4 women build the first time machine. When one of the ladies begins to question their invention she is removed from the team and her name banished from all records. 50 years later Ruby begins searching for information about her Granny Bee who she knows worked on the original project. The story pops all over time which I find distracting but overall I enjoyed this book. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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Time travel is confusing, very confusing. This book couples time travel, multiple points of view, and highbrow language. I spent most of this book feeling confused and stupid.
There's a story here, but it's faint; small tendrils in each of the women's chapters but not strong enough to tell the complete story. For all the different characters, there’s no character development. This book focuses on the psychological impact time travel has on people. This is more a montage of scenes seen through the different women's eyes.
3.5 stars because of the murder mystery and the fact that the last 20% ties up all the loose ends.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I am a sucker for all things time-travel and this title did not disappoint. There were interesting points made, new ideas introduced, and I'm still pondering and processing the possibilities. It was a delight to read and I cannot wait to add it to my personal library of time titles.
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Firstly, if you are in the habit of diving in and skimming your way through a story – that reading tactic won’t work here. This is a densely written, tightly crafted book with a non-linear timeline that means you need to slow down and pay attention when reading this one. And if you approached this one, thinking that you would be in for the kind of adventurous mayhem offered by Jodi Taylor in her Chronicles of St Mary’s series – again, you’d be wrong. It’s nothing of the sort. So now we’ve got the two fundamental mistakes I committed when first approaching this one out of the way – let’s address what it is.
For once, the title is spot on – this book addresses what regular time travelling does to the travellers. Unlike most time-travelling books, this one doesn’t take us on forays into the past or future, but concentrates on a small handful of people who are profoundly affected by time travelling and follows their story. I was intrigued that some didn’t even time travel themselves – Ginger, for instance – but were connected in some way to people who did. Told in multiple viewpoint, the story weaves around a tightly-knit group for whom the ordinary rules of the universe no longer apply. Led by someone innately arrogant and entitled, Grace’s viewpoint pervades the group and anyone who disagrees with her viewpoint is forced to leave. Apparently driven by a fear that the project will be shut down on the grounds that time travel causes mental illness, Grace institutes rigorous checks, including nasty games designed to foster an indifference towards death in the travellers.
How can an outsider find a way into this group to discover details about a mysterious death? As the story jumps between the characters and different timelines, we gain an insight into the motivations and lives of a handful of women all somehow involved in the particular death, or time travelling. It is an engrossing, clever read packed with telling character details that have had me mulling over this one ever since I put it down. And, exceptionally, I’m tempted to go back and reread it – something I hardly ever do. Partly, because while I thoroughly enjoyed it and am in awe of the writing talent that is Mascarenhas – I didn’t love it. Being a rather simple soul, I need to be able to bond with at least one of the main characters and other than poor Bee – I didn’t.
I’m really sorry about that, because the other outstanding aspect of this book is that the only male characters who appear are incidental. For once, I’m reading a book where every single person who has agency and matters is a woman – I can’t tell you after growing up in the 60s and 70s what an amazing feeling that is. I just wished I cared more about at least one of these brave, powerful females. However, that doesn’t diminish the book’s importance or lessen my appreciation of the writing skill on display and I shall definitely be looking out for more by this immensely talented author. While I obtained an arc of The Psychology of Time Travel from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10
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There's more to time travel than simply travelling through time. In this debut, Mascarenhas crafted a world where it becomes a big business. She explores how life evolves and how important image and perception is. She explores how new terms enter the vernacular, laws and who and how they're enforced change, and the mind processes all of it. This debut novel creates an enjoyable story blending sci-fi with mysterious moments. The characters are strong characters manage and enhance the multiple time line narratives. I look forward to more of this author's writing.
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I received this book in exchange for an honest review from both NetGalley and the publisher. This has not altered my opinion of the book.
This was honestly one of my most anticipated books of this year and I knew that I wanted to read it as soon as possible. There are so few books about time travel that are not full of fantastical characters in adult fiction I feel. This book really fulfilled my desire for the scientifically accurate time traveling. There are so many rules and things that I hadn't even thought of (such as decontamination and desensitizing oneself to death) but are still very important. This story was super unique and really pro just about everything. One of the main romances is between two women and the entire company is run by women scientists. In fact, it was women (and a rabbit) who first discovered time travel and created the first time machine.
The story is told in three different time zones and from many points of view, which made following it a bit difficult for me. This was only proven more confusing when the timeline umps around. I almost wish I had written out a full timeline because I got so confused at points. In all honesty, this book took me longer to get through that I had thought. This doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, it just took a lot more thought and concentration to get through.
I highly recommend this book because it is scientifically very well done and really is quite interesting. Overall, this was a well written book, but hard to follow at points. 3.5 out of 5 from me!
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What a hell of a book! There's always a thirst in a good novel for the ways that the events impact the surrounding world - you want to see the effect of magic on something so ordinary as the public transit system, maybe, or how resurrection can mess with taxes and census records. Here? Where we get to see the implications of time travel not only on psychology and mental health, we get to see how it affects payroll, crime investigation, and the public at large?
I'm still thirsty, but damned if I knew for what!
Every character is deep and thrilling, each event adds another layer to a painting in progress that you never get to see until the very last page. And the romance - the /queer/ romance? Be still my heart.
I wish I could unread this book so I could take it all in again with fresh eyes. The best I can do is recommend it to everyone I know so I can witness their emotional journey through the book.
Tl;dr: most excellent, should be required reading in any college course to showcase how a braided narrative can work even as a novel (up there with the likes of V.E. Schwab!), and this is the hill I will die on.
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Title: The Psychology of Time Travel
Author: Kate Mascarenhas
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
In the 1960s, four women discover time travel. After testing their machine out, one of them has a nervous breakdown on live TV, and her three friends dissociate themselves from her in order to save their own careers, blaming her episode on mental illness.
Fifty years later, her granddaughter knows Bee was involved with time travel, but they never speak of it. Until she receives a newspaper clipping from the future reporting the mysterious death of an elderly lady. A year later, the death has happened, and no one knows how. Or why. But the girl who found the body is determined to do whatever it takes to find out.
I had a hard time keeping track of the various characters in their respective timelines/ages. If a character in 2018 can go back in time and speak with her now-deceased father (or herself in that earlier time) and not change anything…it seems like time travel is a concept with no repercussions or cost, and I just can’t make that work in my mind. (I’m aware of the irony that I can allow time travel…just not time travel with no repercussions.) Solid writing, but the concepts and time-jumping just didn’t work for me.
Kate Mascarenhas is a writer and psychologist. The Psychology of Time Travel is her new novel.
(Galley courtesy of Crooked Lane books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
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Great debut sci-fi novel. Kept me interested and invested the plot and characters. I liked that the 4 scientists that invent the time machine are all women! However, time travel doesn't agree with everyone and one member of the group is exiled off the project. This book tells a story from alternating perspectives while jumping through the decades. Good read!
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Kate Mascarenhas' top-notch debut should be a first buy for all adult collections and a recommended purchase for high shcool media centers. A fantastic addition to any library.
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This out took me by surprise.
I usually don't read many sci-fi novels (but when I do, I really dislike them) but I kept seeing this one pop up around booktube and the premise of four women creating the first time machine drew me in straight away.
A novel about women in STEM? What more could I want?
The novel follows their lives after they invent and present the time machine, and also the lives of a few other characters. There is murder mystery as well that is unraveled as the story goes on.
What makes The Psychology of Time Travel extremely original is the fact it deals about the repercussions time traveling has in society, and in individuals mentally. Mascarenhas writes about how skipping through time periods affect individuals in multiple ways, which was extremely appealing to me.
Because they use time machines as they please, time travelers take everything around them for granted. If they miss someone, they can go back in time and visit, or they can go to the future to learn their fate. Nothing seems to faze them and, in part, nothing seems real when there's a possibility to skip ahead in time.
I also enjoyed the culture the author created about time traveling, and how they develop their own expressions. They call their younger selves "green" and future selves "silver" because of the experience they obtain. And as they use the time machine and grow old, their views and personality also change.
The characters itself were very interesting to read about but not remarkable. To me, what really stuck was the society Mascarenhas created and how she intertwines psychology with the usage of time machines.
Overall, a very enjoyable and interesting read. I definitely see myself rereading this in the future and I look forward to her future works.
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Working in a secluded lab in Cumbria England, four young scientists invent the first time travel machine in 1967.
Margaret is a cosmologist, Lucille works with radio waves, Grace is an expert on the behavior of matter, and the youngest, Barbara, specializes in nuclear fission. Combining their talents in its creation.
When Barbara has a mental breakdown, she is ostracized from the group, not wanting to tarnish their image with mental illness.
Fifty years later, time travel is a successful industry. Ruby Rebello's Granny Bee was one of the original pioneers. When an origami rabbit, made of paper from a coroner's inquest, is left on their doorstep, questions arise about a future murder. The unknown female victim's date of death, January 6th, 2018.
The story moves along in three different times lines, past, present and future. It also is told from multiple points of view, which tends to be confusing at first. But about half way through, it becomes easier to follow.
A fascinating mystery, trying to find the identity of the future murder victim and who killed her. An intriguing and intricate puzzle that kept me engrossed. Some of the characters were not as fully developed as I would have liked, but overall an exceptional read.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the free ebook, in exchange for an honest review.
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Pitched as a blend between Hidden Figures and The Power, this debut novel certainly has lofty aspirations, and I feel it largely succeeds in reaching them.
The basic premise is a group of four young female scientists create a working time machine in 1967, unfortunately when testing the discovery, a disturbing side effect is discovered which results in one of the women being ostracised by the group. Flash forward fifty years and when a young volunteer finds an unidentifiable murder victim inside an otherwise empty locked room, it seems like time travel of some sort must be involved. Saying too much more would spoil the intricate set up, so that is where I will leave the description of the plot.
The story is told from several perspectives and in various timelines, and at times this bordered on confusing, especially when the author introduces new characters almost half way through the book, but I think this is forgivable given the complexity with which the author has crafted her plot. It is clear that Mascarenhas has put a lot of thought into the way time travel needs to work in order for the book to work, so much so that she has even created a set of slang terms which she uses throughout the book, but which are conveniently explained in a clever piece of exposition worked into the story. The author has also worked hard to make her characters diverse and interesting, and certainly in the case of at least one, unlikable. I really enjoyed the sections of the book that imagined how time travel could have a negative impact on the traveller's mental health and stability, a theme that is obvious from the title, and is central to many aspects of the story.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
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I really wanted to enjoy this book as the premise seemed so intriguing. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.
I love science fiction, strong female characters and stories with complex timelines and character interactions, but it was spoilt by the clumsy and unsympathetic shoehorning in of a multitude of agendas. Potentially rich explorations of sexuality, racism, psychology and alternate sociology/anthropology were wasted in my opinion.
I did read to the end, for the sake of the plot - rather than the characters - and to make sure that I could give a fair review, but it wasn’t worth it in the end.
An interesting idea, poorly executed.
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Many thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Kate Mascarenhas for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.
In Kate Mascarenhas fantasy novel, four women join forces in 1967 to develop the technology of time travel. Mascarenhas has created an intricate world where time travel becomes its own industry. Her rules have been meticulously thought out and whether it is because of her scientific research, her understanding of the corporate world and her grasp of human nature to invent such a complex but completely believable world. I’ll let you in on some of the more unique details in this story, without divulging any spoilers that might ruin the mystery. You can’t travel further back in time then when the machine was invented. So smart, because it limits what would be endless possibilities and takes away the pesky issue of having to do a bunch of historical research. She has worked out a whole fuel plot point, that again makes perfect sense, even bringing in the idea of re-using fuel. In this world, you can not only meet yourself, but can have a number of different versions of yourself running around in any one timeline. How travelling through time can change you as a person, you ability to empathize and how it messes up your whole concept of death. You can know what happens in the future, but can never change events. The military, just as in real life, gets involved right away in the technology. Time travel becomes a huge industry, almost a world unto itself, where it has its own money and even its own justice system. I could go on and on. This attention to detail makes this world so believable and keeps your interest as a reader. You just want to keep discovering more about this world.
Then on top of this we have the mystery. Barbara, one of the original four, has a reaction of sorts to time travelling. Unfortunately, this melt down happens on the day they announce their discovery to the press and Margaret feels she has embarrassed them. Margaret convinces the other girls to kick Barbara out and they cut off communication with her. Barbara never really recovers from being ostracized and after her hospitalization keeps trying to get back in the group. Eventually she marries and her daughter has a daughter, Ruby. Now it starts to get complicated. Let’s just leave it that there is a puzzle of a murder that happens in a locked room. Barbara makes a new discovery and thinks this is her chance to finally be able to time travel once more. Ruby gets a message that Barbara will die soon and she can’t forgive the group for being so cruel to her grandmother. All of these stories, moving together, have a way of working themselves to an exciting conclusion.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this novel. Kate Mascarenhas imagination and attention to detail really are to be marvelled at. So much work went into creating such a complex story that is also heartfelt. You really are rooting for Barbara and Ruby. You can feel how twisted Margaret gets over the years. My only drawback is, with so many different moving parts and storylines, things did get bogged down for me and I started to lost interest in the middle parts. It was bound to happen. You are jumping from character to character and for a long time you don’t see the connection between them. You are also jumping from one decade to another to another. Nothing that would make me put the book down. Once I muddled through, it was worth getting to the end. There were lots of surprising bits and psychological twists that I never expected. Most importantly, the heart of the story didn’t get lost in the complex world building. I was so excited when I read the blurb about time travelling women scientists and I wasn’t disappointed.
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I saw this book on Netgalley and requested it as soon as I read “Hidden Figures-type story about the female pioneers in time-travel.” UM, YES. And that was a good description but also it was so much more. When I tell you this is a twisty time-travel mystery, it IS but that’s also not doing it justice. There are diverse characters, multiple POVs, multiple time-periods, deeper themes and an exploration of mental illness all smushed together in a page-turning well-written speculative fiction whodunit. Which is ALL my catnip. If you read it, I’d love to know what you think!