When I requested this book I did not realize who the author was and have since learned that he is problematic and has hurt marginalized communities. Therefore I will not be completing this title or reviewing it.

i absolutely LOVED the heart's invisible furies, so i was quick to request this one, wanting to read more from john boyne and see if my love for his writing would continue. this one, however, was more confusing, losing me with the plot jumps throughout time and around the world. i also find books with r-pe to be triggering usually to the point where they become DNF books for me, and this fell into that category, unfortunately.

The concept of this book is quite brilliant!
A Traveler At The Gates Of Wisdom explores world history using two characters’ lives and showing the universality of experiences as the same characters seem to manifest in various countries, slipping through time with slightly different identities but always continuing that same path.
I really enjoyed seeing how the author incorporated various religious expressions and historical events within this novel. We start off in Palestine in AD 1 with the narrator noting that on the night he is born, his father kills 12 infants in a spate of violence we eventually recognize as King Herod’s edict recorded in the Bible. Many historical and literary figures appear as the novel progresses, including monarchs, explorers, artists and even contemporary political figures.
I really enjoyed the fact that the narrator’s story includes lots of domestic drama, due to his father's multiple marriages and the dynamics in this extended family, one that we recognize as being the catalyst in many famous conflicts. The child rejecting his father’s dream of him becoming a warrior, choosing instead to become an artist, and the various expressions of artistry throughout the ages, shows continuity in experiences against different backdrops.
The novel made me want to study history a little more, which in my book, is a great story.

This was a good book, but I am writing this review more than two years after reading it and I just want to add that I am over John Boyne.

This was my first John Boyne and won’t be my last! His writing was phenomenal and really makes you connect with a story and characters.

Having a story take place over 2000 years and making it complex but still have the ability to follow is a work of art. Demonstrating human emotion in all its forms is exactly what the author did and although you can get tied up in the timeline, it all fit together

Brilliant and tender, this book made me cry and laugh and smile at so many different moments. Highly recommend for those who want their emotions punched.

I tried reading this book a few times and honestly could not get through it. The timeline/changing names thing but the same characters was too confusing. Maybe some day I will try again, as I have enjoyed this authors books in the past.

I was so incredibly disappointed in this novel, which I hoped for, as I love Boyne, and I love sprawling epics, but this novel was too long, too all-over-the-place, and didn't have much merit, other than fine writing as usual. I look forward of course to what Boyne writes next, and I hope to read anything he writes in the future. He has had a strong streak so far and sad to see it dampened a bit by this novel, but am hopeful for what comes next.

I can honestly say I have never read a book quite like this before. I am also really stumped on how to describe this book without giving anything essential away.

Ok, here we go. I am sure most of us have been exposed to the idea of a person having multiple earlier lives going back in time. So take that concept, but imagine that your earlier lives and the earlier lives of everyone around you, are mostly unchanged from life to life, beyond just the changing of time and place for each life. Even when you have a really complicated life story. That's this book. It's the same life narrative of one character, only told across multiple iterations of their lives.

If you take away the multiple lives/times/places and told the story of only one life/time/place for this character, I think this book would kind of fall flat to be honest. The story is interesting enough, but the unique concept is what really sets it apart. And whether you like that concept or not will determine how much you like the book. I think most people will like it more when the time/places become more recognizable - which for me started at 1492.

I will say that the last two chapters (well, the last chapter and epilogue) felt REALLY weird and different compared to the rest of the book. And I say that even though this book's progressive viewpoint is the same as my own. I just don't really understand why it ended on that particular note - was that what the author was working towards? Or was that just where it ended up? I don't know.

I think what I enjoyed most about this book is that it made me consider whether this concept is something that is possibly actually happening in the real world. How would I know whether or not someone who was me in an earlier life during say the early 1800s in a completely different country, married my same husband in his earlier life and then had my two children in their earlier lives? It's an interesting thought.

I did receive this ARC for free, but it did not impact my review. If you have not read John Boyne before, I would NOT start here. I would instead read any of these (that I loved):
A Ladder to the Sky
The Heart's Invisible Furies
The Absolutist

It is with a heavy heart that I must dnf this after starting and stopping it about 8 times in a 7 month period. I adore John Boyne's novels. I loved The Hearts Invisible Furies, A Ladder to the Sky and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas but I just cannot get through this novel. I realize that the characters keep being reincarnated and the idea is brilliant in it's conception but the execution is a bit hard to get through for me.

Thank you for providing me with an arc of this.

Oh, how it breaks my heart to write this review!

I am the hugest fan of John Boyne. The Heart's Invisible Furies lives on my all-time favorite shelves and I really enjoyed A Ladder To the Sky and The Boy in Striped Pajamas, but this one did not live up to my expectations.

The thing that captured my attention in regards to John Boyne is the way he writes with such heart. His books are emotional and hit you in the gut. A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom lacked that emotional impact for me.

I was anxious to see where Boyne would take me next as I read each new time perspective. But because of those many jumps, I lacked the connection necessary to really be able to embrace the book.

As with all Boyne books, his writing is incredible and I appreciate his talent, but this is my least favorite book of his so far.

I have been starting and stopping and restarting and re-reading this one for months now and unfortunately I'm just so fully confused and not enjoying it at all - that I don't think I can finish.

Maybe one day I'll pick it up again and feel differently but I just don't think I can give it any more of my time - this one is definitely not for me.

I hate to DNF - I'm only done it maybe 2-3 times ever in my life, but I just cannot for the life of me get through more than 15% and still not even be sure what is happening.

Thank you for offering it to me. Maybe one day we will meet ups again and I'll give it another shot :)

I wanted to love this one since The Heart's Invisible Furies is one of my absolute favorite books, but it just felt too all over the place and I was never able to connect to the story or characters. I struggled to get into it and then when I finally did the ending changed tone and completely unraveled. This might be for some but it wasn't for me.

A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom...just, wow! This is an inventive take on the story of a man that spans the ages (beginning in 1 AD and ending in 2080). In each chapter (usually about 7-9 pages in length), the year, setting, and the specific details change but the story continues as the man grows up, marries, and then his life proceeds in unexpected directions. We follow tales of betrayal, revenge, and reflections on humanity over the ages...again and again. Many of the sections are peppered with references to events and people from throughout history (maybe all, but I didn't catch all of them, I'm sure).

This is a very difficult to describe book and I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. My hesitance was due to the constant changes, but after a few generations of changes (i.e., several chapters), I settled in for the ride and it really worked. I am just wowed by John Boyne. This is my third read by this author and each book has been different from the last. (This is also true of another one of my favourite Irish authors, Jess Kidd. Is it something in their water?) I look forward to the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Random House for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

3.5 stars!

Thank you to Random House for the gifted ebook. I also bought a physical copy.

A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom is only my second. My first was A Ladder to the Sky, which I loved. A Traveler was so very different from that one, and I think that speaks to Boyne’s immense talent.

In a nutshell, this book travels from ancient time through the future with common characters and story elements. It also travels through different places/countries over that period. It is epic in scope, and I cannot imagine the level of research and detail it took to put this book together.

While I typically prefer my books much more character-driven than this one was, the story served a much different purpose, one you have to “explore” for yourself when you read this book. A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom is a feat, a marvel, and most definitely an experience of a read!

ohn Boyne is one of those authors that I absolutely adore. I love his writing and consider him a brilliant wordsmith – if he released a grocery list, I’d probably buy it. So, of course, I was super excited to dig into A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom. I’m not going to lie, the start this book will seem daunting; it’s long, covers eons of time and crosses the globe. There is a lot of history embedded in the pages as well. In my opinion, it’s worth the time committment, so I say dive in, just know what you’re getting into from the start.

The story is told by a nameless narrator who shares personal history, and by default, the world’s history, over a span of 2,000 years, beginning in Palestine in 1 A.D. and ending in an epilogue taking place in 2080. I’m going to be honest, the first fourth of this book I was extremely confused. I pushed myself to go on. Each chapter takes place in a different location during a different time period, but the same cast of characters appear with small tweaks and changes. Once I got into the narrative flow, which was formulaic, my reading experience became easier and I was more interested in what would happen next.

The narrator could have been in any country, in any time period and the story would have been the same. This was a fascinating feat as it touched on the common threads of birth, death, love, loss, duty, betrayal, friendship, pain and the creation and destruction of civilization. But on the other hand, I felt that there could have been more world history weaved in. Besides name and city changes, there wasn’t much else that indicated where and when the narrator was in history. When our narrator was working hand-in-hand with Michelangelo, and later on with William Shakespeare, I wanted to dig deeper and learn more. It would’ve made for a longer book but I felt like it was a missed opportunity.

The ending felt a bit rushed for me, but, wow, did I feel like the novel came full circle. I don’t want to give anything away, but by the end, I felt as though I finally got what Boyne was trying to get across to the reader. A unique story and unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

I loved John Boyne’s novels A Ladder to the Sky, and The Heart’s Invisible Furies. When contacted by the publisher to read his latest, I looked forward to the opportunity.

A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom is unlike those I’ve previously read. An historical fiction where a man travels through different time periods and many countries. The novel is original and very ambitious. Sad to say it wasn’t one I found enjoyable. However, many friends on Goodreads felt differently and rated Boyne’s book highly. Do take a look at other reviews before deciding to read his latest or not.

Many thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom by John Boyne in exchange for an honest review.

3 out of 5 stars

I absolutely loved The Heart's Invisible Furies, so all of John Boyne's books are measured to that standard. This book was original and fun. His writing is fantastic and always worth it.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom is a sweeping look at love, family, history, and destiny.

Have you ever read a book that you felt you couldn’t describe properly? That’s definitely the way I feel about John Boyne’s newest book. What I can say, however, is once again, his storytelling blew me away.

We start at the dawn of time, 1 AD. A baby is born to a warrior and his wife, amidst his father’s acts of violence. The baby has an older brother, who mostly resents him.

The story shifts as time passes, changing locations, names, certain facts, but the general thrust of the story remains the same, as if to say that what is destined will happen no matter who or where you are. We travel through history, getting glimpses of historical figures and events through time, all the way to the future.

At times this felt more like interconnected short stories than a cohesive novel. This was an interesting concept and I loved what Boyne has to say, that no event or emotion is unique to just one person. In the end, though, I don’t know that this worked for me as much as I hoped it would. But his storytelling transcended it all, so much like I felt about Fredrik Backman's Anxious People, the writing elevated the book, in my opinion.

If you’ve never read Boyne before, please read The Heart’s Invisible Furies, The Absolutist, and A Ladder to the Sky.

NetGalley and Hogarth Books provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!
Posted by Larry at 6:24 PM Email This

A sprawling journey through time, centuries actually, and across the globe, a story of a family and so much more, wonderfully written as I anticipated with a John Boyne novel. A unique structure as dates and places change, the names of the characters vary, but have the same beginning letter, and the story line expands reflecting the history and culture of the place and time. A “time travel” story of sorts as the family appears again and again and again in each chapter. An unnamed, artistic boy grows into a man, not the warrior his father wants him to be. Through the centuries he crafts wooden cemetery monuments, jewelry, sandals, beautiful dresses. He is a stoneworker, a painter, a playwright, in the different places and times, always the artist, but a different art form created in each time period. This is a universal story of family, loss, love, grief, marriage, betrayal, revenge, murder. The pages are filled with the subservient position of women in history, natural disasters, wars, slavery, murders, brutal violence at times, a depiction of true history in so many ways, and the reality of human flaws along side decency and love .

Its a fascinating trip around the world through history with appearances from Atila the Hun, Lady Macbeth, Ferdinand and Isabella, Cristobel Colon (Christopher Columbus), Michelangelo, Shakespeare. Boyne takes us to the 2016 election, an event weighing heavily on my mind as I write this, then to the final stunning chapter to the future. It’s impressive to say the least. Some may call what ensues here reincarnation, or time travel. I don’t know what to call it other than brilliant story telling. It’s evident that the research effort was immense. I have to admit that by the last quarter of the book, I started to think it was somewhat overly ambitious, and it seemed to move quickly to modern day and to the future, but it’s well deserving of 4.5 stars because I couldn’t put it down. I recommend it if you’re looking for a different kind of story .


I received a copy of this book from Hogarth Press through NetGalley.