The Ministry of Time takes place in a near future UK where our non-named narrator works as a “bridge” helping a refugee, Captain Graham Gore, from 1847 integrate into the present world.
I’m sort of at a loss on how to review this book. This book is so many things; a futuristic (and sort of hard to understand) dystopian tale, a beautiful love story, a staggeringly heartbreaking exploration of identity. It took me about half of the book to really get into it but I flew through the back half. It is a wild and very entertaining but also very confusing (like most time travel stories, honestly) story.
The writing is beautiful. There were at least four sentences I wanted to underline for their truth and poignancy and I never do that. The story is interesting and highly propulsive once it gets going. This book is definitely original and worth reading.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avid Readers Press/Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a terrific premise and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are developed well; I felt as though I knew each one of them intimately by the end of the book. It's the best kind of science fiction: a story that could be happening right now but we just didn't know about it. Recommended!

The Ministry of Time is unlike any other book I've ever read- in the best way possible- and I cannot wait to reread!

A fun but intense (some super dry, very funny moments but a suspenseful slowburn) workplace (work from home vibes) time travel (explained super well while still being intriguing and mysterious) romance (light on the romance, more pining and close proximity)

It was a bit of an adjustment getting acclimated to the narrative tone at the beginning, but the recollection and reflection of the narrator throughout was actually one of my favorite parts of the book! I absolutely loved the ambiguity throughout; it really contributed to the ominous mood and overall foreboding vibe that had me on the edge of my seat, even when the scene wasn't anything particularly suspenseful.

Everything about this book is intentional, even from the very start. The most miniscule details or characterizations lead to great revelations that are unbelievably satisfying. It is clear that the author chose each word, phrase, event with such care and precision- a fact I deeply appreciate.

Overall thoughts:
-the characters were unique, excellently fleshed out and explored
-the plot was exciting and original, unfolding at a good pace with not a ton of action throughout, more of a slow burn for sure
-amazing foreshadowing and intensity
-twists and turns that are so satisfying

I absolutely recommend this book, especially if you love a good chuckle, close proximity pining, time travel twists and turns, heavy foreboding and foreshadowing, and unique narration.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but the title alone was such a pull for me. It was a time travel book with so much more to it. It was funny and intriguing with some romance and history. The writing was absolutely incredible. I don't know how many books on time travel I've actually enjoyed, but this is definitely one of them.

For how much is happening within the pages of this novel it is largely, impressively accessible, and honestly, I don’t think what I didn’t entirely ‘get’ logistically overly-impeded my ability to enjoy or follow the story.

The asides into the Ministry of Time’s working theories on time travel and the day-to-day operations of this as an institution were interesting and the day-to-day ‘my roommate is from the past’ anecdotes were often funny and sweet only occasionally a little ‘nope, I don’t think I can buy that one.’

I found it somewhat problematic how quickly our protagonist fell for her charge, given the power and knowledge dynamics¬¬––that the narrator acknowledges but is too apt to excuse herself for because she’s young and in love. I don’t think the gender swapped version of this ‘lose story’ would get to exist without someone immediately calling out “nuh-uh, not okay.” While the discussions around race and identity were deftly done throughout.

In terms of prose, I took over a dozen highlighters to this text as it is beautifully written, but I’m going to need someone to explain to me what the heck “she did a DVD-player motion with her mouth and chin that was probably a smile” (quote TBC) means––asap, if possible––please and thank you.

My thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

I appreciate getting an arc of this because this was so unexpectedly good and at times pulled at the heart strings. I’ll definitely be recommending this to others!

This was a fantastic and thought-provoking read that had me pondering just what it means to exist in this world today, as well as what it might be like for someone to be brought out of time into it. As a weirdly polar-obsessed teenager (many thanks go to Anne Fadiman for that), I first came to learn of Commander Graham Gore. It was fascinating, and felt so natural, to read Kaliane Bradley's impression of how Gore might adapt to living in present-day London. The setting felt believable and fully-realized, and I was eager to continue reading every time I picked it up. This is a title I will recommend purchasing for my institution, and I'm excited to read more from Bradley.

The fact that this book sprang out of the author’s weird fascination with a 175 year old daguerreotype of a polar explorer that begat a book meant to amuse a few friends (also with polar explorer crushes) is alone a wonderment. The author quickly describes in the foreword that in order to write a book about her 19th century romantic ideal, she was forced to consider time travel. And although I’m usually adverse to the “time-travel genre”, I was drawn to this different premise (also amazed that this my second time travel book of the year, after the phenomenal “The Book of Doors”).

Our unnamed narrator is working for the UK Government (which now has a Time Machine and is investigating if the thing is safe) as a welcoming liaison (a “bridge”) to one of five history expats (basically kidnapped from their century just prior to death so to not mess up the continuity of the timeline). She’s an Anglo-Cambodian worker (like the author), who is tasked for a year observing and living with polar explorer Commander Graham Gore, snatched just before his ill-fated Arctic expedition left his entire crew trapped in the ice and starving. It’s fun watching Graham, a man of great humor, get used to washing machines and modern bathrooms, but he’s definitely lonely. Meetups with the other expats are an outlet. As months go by, one of expats starts to “disappear” (her MRI shows nothing, her image doesn’t show up on CCTV) as the 21st century apparently “rejects” her 18th centuriness. The other expats, especially Graham, are acclimating and passing tests that allow them more freedom. However, something is off in the Ministry's bureaucracy, there’s a mysterious Brigadier, and one of our narrator’s friends goes “poof” as well.

There’s a slow build to a romance as well the makings of a spy novel as the story progresses. But, as most time travel novels go on, the storyline gets confusing as new travelers are introduced and the concept of changing the past to affect the future gets tossed around. This book truly had promise, but it suffered in the last quarter. 3.5 stars.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Graham’s eyes are “hazel, scrawled faintly with green.”
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Graham discovers a snowdrop in the spring — truly the first flower to usually bloom.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book wow. It’s a roller coaster but is amazing. Past meets present. They fall in love over careers will love conquer all? Read it. That’s all I have to say read it and you will love it.

If I’m being honest, I wish I could just put the mind blown emoji as my entire review! I feel sad that I didn’t read this one sooner, but I am so glad I did! It was a fantastic genre-bending/crossing story that had me hooked from the start. I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing and the time travel was so fun. As someone who doesn’t read a *ton* of sci-fi, I can say I would read more this author writes if it were in the genre (or any genre, honestly!).

This book has me feeling slightly disappointed. I was excited about the premise going into this, but the plot and everything going on in it made me very confused and I felt lost while reading. Not to mention the many characters, often referred to as the year they were from.

The Ministry of Time is a major genre mash-up including sci-fi, some romance, and some suspense. Having all these elements I think is what would make any reader confused. I felt like it could have worked, but the romance wasn’t as strong as I would have liked, and the thriller/action part felt like it came out of nowhere.

I was intrigued by the first couple of chapters, but in the end the story fell a little flat. However, this might be a me problem, and I am sure people who love sci-fi will love this.

*I have received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book - despite being in medical school I read it in about a week. I love the character driven focus and the concepts of how time travel works in this novel - though some world building and implications are a bit more glossed over than I'd like. I did guess a few of the twists - though to me that is a sign the author did a good job foreshadowing rather than relying on pure shock factor.

The middle of the book lagged a bit plot wise - and the ending rushed a bit, as if the author realized she needed to wrap things up already - but it was a fast read, and the MC's voice and wit was fun and engaging. Even as someone who does not tend to enjoy historical fictional I thought this was fun.

4.5 Stars

What if time travel existed? This is cleverly answered in a section of England's 'secret' job locations, The Ministry of Time. It's the story of a man from the middle 19 century, Graham Gore, of Franklin's lost expedition to Arctic and his 'bridge' a young woman who had studied all that she could of Graham Gore. But real life is a little different then she had imagined.

It was quite a good book, I couldn't put it down.

i cannot say i rated this fairly, taking into account the author’s style or the character development, as i feel as though a story that profits off the flagrant plagiarism of a prior work of fiction does not deserve anything other than one star.

i tried to go into this with an open mind, even though the title itself already raised a bunch of red flags for me. its title is literally carbon copied from that of a spanish tv show, “el ministerio del tiempo” (which literally translates to “the ministry of time”), in which the premise is very much identical to the one included in this book’s blurb. i do not know whether the editors are already familiar with this work of fiction, but it was widely popular in spain from the mid-2010s to its final season, which aired in 2020 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_ministerio_del_tiempo). time travel is a very common trope and i would not typically accuse anyone of plagiarism from that alone, but bradley has merely taken the premise of the tv show and somehow turned it into something far blander. granted, the main character is a poc woman whereas the main character in “el ministerio del tiempo” was a white man, but the rest of the story is very much there: the expats from other periods in spanish history who become agents for a “ministry of time” in charge of taking care of the ebbs and flows of the time-space continuum, the romantic subplot, the timeline-altering threat. it’s all there already, and i feel as though bradley merely stumbled upon this idea and decided to profit off it, seeing that it is not a well-known tv series outside of spain.

i kept wondering if i should post this review, as i do not like to diss on books like this, but i feel as though plagiarising an idea in such a blatant way, particularly when it comes from a country that is not as strong in terms of cultural imperialism as the uk, felt a little disgusting to begin with, particularly when there isn’t so much as an acknowledgement of the original tv show as a source of inspiration. i merely wish for the editors and the author to acknowledge this, and for them to give the due credit to the original creators for their wildly original idea instead of merely profiting off it.

This story was entertaining and pretty clever, but I kept wondering why future main lead didn’t TRY MORE? I felt like she was just kind of… there? I don’t want to spoil too much, but I would have been a lot more passionate if I had a second chance to talk to my former self. The narrative is of someone ‘telling us her story’ and she’s documenting her journey. It hurt my heart every time she mentioned that she was saying something to prove that ‘it happened’. I have to be honest; I looked up Graham Gore just like everyone else did. However, I can’t say that I’m as ‘smitten’ by him as most… BUT I am still slightly into him… He IS THE MAIN MALE LEAD! Lol… so calm, so smart, and even artistic…ugh, and modeled after a real person… but I felt like he was easily influenced by his bridge. I will give him credit that he was more on his guard than she was. All in all, a clever story and I was happy with the ending. If you love time traveling stories, this one will give you a few details to ponder about. I still think about the story and characters even after the ending.

I’m pretty bummed to be giving this one a 2 star and am honestly not sure if this is just going to be me. The actual writing from the authour isn’t bad by any means but the entire plot lost me and perhaps the confusing marketing has to do with that also.

I think I'm mainly confused on what kind of book this is and typically love a fusion of genres but this doesn’t feel successful in doing so. The afterward even talks about how the idea came about and how it started off as a joke that was then inspired into becoming a book. It feels like this could just be contemporary fiction, sci-fi or even a romance but the mix left me feeling a little confused and wished it would just pick one.

I feel like this could’ve easily been more in the vein of Sally Rooney in material but it almost seemed like the authour wasn’t sure that was enough and took a strange sci-fi espionage route in little bits here and there and it threw off the pacing for me. It would be romantic and day to day material and then suddenly it would dive into random espionage, colluding action and then go right back into coffee days filled with good sex and cigarettes. And then the ending had SO much exposition to really get us caught up on the espionage bits. I would’ve been a lot more into this if it was just a romance or fiction that had the explanation of the time door but I didn't need that whole aspect. If the creator of a movie, show, book, tells me that X exists then I will believe them. It doesn’t always need to be explained or embodied more when the vibe of your book feels very different.

Be prepared for a trip of a life time! This is a book like no other and the fact that this is a debut just leaves me absolutely speechless.

The Ministry of Time is a bit of speculative fiction. In the near future, a UK civil servant takes on a new role from her government. She is to bridge - to offer support and monitor one of five individuals who have been brought forward from past history. Her job is to ensure that her assignment (the very real Graham Gore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Gore) is slowly assimilated to modern times which includes explaining quite a few cultural and iconic moments and fads which bring a light touch to a fairly serious story of emotions.
Our main character remains nameless and due to her lack of training and experience makes quite a few mistakes. One is to fall in love with her bridge. Bradley cleanly juggles this plot line and threads of important themes such as race and ethnicity, country and individual while slowly bringing us closer to the obvious end...she is truly a. genius!

When men turn up with a strange weapon, the government locks down. It's hard to know who to trust and what to do. Join Bradley's wondrous and fabulous speculative, scifi, time-traveling masterpiece. The last paragraph may be my favorite piece of writing in years!
#TheMinistryofTime #KalianeBradley .#avidreaderpress #Simon&Schuster

This was a fun and engaging read of time travel, cultural and generational change and adaptation, and an intriguing spy-style governmental program with a dash of romance. As someone who regularly thinks of what it would be like to host a person from the past (maybe my “Roman Empire” comparison of late), this hit all the right notes.

The main time traveler in question, Commander Graham Gore, is a real historical figure from what is called the “Franklin Expedition” into the Arctic in 1845. When he, and others from various time periods, are brought into modern day, they are assigned to a “bridge” who lives with them, assists in acclimating them to modern life, somewhat controls what historical information they access, and ultimately reports all details to a secretive government department.

The purpose of the program, the intent of bringing the travelers into the future, and even the players involved are part of the mystery than unfolds throughout the book.

We are also witness to the cross-era friendships that unfold, the social norms that vary throughout time, and the touchy emotional attachments that form.

Loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

Thanks to the Publisher and Net galley for a chance to read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
First let me just say- reading this book is like having lunch with your funny friend- she is so clever and makes you laugh, you enjoy every minute of it- her phrases are delightful - describing Guinness beer as tasting like “ angry marmite” or a old fashioned pub as “like being inside the elbow of a patched jumper ( a sweater for us Americans).

Essentially this is a time travel story- Modern day Britain has a “doorway” to bring people back from the past. As it’s new technology- there are lots of questions to be answered- what is the impact to their mental health, and what will time travel do to physiology of these people? Can they be integrated into modern society? Guiding them through this transition is a “ Bridge” : a person assigned to monitor their every word and movement, guiding and educating them while living with them for a year. The main character -Graham Gore ( based on a real character) died on an expedition to the Arctic in the 1840s. His Bridge is an ambitious you woman who’s career in linguistics has stalled. The story is told in first person from her POV, so we never learn her name. There are several other ex-pats in this group notably, a young woman Margaret, from the 1600s who was to have died during the plague, Arthur who died in a fox hole during WW1.

There are so many themes explored in this story- love, doing your duty for your job, the meaning of family, being a refugee. One of the themes the story covers is racism- and how we come to terms with harms done in the past, when what was considered normal for our “heros” is looked at with the light of today. Its not an easy answer, but though the main character we see that the path forward must be acknowledging it was wrong, and then with knowing better comes doing better.

Its a tragedy when you discover that your ideal career has not yet been invented. Personally, I feel like I was born to be a “Bridge” to time travelers. But alas the job doesn’t exist ..yet. Perhaps in my next life.

One of the best things about reading ARCs is getting to find favorite new authors- and I have to say - I will be seeking out more books by Kaliane Bradley.

Exciting. Thought Provoking. Page Turner.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love time travel and romance, therefore, I could not put it down.
I found the FMC easy to connect to, which I find really important for me to enjoy a book, if the reader can't connect with the protagonist then game over.
I found the interactions between the FMC and Graham very endearing, I found myself very invested in the development of their relationship amidst the dystopia of the setting.
The twists and turns kept me hooked the entire way through.
It's perfect for fans of "Outlander", "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" and anyone who enjoyed Matt Haig's "How to Stop Time" and "The Midnight Library".

I expect this book to be a great success when it releases!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Kaliane Bradley for this fantastic ARC.