We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True

by Gabrielle Union
We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True cover
Good Books rating 3.67
Technical
  • ID: 4291
  • Added: 2025-10-21
  • Updated: 2025-10-21
  • Reviews: 3
Reviews
sarahgvincentviews.com · Unknown · 2025-10-21
mixed 4.00

The reviewer appreciates the originality and writing style of The Time Traveler’s Wife, as well as the complex themes and intricate plot. However, they found the constant time jumps challenging to follow and felt the book was overly long with irrelevant material, leading to a somewhat mixed experience.

The reviewer acknowledges the impressive aspects of The Time Traveler’s Wife, such as its originality, sophisticated writing style, and complex themes. They particularly admire the author's ability to weave intricate art processes and genetics discussions into the narrative. However, they struggled with the frequent time jumps, which made the story difficult to follow. The reviewer also found the book to be overly long, with too much material that felt irrelevant to the main plot. The audiobook format exacerbated these issues, making it hard to skim through slower parts. Despite these challenges, the reviewer gives the book 4 stars for the author's ambitious undertaking and imaginative wordcraft. They look forward to seeing how the movie and TV series adaptations might streamline the story.

Quick quotes

    I give the author points for originality and for writing style. I give her points for intelligence — working sophisticated art processes and complex genetics discussions into the plot.

    Maybe it was all the time jumping, so much of it, constantly back and forth.

    I do give this 4 stars, because of the monumental task the writer set out for herself and what I felt to be smooth, descriptive, certainly imaginative wordcraft.

barnesandnoble.com · Unknown · 2025-10-21
mixed 2.50

The Time Traveler's Wife is a complex and impressive romance with a unique time-travel structure, but its characters are often unlikable and the relationship feels unequal. The book is humorous and touching at times, but some stylistic issues and problematic language detract from the overall experience.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is a romance with a unique time-travel structure that is both impressive and complex. The book alternates between the viewpoints of Henry and Clare, whose relationship is deeply intertwined due to Henry's genetic disorder that causes him to time travel. The narrative structure is impressive, with each scene narrated in first-person tense, and the way Niffenegger ties all the plots together is truly remarkable. The book is also surprisingly humorous, with many amusing situations arising from Henry's time travels. However, the characters are often unlikable, and the relationship between Henry and Clare feels unequal, with Clare's life revolving entirely around Henry. The book also suffers from some minor stylistic issues, including repetitive descriptive phrases and problematic language surrounding sex. Despite these flaws, there are moments of pathos and genuine care between the characters that make the book affecting. Overall, the book has good points but is marred by its unlikable characters and some problematic elements.

Quick quotes

    The single most impressive thing about Audrey Niffenegger’s book is its structure.

    I appreciated the way that Niffenegger puts considerable thought into her central premise, from Henry being unable to drive for fear that he will vanish at a moment’s notice, to the inconvenience of how Henry will maintain a normal job in the library when he keeps appearing there in the nude.

    Despite its good points however, the main problem I had with The Time Traveler’s Wife was exactly the same problem I had when Steven Moffat attempted a similar future past romance with River Song in Series 7 of Doctor Who.

bookshop.org · Unknown · 2025-10-21
heartwrenching 4.50

The reviewer found 'The Time Traveler's Wife' to be an emotionally heart-wrenching love story that transcends the typical romance genre. The effortless flow of the narrative made the 518-page book feel short, and the emotional dedication of the characters left the reviewer in tears.

The reviewer was deeply moved by 'The Time Traveler's Wife', finding it to be much more than just a love story. The dual perspectives of Clare and Henry, along with Henry's time-traveling ability, create a unique and intense narrative that the reviewer couldn't put down. The emotional dedication of the characters to each other, despite the challenges of time, made the story feel real and evoked strong emotions. The reviewer was particularly impressed by the way Niffenegger's writing flows like time and life, making the 518-page book feel short due to its intense and effortless flow. The story's beauty and emotional impact left the reviewer in tears for an hour straight after finishing the book.

Quick quotes

    I loved this love story, although I think just classing it as a love story simply isn't good enough because it is so much more; this is a story which you are able to visualise so clearly that it becomes real.

    The way Niffenegger writes its flows like time but also like life, while you're reading almost no time passes and nothing is real due to the effortless flow of the story.

    This story evoked so much emotion that I cried for an hour straight after reading this book!

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