What if the heroine in a Jane Austen novel had visions of the future and the past? That's the rather compelling premise of Time Squared. But, ultimately, it doesn't really fulfil the promise.
It starts as a fairly standard regency-style novel - which of the two dashing brothers will our orphaned heroine marry?!? Our protagonist sometimes has headaches which lead her to see glimpses of a future she cannot understand. And then... nothing.
The story meanders along with the occasional twists and turns you might expect; romance, botched proposals, and gossiping neighbours.
About halfway through the book the twist gradually begins to reveal itself - but it is slow, bordering on afterthought. Not until two thirds of the way through does anything of interest happen. And when it does, it is quite a delightfully unexpected reveal.
The main problem is that there are no clues or foreshadowing throughout the novel (or, if there are, I'm too dense to have noticed) - so the end is a bit deus ex machina.
The end is terrific, and totally unexpected. But the book felt like too much preamble and not enough build-up.
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ISBN: 9781773058061
