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Why read Ben Elton's Time and Time Again?



I should probably preface this by admitting I've never read a book by Ben Elton that I didn't love. And I have read them all, in case you're wondering if I only read one. From the magnificently soppy Inconceivable (and yes the film was as good as the book), to his behind-the-scenes of Chart Throb and the like, and his war books like The First Casualty. I love them.

Time and Time Again is, guess what, about time travel. A bereaved army officer and adventurer is forced to go back in time to stop the onset of the Great War. I'll tell you no more of this, as you can read the blurb anywhere. This was a real page-turner for me. I'm not snobbish about books, I don't particularly like chick-lit (but have read some by a hotel pool abroad) and I try to avoid any recommended by sofa-couple's book clubs ("Oh go on, you'll love it" usually puts me right off - The Life of Pi is a good example of that). I like a page-turner, and I will read Dan Brown's books as the storytelling is vivid and addictive. I tend to veer towards murder and dysfunctional, alcoholic, divorced detectives from either Scotland or somewhere Scandi. Brought up on Agatha Christie, I adore Rankin, Mankell, Nesbo, Peter May, Stuart Macbride ...

Having just finished The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, I found Time and Time Again was also a complete page-turner. Both books took me a few days to finish. (I do read every night, and I mean every single night, but I can sometimes only manage a chapter or two as I'm so tired at my age!) I stayed up past the witching hour, racing from chapter to chapter. Every chapter or so explained something in a different time zone and I found myself unable to stop glancing across, then having, just having, to continue. There are a few twists in this story and not being a history-lover as much as Ben Elton seems to be, he made it very real-life for me. When the first twist came, I wasn't expecting it at all. Like with The Girl on the Train, I was trying my hardest to "work it out" but I just didn't expect it at all. I did get the twist with The Girl on the Train, but that is a very different genre altogether.

I can thoroughly recommend Ben Elton's Time and Time Again; just watch out if you need to get up early in the mornings!
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