Question – how do you guys feel about books with two timelines?
Question – how do you guys feel about books with two timelines?
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It can be unnecessarily distracting and detract from the book or complete magic. It really depends on the transition between the time lines and how the book is written.
what about the present and then flashbacks instead of two timelines?
As long as the flashbacks are obvious that’s what they are.
I agree. It needs to be very well done or I find it tedious or distracting.
Flashbacks I can handle. Those are usually pretty obvious and don’t interrupt the writing flow. The best example I have for time skipping majorly detracting from the story is The Night Circus. I might have enjoyed it a lot more if it flowed easier. The time skips were a cumbersome distraction.
Love them! ?
Time slip/dual timeline stories are my guilty pleasure – Kate Morton, Barbara Erskine, Lucinda Riley, Katherine Webb…all some of my favourites. Saying that, some are better than others.
Love them. Keeps your attention makes you smarter because you have to concentrate.
They have to be done very well so that it doesn’t get confusioning. One of the biggest TV shows on right now is done in two timelines, This Is Us, but it’s easier to do on TV because you see the different clothes and cars. I’ve read a few books that went back and forth, and if they are not extemely detailed, it’s easy to get confused.
If it’s someone who has time traveled but no none else knows it, I like it. Especially if I don’t know right away if he is from the future or the past. Love “Lightning” by Dean Koontz
Like them!
King is s master
Love it
I enjoy 2 time lines especially if there is a connection between the 2 and the connection doesn’t always need to be spelled out in advance because than it keeps you guessing as you read…
If there’s a well done connection, two timelines can be amazing.
confusing i only like one time lines…
It depends on the book.
Some of them can be great, others not so much.
What, like reading in the morning and again in the evening?
Try reading, “Time and Again”, by Jack Finney.
You will love it.
He also wrote “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”
Love that book and just about anything he wrote
“4 3 2 1” by Paul Auster has four timelines.
Tale of Two Cities – good. Others – depends
“Outlander” I love it.
Not sure what you mean. James Rollins books do this all the time. My favorite author.
It’s interesting. It gives a clear picture of how the story evolved. My current read by Kazuo Ishiguro (When We Were Orphans) switches from childhood days to adult life divided in parts with the date at the beginning of each.
The Time Traveler’s Wife was an interesting concept… though I think that the two timelines kind of took away the aspect of free will as far as love (even true love) is concerned. i am not even sure if it can be called that in that book
Love them, I’ve been trying to write my books like that, but I have not done it yet.
Barbara Erskine does this all the time, her books are great! Between present day and…..Egypt/Celts/WWII/etc etc. Her most famous is Lady of Hay.