“Waking in Time” is technically listed as a Young Adult novel, however it is a fun read for any age. It’s filled with plenty of humor, romance, and history.
When Abbi arrives at her grandmother’s Alma Mater, University of Wisconsin at Madison, she is still in grief. After all, her grandmother died only three weeks earlier. Being on the same campus gives her a small, comforting connection to the grandmother she dearly loved.
The year is now, however when Abbi wakes up the second morning, she is in 1983. What in the world is going on? Is this a freshman hoax? If so, those responsible did a great job changing everything in her life. Yes, everything. The campus is different, her roommate is different, the clothes are different, and life is different. The next day she wakes up even farther back in time.
Abbi meets Will, also a student at UW Madison and discovers he is traveling through time as well. Will started out in 1927 and is traveling forward while Abbi is traveling backward. What do they have in common and are there other time travelers?
As the two forge a friendship based on their mutual dilemma, things in life are different for both of them. Abbi must deal with things she takes for granted now that weren’t invented in 2017 and Will learns a lot about the future. With no cell phones, comfy shoes, even panty hose, Abbi gets a great lesson in how women lived in the past, including how they were treated. And Will learns how to adjust to the future. His one constant is the rowing team where he finds solace. Abbi, on the other hand, has no specific activity to cling to. The only thing driving her is the physics professor who seems to know her from the past and tells her he is working on her situation. This connection adds more insight into her time travels. As the two students travel in time, their relationship with the professor changes. In the past he is a different person than the man she knows from the future, however without his help she might not get back to 2017.
Adding more to the story is the relationship between Abbi and Will. As they cling to each other for support, their feelings for each other grow. What do they have in common that connects them to time traveling and how do they travel? Will and Abbi are both anxious to get back to their own times, but their romance slows down those desires. What is more important – getting home or the love they share?
Stanton writes from the first person, Abbi’s view, as the young woman experiences so much in a short time. Talk about learning history by experiencing it, Abbi does just that. As the author lays out the imagery of the various times, she also takes readers into Abbi’s thoughts. The story is beautifully written. As a matter of fact, it is really a page- turner. Readers will anxiously want to know how the stories of Abbi and Will intertwine and how their fates might change history or the future.
Wonderfully written with a flair that takes readers right into the story, “Waking in Time” is a delightful novel for teens and older readers.
On a personal note, I rarely keep books to re-read in the future, but this is a keeper. I will enjoy it again someday.
About the Reviewer
Francine Brokaw writes book, product, travel, and entertainment features and reviews. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
Follow her on Twitter
