It wasn’t really my style but I did read it and I can see why it ended up being a top seller! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley was an exhilarating journey that seamlessly blends elements of time travel, romance, and espionage. Bradley’s debut novel is a testament to her storytelling prowess, offering a narrative that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant.

The story follows an unnamed British-Cambodian civil servant who becomes a “bridge” for historical figures—referred to as “expats”—brought into a near-future London by a clandestine government agency. Her primary charge is Commander Graham Gore, a Victorian naval officer presumed lost during the 1845 Franklin Expedition. Bradley masterfully portrays Gore’s acclimation to the 21st century, capturing his awe and bewilderment at modern technology and societal norms. The evolving relationship between the protagonist and Gore is both captivating and nuanced, exploring themes of cultural identity, imperialism, and personal connection.

Bradley’s prose is both witty and evocative, bringing to life a richly detailed world where past and present collide. The novel’s structure, alternating between the protagonist’s perspective and third-person accounts of Gore’s experiences, adds depth and complexity to the narrative. The supporting cast of fellow expats and civil servants further enriches the story, each character contributing to the novel’s exploration of humanity, love, and the ethical implications of time manipulation.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I saw the blurb for this book, I HAD to request it was was so delighted to be accepted for an advanced copy! The concept was just soooo intriguing - a real life historical figure plunged into modern day, struggling to get their head around all our new-fangled technology and adjust to 21st century life? A romance with the person guiding them through this crazy situation? Time travel AND rebellion? SIGN ME UP!!!

I read the first third of the book feverishly. I really like Bradley's writing style and the pacing was good. However, as the plot unfolded and I got further in, I found myself becoming frustrated. I'm all for exploring different genres within the same book but I felt like we got lost. I can forgive handwaving away the how of time travel because I just don't really care too much about the mechanics. I also wouldn't mind if we skated over the why if this book was nothing more than just a fun, romantic romp and I was really just there for a good time. But, with all the other elements Bradley introduces, it's clear that she was aiming for more than just a bit of silly fun.

Bradley tentatively explores themes of race, colonialism and oppression but I felt like she just scratched the surface and it never really came to forefront or offered any kind of statement or moment where everything clicked.

I kept reading for the romance but that eventually started to fall flat too and I found myself getting frustrated by the increasingly convoluted mystery/action/thriller elements that were introduced. Someone else said that they lost the 'why' of the book which meant that they also stopped caring about the 'what' and this is the perfect way to put how this made me feel.

Overall, it was a promising read and I would definitely be interested to read something else from this author but I think I had really high hopes from the book's blurb and felt sad when they weren't met.

"How do you defy history when history is living in your house?"

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley is a book I've had from Netgalley for ages, but the more reviews I saw, the more I was put off - it seemed to be one of those books that divided people right down the middle. Given my not-too-great history with books about time travel, I was beginning to regret requesting it. Would I love it or hate it?

Reader, I adored it.

This is a book about history, about hope, and about love.

Our female narrator is unnamed. A white-passing British Cambodian woman (as is the author), she works as a civil servant on a very important secret project. Time travel has been nailed - and authorities have brought back a number of figures from different times in the past to see how they assimilate to the present. Our narrator is assigned to watch/help one of those figures, Commander Graham Gore from 1847.

Commander Gore was, in fact, a real person - he was the leader of a failed Arctic exploration. I'm always a bit wary of someone carving out a narrative for a real person (think Lauren Groff's "Matrix" or Colm Tóibín's "The Magician"), but I think Graham Gore was portrayed as an intelligent, witty, admirable character.

The story was a mix of action and history, and while there was an element of romance, it went deeper than the usual subplot and was handled very well. Lovers of pining and stolen glances, this one's for you.

Although certain elements of the actual time travel and the project confused me, I loved this book and I did end up buying a copy after I finished the ARC. A nod to the wonderful side characters - particularly Margaret. They were a joy.

"Forgiveness, which takes you back to the person you were and lets you reset them. Hope, which exists in a future in which you are new. Forgiveness and hope are miracles. They let you change your life."

Sincere thanks to @hodderbooks for the ARC via @netgalley . This was one of my favourite reads of 2024.

Thoroughly enjoyable read.
An interesting mash-up of genres with some great characters navigating a new world.
Not a perfect book with perhaps a bit too much foung on but definitely worth a read.
Look forward to reading more from this author.

Wanted to love this so much based on the premise. But the book itself was going nowhere for much of the story, then things just got dropped in, hints/telegraphing what was to come, weird occurrences, and then the pace picked up to be something else entirely, and the explanations just don't click beyond 'there was a hint somewhere earlier'. Was it romance, sci-fi, speculative, spy thriller, discourse on colonialism and being mixed race in today's Britain? All of this got mixed and merged and muddled, and could've used a good editor who tried to shift the focus to one or two and not all of this. And the ending and explanations don't make sense, the world as it's exposed in the future doesn't click with any potential right now... Everything just felt off throughout, like being in limbo, and things never settled... I'll admit the last page/paragraphs of this book were beautiful, but what came before it doesn't allow this part to redeem the book, sadly.

I really wanted to like this book because it had so much hype however it fell a bit flat for me.

I enjoyed the first half as a rom com and the time travel element was interesting and then the last third was shoe horned into a thriller which didn't fit at all.

I didn't fully understand why the main character wasn't named - what did that add?

Overall a fun, entertaining read but I felt it tried to be many things and so fell a bit flat.

Thank you for the arc.

I enjoyed reading this genre-blending book. I do love some magical realism, and while this pushed more into the sci-fi/speculative genre with a dash of both romance and psychological mystery, it was done well. I especially liked the ethical dilemmas and discussions, as well as the gentle considerations of imperialism and post-colonialism, which added a lot to this emotional and fun story.

I thought this was such an interesting science fiction mystery novel. The characters from the different time periods all felt fleshed out really well and i liked how they all had layers to them. The action scenes were balanced well with the quieter more tender ones too. I loved how it built up the world that made the time rescuing possible and i could easily see this getting adapted into a film or tv show.

I really tried with this book but i just couldnt get into it - it was very YA targeted and quite slow at the start

There is so much to like about this book. In particular, there’s Kaliane Bradley’s prose which is absolutely fizzing with wit. She has a real gift for snapshot similes. They’re all over the prose:

“He got out of the car and looked up and down the street with the weariness of a man who has travelled across the continent and has yet to find his hotel.”

“That night, I slept with unpleasant lightness, my brain balanced on unconsciousness like an insect’s foot on the meniscus of a pond.”

She also has a real gift for juxtaposing ideas. The premise of the book is that a government department has plucked a handful of people out of the past and is studying them to see what effect time travel has upon them. The narrator who has been assigned as a minder to one of the time travellers is of British Cambodian heritage (like the author) and continually views the situation and behaviour of her charge through the prism of dislocation and exile. It’s a comparison that yields all kinds of interesting insights.

However, Bradley’s writing is more than a little opaque. Indeed, as the novel went on, I found it harder and harder to understand what was going on until, by the end, I was frankly lost. I don’t think it was all my fault. The closing stages of the book felt full of slightly frantic explanation that didn’t really explain things at all.

Nonetheless, this is an exciting debut from a writer I really want to read more of.

What a brilliantly bizarre book. Immensely clever, this is a tale that tackles mad sci-fi themes in a way that makes them human and relatable. I lost patience with the ending a little, but the concept here is worth picking the book up for alone!

It's taken me a moment to put my thoughts together for this title. And that alone should sell the book to you. It's thought provoking and emotional.

Time travel and an epic love story... Was here for it. And as an immigrant appreciated the whole finding a way to feel at home not only in a strange place but a strange time.

A brilliant premise, expertly executed. A mashup of genres, Kaliane Bradley threads the needle perfectly for a witty and original heart-stomper of a book that ticked all the same boxes for me as Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

The premise of this story is intriguing, but I found it hard to engage with. the narrator was not well rounded.

I thought this was outstanding!

Nutshell🥜
In the near future our protagonist, a female civil servant, is offered a secret Hugh paid job... She has to act as a live-in companion and guide to an ex-pat called Graham Gore who's been transported from 1847, by the ministry, using a secret time machine door type thing... He is one of a handful of ex-pats from different eras who are being settled into the modern day world. I loved reading about Graham's adjustment to modern ways. Love affairs, comedy moments, twists, surprises and a bit of danger ensue!

♥️This Funny, imaginative, unique time travelling love story was so entertaining and charming... erratic..yes, wordy.. yes, fantastic .. absolutely

👀Titbits:

🔻The main female protagonist is unnamed!!! I only noticed this while writing this review 🙈

🔻Maggie and Arthur the other ex-pats are delicious

🔻The main male Protagonist Graham Gore was a real man who was a first Lieutenant on the I'll fated Ross Expedition (I didn't suss this till towards the end)

🔻I'm now obsessed with the Ross Expedition and stuck in a Google rabbit hole regarding it

🔻While googling Ross Expedition I discovered just LAST WEEK further bones were identified using DNA 🧬

🔻I have a huge crush on a Graham Gore!! The author brought him back to life in the most stunning way

It's taken me two months to finish but it was worth savouring

This is the type of book with a premise so clever one fears the story can’t possibly live up to it. And yet, Bradley pulls off something really extraordinary. A strikingly original, genre-bending premise, exceptional writing, rich characters and a thrilling action ending. A book I’ll be recommending for many years.

This was a 3.5 star book rounded down.
For the first 25% is was a 4.5 because of the writing and humourous play on words, it was actually laugh out loud funny. But as the narrative progressed the author fell back on wordy descriptions and most of the humour was lost.
There were some great characters, especially those from the past. The characters from the time when the book was set were a little prickly and obscure - I never felt that I really got to know them.
Also the romantic relationship seemed to progress in fits and starts, certain behaviours felt out of character and a couple of times the descriptions resembled laundry lists.
And the ending felt incomplete - it was fitting that it didn't end wrapped up in a nice bow but I could have used more background information on some of the characters and their motivations.

It was an interesting concept which sagged in the middle and didn't quite reach its potential but I would be willing to give this author another try.

How wonderful to see another new author coming through with such a superb first book? A story full of adventure, romance and magic - my students are going to adore this!

The Ministry of Time has been on many "Best Books of the Year So Far" lists and I'm fairly convinced it'll be a shoe in for the Goodreads Choice Awards this year, so I wanted to get my hands on it as soon as possible. I also really enjoy time travel stories, so I immediately thought this could be a hit for me.

I found the start of the book to be very captivating and intriguing. I enjoyed reading about the main character from the government agency meet and get to know Graham, who should have died in an Arctic exhibition but was whisked away into the present day. The main appeal of this book is reading about their relationship as it grows and changes.

I didn't so much love the sci-fi thriller side of this book. It felt a little shoehorned in, as like I said above the main focus of the book was definitely on Graham and the main character's relationship. I feel like the thriller aspect of the book could have been entirely left out and instead this could have simply been left as a beautiful love story akin to This is How You Lose the Time War (which I haven't read but I've heard a lot about it thanks to Bigolus D*ckolus).