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The Ministry of Time

By: Kaliane Bradley
Narrated by: George Weightman, Katie Leung
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Publisher's Summary

The Time Traveller's Wife meets David Mitchell meets Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow meets Kate & Leopold in this debut novel from an award-winning writer.

There are several ways to tell a story.

A boy meets a girl. The past meets the future. A finger meets a trigger. The beginning meets the end. England is forever; England must fall.

A civil servant starts working as a 'bridge' - a liaison, helpmeet and housemate - in an experimental project that brings expatriates from the past into the twenty-first century. This is a science-fiction story.

In a London safehouse in the 2020s, a disorientated Victorian polar explorer chain smokes while listening to Spotify and learning about political correctness. This is a comedy.

During a long, sultry summer - as the shadows around them grow long and dangerous - two people fall in love, against all odds. This is a romance.

The Ministry of Time is a novel about Commander Graham Gore (R.N. c.1809-c.1847) and a woman known only as the bridge. As their relationship turns from the strictly professional into something more and uneasy truths begin to emerge, they are forced to face the reality of the project that brought them together.

Can love triumph over the structures and histories that shape them?
©2024 Kaliane Bradley (P)2024 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Literary Fiction Romance Time Travel Funny
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Critic Reviews

A delightfully audacious screwball comedy (Katie Goh, Fiction to be excited for in 2024)
Within the first couple of pages I was gripped. The novel is clever, witty and thought-provoking, asking the question of what any of us might do if we could engage live with people from the past. Kaliane Bradley is a wonderful writer and I can't wait to read what she does next (Kate Mosse, bestselling author of THE GHOST SHIP)
Holy smokes this novel is an absolute cut above! Kaliane Bradley leaps into a storytelling league of her own. This book is a deadly serious speculative fiction but it is also one of the funniest books I've read in years. It is exciting, surprising, intellectually provocative, weird, radical, tender and moving. I missed it when I was away from it. I will hurry to re-read it. Make room on your bookshelves for a new classic. (Max Porter, bestselling author of SHY)
Smart and affecting, full of ideas plus that slow-burning love story, it's a wonderful debut (David Nicholls, author of YOU ARE HERE)
An outrageously brilliant debut with a premise that just gets more and more original. The Ministry of Time pulls off the neatest trick of speculative fiction, first estranging us from our own era, and then facilitating our immigration back into the present; but it is also a love story, exploratory, sensitive, charged with possibility, and powered by desire, reminding us that history is synonymous with human beings, and that we all have the ability to change it. This is already the best new book I will have read next year (Eleanor Catton, author of BIRNAM WOOD)

What listeners say about The Ministry of Time

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language is beautiful

The extraordinary complexity of the narrative is wonderful. It would be easy to get a bit lost, but I didn't.

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A wave of beautiful language…

Just wonderful … a must for all those that love to travel through time and hear its distinctive sounds.

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Cracking story and superbly narrated!

Really loved this book - fantastic, fabulistic, futuristic story! Great characters and such whimsical imagination trooping through the Eras.

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

Falls short of expectations

The Ministry of Time presents some fascinating concepts and had the potential to become something truly great. However, despite the intriguing premise, I found that the story fell short of expectations. It lacked substance for much of the book, with things only picking up around the 85% mark. It’s a shame because it came highly recommended, but ultimately, it left me feeling underwhelmed and wanting more. While the ideas were promising, the execution didn’t quite live up to its potential.

My rating: 3/5.

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Beautiful writing

I just couldn’t stop! It was so well told that I could see everything and yet described with thrift and economy
Fantastic first effort by and measure

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Profile Image for Rebeca B.

An absolute gem

This is my second time and I found it even better than the first experience. Love the turn of phrases and the beautiful descriptions. Was thoroughly engaged in rather first pages until the very end. The themes raised of imperialism, colonialism, racism, ptsd and others were so deftly explored I was in owe. I had studied the Franklin expedition long ago and the setting just deepened my love for the tragedy that befell on those from the expedition. Do yourself a favour if you love history, time travel and amazing understanding of our emotional limitations- listen to this perfect piece

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Profile Image for Marc Percival

The imaginative writing tinged by dry humor.

Wonderful soaring fiction. One of the best books I’ve read I’ve had for a long time

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Beautiful funny sad story

My favourite part of this story was the moments of comedy genius - a dry, old wit, it really helped bring the characters into now

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Character details

Liked the slow brewing love story and the unusual ending. Well researched and set out beautifully.

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Imagination

Fresh ideas and great presentation. Gore a wonderful character and his handler very entertaining. Best reading I’ve ever heard.

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