Danika reviews Travels Through Love And Time by Christine Hall Volkoff

I feel a little bit uncomfortable reviewing this book, because it reads like a first draft. I liked the concept: a look at three different loves, at three different times, in one woman’s life. Unfortunately, the writing felt clunky, and I never really got into the flow of the story because of it. One of the most distracting elements was the abundance of ellipses, especially awkward when placed randomly in dialogue. Here’s an example, from page 78:

“Come with me to my hotel,” he said. “You’ll see it’s so beautiful there …”

I knew what was happening … what was going to happen. I wanted it to happen. I said yes.

or on page 45:

“What about her? asked Francesca … obviously taken aback by the question.

I also didn’t get attached to the main character, perhaps partially because all three love affairs were about falling madly, suddenly in love with someone she knew nothing about. In fact, the only character I was intrigued by never actually appeared in the novel herself–she was just referred to. That character was Christine’s ex-girlfriend, and the reason I wanted to know more about her was because she was described as such a villainous person that I wanted to know why Christine would ever start dating her.

I do think the concept had potential, and I think the author has a skill for establishing setting (when Christine is in France, you get a really good feel for her surroundings, and you can easily picture them in your head). Unfortunately, I just don’t think Travels Through Love and Time at this point is polished enough to charge money for.

2 Replies to “Danika reviews Travels Through Love And Time by Christine Hall Volkoff”

  1. Christine Hall Volkoff

    Hi Danika! Thank you for the review…sorry you didn’t like the book. You say it isn’t polished enough to charge money for it. Well, readers with a Kindle can actually download it for free with Amazon Prime 🙂
    BTW, Christine was never in Italy…

  2. Christine Hall Volkoff

    Oh, and about the use of ellipses…I don’t know if you have ever read James Joyce. But this is an excerpt from an essay on Joyce’s use of ellipses:

    “This is emphasized by the frequent use of ellipses—themselves representing the impossibility of naming that which is missing, that which by the end of the text is still left in question with the indeterminacy of the closing ellipsis.”

    I would not dare compare myself with Joyce, but the use of ellipses is not a mistake. Just a choice.
    Thank you for putting up with my defense of my little book. It means a lot to me, and I want to stand up for it 🙂