The Ministry of Time

A Novel

De: Kaliane Bradley

Narrado por: George Weightman, Katie Leung

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

“This summer’s hottest debut.” —Cosmopolitan • “Witty, sexy escapist fiction [that] packs a substantial punch...Fresh and thrilling.” —Los Angeles Times • “Electric...I loved every second.” —Emily Henry

“Utterly winning...Imagine if The Time Traveler’s Wife had an affair with A Gentleman in Moscow...Readers, I envy you: There’s a smart, witty novel in your future.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post

A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.

©2024 Kaliane Bradley (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Lots of fun, B-plus light entertainment

I listened while doing sudoku or the easier NYTimes puzzles. Neither alone engages my full attention, but they were a great combination. The characters are interesting and well-drawn enough to be engaging, and the plot is pretty well done. I was sorry to be finished. Thought-provoking in the end. Very satisfying read, if you're someone who doesn't have the energy or patience for actual great literature.

Unusual plot

The characters are richly rounded and their actions and reactions-although not generally predictable-make good sense. Interesting plot/story line.

Outstanding

There is absolutely nothing to dislike about this story. It was gripping, suspenseful, interesting, intriguing and thoroughly entertaining. This author is now on my list to follow. She’s going to have a great career. I can’t wait until her next book

For the Ages

This was an unexpectedly fantastic listen for me. I immediately got sucked into this one of a kind story filled with humor, sweetness, risks, and love. I am already hoping for a sequel because I’m not done hearing about these characters.

Humor history and philosophical inquiy

Who could ask first more than that. Ive been buried under a rock didnt know about this book . Saw a review on best sci fi humor for 2024…its dry wit which i love but the book is more well known for its inquiry of history and european imperialistic tendencies.. hope and forgiveness

Excellent character variety

I loved the range of voices for the characters. well done! I enjoyed these narrators and appreciate the effort!

Great interesting story!

I really loved this story as it was presented well. Something different in the best kind of way - well done!

A twist on the traditional time travel novel.

Each character was uniquely developed with interesting responses to how they responded to their displacement in time.

Gonna sit with me a while

I read this as part of a book club with my friends. I was initially really taken with the matter-of-fact narrative style and sense of humor that Bradley presents this classic sci-fi trope, which reminded me strongly of John Scalzi (Kaiju Preservation Society especially). By the end of the book the narrative had turned into something much deeper, the roots of which I know see were laid throughout. When the story first made this thematic shift I was a bit annoyed that my light read fun was gone, but ultimately I’m very satisfied and impressed by this novel, and I’m happy that I’ll be talking it over with friends soon because this is gonna sit with me a while.

I listened in one sitting and immediately started again.

I can understand this book is not for everyone, if you are the kind of person that casually listens to audiobooks, and it takes a month to finish a title, or you only like books from one specific genre, this may not be for you. It cannot be put into one singular box, and there are some complexities that requires some focus to understand. It’s just on the border of sci-fi so some people seem to expect more or less but I went in only knowing it was genre-bending and recommended by authors and readers I trusted and it exceeded my expectations. I listened while working at my retail job and couldn’t stop smiling (if you’ve ever worked retail you know just how high a praise that is), I even laughed out loud by myself in public. The narration was very natural, the accents must have been challenging to create but they were easily distinguishable from one another and it was usually pretty easy to understand, even as an American listening with only one headphone in a busy public place. Cannot recommend enough.