The Ministry of Time: A Novel

Name: The Ministry of Time: A Novel
SKU: 92906
Availability: InStock

4.1 | 9,239 ratings

Price: 4.99

Last update: 12-28-2024

About this item

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.

Top reviews from the United States

Chcro

One of the best books

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2024

This is one of the best books I have ever read, and I read a lot of books.
Certain books (for me these include Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and Remarkably Bright Creatures, and now this book) contain really interesting subject matter I don't know much about, and weave it into fascinating fiction in the hands of incredibly talented writers. I will be suggesting this one to everyone.

Robert B. Lamm

3.5 Stars - Fantastic Concept, Questionable Execution

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2024

The concept behind The Ministry of Time, and many of the "sub-concepts" in the book, are really wonderful; what a great imagination Ms. Bradley has! However, for me at least, the book was all over the place, as if the author had to include something about every thought that came into her head as she wrote it. Aside from time travel, she touches up on the plight of refugees, the horrors that beset Cambodia, climate change, and so on. Also, sex, not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just that there were so many distractions that I didn't know where to look first, and for that and other reasons the plot got lost.

Of course, plot isn't everything. There are some lovely passages in the book, and Ms. Bradley clearly has the chops of a good or maybe very good writer. However, her characterizations aren't great - they act in service of the plot, and when the plot doesn't quite stand out or work enough, the character suffers too (along with the reader).

I hope Ms. Bradley keeps writing, and hopefully she will get things together a bit more effectively next time.

Monkey

Interesting but unsatisfactory

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2024

I enjoyed the concept and thought "The Ministry" was well thought out. It had an air of mystery while still feeling like a real agency. There was also the assassins, the secrets her handler was discovering, and of course the MC having to get her "expact" up to date on current machines and events.
There was also a bit of romance and some lovely friendship dynamics and a couple twists when it comes to the characters futures!
It felt a little slow in parts, but it picked up and just when it was getting good, it was a huge let down. Did not enjoy that ending AT ALL! Felt rushed and unfinished and now it feels like I know nothing about what will happen to the characters ????
Was still a pretty good read though and very original ????????

peacock pal

There's love and there's just following orders

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2024

This is a love story but not a romance book. This is science fantasy but it's the characters and not the actual time travel that make the story. This is about choices made and accidents and how each response opens or closes a door in your personal future.

This story is in our world near current time. The main character is a 2nd generation immigrant. Her life is about passing in the world and gaining power to protect herself and control how she fits into the world.

The problem is how much of yourself do you give up when the right thing isn't always the thing that moves you up in the world. There are twists and turns as the people pulled from the past highlight the views she holds and things she will do to keep "the ministry" happy and to keep her place in the world.

There are moments of humor and we learn about each of the time "travelers" and how they adapt. As the story continues small strange incidents begin to grow and the situation becomes more frightening. What started as a slow progression reaches crisis mode.

This is a book that makes think and it even includes a book club set of suggested post read questions.

Alan and Emily

Time travel mystery

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024

3.5 stars for The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

I enjoy time travel stories, but The Ministry of Time was a bit difficult for me to get into. The plot moved a little slowly, and there were a lot of words used that I was unfamiliar with - some related to Cambodia, yes, but many others that just are not commonly part of every day 2024 vocabulary in any language.

However, there were also many phrases in the novel that I found quite funny or immensely beautiful, so I’m very appreciative that a fellow book club member brought this novel to my attention. I won’t list them here and create spoilers, but I will be jotting a few down elsewhere so I may enjoy them again in the future.

I also really enjoyed a couple of the expat characters developed by Bradley. Similar to my favorite phrases, one of the expats was quite funny, and the other I loved was just a beautiful soul.

All in all, I am glad to have read The Ministry of Time, but I don’t know that I’d recommend it. If you have a large vocabulary or simply love learning new words, though, this book is for you.

Slaw

Very memorable book

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2024

This book is very unique in its writing style. The author uses figurative language that I’ve never seen before and I liked that the choice of words made me stop and think about what they could mean. Some reviewers found this irritating but if you are a person who can enjoy the quirkiness of language I think you might appreciate such a fresh take on metaphors and similes.

The plot was also nicely tweaked and unpredictable. I liked the idea that the “expats” from other time periods were brought to a time in our near future and slowly assimilated in the first half of the book. The second half of the book did veer off in a more dangerous direction for everyone with surprise twists that popped up in rapid fire.

The romance felt very real to me, unfolding naturally with charming glimpses of the characters’ attractions.

I do admit that there were times that I didn’t totally understand what was going on, but as a fan of science fiction I’m used to the suspension of disbelief and it didn’t bother me too much.

Despite this, I gave the book 5 stars because I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days after finishing it. It really made me think and care about the characters.

Different type of time travel

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2024

The book had lots of twists. The characters were interesting. Not your typical time travel book.

hske

Would make a great film!

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2024

I enjoyed the book immensely. I saw the mixed reviews and wasn’t sure, but a quick preview showed me the writing was decent. I am so glad I took a chance on this. I can understand where it loses people in some parts, but I found it so wonderful and sad and funny. Would make a great film adaption in the future.

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