Now and Then took sometime to grow on me. Through the first few chapters, Anna's (the main character) lawyer street cred came up. Again. And again. And again. She's a lawyer, I get it. But then she and her nephew time travel to pre-famine Ireland. And her past (um, future?!) doesn't matter much. So that's when Sheehan's build up kinda made me eat my words. She emphasizes Anna's law background because it doesn't come in all too handy in her time travel trials. And so, because Anna has always depended on her legal eagleness, she's forced to reevaluate herself.
Talk about a chance to start over. New friends, new man and a clean slate? What's not to love? Oh, that's right, stuck in a time that's not your own separated from the only person you know.
Oddly, while Anna's found herself kicking it with the commoners, her nephew's time travels landed him (same time zone) at a richie rich estate. After falling in love with a kitchen lass and becoming a champion wrestler, he thinks he's got it made. But we know things aren't always that neat and tidy, right?
Sigh. After reading Now and Then, I wanted to become a travel writer, book a ticket to Ireland and get a dog. In that order. I've never been to Ireland but it's been on my list forever.
A few years back, my wonderfully awesome Grandparents (chilling above at my college graduation) celebrated an anniversary by spending a month in Ireland. When they came back, they referred to fries as "chips" and insisted that we call to-go food "take-away." Aren't they the coolest?Full disclosure: I received a gratis copy of Now and Then from the lovely folks at Avon/Harper Collins after a friend of Sheehan's contacted me to see if I'd be interested in reading the novel.
3 comments:
That sounds like an interesting book. I clicked on the link to see who that "friend" of Sheehan's was and he contacted me, too (but I'm turning down everything, now). Love the pic of your grandparents.
Bookfool- I'm considering turning down everything now too. I have lots of books of my own I'd like to review still! :) My grandparents are the BEST! They'll be thrilled to hear they've got fans. ;)
Hmmm... starting over on a clean slate is definitely something everyone can relate to. I think we've all had to do it at some point in our lives, or have at least wanted to do it. As for befriending a stranger, you mentioned that she's quite stylish. Try opening up a conversation by complimenting her on something she's wearing and asking where she got it. Then move your way into "don't you work in the so-and-so building?" and hopefully she'll be friendly and you gals can chat!
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