This novel is one of the finest attempts in English to convey something of two very strange places which no longer appear on the map of Europe... Shakespeare has told a very skilful story

Offers more than high romance: it is a portrait, and a good one, of the East Germany of the Stasi, with its bleakly beautiful landscapes, its casual betrayals, and its subtle capacity to dehumanise

His finest book yet. Beautifully written, rich in character, it displays all the courage for which its hero so desperately wants to be recognised

A heart-warming tale of rich, enabling coincidence and conquering love; love without frontiers

Elegant metaphors, striking insights, eidetic settings and sensitive renditions of character - Shakespeare's writing is of a high order. Impressive

McEwan's exploration of his characters' lives and secret emotions is a virtuoso display of fictional subtlety and intelligence

A virtuoso display

[An] exquisite and suspenseful novel

A page-turner, with a plot so engrossing that it seems reckless to pick the book up in the evening if you plan to get any sleep that night

Taut with narrative excitement and suspense...a novel of rich diversity that triumphantly integrates imagination and intelligence, rationality and emotional alertness

He is the maestro at creating suspense: the particular, sickening, see-sawing kind that demands a kind of physical courage from the reader to continue reading

A novel of rich diversity

From the first page to the last, The Time Traveler's Wife works its unique magic... A beautiful, lyrical book

After I read it I wanted to share it with everybody, and even gave a copy to Madonna when she co-presented my show

Dark, unpredictable, incredibly clever and a modern romance

A delight

A love affair that will totally capture your heart

An irrestible romance

A beautifully written, compulsive look at a couple trying to live an ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances

An intriguing, often funny love story