Transitions Between Time Periods

Use this forum to discuss the June 2018 Book of the Month"The Girl Who Knew da Vinci" by Belle Ami
Post Reply
User avatar
Emilyflint
Posts: 167
Joined: 24 Apr 2017, 16:05
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 12756">The Last Battle</a>
Currently Reading: Gameboard of the Gods
Bookshelf Size: 248
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-emilyflint.html
Latest Review: Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign

Re: Transitions Between Time Periods

Post by Emilyflint »

I never had an issue with the time. Jumps in the book. I think the author did a great job on transitioning between all of them. What I did have an issue was the anachronistic dialogue. Mainly when talking to DaVinci and fioretta
User avatar
kfwilson6
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2065
Joined: 14 Feb 2018, 15:30
Currently Reading: Lord of Chaos
Bookshelf Size: 298
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kfwilson6.html
Latest Review: The Stone Wall Crossing by Alice Schellhorn Magrane
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by kfwilson6 »

I'm not really good at noticing when things don't fit with their time period unless it is really obvious like if a character were to use terminology that is clearly modern slang. In this case though it makes the transitions more noticeable when the author can make the three time periods as distinct as possible.
User avatar
bookowlie
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 9071
Joined: 25 Oct 2014, 09:52
Favorite Book: The Lost Continent
Currently Reading: The Night She Went Missing
Bookshelf Size: 442
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bookowlie.html
Latest Review: To Paint A Murder by E. J. Gandolfo

Post by bookowlie »

I think jumps between time periods can be confusing in a book when the characters and setting are the same. In this case, it was always a completely different and distinct setting and different set of characters. I think the author juggled the time periods nicely, especially with so many different things going on in the book.
"The best way out is always through" - Robert Frost
Beth KG
Posts: 233
Joined: 17 May 2018, 09:27
Favorite Book: Time and Again
Currently Reading: Practice the Jealous Arts
Bookshelf Size: 59
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-beth-kg.html
Latest Review: Final Notice by Van Fleisher

Post by Beth KG »

by Beth KG

I always enjoy the idea of time travel and the use of regressing to past lives is a good vehicle for this. I would have enjoyed more detail in the portrayal of the past time periods. For me, these parts were the most interesting. Much more so than the overly-detailed but shallowly sketched romance between Alex and Angela.
User avatar
kfwilson6
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2065
Joined: 14 Feb 2018, 15:30
Currently Reading: Lord of Chaos
Bookshelf Size: 298
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kfwilson6.html
Latest Review: The Stone Wall Crossing by Alice Schellhorn Magrane
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by kfwilson6 »

Well said Beth. The impression I got is that, given the page space, the other two couples would have had more depth to their relationships than what we saw with Angela and Alex.
User avatar
LV2R
Posts: 1083
Joined: 25 Apr 2018, 22:28
Favorite Book: Crown of Crimson (The Afterlight Chronicles Book 1)
Currently Reading: Roan
Bookshelf Size: 345
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lv2r.html
Latest Review: Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker

Post by LV2R »

I liked the time transitions even though it took some effort to keep all the names straight. They were all eventually connected to each other in a believable way. Angela's gift of seeing her past lives was a creative way to weave the story of the missing painting in and out of the past into the present.
User avatar
kmkline120
Posts: 34
Joined: 09 May 2018, 09:19
Currently Reading: Tiny Beautiful Things
Bookshelf Size: 23
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kmkline120.html
Latest Review: If life stinks get your head outta your buts by Mark L. Wdowiak

Post by kmkline120 »

kfwilson6 wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 10:48
kmkline120 wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 10:40
kfwilson6 wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 10:00

Visual interpretations of text can add so many elements. Words on a page are so limiting. I think that's part of why children's books are so enjoyable even to some adults.

The time shifts would come across superbly well in a visual format. When reading a fictional mystery/thriller most readers don't want to get bogged down in extensive descriptions of the setting and clothes. On the big screen all of that can be taken in at once.

It seems like great writers deserve even more appreciation than we might sometimes realize.

I completed agree! If a writer can paint a scene using the fewest words possible it can make all the difference to the reader. They get a whole picture created in their head without feeling like they had to read entire paragraphs just to get the setting.
I personally get bored very quickly with descriptions of food. Honestly, I really don't even care what characters are eating and drinking. "They sat down to dinner," is a good enough description for me. I don't need to be told "They sat down to a meal of crunchy French bread, chicken alfredo, a Greek salad with homemade dressing." And then an explanation of dessert and wine. Ugh, no thanks. Not relevant, adds no depth to the story at all. And please don't describe the emotions and satisfaction associated with food! Too picky???
Haha! That's a tough call for me actually... Sometimes I enjoy lots of detail because then I can create a more realistic picture in my head. But, I think it depends on the story/what is happening in the plot at that moment/how wordy the details get. Too much can definitely get boring to me, like you said. But, if the details are used to tell you about the characters or plot, I think they can be good!
User avatar
Tamorie Hargro
In It Together VIP
Posts: 260
Joined: 17 Jan 2018, 17:44
Currently Reading: Billy Summers
Bookshelf Size: 168
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tamorie-hargro.html
Latest Review: Teardrops by Helen Burger
Reading Device: B083JVJQH4

Post by Tamorie Hargro »

I think the transitions were done very well, and creatively. Sometimes we saw transitions through dreams, or through objects, and whatnot and I think it was neat and orderly. The different perspectives never confused me at all! I think adding the dates/years was really effective in that aspect :)
J.K. Rowling - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban wrote:Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. 🔥
User avatar
KRay93
Posts: 393
Joined: 01 Mar 2018, 09:49
Currently Reading: The Bourne Identity
Bookshelf Size: 98
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kray93.html
Latest Review: Non-Disclosure by George Dapra

Post by KRay93 »

The transitions were quite smooth and effective, especially considering that the author used connections with moments of the present (especially Angela's dreams) and added the dates and years to ensure that the reader does not get lost in the plot. As a personal note, I did not feel so attracted to the flashback stories, except for the key moments that influenced the events of the present and especially Angela's attitude and her choices.
User avatar
Jmteachmom
Posts: 176
Joined: 21 Oct 2017, 10:44
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 33
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jmteachmom.html
Latest Review: One Way or Another by Mary J. Williams

Post by Jmteachmom »

SamSim wrote: 06 Jun 2018, 12:10 I have not yet read the book but I am highly intrigued by the ambitiousness of featuring 3 non-linear time periods in one novel. It makes me want to read the book, but I'm also a little doubtful that it's handled convincingly or, if it's convincing, it still might not be smooth. I expect that it ultimately becomes "cluttered," like you said.
I just finished the book and overall I enjoyed it. I think the author did a fantastic job with the transitions and I was able to understand the connections between all three. I would suggest reading it. Don't let the transitions hold you back. Happy Reading
User avatar
samiam013
Posts: 89
Joined: 01 Jul 2018, 19:51
Favorite Book: The Altitude Journals
Currently Reading: The Lost Identity Casualties
Bookshelf Size: 272
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-samiam013.html
Latest Review: The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid by Gary Robinson
Reading Device: B00HCNHDN0

Post by samiam013 »

The way Belle Ami transitioned between time periods was done remarkably well. I never once felt as though I was lost as to who I was reading about and in what era. The way she headed each transition with cities and dates did a lot to assist with the transitioning.
"Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything". (Plato) :reading-7:

Smiles are contagious! Infect someone today! :D
User avatar
[Valerie Allen]
Posts: 698
Joined: 17 Mar 2018, 23:24
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 773
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-valerie-allen.html
Latest Review: Utopia Project by Billy Dering

Post by [Valerie Allen] »

Yes, I think you've said it all. Thank you!
And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. (Revelation 20:12 (NKJV) :reading-7:
Anthony Martial Tata
Posts: 159
Joined: 08 Jul 2018, 23:44
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 23
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-anthony-martial-tata.html
Latest Review: Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren

Post by Anthony Martial Tata »

The transition did not interfere with the flow of the book storyline.
User avatar
JHuschle519
Posts: 184
Joined: 18 Jul 2018, 01:20
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 57
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jhuschle519.html
Latest Review: End of the Last Great Kingdom by Victor Rose

Post by JHuschle519 »

I didn't find the transitions too hard to follow, especially once I started paying closer attention to the dates and locations at the beginning of the transitions. At first I was glossing over them because it didn't click in my mind at first that there was going to be two past lives involved in this story. I agree with the comments I've seen a few others make about wishing there had been more detail in the past lives. I didn't feel like I really got to know those characters too well.
User avatar
Vscholz
Posts: 455
Joined: 09 Jul 2018, 00:59
Currently Reading: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Bookshelf Size: 816
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-vscholz.html
Latest Review: Primrose’s Curse by Kiara Shankar, Vinay Shankar
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Vscholz »

bookowlie wrote: 01 Jun 2018, 09:12 There are frequent time jumps between time periods and settings in the story. Did you find the transitions hard to follow, considering the three distinctly different eras? I thought the author did a good job of using Angela's visions as a way to do the switches. Still, the plot became a little cluttered due to the detailed stories in each time period.
Honestly, I liked the way Ami did the transitions. It was something new (to me), and I think it is one of the book's strong points. The past stories were a bit complicated and I would have liked to see more development, but I also think that would mean overwhelming the character of Angela IF they are done as visions. I almost found the past more interesting than the present, although each section has room for improvement. It would have been interesting to see more of the bad guys, but that would probably also require some other way of telling those stories.
As for you & your heart & the things you said & didn't say, she will remember them all when men are fairy tales in books written by rabbits. (Schmendrick the Magician)
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss "The Girl Who Knew da Vinci" by Belle Ami”