Niffenegger clearly wants to play with broadening the stakes of time travel, which in the first book were all about romance ... An 'In This House, We Believe' vibe suffuses the story, rendering it almost immediately dated ... People who loved The Time Traveler’s Wife loved it for Henry and Clare. What happens when the woman at the middle of the love story is kind of a jerk? The novel tries for two audiences—readers of contemporary women’s novels, and of science fiction. It may end up landing with neither.
A tale of time travel, yet one so despairingly stuck in this American moment that it never transcends it ... Structurally this is a more ambitious novel than The Time Traveler’s Wife, but less successful ... Too often this sprawling novel loses emotional pull and instead becomes — much like its vision of the future — a depressing mess.
Intriguing and difficult to pin down ... The structure lends itself well to one of the best aspects of the novel:the concept of memory ... Niffenegger paves the way for deeper, more meaningful reflections on memory and the importance of being present in your own life ... Fans of science fiction and Niffenegger’s previous novels are sure to enjoy the return of her incredibly vast and unconventional world-building. Though structurally confusing at times, Life Out of Order is ultimately a testament to the nuanced beauty of being alive in any timeline and the tangible belief that the only way to find our way through dystopia is together.
An intriguing, frustrating book ... there is too much of everything—too many characters, too many relationships, too many ideas. At almost 600 pages, it felt overstuffed and often confusing ... Contains some lovely writing ... Life Out of Order is a wild ride, and some of it is interesting. But it doesn’t have the emotional pull of Niffenegger’s first book.
Charming if bumpy ... Niffenegger avoids a retread of her previous novel by adding contemporary subject matter, but her attempts to retrofit progressive political attitudes into returning characters such as Clare fall flat. It’s a mixed bag.
A story about how people cope and care for each other in the face of a dystopian future. It’s also a testament to the power of art, even (and especially) in troubled times ... A devastating and hopeful look at what truly matters when the world falls apart.
