Review of Crossing The Dateline

[Kennedy NC]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Crossing The Dateline" by Carrie Hannah.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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A popular quote once said, “Time lost can never be found again.” Even though there are moments in our lives we crave to turn back the clock and visit our past, even for a fleeting second, our history would forever remain inaccessible except through recollection. In an attempt to escape from a troublesome gang, a young woman stumbles upon a portal- a time portal, an entry into the past of a 100 years old. Through this happy accident, her life changes course to a dramatic path of many mysteries, secrets, and truths to be uncovered alongside a wild and passionate affair.

Crossing the Dateline by Carrie Hannah is a historical mystery novel exploring Justine’s adventures on the other side of time a century apart from her present, searching for answers about her mother abandoning her six-year-old self, her biological father’s identity and the uncanny connection underlying persons in her history and her present. Can a crossing into the past provide the answers Justine seeks? Or would the mysteries prove too confounding to solve? Would her present indeed remain unaffected despite her interference with time? Find out by picking this intriguing piece of fiction.

There are positive aspects to this book. Based on the storyline the author adopted, the novel required bringing into perspective two different time periods separated by a century. The author was able to flow and alternate between these different periods seamlessly. This would leave no confusion or muddling of details and events in the mind of readers. The author skillfully attributed the language and mannerisms of each period appropriately. Also, the novel portrays the beauty in each period as well as the downside. This is a perfect balancing of both worlds.

Crossing the Dateline featured a unique central character, Justine, who was in no way perfect nor cliché. For the longest time, she could not find a place for herself in the world and greatly suffered from loneliness. Traveling into the past not only provides her with an opportunity to find answers but an opportunity to find herself, love, and purpose. We get to witness the growth of a girl who was always uncertain to a fine woman brave enough, kind enough, and with sufficient resources to pave the way for herself in history, whether her methods were typical or not. I greatly enjoyed the author’s slow-burn approach to unraveling an interesting turn of events in the novel. The plot progressed slowly but surely while picking up pace as it went—the arousing palpable sexual tension in some parts of the book.  

There are negative aspects to this book as well. There were grammatical errors that were too many to ignore. This proves that the book was not professionally edited. Also, there seems to be a momentary confusion between Feingold and Feinstein in chapter fifty-two. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars due to this. I recommend this novel to lovers of mystery, adventure, or historical fiction as I believe they will immensely enjoy this book.

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Crossing The Dateline
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[Elenimo Chembe]

Justine seems to be a compelling character, Would love to know how the whole story unfolded. Thanks for the review.

[Willard Damn]

It has an interesting plot would have expected more and it was entertaining.Thank you for the review.

[Leonie Vermaak]

I like the plot, it's a refreshing change from what I normally read. The two different time periods between the present and the past, are very intriguing and since the author did great work with the exchange between the two, makes this even more intriguing. Thanks for a great review.

[Kavita Shah]

Time is relative and a gateway of time can be something amazing. It sounds lime an intriguing story and I'd love to read it. Thank you for a great review!

[Ibunyi]

Time traveling seems to be a fascinating adventure. I would want to know the answers she found about her mother abandoning her. I hope she had no other option. Nice review.

[Waliyat_24]

Time traveling has always appealed to me because they will be interesting discoveries. I’ll really like to read this book.

[Uwe Neufeld]

Justine finds herself in trouble. By accident she stumbles upon a time-portal that take her 100 years back into the past. Fine review!

[WriteOn]

The author skillfully attributed the language and mannerisms of each period appropriately. Also, the novel portrays the beauty in each period as well as the downside. This is a perfect balancing of both worlds.

It looks like both sides of the time portal are well represented. That's very appealing.
You made some great observations in your review and I am encouraged to read this book. Thank you.

[Kyrian007]

I am not a big fan of historical mystery novels but thank you for your review on Crossing the Dateline by Carrie Hannah. I will recommend it to those that enjoy historical mysteries. Well reviewed.