Book Review: Ripples Through Time by Lincoln Cole

Listening Length: 9 hours and 4 minutes

Calvin is alone for the first time in over sixty years, and he is discovering that it's more difficult than he ever would have guessed. A long time family friend, Edward White, comes to visit and check up on him. Edward is worried because he knows what Calvin is planning, and he just hopes he isn't too late to help. Help, though, isn't always the easiest thing to offer, and it can be even more difficult to accept. Told from multiple perspectives, this is a story of love, loss and forgiveness.

I was offered a copy of this book in audio format at no cost in exchange for an honest review.

Calvin’s wife passed away one week ago, and now, at 82 years old, Calvin does not want to continue with his life. He receives the visit of Edward, his son in law’s brother, who will try to convince him that there are enough reasons to go on. This is the story of four generations in a family, a story about human beings, but especially a story about human relationships. It is a story of despair, hope, regret, and love.

The structure of this book is composed by the main storyline where Edward is visiting Calvin, interrupted by several flashbacks which will tell us the story of Calvin’s family. The family in this book, like any real family, is far from perfect, with their ups and downs, and this is what makes it real. What I loved from this book is how real the characters and their relationships feel. After a while it is like listening to a story about your own family, and that makes you care about them. Lincoln Cole has created characters that are alive, with believable actions and dialogs. Creating a story with so many characters is not easy, but making them alive and make a moving story is something on a different level, and Cole has created a masterpiece.

There was something that felt a bit strange but it could have been intended. The main story is narrated in first person, while the flashbacks are narrated in third person. The thing I found strange is that the beginning of the book is narrated from the point of view of Calvin, while the end is narrated from the point of view of Edward. I am not sure when this change took place, but if just felt a bit weird, although it could have been justified due to how the events took place.

Don Foote did a wonderful job narrating this story, and he did not only become Calvin, but also all the other characters in this book, and he has a wide range of voices to make you forget that you are listening to just one person. I am looking forward to listening to more books narrated by him.

I absolutely loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone who would like to listen to a good story written in a beautiful manner. This is one of those books that will stay with you for a very long time.

Available at Amazon/Audible

lomeraniel

My name is Elena. Since I was a little child I loved science fiction and fantasy, and I can’t resist a good novel. In 2015, while wait I started to listen to audiobooks and I discovered the pleasure in being able to read while doing my daily tasks, so there’s always an audiobook playing on my phone. If you see me with my Bluetooth headphones on, please be gentle, I get easily startled.

I live with my boyfriend, which I met during my six-year stay in Belgium, four cockatiels, eight lovebirds, and a hamster in Madrid, Spain; and I like to spend my free time knitting and sewing while listening to audiobooks.