There is nothing like a great piece of historical fiction to transport you through time and place and Lisa Grunwald’s Time after Time accomplishes that and more. The love story between Nora and Joe takes place largely inside of Grand Central Station in New York City in the 1930s and 40s. I am generally not a fan of ghosts (in novels and in my life!) but Nora felt so charming and three dimensional that I was not bothered by the fact that she was actually dead. The life that they created within their 700 feet was rich and fascinating, set in a time period that was equally compelling.

I found the characters and their relationships to be richly layered. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Joe and his brother Finn and their “No-Matter-What” pact that allowed them to share the most intimate details of their lives. My heart broke with Joe’s when Nora disappeared and soared with Joe’s when Nora reappeared. The ending surprised me and I was happy to read about what needed to happen, rather than what I wished would happen.

The writing was beautiful, and I found myself highlighting phrases throughout each chapter. I am in awe of the amount of research that was done about Grand Central Station, as well as the events, fashion, and entertainment happening during that time period. I cannot wait to take a train to NYC and walk around the terminal, noting all of the places that were mentioned in the book.

One question remains for me: how is it that no one else in the terminal noticed that Nora did not age one day throughout all of those years? It seems like it would have been obvious, and I wish that was addressed in the story.

I especially appreciated the author’s interview at the end of the book. Lisa Grunwald’s insight into the relationship between her life and her story was the icing on the cake, allowing me to appreciate the message even more fully.

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway

3.5 Stars

When Joe first sees Nora standing in Grand Central Station, she has no suitcase, or coat even though it was early in the December morning of 1937, barely dawn. She seemed completely out of place, and her clothing seemed from another time. He approaches her, offering assistance, information, whatever help she needs. He’s intrigued. When she tells him where she’s trying to go, Turtle Bay Gardens, he recognizes the neighborhood, as it’s only a few blocks away from the YMCA where he lives, as a significantly more posh area than his own humble dwellings. He offers to escort her home, and along the walk there, she vanishes.

Joe is a leverman at this renowned terminal, and so when a year passes, and the solar event that occurs two mornings every year –where the rising sun lined up exactly with the east-west street grid of Manhattan – he is there to see her return. He’s more intrigued at first than smitten, but it isn’t long before he falls for Nora.

Solving the dilemma of how to continue life this way is a matter of trying to avoid what has failed, and sticking to what they believe will keep Nora in the here and now (or then, as the case is), and with the Biltmore Hotel attached to the terminal, Nora can remain safely there, but there are family duties for Joe that pull him away periodically, and events that, ultimately, affect both of them.

Since this is a book around a time-travel story, I wasn’t expecting everything to line up perfectly, but there were several things in this story that stood out to me and bothered me. Things that, for me, were somewhat blatant in not fitting in the era, and other things that were completely implausible, and not in a time-travel related way. For that reason this fell a bit short of ‘love’ for me, but I did enjoy this, overall. I just didn’t love it.

The Winter Solstice event, Manhattanhenge, that used to occur in the morning hours and bathe Grand Central Station in its light on these fluctuating two mornings a year (weather permitting), is no longer visible in Grand Central Station. Progress - another building was built which blocks the sun’s rays from hitting the window from the east as it did before. And more’s the pity. The Summer Solstice event, Manhattanhenge, is still a significant draw for those looking for a more urban version of Stonehenge, and occurs as the sun sets over to the west. Of course other cities in other states and countries have similar times when the sun’s rays create magic, you just have to look for them.


Pub Date: 11 Jun 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group / Random House

As with many other time travel romances, the central conflict is that the traveler doesn’t age the way the non-traveler does. Despite the repetition of that plot element, this is still a good story. Joe and Nora are engaging and believable characters, and it’s fascinating to see how cleverly they deal with the challenges of Nora apparently being confined to Grand Central Terminal. Most of the action takes place in the 1930s and 1940s, a particularly vivid time in Grand Central history.

For aficionados of time travel books, I should mention that this is not at all a science-bound time travel book. There are discoveries of a sort about what happened to cause Nora’s situation and what rules she is bound by, but you really don’t want to think too hard about them.

I’m not going to say that this is a great work of literary fiction, but this book did remind me in a way of Amor Towles’s A Gentleman in Moscow. In both books, a character is forced to live for decades confined to one building. In both cases, it’s a large and many-faceted building, with workaday functions, hidden places and wonders, and its own regular cast of characters. The main character(s) make the building an entire world in itself, and the authors convey that in a way that makes the reader visualize a life in such a world.

The story of Nora and Joe is a good one, but it’s the exploration of the world of Grand Central that takes this story into a magical realm.

Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end of the book to learn about Grunwald’s two main inspirations for the book.

Liza Grunwald's Time After Time is an impossible story of love between a flapper and a trainman, unfolding over several decades inside Grand Central Station, fueled by the magic of Manhattenhenge. It's a story of love and longing, responsibility and freedom, destiny and choice.

An intriguing and fantastical story of love and fate that sweeps you into the 1920's taking the reader on a time ride through the magical history of New York City's Grand Central Station and seduces you into a by gone era. Just loved this book! It was fresh and quirky and I was bewitched... I wanted to believe that anything is possible.

Joe is a linesman at the Grand Central Terminal in bustling New York City in 1937 when a young woman appears suddenly shaken and confused and that was all it took. They begin a once-in-a-lifetime, tragic love affair that will endure time but is also ruled by it. Nora is not alive nor did she die from a tragic explosion that rocked Grand Central years before. She is caught in time - destined to appear on that fateful day years later and then disappear just as quickly. Joe can't let her go but he also can't figure out how to make her stay and for them to have a normal life. They do figure out a way for Nora to stay longer as long as she doesn't venture outside the train station perimeter. Her art flourishes thanks to the art classes above the terminal and they live at the hotel nearby thanks to kind friends. Their future has no future but for Joe, there isn't a future without Nora. Sweet romance, interesting fantasy angle, and characters to fall in love with making this a first-rate historical romance with a twist. Perfect for fans of THE STRANGE CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTONS and mildly spooky gothic ghost stories. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Time After Time is a beautiful and sweet love story. It breaks your heart and makes you believe in the power of love. I love learning more about the secrets in my city and Grand Central Terminal, one of the most beautiful spots in NYC, has such an interesting history full of ghost stories. It was nice to add this one to the mix. I am a fan of historical fiction and I truly felt transported back to the Depression and WWII time. I loved Joe and Nora’s story. Both characters were equally compelling and their story transcends time and space. A must read for historical fiction and romance readers. You wont be disappointed!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for this lovely book in exchange for an honest review:

It is rare that I pick-up a book and have to keep reading. I usually pick up a book, read the first paragraph or two and usually know if something is for me or not. I will, usually, return to said book and give it a chapter or two, just be fair. Not with this gem. It had me at two sentences.

Other reviews gave wonder synopsis' of the story already so I'll just share my opinion: The story of Nora and Joe is...charming, funny, sweet, heart-wrenching (literally, there was a certain scene I could feel my heart tighten for Joe) and I guess if I had to chose one word, beautiful. I loved their playful banter and wit, the way they fought and loved. I loved the little tales of the Grand Central Terminal and Crazy Mabel. I loved everything about 'Time after Time', except three, albeit, little things.

Now, please take note, these three things are in regards to this uncorrected galley:
1. "he loved the thought that she M-shaped entity..." I have no idea idea what this is. I went back to look at previous chapters, certain I missed something as I was devouring this delicious book, but still came up empty.
2. "He had never been to an ocean..." is this possible for someone from Queens, NY? He can go to World's Fair but he can't take an extra 45 minutes and go to Rockaway? Or Riis Beach?
3. "The fact that some relative of his once worked here as a trainman..." who is this person? Is this Joe's grandson? Great-grandson? Is this Mike's son - grandson - great-grandson? By using "some relative", as the reader, I have no idea who this is, expect they are part of the Joe's family. In the book, Finn, Joe, and Mike were said to all look a like. If instead of "some relative," the author might have used "grandfather" or "great-grandfather" something more specific, if only for the selfish reason, that I (the reader) would at least get my happy ending knowing that Joe got his; because I could believe that this person is part of him. As it is now, I'm left in a gray world because I have no idea who this person is and their relation to Joe.

Saying all that, I loved this book and know that when it comes out in June 2019, I will be picking up a copy for my library. It is definitely re-read material.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Here is that review:

On a cold December morning in 1937, Joe encounters a young woman he has never seen before. And Joe has seen EVERYBODY that goes through Grand Central Station. This woman is dressed in a tattered out-of-date flapper dress and beautiful pearl earrings - and she speaks as if it were still the Roaring Twenties! After spending some time with her, Joe offers to accompany her home, but along the way she simply vanishes. A few years later, he once again runs into her - and once again she disappears. The book follows the many appearances - and a few disappearances - of Nora Lansing in Joe Reynolds' life.

This is one of those love stories you just really WANT to work out, but realize it simply can't. Suspending belief is so much fun when the book is this good - and this one really is. The penultimate chapter is dated 1947 and the last one is simply "Many Years Later", so the book covers at least 25-30 years.

Read it - you will like it!

Thank you net galley for the advance read copy of this novel. I enjoyed this time travel novel that has lots of historic tidbits along the way. This was a fairly quick read and would recommend.

This book has easily become one of my Top Ten of 2019. What first drew me to this book was the beautiful cover in which a woman’s upper body is disappearing while her dress is billowing in the wind. I truly enjoyed this love story that spanned over a decade and involved time travel. The writing was beautiful, but my favorite parts were the descriptions of the sights. The story takes place in New York at the Grand Central Station spanning from the 1920s to 1950s. I have personally never been there, but felt that I was thanks to the beautiful descriptions. I learned about Manhattanhenge, about the Whispering Gallery, and so much more. I really appreciate that the author included the story about where she got her inspiration from because I’ve heard of stories of people seeing and talking to ghosts without realizing that the other person is a ghost. This topic fascinates me and the author did a great job in incorporating it into her story.
I want to thank NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Random House, and the author for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story. I found the characters likeable and engaging. The author captivated the grander if Grand Central Station and the time period presentated. I found the theory of Manhattanhedgr so interesting I looked up the phenomenon on the computer. The whole concept of this story was total fantasy which did not deflect my engagement while reading it. Thank you Netgalley for the eARC book in exchange for an honest review.

i appreciated the historical side of this romance. Sometimes exposition was too wordy, breaking up the tension of the story, but phrasing was elegant and lovely.

What a sweet, fascinating and magical read. Although I have never been to Grand Central, the author described it so beautifully, I felt like I lived in there the entire time I was reading. The love story between Joe and Nora was simply magic and woven through the story and it’s location so well. I had never heard of Manhattanhenge prior to reading this novel, which was very interesting. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC.

Set in New York City at the end of the Great Depression and through World War II, Time After Time lovingly brings the time period, the people, and Grand Central Station to life. When Joe, a leverman at the historic terminal, first meets Nora, he has no idea how much the encounter will alter his life. Their repeated meetings - and separations - become the basis for a most unusual and magical love affair that is heartwarming and real. They build a life at the terminal and the majestic Biltmore Hotel, but Nora cannot share all of Joe's life. He has a father and a brother out in Queens, and when the brother joins the war following Pearl Harbor, it is up to Joe to watch over his brother's family. Joe is a staunch, kind, hardworking man inexplicably drawn to a woman who is charming and beautiful and gregarious. The concept is based on the annual sunset or sunrise, known as Manhattanhenge or the Manhattan solstice, when the sun aligns perfectly with the east–west streets of the main street grid of Manhattan, It was an interesting premise handled skillfully and with care by Grunwald. With a a release date of June 2019, this will be a perfect summer read for historical fiction and/or historical romance fans.

Magical, Enchanting an epic time travel book set in a place that most New Yorkers don't give a second thought. This story is really a sweet beautiful love story set between two people from different times that must fight for who and what they love. I cant remember the last time I felt so emotional even after finishing a book. If you can only read one book this Spring Time after Time must be your choice.

Easy read, perfect for my trip. The main characters’ love story spans decades and takes you on a trip to to a time we have forgottten in NYC. As a native and one that felt a familiarity with more than one.m character it had me wishing “what if?” I’ll look for more from this author. Thank you NetGalley for the preview.

What a perfectly written book in which the main characters will linger long after the reading. It is much more than a love story or time travel or the exquisite descriptions of the eras and of course GCT. And the ending is just wonderful.

Who doesn't love a love story that involves time travel? This book is made for fans of Outlander, The Time Traveler's Wife, The Lake House, and various Hallmark movies. I adored Lisa Grunwald's endeavor into the genre with Time After Time. Nora and Joe are #goals, and their relationship is set against the marvelous backdrop of Grand Central Terminal through the Roaring Twenties to Great Depression to WWII, which is a fascinating juxtaposition. It's an emotionally evocative tale, which I would highly recommend.

PRAISE
“I’ll never again set foot in Grand Central Terminal without looking over my shoulder for Nora and Joe, or marveling at the station itself—a backdrop as intriguing as the love story that unfolds beneath its star-studded ceiling.”—Georgia Hunter, New York Times bestselling author of We Were The Lucky Ones

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Random House for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Time After Time is a sweet love story that stuck with me long after completing the book. I never realized a tale about a ghost could be so romantic. I’m a fan of historical fiction but have never read anything about the New York Grand Central Terminal station prior to this book. I found it to be so original and refreshing. After reading this, I had to look up all the ghost stories involving the train station and there are actually quite a bit! It was fascinating to read about. However, the story itself it not really about ghosts. It’s a love story through and through; one that transcends the rules of time. Breathtaking.