How to describe this book, that’s the challenge. Reading it is certainly a different experience to that provided by any novel I’ve come across before. At first it confused and frustrated me and later, as I settled into its rhythm, it amused and entertained me but towards the end I started to wonder what it all meant, what it was it that was Boyne trying to say. And though I’m not really sure that I’ve gained a true comprehension of the author’s intentions I do believe this truly epic tale is one that’s going to get lots of people talking.

The story takes the form of a kaleidoscopic series of adventures: small sections of people’s lives that at first seem unconnected until gradually – or maybe suddenly – a connecting thread becomes apparent. A recognisable cast of characters evolves from the pages and despite the fact that the names are different, that time has lurched forward perhaps a generation and the location has moved to another part of the globe, these are the same people. At least that is true for a small central group of characters, and yes this defies logic but at the same time it must be so. The changing of the names really confused me to start with, but look closely and you’ll soon spot a pattern. As the narrative starts to settle we move steadily through time, taking in numerous countries and cultures. In all we’ll see events that transpire from 1 AD up to the present time, and somewhat beyond!

All this unfolds through the eyes of one man, a man who remains nameless throughout. It’s all here: birth, life, death – lots of death – and pretty much anything that can happen in a lifetime. No that’s not quite right, it’s what can happen in many lifetimes but compressed into one man’s experiences of a life spanning more than two centuries. Along the way we bump into real figures from the past, many of whom are easily recognisable, and quite a few famous historical events too. Our lead man walks in the shadow of history but without leaving a documented mark of his own.

By the time I reached half way through this book, and it’s a weighty tome, I had settled in and cast my doubts aside. I learned to go with the flow and hoped to work it all out later. And I’m really glad I persevered with it as I was now I was really looking forward to seeing how it would all be wrapped up but also dreading the book coming to an end – always a good sign.

So did it all eventually make sense? In truth I’m not sure. I think the clue to this book is in its title: we bear witness to some of history’s many vile characters and the terrible deeds they perpetrated, we experience some of the very worst moments our past has to offer. And along the way we also see how cultures through history mistreat whole swathes of people and how prejudice and bigotry gain a foothold and become ingrained. But the final section suggests that lessons may have been learned by the people who supersede the current population of this planet and that the mistakes of the past may have been largely eradicated by this new group, that maybe at last the lessons of history have been learned. Perhaps it’s a call out to people to wake up and smell the coffee, to do what’s right for the greater good. That’s my take on it anyway. It’s certainly an inventive and stirring book but one that might just divide opinion due to the very inventive way it’s constructed.

This was another FAB book from Boyne - Like A Ladder to the Sky and The Heart's Invisible Furies before it, it takes a life and looks at it in detail, really getting under the skin of the character.

What's unique is that it starts in AD 1 and finishes in the year 2080, spanning across 50 countries. It's one story that has happened time and time again - with small, environmental variations.

Despite the hundreds of characters it's easy to follow, and it does feel like just one tale. It's a thought-provoking, epic, global sweep of what it means to be human and shows that we have more in common than we don't.

At first, if you're not expecting the format of the story, it is a little confusing with the time jumps and the characters with similar names to the previous chapters. Trying to work out what is going on took 3 or 4 chapters, so could be off-putting for some if they're not clear on it.

My full review will feature in The Bert's Books Podcast Episode 19 (to be published 24th May 2020)

So much I could say about this - what I loved and what I loved even more. But I need time to digest this novel and to be able to put it into words.

Very unique, very well written and crafted.
This is a literary experiment and a journey you will never forget.

I have to say, I was really intrigued by the ambitious premise of this book and excited to read this after hearing great reviews for 'Hearts Invisible Furies' and 'A Ladder to the Sky'. However, unfortunately for me, this book sort of fell apart in the last few chapters.

While it was confusing at first to follow along with the constant changing of time and place in each chapter, very quickly I got used to it, and actually fell in love with it. Boyne takes an unusual approach to storytelling, and it was fun when a famous figure came up, or when a place I wasn't expecting was the backdrop for the next chapter. I can see a lot of research went into this, but there were some parts where there were little errors; one example I can think of was when the names during a South America chapter in the early 1400s were Spanish, even though the Americas at this time had not been discovered by Europeans yet! However, I'm aware of how things like that are me being a bit nitpicky, as it doesn't take away from the story.

I enjoyed the characters as well, and how Boyne has them easily identifiable no matter what century the reader is in. All were fully fleshed out and I liked the main character a lot, and I felt bad for him after he had to endure so many tragedies. I liked how there was LGBT representation, but it wasn't made a huge deal of, and was naturally incorporated into the story. Same goes for having a disabled character as well.
I also liked the writing style as it was simple and easy to follow, and was very distinctly John Boyne.

However, as I said earlier, this book really does fall apart after the main character goes to prison. The last chapter in particular was just kind of...weird? Maybe that is the way things will be in 2080 but it just felt strange to me, and the 2016 chapter was kind of annoying as well. The older centuries were much more interesting to read, but maybe I felt that way due to being a history major. Either way, I do think the book could have had a much better ending, as it felt rushed and there wasn't really a proper conclusion to the story.

Overall, I did enjoy the majority of this book. I expect it will sell very well, and while it was not entirely for me at some parts, I did appreciate what Boyne was trying to do, and for the most part he succeeded. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy! 3.5/5 from me.

Wow, John Boyne has smashed it out of the park with this one. TOTALLY different to any of his previous novels, and he himself has described it as a bit odd, and will not be what readers are expecting.
An ambitious and bold structure, each chapter takes us through a period of history across the globe starting in AD01 and taking us to the present day and beyond. The main character, though unnamed, is brought to life in a different place in time, his journey is continuous yet his settings change. It seems impossible to think that the story of this one man's life can be told in this way - but it works, it just works.
Best summed up in one of the pages of this book - "I know this much; the things that surround us may change, but our emotions will always remain the same. A man who lost his beloved wife a thousand years ago suffered the same grief that I felt when I lost mine" Boyne demonstrates that our stories, our lives, our traumas, our joy, our experiences are no different from those of generations before - all of us are the same, we just lived them through different times and different places.
To chose this way of telling that simple fact is tremendous. This book was brilliant. I have been transported to Ancient Rome, monasteries in Ireland, the Globe with Shakespeare, the Vatican with Michelangelo, and I felt every step. At times mythical in its telling, but also with real humour - the penultimate chapter is a blast! John Boyne - I loved it!

3.5 stars.This is a book of huge scope covering millennia. It speaks to universal themes of power and its abuse, family, irrepressible passions and creativity. I liked that differing cultures and ages had similar themes. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

‘A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom‘ by John Boyle is a novel that should be nominated and hopefully win a literary prize. It’s structure is like nothing I have seen before. On first encounter the novel appears very confusing as it leaps ahead in time and names change. Very quickly however you realise that the narrator is the same person and somehow you just accept the style. A lot of thought and research has gone into this novel and the rewards on reading it are immense.

Wow! What an extraordinary book. I loved it. I admit to being a fan of John Boyne books, but after reading this one he has been elevated to one of my favourite authors. Such an amazing read, beautifully and intelligently written. I love the way the story flows from one chapter to the next even though they are in different times and places, it still reads as one story. The way one story is woven seamlessly through historical events is extraordinary. It is an epic, timeless and insightful tale of survival, love, family and betrayal. Definitely 5 stars.

This is an epic, inventive, globe trotting, millennia spanning novel which, once you’re in step with the conceit of the temporal and geographic shifts, is fully absorbing. Having not even looked at the description- I was sold by the author- I admit to a confused double take in chapter two! All quickly became clearer, if not actually clear! The continually developing yet shifting narrative is thrillingly well told, with a believable sense of character development despite the obvious shifts.

In retrospect, I would have been interested in a few more perspectives that didn’t fit so neatly - the slave chapter is refreshing for its different approach, and the continual shifts do occasionally result in breadth over depth.
There can at times be an element of “next famous cameo”, Nonetheless, the sheer stylish brio and pace of change means that this is a minor issue.

Ultimately ‘A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom’ may lack the emotional heft of ‘a ladder to the sky’ or “the heart’s invisible furies’ but i’d thoroughly recommend it.

John Boyne’s Traveller, an unnamed narrator, starts in 1 A.D. and presents himself through time right up to the present day and beyond. If this sounds confusing, it takes a little getting used to, but once the rolling pattern of mutation is has been grasped, the reader can settle back, content in the hands of this master storyteller and look forward to where and when he will be taken next.
Set in countless countries, covering as many eras, the traveller with his artistic talents rubs shoulders with famous and some not so famous leaders of the past and present.
Just being here for the ride is pleasure enough, but I think John Boyne is reminding us that in the course of 2000 years nothing much has really changed in terms of leadership and leaders. And yes, the penultimate chapter is a timely reminder of what we all felt then, and the last chapter pure self-indulgence – but sure why not.
I loved this read and am grateful to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Netgalley for the kind invitation.

This is an imaginative tour de force from John Boyne, spanning place and time in the history of man’s inhumanity to man and abuse of power through the ages. In scope and theme it is very reminiscent of another such epic novel - ‘Cloud Atlas’ by David Mitchell and may well match that novel’s cult classic status.

This is an incredibly ambitious work;it challenges the reader to move with our hero through time, space and life as we witness the very best and worst of humanity.
Boyne's research must have taken years and the detail of everyday life is breathtakingly evocative.
At time the novel shocks in its clarity, but takes your breath away at times too with its simple message of the universal nature of life and stories.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this and it did take me a few chapters to get into how the story was going. Such an unusual unique way to tell a story. The characters & descriptions of the time and place they lived was so vivid. Every time I stepped away after finishing a chapter I was thinking about how the next part of the story would go. John Boyne has such a fantastic way of telling a story.

The Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom is a book like nothing I’ve ever read before. It follows the story of a family with each chapter written as though they lived in a different location and time period from AD1 through to 2016 with the epilogue based in 2080. The story itself is engaging but the unusual method of telling it that John Boyne uses makes it brilliant! I am amazed at the research that went into telling this story and savoured every chapter. I highly recommend this book.

John Boyne is the consummate storyteller. In ‘A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom’ he takes the reader from the birth of the narrator, son of Marinus, on the night of the Slaughter of the Innocents in Herod’s Palestine in AD1 to the USA in 2016 on the eve of the election of Donald Trump as president. Every chapter moves the narrator on in time and place and Boyne takes us to 51 countries over two millennia.
This sounds complicated and in some respects it is. However, throughout the novel, the storyline is constant and, whilst the characters’ names may change to suit their setting, they begin with the same letter so it’s easy for the reader to keep track. For example, the father Marinus becomes Marek in Turkey, Marius in Romania etc.
In every chapter we are introduced to new customs, religions, cultures and governments, as well as a few eminent historical figures. None of the cultural references feels forced or excessive; that they do not is testament to Boyne’s talent.
At its heart, this is a novel which celebrates both the power of storytelling and the universality of human emotions, whether in medieval Sweden or on the battlefields of the Somme. This is emphasised in Portugal AD 1267 when the narrator reasons that, ‘Love does not change, anger never varies. Hope, desperation, fear, longing, desire, lust, anxiety, confusion and joy; you and I endure these emotions just as men and women always have or ever will. We are a small people in an ever-changing universe. The world around us might be in a state of constant flux, but the universe within?’ In the Epilogue 2080, the narrator, now a man in late middle-age, pronounces:
‘I am all of these things and more.
I belong to the past, the present and the future.’
This is a superbly constructed, fitting novel for our turbulent times and a reminder of the importance of stories in helping us make sense of the world.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

John Boyne is so fantastically versatile in his writing. There is no topic that he cannot mould and shape and arrange to suit his style and skill set. The storyline here was so different from anything I’ve read before. From 30% in or so I finally got to grips with how it was written but initially the huge jumps in dates and distance between suggested locations confused me. The names changed from chapter to chapter, which was a very interesting concept, the change in places, in continents even, and huge jump in years, at first only served to add confusion but gradually gave way to my recognition of the mammoth task Boyne had undertaken and delivered with such fine accomplishment. Me did research enough to write 30 or 40 novels such was the variation in locations and settings of the different phases of this novel. The story too was good and I began to long to see what changes would come with the next era. I really loved when I recognised other characters from his previous novels. I thought they were expertly included in the narrative. And I loved 2016 and the epilogue so much. They represented how life is and how life could so easily be. I can’t imagine how much time and effort, drafting and redrafting went into this accomplishment but I applaud the author’s efforts. The is a novel the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Well done John Boyne, again!!!!

This book tells the story of a man over a course of 2000 years. It brings you on a journey, each chapter taking place in a different location, a different year and with new tales to be told by the characters. We meet some of the most famous people in history along the way which I thought was a beautiful addition to the story.
At first, I found it quite confusing and couldn’t really follow it but once I hit about 20% through, I was hooked!
This is an absolute masterpiece by John Boyne. It is so well written!
This is like nothing I have ever read before. It is without a doubt one of the most unique stories I have ever come across!
I think Boyne has seriously set his standards sky high with this book because I just thought it was incredible!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my word!! I am literally speechless... John Boyne is an epic writer.... his other books are phenomenal but this has literally blown me away... a story of so many parts going through so much time!! A book that requires concentration and to be read in bigger chunks but it’s worth every single second! A standing ovation for this man.....

"Some stories are universal. They play out across human history. And time is the river which will flow through them."

The story of a man's life playing out over the course of 2000 years, each chapter in a different place and time. An unusual but captivating concept that only Boyne could write so well.
I've never read anything like this before, it's so unique!
A story of family and love, death and betrayal. Revenge! Taking us through pivotal moments in history along the way.
I didnt think Boyne would ever top The Hearts Invisible Furies but this masterpiece is sure to give it a run for its money! Simply breathtaking.