Review – A Stitch In Time by Amanda James

This is such a clever book, a really easy read which I enjoyed immensely. Amanda James has such an imagination…

I really don’t want to tell the whole story and spoil it for others but the Amazon blurb will tell you that Sarah is a history teacher – getting over the break up of her marriage in the worst possible circumstances – who is presented with the proposition of time travel by evening visitor with a clipboard, John Needler. Her reaction is wonderful and very real – she’s wholly convinced she’s hallucinating. The whole set up – the mysterious controllers (the spindly ones), the Time Needles and the Stitches in Time saving nine – is so well thought through, and Sarah begins her mission to change history. She travels back to the blitz in Sheffield, to the time of the suffragettes and to the locust-infested US west – and the ways in which she tries to complete her missions are so cleverly and entertainingly told. And Sarah’s present day story continues throughout, a more conventional story of misunderstandings, trust and love which proceeds and finishes quite perfectly.

The slices of historical life during Sarah’s time travels are beautifully done, a brilliant reinterpretation of life-changing events, wonderfully entertaining and constantly tongue-in-cheek seen through Sarah’s modern eyes. She’s an excellent character, feisty, sharp. I particularly loved the reinterpretation of some common sayings from the perspective of the Stitches and Needles.

Overall, great fun and an excellent escapist read that leaves you with a smile on your face. Well done Mandy, and well done again to Choc Lit… another winner!