I picked up Timepiece for its first and last pages–for the passage above and the last passage. I also picked it up for its cover, its elegant interior, and because of my insatiable fascination with clocks and time. I love books that address the menace of time–and even better if they have foreboding clocks. Timepiece is a prequel to The Christmas Box, which I’d heard about but never read and wasn’t terribly interested in reading. But hey, prequels can stand alone, and this book looked interesting in its own right.The first half of this book was fantastic. Clever, crackling, appropriately archaic dialogue between romantic but amusing characters. MaryAnne’s lofty snark and self-respect endeared me to her, and David’s awkward, well-meaning attempts to get to know her were enjoyable. I’m not usually one for feel-good (or in this case, feel-good-then-break-your-heart) love stories, but David and MaryAnne were realistic and their dialogue always hooked me. Thus was the first half of the book.The second half of this book is where things started to go awry. The dialogue fell out–and for good reason, in some cases. Tragedy struck. But instead of the characters handling it realistically, instead of them coping together, instead of me seeing them struggle and cry, and instead the menace of time being highlighted in moments of grave clarity, the book descended into melodrama. I felt like half-way through, someone told the author he had to pull on the heart strings, and I feel like maybe the characters weren’t ready for that yet. The lively personalities of David and MaryAnne fell flat in the end, making the tragedy less than heartwrenching. By the end, I felt like someone was trying to manipulate me into crying, even though I had lost interest as soon as the characters fell out. Disappointing.What makes it especially sad is that Richard Paul Evans is one hell of a writer. He can turn a phrase with fantastic and powerful precision–that stark attention to detail and succinct gravity is what initially interested me in this book. But even that seemed to fade near the end. In summary, Timepiece had a great setup, but the delivery fell flat. I do want to read more Richard Paul Evans. But this book just frustrated me in the end.However, as always, what can be learned as a writer from this experience?1. Being precise, succinct, and powerful with your words is a great way to hook readers. When I read that first passage, I was immediately excited. What a brief but intriguing bit of writing. What a fantastic setup for conflict! I can forgive many things if the writing gives me chills of delight.2. No matter how cliche the situation, if your characters are well-developed, the story is still interesting. So, I’ve heard the love story of David and MaryAnne a dozen times over in other books–but that never bothered me, because David and MaryAnne were so distinct as characters. For that first half, their banter was fresh, their actions authentic and enjoyable. Characters make everything!3. Whatever you do, don’t force the story into places where characters fall flat! If your characters aren’t having any of the drama, recalibrate your course. The worst possible thing that can happen to ruin a book (in my opinion) is to have your characters fall out! Without that, plots quickly become dry, cliche, forced, and often melodramatic. Wherever the story goes, make sure the characters go with it, and don’t draw out tears at the expense of those characters.
Timepiece by Richard Paul EvansYear: 1996236 pagesIntended Audience: adults/young adultsMain issue: The death of David and MaryAnne Parkin's daughter, Andrea.Setting: The story takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the early 1900s. The story could probably take place in a different place, but the time definitely affects the story in many ways.Description of Main Characters: David Parkin is a wealthy bachelor and MaryAnne is a beautiful young woman who comes to work as David's secretary. They fall in love, get married, and have a daughter named Andrea.Story Summary: As stated in the above paragraph, MaryAnne comes to David's office looking for a job, not only does she find that, but she also finds herself a husband. However, instead of having a child of their own, MaryAnne is already pregnant with another man's child. This does stop David from wanting to marry her, and he does. Three months after the beautiful wedding of David and MaryAnne, MaryAnne's daughter is born, and David takes her in as his own. Andrea is a beautiful little girl and is the pride and joy of David and MaryAnne. When Andrea is three, she falls ill with scarlet fever. For weeks, MaryAnne stays by her bedside, unwilling to leave, until one morning, when Andrea wakes up miraculously cured. All is well in the Parkin household. Then one day, when David goes to visit his friend Lawrence, he hears a gun shot and finds Lawrence, a Negro, with a dead man on his floor. David takes the blame of the murder without hesitation, and is found not guilty by means of self defense. Everyone is happy, except for the friends of the dead man. One of these friends is Cal Barker, and he and his friends set fire to the Parkin mansion. The fire turns fatal when three year old Andrea doesn't recover from her burns. After Andrea died, MaryAnne and David were both stricken with grief. MaryAnne showed her pain on the outside, while David dealt with his by keeping his emotions buried. Several years later, while David is away on a business trip, a young girl comes to the Parkin door, looking for food. MaryAnne invites her and gives her some food and flour to take back to her mother. She asks the girl her name, and she turns out to be the daughter of Cal Barker. This is hard for MaryAnne to accept, but she tells the girl that she will always be welcome and loved there. I really liked the style of writing in this book, and I liked the emotion and the old fashioned courting and romance."She looked back up into his eyes. "You offer me yourself?"" - page 83 "Oh, David, you have such an imagination," She drawled, turning to MaryAnne." - page 90Theme: Kindness is always the best choice, no matter what the situation is, good will always overcome evil.I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to read a good, old-fashioned love story, and who likes books that will to take them to a different place, and who isn't afraid to get a little teary-eyed.This book is different from most other books, because it is a story told within a story. It's the second book in the Christmas Box trilogy, and the main character from the first book tells the story of David and MaryAnne.I rated this book five out of five stars. It's a really good read.
What do You think about Timepiece (1996)?
This book follows up what was written in The Christmas Box. It's a "get out the kleenex box" kind of book. Here's the synopsis: "The Christmas Box" introduced us, briefly to MaryAnne Parkin, by then an elderly widow with a mysterious past, but "Timepiece" fills in the gaps and brings you in, through the vehicle of her husband David's diary, to a warm and wonderful story of true love and loss. Here you learn about Andrea, the little girl MaryAnne mourned beneath the famous angel statue. But most importantly, you get to know David and MaryAnne-their faults; their pain; their loyalty to each other, their daughter and their friends; and the strength of their love. Reading of the lives of David and MaryAnne Parkin is almost like hearing your grandparent's love story after they're gone.
—Rebecca
I love a quick Richard Paul Evans read over the holidays! When I saw that this book was a sequel to "The Christmas Box," I thought it would be perfect for me. While I was disappointed that the book didn't have anything to do with Christmas, but rather the upcoming wedding of story-teller's daughter, it was still very entertaining. Although the quote on the back cover from Marianne "give this to your daughter the night before she's married for the gift" is still a little puzzling. Still, I can hardly argue the basic message, that children are a gift to us. After I finished reading, I still wanted to know more about David and Marianne. She obviously outlived him, but by how many years? Maybe in the third book....
—Mickey
I enjoyed this book enough to give it a 3 out of 5. That doesn't mean the book was bad, it wasn't but it was very predictable and some of the things were too mushy, example would be a number of the conversations between MaryAnne and David and their love for each other.But I loved the storyline and what it had to offer. The story is about a couple that falls inlove. The book goes hand and hand with The Christmas Box but you do not have to read one before the other to get the gist of the story. Timepiece is about forgiving and about peace in things that may have been prevented but happened for a reason.Overall I would recommend the book to others who like good heartwarming stories that have a nice peaceful ending. It is a very quick read and like I said, you do not need to read The Christmas Box to get this book.
—Pauline
