Time On My Hands

Clever until the end

Though I can't say I liked the main character in this novel, it was still a fun read. The portrayal of a young Ronald Regan was sympathetic and fair. The contradictions that time travel would produce were presented and discussed intelligently. The love affair at the center of the novel is sweet and honest. The only negative critique is that the ending was less than adequate. I won't ruin it for a reader. But of all the possible ways this novel could have ended, the author appears to have selected the lamest, most unsatifying possible conclusion. It's a good read right up until the end!

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Best Time Travel Mystery yet

Upon the 3rd reading (it is that good) I still marvel at DeLacorte's mastery of multiple eras, content, and characters. 1930's Hollywood, modern Paris, current L.A. - it doesn't matter. The pictures throughout provide a dash of verisimilitude that less imaginative authors cannot conjure. The Ronald Reagan plot, the Howard Hawks plot, 1931 Chicago Cubs,the romance, the comedy - why isn't this a movie yet? This mix of historical accuracy and temporal fantasy is simultaneously funny and facinating.<BR/><BR/>This is "Best Adapted Screenplay" material...

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Great Book

Not interested in reading that much, but recently very interested in reading books on different views on time travel and the possible existence of paradox, or lack thereof, this turned out to be a great book! It took a character we all have at least heard of, Reagan, and gave the reader something clearly in common with the time traveler..knowing how things were in the beginning, and how they are different from how things turn out in the end. Although I wanted a happy ending for the character, the ending provided was perfect for the story and subject and in my opinion was a satisfying, if not humorous and surprising ending for the reader. This is a must read!

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A Lost Time Evocatively Recreated

Peter Delacorte's Time on My Hands is a very successful time travel story in the tradition of Jack Finney and Richard Matheson. Unlike them, however, Peter chooses to add a controversial element -- the presidency of Ronald Reagan and what things might be like if his political career were stopped before it began. This is dangerous stuff for a time travel novel -- Reagan's supporters are legion, and they remember the old man with great affection. I was more than doubtful when I purchased the book for this very reason. While not a Reaganite myself, I respect Reagan as a past president who accomplished things. Still, even though Delacorte's take on the Reagan presidency is not as kind as mine, he treats Dutch in such a way that you begin to like him as a character - flawed, it is true, but human and admirable. This novel's great strength is its recreation of 1930s Hollywood. Here Delacorte shines like no other time travel novelist. He describes my native Los Angeles as no Angeleno ever has - and Peter's from our sister city to the north, San Francisco, whose denizens have not always been kind to the City of Angels. Peter Delacorte recreates Malibu of the '30s, Warner Bros. (for whom I worked for 25 years, and so know quite well), the times, the people, the water they swim in, the political and social climate of a city that lays in wait for the archaeologist's spade and brush. In short, this is a great read on a number of levels. I can't recommend it more.

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Fascinating and Compelling

I very much enjoyed this book. It is a quick read, or maybe that was because I had a difficult time putting it down, and it is very fun. Even if you're not familiar with Hollywood in the 1930s, you will enjoy 'visiting' this fascinating time. There's some romance, suspense, and a few head-spinning trips back and forth through time (reminiscent of 'Back to the Future'). This book is a good choice if you want a fun, but not too deep story. The ending, however, left me wanting just a little more.

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