My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time by Liz Jensen

I read about this book on the Spread the Word Web site, which is the site that offers the list of “hidden gems” that I wrote about in early December. It’s an odd little book, and I kind of liked it, but not so much. It’s about time travel, and takes place in both late 19^th century Copenhagen and 21^st century London, as Charlotte, the showgirl turned prostitute turned housemaid protagonist, bounces back and forth between the two places in the time machine she discovers in her employer’s basement. It's silly, bawdy, and all just a little too slapstick for me. It had some of the insouciance of Nights at the Circus, by Angela Carter, only not as sophisticated. You could try it, if you like Carter’s books but don’t want to work that hard.

(Book 56, 2007)