Scientist Marion Creighton is urgently called from her home in the USA to Canterbury, England, with the news that her father has fallen into a coma.
When she arrives, she finds he has been researching the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden. Apparently, he believes seeds from the original tree made it to England, where they were planted and grew and “tainted” a long-forgotten well which provides water with miraculous healing powers.
Clues suggest her father has somehow travelled back in time to find the source of this healing water, in order to heal Marian’s sister from the genetic disease which killed her father. Marian has a couple of strange experiences which leave her wondering if her father was right …
She finds and drinks some of the healing water, and finds herself in 1381, with one week to locate the source of the water so her father’s friend, Harrison Dunham, can give future-Marian the life-giving water and bring her back to the present.
Yes, that’s getting a little convoluted.
While I was fascinated by the concept of time travel in the novel, I wasn’t entirely convinced by the practicalities. Specifically, that Marian is physically alive in both timelines, and time moving forward at the same pace. This could be because I see time as linear something physicists are apparently debating). Also, she believed her father was missing in time and that she could “wish” herself to a specific point in time. Why didn’t she try and find her missing father?
Anyway, if you’re prepared to accept the premise, then the practicalities might not matter.
But this was a sticking point for me. Another sticking point was that Marian travelled back to 1381, yet had no communication problems with the locals. Considering the differences between modern British and American English (or even modern London and modern Yorkshire English), I found this a little hard to believe. Finally, I wasn’t impressed by the instalust. Yes, I like the hero and heroine in a romance to be attracted to each other, but that attraction has to be based on something.
However, I was impressed by the underlying research and the way the author seamlessly included real-life events like the 1381 Peasant’s Revolt and even an earthquake into the plot. And while I don’t believe the claims about the Tree of Life, I do believe the accounts of miraculous healings.
Overall, Come Back to Me was an intriguing story, and one that promises to be continued in a sequel. Recommended for fans of time travel fiction.
Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Jody Hedlund
Jody Hedlund is the bestselling author of more than thirty historical novels for both adults and teens, including Come Back to Me, and is the winner of numerous awards, including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Awards. Jody lives in Michigan with her husband, busy family, and five spoiled cats. She loves to imagine that she really can visit the past, although she’s yet to accomplish the feat, except via the many books she reads.
Find Jody Hedlund online at:
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About Come Back to Me
That’s exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father’s quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister Ellen from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He’s left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he’s crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising.
William Durham, a valiant knight comes to Marian’s rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to?
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