Review: The Fullness of Time by Cathy Haynes

Thank you NetGalley and Riverhead Books for the review copy of “The Fullness of Time” by Cathy Haynes

This was an interesting and entertaining read about tracking time. Time, or at least the idea of it, dictates so much of our lives, and I often wondered how people measured time before clocks were widely available. I knew about sundials, of course. Probably every schoolkid has made a rudimentary paper plate sundial for at least one science class. And I understood that the passage of time could be gauged by the stars.

Haynes takes readers on a walk through time, beginning with the observance of plant behavior at different times of day and night. She and her partner visit cathedrals with sundials etched into walls and explore Iceland learning about daymarkers, and finally look to the stars. My favorite part was definitely the chapter about plants (and I took notes!), but I found this an engaging book overall, and recommend it to anyone else who wonders how time works and why.