Anywhen Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given a free advance reader copy of this book by Book Publicity Services in exchange for an honest review.

There’s no denying that the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in 1969 was one of the most celebrated music festivals in history. It brought tons of people together to listen to the most popular acts at the time like Joan Baez, Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Jimi Hendrix. Books and documentaries have covered the three-day festival, but ironically, there’s not a whole lot of fictional stories about it. Even in that small pool, how could a novel about Woodstock stand out? Beth Duke answers this question in her book Anywhen with…time travel! Anywhen is a lovely novel that wholeheartedly embraces the music and historical period, tackles the differences between the past and the future, and contains three-dimensional characters.

Anywhen is about a woman who travels back in 1969 to meet her ancestor that attended Woodstock. Baezy (rhymes with Daisy) was born in 2069, the 100th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. That year, a wave of nostalgia swept through her society. Raised on the sounds of Joan Baez, Santana, and other Woodstock icons, Baezy dreams of experiencing the festival firsthand. When time travel arises in 2101, she jumps at the chance, packing her bell bottom jeans and peasant blouse for the ultimate adventure. But, she has another reason. She wants to surprise her great-great-great grandmother, Kelly Adams. Kelly wasn’t the typical Woodstock attendee. In 1969, she works at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She’s on the cusp of a groundbreaking career in artificial intelligence, work that would shape the world that Baezy lives in. Her future family reveres in her contributions, yet Baezy is able to meet Kelly before the latter becomes a legend. The moment Baezy arrives, the difference between 1969 and 2101 is astonishing. Woodstock is everything she imagined and more, yet her journey becomes more than the weekend filled with music. She finds herself in life-altering situations that she never would have foreseen. 

Before I go into the review, I have a little connection to Woodstock. My dad tried to go to that festival with his brother/my uncle from Ohio to New York State. Unfortunately, they gave up when they found out about the traffic. I loved how this was referenced in the beginning of the book, when Kelly and her friends were trying to get to where the festival was.

I can see why my dad wanted to go. The festival was intended as a place where everybody could come together and enjoy great music, and Anywhen sells that to a tee. Whenever the characters talk about the next musician who’s going to take the stage or listen to a song being performed, I could feel the excitement and joy radiating through the pages. In addition, Duke clearly did a lot of research with which acts came on during which days, the people who were present as spectators, and what actually went down at Woodstock. My only gripe is that the novel spends a little too much time in 1969. This is weird to say since it’s Woodstock, yet Duke sets up the time travel part right from the beginning. It made me think that there was going to be more of a back and forth between the past and the future.

Speaking of which, I love the world building between the two. In 2101, society eliminated war, hunger, and poverty and developed the best medicine and technology possible. People eat nourishment cubes, have literal spirit animals, and wait until the age of 35 to have their reproduction cycles and to be matched with their soul mates. In 1969, the Vietnam War and sexism raged on, but free love and expression were all around. Since Baezy is from the future, she doesn’t think too much of her society, yet she likes the idea of being matched with their destined partner. However, her thinking and way of doing things gets upended at Woodstock, especially when she loses her nourishment cubes. Despite that, Baezy finds ways to enjoy herself like eating chocolate and falling in love for the first time. I love how this book shows that the future is not always better than the past.

And of course, the best part of the novel was the characters. They were distinct and fleshed out. Baezy is smart, but naive. All she wants to do is to visit her relative who attended Woodstock. Kelly is also intelligent, but she’s stubborn and disinterested. To be fair, when her boss tells her that all she has to look forward to is marriage and having kids, Kelly has a right to be angry, for she’s extremely diligent and dedicated to her work. On top of that, Woodstock is the last place she wants to be. So, when Baezy shows up, Kelly wonders who she is since she talks funny and has limited experiences. This results in a clash between the two. But, my favorite character was Jack Warren. Jack is a math teacher and Kelly’s friend. He’s looking to go to Canada to avoid the draft, but he may have some doubts, especially when he meets Baezy.

Anywhen by Beth Duke is a good book that explores Woodstock through time travel. Duke makes the famous music festival come alive with her words and descriptions even if the novel stayed there for much longer than needed. Additionally, I love how the book explores the ramifications of the future and the past and truly tests which one is better. Plus, the characters were wonderfully defined. I would recommend this book to readers who love reading about time travel, female innovators, and Woodstock. There should be more fiction books about Woodstock, for there is so much to explore with it beyond what’s out now. 

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