jodar's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story is well-written, its prose straightforward without being a simplistic ’airport read’ and the frequent time-jumps flow coherently. It is a didactic novel, but with a kindly, rather troubled teacher who endeavours to share his wisdom about the human condition from the vantage point of his unnaturally long life. By the end I realised that the reader’s role is equivalent to that of one of the pupils in the 21st-century, London school in which the MC as a history teacher relives his life “now”.
Some of the key things the MC seeks to teach us:
Some of the key things the MC seeks to teach us:
- Life isn’t perfect, but if could be worse – one of my favourite passages:
No one I knew in the 1600s wanted to find their inner billionaire. They just wanted to live to see adolescence and avoid body lice. (Part 5, “Dubai, now”)
- We can’t control everything, but we aren’t entirely at the mercy of fate either. And what you choose to do matters:
‘You can’t choose where you are born, you can’t decide who won’t leave you, you can’t choose much. A life has unchangeable tides the same as history does. But there is still room inside it for choice. For decisions.… Just one wrong turn can get you very lost. What you do in the present stays with you . It comes back. You don’t get away with anything.’ (MC to pupil, Part 3, ”London, now”)
- People are often annoying and can cause you mental anguish while you live with them and intense grief at death. But avoiding close relationships, although seductive for a time, is not the answer in the end, as without other people life is lonely and joyless. Various passages throughout the novel, for example:
‘Love is where you find the meaning. Those seven years I was with her contained more than anything else.… You simply can’t fall in love and not think there is something bigger ruling us. Something, you know, not quite us. Something that lives inside us, caged in us, ready to help us or fuck us over. We are mysteries to ourselves.…’ (Omai to the MC, Part 5.“Byron Bay, Australia, now”)
- What will be will be, and it is fruitless and self-destructive to fear the future:
I understand that the way you stop time is by stopping being ruled by it. I am no longer drowning in my past, or fearful of my future. How can I be?
The future is you.
(MC’s final thoughts at the very close of the novel, having finally, after over four centuries,)Spoiler
succeeded in reconciling with his daughter and also begun a new intimate relationship
All well and very good, but to me there’s a strange, gaping hole in the narrative and MC’s exploration of meaning: religion. Religion is noted as the reason for his Huguenot family’s forced late 16th-century departure from France to England. The MC and his first love attend church in early 17th century England, until his unchanging appearance makes it untenable to continue. And the MC continues to live through periods of religious ferment. So it’s not as though the MC wasn’t exposed to contemporary Christianity, at least. And yet the MC doesn’t seem to consider, grapple with or argue against any religious understanding of life’s broader meaning. At all. At any time. Nor as far as I can recall do any of the other characters in the book. It’s almost as if every character in the novel, purportedly through centuries of time and across wide geographical areas of the earth, were all 21st century, English secularists all along. I find this weird and unbelievable!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, and Sexual assault
Minor: Cursing, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Drug use
vicixyz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm, Alcohol, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Death
lantheaume's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Death and Alcohol
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Gun violence
thebowandthebook's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I enjoyed the book, it was sweet and cute.
Spoiler
minor gay relationship, MC gets depressed and describes suicidal thoughts and getting to the brink. The antagonist chooses death and is left to his fate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Death, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Child death
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is such a clever twist in the time travel genre. I enjoyed the reflective wisdom of the main character and the history we get to experience along with him. It was fun to see notable historical figures pop into and out of his life, but I especially liked that the people who had the biggest impact on him were just regular people: his family, his friends, his coworkers, etc. The main thread that binds together. all the many arcs of Tom's story is love, and it was lovely to see him come to that conclusion.
My only quibble with the novel is that the story kind of just ends, and the miniature epilogue was a bit too cheesy/cliché for my taste.
But I greatly enjoyed it and highly recommend it!
My only quibble with the novel is that the story kind of just ends, and the miniature epilogue was a bit too cheesy/cliché for my taste.
But I greatly enjoyed it and highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Animal cruelty
mpbookreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Murder, Sexism, Colonisation, War, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Violence
janacc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Simplement brutal, m'ha encantat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Suicide
Minor: War, Pregnancy, and Panic attacks/disorders
kay_w's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Colonisation, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse
Minor: War and Panic attacks/disorders
bookstorian's review against another edition
5.0
Over 400 years old and wanting a normal life Tom makes the move back to modern London to teach history at a local school. He also hopes to be reunited with Marion and avoid breaking The Albatross Society's number one rule: don't fall in love. Unfortunately for him he meets Camille, the French teacher and Tom's past threatens to unravel, destroying his future. Exploring themes of time, love and parenthood 'How to Stop Time' stopped me in my tracks - It was simply un-put-down-able.
True to form Matt Haig once again had me enthralled from cover to cover. I wanted to devour but also relish every page as I learnt about Tom and his many lives. Whilst I usually struggle to by in to fantasy as my logical/realist brain finds it difficult to switch off - there is just something magical about Haig's writing that allows me to get swept up in the story. Notable elements of this book include the duel timeline (I was often thrust between past a present), Tom (a very humble and at times naive character), the unique premise and fast paced plot as well as the incredibly philosophical lines about time, love and purpose with some reflective points on history and teaching too. My copy is filled with colourful highlight - I just couldn't get enough of this well told story, it deserves five stars and more really...
If you love Historical Fiction and thoroughly enjoyed The Midnight Library or The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue this book is for you.
True to form Matt Haig once again had me enthralled from cover to cover. I wanted to devour but also relish every page as I learnt about Tom and his many lives. Whilst I usually struggle to by in to fantasy as my logical/realist brain finds it difficult to switch off - there is just something magical about Haig's writing that allows me to get swept up in the story. Notable elements of this book include the duel timeline (I was often thrust between past a present), Tom (a very humble and at times naive character), the unique premise and fast paced plot as well as the incredibly philosophical lines about time, love and purpose with some reflective points on history and teaching too. My copy is filled with colourful highlight - I just couldn't get enough of this well told story, it deserves five stars and more really...
If you love Historical Fiction and thoroughly enjoyed The Midnight Library or The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue this book is for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicidal thoughts
leonormsousa's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Colonisation, Death, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Hate crime, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and War