bckybrnsn's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
wwiillddeerr's review against another edition
4.0
“everything is going to be all right. or if not, everything is going to be, so let’s not worry”
^moral of the story that probably could have overridden the entire book. i love the way that matt haig always works to question what it means to be alive and what “life” consists of, but i found this one a little too predictable and slow at points (and then really damn fast at the end). but also, i have read 2 of his other books, so it might be that i’m used to his writing and because of that, it’s predictable. either way, super creative sci-fi/contemporary esk piece!
^moral of the story that probably could have overridden the entire book. i love the way that matt haig always works to question what it means to be alive and what “life” consists of, but i found this one a little too predictable and slow at points (and then really damn fast at the end). but also, i have read 2 of his other books, so it might be that i’m used to his writing and because of that, it’s predictable. either way, super creative sci-fi/contemporary esk piece!
shahrun's review against another edition
4.0
I think the author has done an amazing job of imagining the realities and practicalities of long long long living. Fascinating, engaging and intriguing from start to finish .
Here’s a few quotes I enjoyed:
P38
Arthur Schopenhauer
“Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.”
P158
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts . . Willy Shakespeare
P270-1
It is a popular modern idea. That the inner us is something different to the outer us. That there is an authentic realer and better and richer version of ourselves which we can only tap into by buying a solu-tion. This idea that we are separate from our nature, as separate as a bottle of Dior perfume is from the plants of a forest.
As far as I can see, this is a problem with living in the twenty-first century. Many of us have every material thing we need, so the job of marketing is now to tie the economy to our emotions, to make us feel like we need more by making us want things we never needed before. We are made to feel poor on thirty thousand pounds a year.
To feel poorly travelled if we have been to only ten other countries.
To feel too old if we have a wrinkle. To feel ugly if we aren't photoshopped and filtered.
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.
P314
And, just as it only takes a moment to die, it only takes a moment to live. You just close your eyes and let every futile fear slip away. And then, in this new state, free from fear, you ask yourself: who am I? If I could live without doubt what would I do? If I could be kind without the fear of being fucked over? If I could love without fear of being hurt?
If I could taste the sweetness of today without thinking of how I will miss that taste tomorrow? If I could not fear the passing of time and the people it will steal? Yes. What would I do? Who would I care for?
What battle would I fight? Which paths would I step down? What joys would I allow myself? What internal mysteries would I solve? How, in short, would I live?
Here’s a few quotes I enjoyed:
P38
Arthur Schopenhauer
“Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.”
P158
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts . . Willy Shakespeare
P270-1
It is a popular modern idea. That the inner us is something different to the outer us. That there is an authentic realer and better and richer version of ourselves which we can only tap into by buying a solu-tion. This idea that we are separate from our nature, as separate as a bottle of Dior perfume is from the plants of a forest.
As far as I can see, this is a problem with living in the twenty-first century. Many of us have every material thing we need, so the job of marketing is now to tie the economy to our emotions, to make us feel like we need more by making us want things we never needed before. We are made to feel poor on thirty thousand pounds a year.
To feel poorly travelled if we have been to only ten other countries.
To feel too old if we have a wrinkle. To feel ugly if we aren't photoshopped and filtered.
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.
P314
And, just as it only takes a moment to die, it only takes a moment to live. You just close your eyes and let every futile fear slip away. And then, in this new state, free from fear, you ask yourself: who am I? If I could live without doubt what would I do? If I could be kind without the fear of being fucked over? If I could love without fear of being hurt?
If I could taste the sweetness of today without thinking of how I will miss that taste tomorrow? If I could not fear the passing of time and the people it will steal? Yes. What would I do? Who would I care for?
What battle would I fight? Which paths would I step down? What joys would I allow myself? What internal mysteries would I solve? How, in short, would I live?
jasmijntheee's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
daniellehawkins's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the last 75 pages, but had a hard time getting there. The main character was SO melancholy; the effect was a bit grating for me.
heathermcintire13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mvasconc's review against another edition
5.0
“You have to keep walking forwards. But you don’t always need to look ahead. Sometimes you can just look around and be happy right where you are.” (321)
ryanjb86's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great "beach read"...unfortunately I had to read is "sans" beach. Nevertheless it was a fun read with a really interesting premise: a man (among many throughout history) who ages 15 times slower than everyone else...as an "alba" he may look 40ish but was in fact born in 1581 and has met the likes of Shakespeare, Captain Cook and F. Scott Fitzgerald. If you like lots of intertwined plots and history this is the book for you!
.
"Whenever I see someone reading a book, especially if it is someone I don't expect, I feel civilisation has become a little safer."
.
"Whenever I see someone reading a book, especially if it is someone I don't expect, I feel civilisation has become a little safer."
marryallthepeople's review against another edition
3.0
Good writing, kinda felt like The Time Traveller's Wife but with a different twist. BUT the protagonist was totally unlikable for me. It was joyless and it was hard to slug through something where he just wasn't likable.