2024 the best reads of all time review
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(as of Nov 28, 2024 05:23:17 UTC - Details)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library, “a quirky romcom dusted with philosophical observations….A delightfully witty…poignant novel.” (The Washington Post)
Soon to be a TV series starring Benedict Cumberbatch
How many lifetimes does it take to learn how to live?
Don’t miss Matt Haig’s new novel The Life Impossible, coming September 2024
Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old history teacher, but he's been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz-Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen it all. As long as he keeps changing his identity he can keep one step ahead of his past - and stay alive. The only thing he must not do is fall in love . . .
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Publisher : Penguin Books; Reprint edition (June 11, 2019)
Language : English
Paperback : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 0525522891
ISBN-13 : 978-0525522898
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 5.05 x 0.87 x 7.73 inches
Reviewer: Jay A. Nesbit
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Thought-Provoking Journey Through Time, Love, and What Truly Matters.
Review: I just finished How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, and I really enjoyed it. The story follows Tom Hazard, whoâs lived for centuries thanks to a rare condition. Itâs not just about his fascinating life through history, thoughâitâs about love, loss, and figuring out what really matters. Haig's writing is easy to follow, and I loved how he mixed historical moments with Tomâs personal struggles. Itâs a little bittersweet but also hopeful. If youâre into books that make you think about time and how we spend it, this oneâs worth checking out!
Reviewer: Brandi
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: My favorite book ever!
Review: This is currently my favorite book I have ever read. This book is historical fiction with a gentle touch of sci-fi, and just enough romance woven throughout it's pages, enough to make you feel something but not enough to make it feel like a true romance novel (which is a huge plus for me - I do not like strictly romance novels but I enjoy some romance along the way if it helps build the story). My favorite thing about this book is the witty, relatable, poetic writing style, with a fresh story from a quirky perspective. This book is witty, poetic, relatable and truly captivating. I could not put this book down. The character development was done very well, the story was very captivating, and the insights from the main character make you really stop and think about your own life and things you probably have never thought about.SPOILER FREE - The only reason I did not rate this book 5 stars is in regard to the end. The end was satisfying and I wouldn't say it was bad, but it certainly felt very rushed, forced, and a bit of a stretch even within the realm of the reality within the universe of the book. The ending was wrapped up within about 30 pages, so to me the book felt like it went from a really good pace to 500 miles an hour in the last 30 pages, and while it did wrap up pretty much everything you want it to wrap up, it does so in such a quick way that is feels like whiplash. This book still remains my favorite story I've ever read, despite there being other books I have rated 5 stars, but with the very rushed ending I just couldn't give it the perfect score as much as I so badly wanted to.Overall this book is AMAZING and my favorite read so far. I highly recommend it!!
Reviewer: Dave
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Magnificent Story Told Wonderfully
Review: The story contains so many wonderful ideas and evolves in so many beautiful ways. Superior writing kept me rereading passages to appreciate them all the more.I must read more Matt Haig!
Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Meh
Review: How is the 500 year old who has worked with Shakespeare and Captain Cook so boring? I love the premise: some people age slower (roughly 15 years to a normies one), and this is about Tom, one such individual. But with such a promising set up and a relatively realistic trip through time, it was excruciating to get through.First, the positives: a good glimpse at some of the sampled eras (the narrative jumps through different times throughout). The writing was there and at times philosophical (a bit much for my liking). If you prefer a book that is more dancing around the concept and implications of extended life, you may enjoy this.Now, the negatives: the conversations didn't sound real, the back and forth was rather stilted and didn't flow. And the biggest issue, Tom and the story, by extension, is rather boring. I guess thats the point, that he is so ordinary. But most of his narrative is kind of a downer, it is obvious he hasn't actually been living since the tragedies of his youth, but it saps the color from so much of the story. Also, the big climax is very much a head scratcher (yet parts are obvious) cause it doesn't fit, and it is also very boring. There is no focus on the romantic elements (the chemistry must happen off page) leaving his triumph at the end feeling meh.Overall, I kind of struggled to get through. It was decent, but very disappointing. I think some of that is intentional, kind of forcing an introspective on what makes living worthwhile and maybe addressing grief and living on in memory. But it was kind of a lackluster book altogether.
Reviewer: JP
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: eminently quotable, a lot of fun, full of heart.
Review: Tom Hazard, a man who appears to be in his 40s, has rather inconveniently been alive for over 400 years due to a rare condition that slows his aging. While everyone he knows bustles about living and dying, Tom justâ¦doesnât. While the world spins on, Tom lives a life of history and solitude. Heâs hobnobbed with some historical greats, sure, but immortality-ishness comes with its own set of problemsâââchief among them being found out, but also the agony of loving and losing and living with for centuries. This isnât a novel about history so much as a look at timeâââhow it moves, how we cling to it, and how hard and how necessary it is to live in the present.This book is like a slow, deliberate sip of whiskeyâââsmooth, then burn. The timeline jumps the author makes put us in Tomâs shoes as he increasingly âslipsâ back and forth in memory. You feel his disorientation as time plays tricks on him, causing him memory headaches. This novel does not shy away from THE BIG STUFF: resilience, fear, regret, mortality, the urgency and blessing of a lifespan. And in the end, itâs the stubborn optimism of it all. Itâs a gentle nudge toward living our best lives in this very moment.
Reviewer: Robert
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Love this book!
Review: Could not put down. Exciting and inspiring. Beautifully executed.
Reviewer: Limeyboy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent read
Review: I couldn't put the book down. Short chapters make it easy to read. One of my most favorite books I've read.
Reviewer: Carol Clarke
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The subject matter was fascinating and so well written. Mr Haig is a master story teller, and there is always something significant to contemplate from his work. I was thoroughly engaged.
Reviewer: Cecilia
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Este autor es maravilloso! Le forma de describir diferentes escenarios y momentos, es increÃble. Gran historia! DifÃcil de predecir. Muy recomendable
Reviewer: Yukselova
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Interesting book, read it in one sitting
Reviewer: Jt
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Kom fram snabbt och i fint skick! Ser fram emot läsningen
Reviewer: MR A SMITH
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A page-turner that questions the influence an extraordinarily long-life would have on our perception of time, identity and human connection touching on love, loss and grief. Loved it!
Customers say
Customers find the book interesting, entertaining, and thought-provoking. They praise the writing quality as well-written, easy to read, and natural. Readers appreciate the well-developed characters and emotional content. They also mention the perspective of time is fresh, new, and revolutionary.
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