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bookstorian's review against another edition
5.0
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.
Moderate: Death and Suicidal thoughts
chellemerrill's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Colonisation
lilym_p's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
sarahrose14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Gun violence and Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
leonormsousa's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War
joensign's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
sweetlikesadia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
💫I liked the plot and talked about the cons of being immortal through the centuries.
💫The book was east to read and the layout was interesting..switching from the past to the future.
📈I lost interest most times..I also felt that the author added the plot twist to create more drama, which is was good but would have liked more of a build up.
Graphic: Mental illness and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Murder
Minor: Cursing and Forced institutionalization
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Now, maybe it was just the high of The Midnight Library and The Comfort Book, specifically, but I was really itching for something profound and inspiring to me, personally. That's not so much what I found in this book.
For the most part, this was historical fiction, with elements of magical realism thrown in there and a few nods to the modern era. I don't resonate well with historical fiction, so I think that's the first thing that kind of put me off. The concept of a person who ages at a snail's pace fascinated me, but I wasn't expecting to spend so much time getting to know Shakespeare... and that's kind of what happened.
Not that there's anything wrong with this in the slightest, it just didn't stand out to me. The meaningful aspects of the book were towards the last couple of chapters. Those, I could've highlighted in full, because they were so profound. However, I had hoped for a lot more of that throughout the book, so it was just a bit of a bummer.
However, I would read this book again! That might sound strange, but it's true. I do feel like there was a lot to learn from it, but I probably missed certain things because I got distracted while listening to the audiobook (which had a lovely narrator whose accent I adored, even if I wasn't obsessed with his performance). I'd like to read the updated edition that came out in 2022 as a physical copy to see what else I could gain!
As a whole, it was an interesting book, just not one that I would find myself recommending endlessly as I have with Matt's other books.
Graphic: Death and Misogyny
Moderate: Physical abuse and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicidal thoughts
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book has no graphic content, but it does have a smattering of veiled references to physical intimacy, and quite a bit of emotional tension and death, including in the name of witch hunting, and some passing references to depression/PPD and suicidal thoughts. There are also a few annoying side comments, like when he intentionally uses odd wording in order imply that a baby in the womb is not actually human yet. Not recommended for very young readers, but some teen readers might enjoy it.
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
mj0's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I can't wait for this brilliant novel to be turned into a movie (apparently starring Benedict Cumberbatch), though unfortunately, it's 2022 and it was first pitched to be a movie in 2017. So will we get a movie adaptation? I don't know. But I really, really hope so.
Though I don't think you can ever express this kind of novel in a movie in a way it does it justice.
I highly recommend, to all types of readers.
Graphic: Mental illness and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, and Colonisation