Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

43 reviews

mardana's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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one_womanarmy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Some stories cannot be told in just one lifetime. Harry August is a born again, born again, born again fellow - travelling always back to hai beginning no matter how often or in what manner he dies. North takes the classic time travel trope to dark and unique dimensions in First Fifteen Lives by exacting from Harry religious fervor, dreams of quantum world domination, poverty, wealth, academic fame, at least five marriages, 114 birthday parties, and most difficult, a range of quite graphic tortures by the CIA and close companions alike.

Unique, captivating, and filled with equal measures charm and oddity, I found this an excellently written book, compelling by the page and endearing as a first person travel. That said, this novel needs several serious physical and psychological trigger warnings.

Harry commits suicide repeatedly. As a child. As an adult. Harry is institutionalized and abandoned as an insane child, captured, and confined in long periods as an adult. The detailed, drawn out, and graphic torture scenes were so vivid and so accurately narrated in imparting their emotional trauma that I had nightmares many evenings. Harry's extreme, bitter loneliness as he relives life again and again was also a very keenly felt kind of emotional distress as a reader, North's analogy for the human condition turned up to painful high flame.

A stunning achievement, but not for the faint of heart.

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daffodilcherry's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Oh my goodness if you are going to read this book I would 100% recommend the audiobook. Peter Kelley's narration absolutely brings Claire North's excellent prose and story to life, and I'm so glad I gave this long term denizen of my tbr a chance!

Harry August lives an ordinary life, only to find that when he dies, he is instead born again, with all his memories of his past life intact. Centuries of his lifelong timeloop later, he is warned that the world is ending faster, and sets about trying to find out why and to maybe stop it.

I loved so much about this book, the plot, the fucked up timeloop ethics, the quantum physics, the various settings and scenes, the characters, and as I said, Peter Kelley turned this into an absolute amazing piece of art. This is what happens when you hire crazy talented voice over actors for your epic historical sci-fi audiobooks!!! Do NOT adjust the speed and instead revel in Kelly's mastery!

I was absolutely hooked from the get go on this book, and the final third was so hard to put down (to sleep or like work lol). Definitely a top book for the year.

Wheelhouse items: fucked up timeloop ethics!!!, large cast, quantum physics but explained in a way that you can actually understand, my friend my enemy, secret societies.

Triggers (it's a very dark book at times): lots of torture, like there's quite a lot, medical institutionalisation, suicide, dying, murder, cancer, AIDS, electroshock, opiate use,

radiation poisoning in depth, discussing killing children/pregnant people.

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norairos's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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kadtide's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It took a bit to get started and some parts were a bit dry at first but it all unfolds very well. It's been like a month and I'm still thinking about it.

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