Reviews

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti

erin_jones's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

5.0

blaineduncan's review against another edition

1.0

I don't usually read a book and think, "Does this story have a reason for existing?" I did this time.

Normally, I'm reading for enjoyment, information, or both, not to determine whether or not the book even needed to be written. Don't get me wrong: there's absolutely nothing wrong with this book. I could see people reading it and enjoying it. While I didn't hate it, I found that when I'd sit it down, it would be days before I would pick it back up. It took forever for me to finish for that reason. It just seemed to be saying very little, at least to me. The fascination with guns didn't help; the characters who were boring made it worse. (The rough-and-tumble dad with the spirited teenage girl were both predictable, both in good and bad ways.)

It felt like tons of others books and stories are similar enough and touch on the same themes; this one just never presented a good enough reason to exist.

tishywishy's review against another edition

4.0

I felt like I was on a rollercoaster with this book. I had to put it aside a couple times because it would slow down enough for me to get a bit bored and then by the next chapter, I'm flying through the pages. Hawley is not your average your typical story lead - Tinti does a great job of showing how diverse and personable his character is, without detracting that the fact that he is dangerous. Loo is navigating so many parts of her life of teenage life and her relationship with her father.

Better than I expected going in.

suvata's review

3.0

For some reason, this book didn't hold my interest. I only read about half of it before abandoning it all together.

maryquitecontrary_22's review against another edition

4.0

A gritty coming-of-age story that has an unique storyline. Tinti is a superb writer-- I especially liked the foreshadowing she used to keep you on the age of your seat and the complex characters she developed-- I can't think of a single character in the text who is one dimensional. Would recommend to readers who like a fast moving plot and genre-bending novels.

jilly7922's review against another edition

5.0

This book is about mainly a father and a daughter and their intricate relationship. Samuel Hawley is your typical bad boy who has lived a dangerous lifestyle and is now responsible for raising his daughter Loo. Samuel Hawley is trying to start anew in raising his daughter and in not letting his past catch up with him, and in making sure his daughter Loo is raised properly and does not get into the trouble he did.
Overall I rated this book five stars out of five. This was an excellent book that I cannot speak more highly about. The character development was superb and in depth. This was definitely one heart breaker of a book, but it was inspiring and bittersweet at the same time. Reading about the relationship between Samuel Hawley and his daughter Loo was tearing me up it was so raw. This book pulled me in from the first page all the way to the end.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Hannah Tinti, and Random House Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

For more book reviews come and read my book review blog at: http://turnthepagereviewsbyjill.blogspot.com

kittey2ng's review against another edition

5.0

Loved this book! Kept wanting to read to find out what was going on. Even though dad wasn't nice guy author gave insight as to why he ended up the way he did.

geekwayne's review against another edition

4.0

'The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley' by Hannah Tinti and it's a good one. Alternating between a father and daughter and his rough past, I found it to be a good balance of love and violence.

Samuel Hawley and his daughter Loo have been on the run for most of her life, living in hotels and being ready to flee at a moment's notice. Now they are settling down in a small town in Massachusetts. Loo is a teenager who is curious about her past, and this town holds some of the answers. Her father has a body full of wounds, and in twelve stories, we learn where some of the damage came from.

There is a tenderness and love to the father and daughter, but the father is all business and willing to shoot first. The problems of his past trouble him and hang over the story. Loo is a capable young woman who trusts her father, but is beginning to have questions.

I really enjoyed reading this. The prose is beautiful in places. I also loved how Hawley's story has taken him all over the United States. He's not a good guy, but he's not unsympathetic, which is a tough balance. I look forward to seeing what this author writes next.

I received a review copy of this ebook from The Dial Press, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

sassysoles82's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

kplovesstories's review against another edition

4.0

I can’t really explain why I loved this.
I can’t even really explain the plot.
I just loved the heartfelt relationship of a rough father and a sweet daughter after the tragic loss of her mother.