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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Bloody and gory, not my usual fare but I liked it because of that. I did get around to caring about Hawley, even though he was not a good guy (in the usual sense).
Gritty, real, and touching. I am a sucker for coming of age novels but this is not as saccharine as that genre tends to be. I don't know anyone like these characters and yet they all felt so real. Great writing.
I really enjoyed this coming-of-age story. Loo grows up moving from town to town not really understanding her father, Samuel, is trying to keep one step ahead of his checkered past. They finally settle in MA where Loo meets her grandmother and starts to understand there was more to her mother's death than she's been told. I loved the "bullet" chapters that build on and explain Samuel's past. You learn through them (and the present day chapters) how much he loves his wife and daughter, and the lengths to which he will go to protect the latter. While he made poor choices and got himself into a lot of trouble throughout his life, I couldn't help but like Samuel. Underneath the gruff exterior, there was someone who wanted to do the right thing and loved his daughter with all his heart.
Beautiful, fantastic book.
Their hearts were all cycling through the same madness-the discovery, the bliss, the loss, the despair-like planets taking turns in orbit around the sun. P 336.
Their hearts were all cycling through the same madness-the discovery, the bliss, the loss, the despair-like planets taking turns in orbit around the sun. P 336.
Samuel Hawley is a criminal. He's a thief and a killer. His twelve lives correspond to the twelve bullets which have pierced his body over the years. But never his heart. He first learned to love Lily. She knew who he was and accepted his lifestyle every time he left for a "job". But when their daughter Loo (Louise) was born, Lily wanted roots and stability. Hawley's past, however, was always chasing him and finally caught up to his family with tragic consequences. So after a rocky start, Hawley and Loo lived a nomadic life in and out of hotels all over the county. When Loo turned twelve, Hawley took her to her birthplace, the home of her grandmother, where they would begin to make a life. But Hawley could never outrun his past. This is not my usual read, but it's a very good one. The characters are intriguing and I couldn't wait to read the next chapter of Hawley's past and yet another bullet. A story of redemption and growth and a young girl just trying to grow up and find out who she is.
Should be called the 12 bullet holes of Samuel Hawley. We start with Hawley and his daughter Loo as they settle down in her mom's hometown. We learn that their future is tied to dad's past. So we get his past by using his bullet scars. He wasn't a good man and even after meeting his wife Lily, he still didn't choose to get a regular job.
Leads us to him and Loo on her 17th birthday with one dead man, Jove on a boat and Hawley with is 12th bullet wound. We think he might survive.
Good writing but I was left with so what?
Leads us to him and Loo on her 17th birthday with one dead man, Jove on a boat and Hawley with is 12th bullet wound. We think he might survive.
Good writing but I was left with so what?
From the get-go, the writing pulls you in immediately. This (for me) is one of those books that makes you want to go back and study how the writer does this! How does she perform this feat?
That being said, I hate guns. Anything and everything to do with them. I would never have cracked this book open except it was our book club's selection.
Lesson learned. Can't judge a book by its cover.
Read it. It's excellent, and it wouldn't surprise me if it received some kind of award.
That being said, I hate guns. Anything and everything to do with them. I would never have cracked this book open except it was our book club's selection.
Lesson learned. Can't judge a book by its cover.
Read it. It's excellent, and it wouldn't surprise me if it received some kind of award.
One of the best novels I've read in a long time. This father-daughter story gripped me from page 1 and never let go. I was turned inside out by the story of Loo and her father, especially by the intensity of their love for one another. The detailed prose only added to my love of this book. Highly recommended.
I could clearly see this book made into a made-for-tv movie, staring Liam Neelson and whatever pre-teen actress is making news today. It was truly a page turner right up to the very end. The ending, however, wasn't as gratifying as I hoped it would be. It was gripping and everything the reviews said it would be, but the ending was as if the author got tired of writing, or the publishing deadline was way over due.