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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
so, for now i am giving this 3.5-stars.
hannah tinti is clever, and this is a very engaging, multi-layered, nuanced novel.
i read this as part of an online book club and feel i may have done the story a disservice as i tried to keep with the pace, spread out over an entire month. reading to a schedule is hard for me, and especially so when it is stretched out over a long period of time. this past weekend, i said 'f-it!' and finally finished it.
i found most of the book very strong, but felt the end wobbled a bit for me. there were a couple of loose threads that didn't come together at all - which i only mention because it felt like tinti had such control throughout most of the book, only to be left with a couple of 'yeah... buts?!?' at the end.
the discussions for this book have been fantastic and are definitely adding well to the read. i highly recommend this if you are in a book club as there is lots to consider and talk about. it reminded me a little bit of [b:The Sisters Brothers|9850443|The Sisters Brothers|Patrick deWitt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1291999900s/9850443.jpg|14741473], a book i adored! there's a grit and darkness to both stories, terrific writing, and heart.
hannah tinti is clever, and this is a very engaging, multi-layered, nuanced novel.
i read this as part of an online book club and feel i may have done the story a disservice as i tried to keep with the pace, spread out over an entire month. reading to a schedule is hard for me, and especially so when it is stretched out over a long period of time. this past weekend, i said 'f-it!' and finally finished it.
i found most of the book very strong, but felt the end wobbled a bit for me. there were a couple of loose threads that didn't come together at all - which i only mention because it felt like tinti had such control throughout most of the book, only to be left with a couple of 'yeah... buts?!?' at the end.
the discussions for this book have been fantastic and are definitely adding well to the read. i highly recommend this if you are in a book club as there is lots to consider and talk about. it reminded me a little bit of [b:The Sisters Brothers|9850443|The Sisters Brothers|Patrick deWitt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1291999900s/9850443.jpg|14741473], a book i adored! there's a grit and darkness to both stories, terrific writing, and heart.
This is a great story. This is a great way to tell this story. It might have taken 150 pages to get me in but by then I was ALL in.
I really enjoyed this book. Unique story and well written. Characters are well developed and have so many layers - you like them as much despite having a laundry list of reasons to dislike them. I found myself rooting for Sam and Loo.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book opened up a hole in my weekend and pulled me in. And I went willingly. It is everything I loved about storytelling when I was a child, but in adult form. It makes growing up easier.
4.5 stars. Everything was different about this book - the subject matter, the way a father is depicted, the way this father and daughter fit into society (or not), in-laws, environmentalism, and the job of a being hired gun.
The three themes within each instance of Samuel Hawley's being shot are subtle, but nonetheless provide a connection to each other, and in the end gives substance to the plot. A clock, a bullet, and a woman underlie each instance.
You like Hawley, even though you may cringe (as I did) with all the guns he keeps around. Then you think, 'Hey, maybe this is a bad guy and I've been duped." And you keep reading, even though you know he is alive an has survived the gunshots, pressing on to tie ends of the story together. And you come away wondering, "was he a good guy?"
His relationships with his daughter Loo, and his wife Lily are intimate and entwined in his choice of lifestyle. Was he a bad influence on them? He questions that himself which makes you like him all the more.
I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone.
What a great read - chock full, but never tedious. You will care about Samuel Hawley and his daughter Loo.
The three themes within each instance of Samuel Hawley's being shot are subtle, but nonetheless provide a connection to each other, and in the end gives substance to the plot. A clock, a bullet, and a woman underlie each instance.
You like Hawley, even though you may cringe (as I did) with all the guns he keeps around. Then you think, 'Hey, maybe this is a bad guy and I've been duped." And you keep reading, even though you know he is alive an has survived the gunshots, pressing on to tie ends of the story together. And you come away wondering, "was he a good guy?"
His relationships with his daughter Loo, and his wife Lily are intimate and entwined in his choice of lifestyle. Was he a bad influence on them? He questions that himself which makes you like him all the more.
I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone.
What a great read - chock full, but never tedious. You will care about Samuel Hawley and his daughter Loo.
Beautiful and bittersweet.
There's something about the kind of relationships, like the one in this book, that really speaks to my heart. A gruff, gun-toting, bullet-scarred man, and a spirited teenage girl - an unlikely pair, and yet when the relationship is so full of love and mutual respect, as it is here between Loo and Samuel Hawley, there is nothing so strong.
[b:The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley|30556459|The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley|Hannah Tinti|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1483453811s/30556459.jpg|51103803] alternates between the present and past. In the former, Samuel Hawley teaches Loo how to survive (shooting guns and hotwiring cars, etc.) and brings her to settle in the small hometown where her late mother, Lily, grew up. Here she faces many personal trials, from bullying at school, to her developing relationship with her grandmother. This is interspersed with journeys into the past - tales of each of the twelve bullet wounds marking Samuel Hawley's body.
The writing is exquisite. Tinti captures small details in every scene, building up this portrait of both Samuel's life, and the complex relationship between father and daughter.
It is somehow both told in great detail and also extremely compelling. I've always admired authors who can do this - tell a story that builds so very slowly without taking anything away from your urgency to read it. It's only in the last couple of years that I've realized slowly-developed stories can be pageturners, too.
I don't know who made the bigger impact on me. Samuel Hawley, who literally carries the scars of his past with him... or Loo, who grows up weird in an unfriendly world (and doesn't apologize for it). The pair dazzle apart, but even more so together.
The perfectly-crafted storytelling contains many small observations on human nature; the good and the bad. It's a book which is part grit-lit, part emotional contemporary - i.e. some guns, some crime, and a whole lot of heart.
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There's something about the kind of relationships, like the one in this book, that really speaks to my heart. A gruff, gun-toting, bullet-scarred man, and a spirited teenage girl - an unlikely pair, and yet when the relationship is so full of love and mutual respect, as it is here between Loo and Samuel Hawley, there is nothing so strong.
[b:The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley|30556459|The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley|Hannah Tinti|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1483453811s/30556459.jpg|51103803] alternates between the present and past. In the former, Samuel Hawley teaches Loo how to survive (shooting guns and hotwiring cars, etc.) and brings her to settle in the small hometown where her late mother, Lily, grew up. Here she faces many personal trials, from bullying at school, to her developing relationship with her grandmother. This is interspersed with journeys into the past - tales of each of the twelve bullet wounds marking Samuel Hawley's body.
The writing is exquisite. Tinti captures small details in every scene, building up this portrait of both Samuel's life, and the complex relationship between father and daughter.
It is somehow both told in great detail and also extremely compelling. I've always admired authors who can do this - tell a story that builds so very slowly without taking anything away from your urgency to read it. It's only in the last couple of years that I've realized slowly-developed stories can be pageturners, too.
I don't know who made the bigger impact on me. Samuel Hawley, who literally carries the scars of his past with him... or Loo, who grows up weird in an unfriendly world (and doesn't apologize for it). The pair dazzle apart, but even more so together.
The perfectly-crafted storytelling contains many small observations on human nature; the good and the bad. It's a book which is part grit-lit, part emotional contemporary - i.e. some guns, some crime, and a whole lot of heart.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one started out so great but then went flat for me. It was okay but just got repetitive with him. Never liked his character all that much though I liked Loo.