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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I'm not sure what made me pick this book up - it's not my usual cup of tea. But it was enjoyable, and kept me reading right to the very end. There are some interesting literary conceits employed in this novel, and yet it was very accessible.
I really enjoyed the layout of this book. It was unique and interesting. I found myself more interested in the “reminiscing” parts and losing focus in the current, but overall, I liked how the author chose to layout the story in that way. The story was fine and the characters had good points and bad points. I can’t really say why this was a 3-Star book for me. It just was.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 An unconventional relationship between a daughter and a father that raises the following questions : Can we help loving the persons we love ? Is love enough and on what grounds can it excuse everything ?
I picked up this book at my library because I thought I had seen the title around and "remembered" the synopsis, so I grabbed it without thinking twice. But actually, I was thinking of the wrong book with a similar title. But it still sounded okay, so I kept reading it.
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley follows a man by the name of Samuel Hawley (obviously) and his daughter Loo through their lives. At first, the two of them moved around a lot, until they settled in the town of Olympus which was the hometown of Loo's mother Lily, who died in a drowning accident. Both Loo and Hawley are outsiders in the town and even to each other. Hawley has a past before Loo came around that she knows nothing about, expect for the 12 bullet wounds on his body. It's a story about growing up, how the past always catches up with you, and love. It's told in a dual perspective between Loo in the present and Hawley in the past (and how he got each gunshot wound.)
I was actually surprised by how much I liked this book. The characters are all dynamic but in a quiet way. They seem like they could be real, and at the beginning they didn't seem like the kind of people I would like in real life, but they grow on you. In the end, I really cared about both Hawley and Loo. I was even like "no Hawley, don't get shot!" even though the chapters about his wounds were literally titled "shot 1, 2, 3" etc. I think that speaks a lot about how this character quietly grows on you.
This book isn't dynamic, although it doesn't have a boring plot. It's just the way that Tinti writes is so carefully descriptive that you feel like you get such a complete picture of everything. But even the action scenes are written with this careful nature. They're not full of bangs and pops but rather quiet moments that really draw you in, make you read carefully, and then want to scream when someone gets shot and it's written just like "and then a bullet sank into his thigh." But I actually REALLY liked that, so it's not a complaint.
There's nothing really stopping this book from being a 5 star book except that I thought it was just a "good" book, not a "great" one. But that's okay, because there needs to be good books too. It just didn't take over my life, but I'm really fond of Twelve Lives.
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley follows a man by the name of Samuel Hawley (obviously) and his daughter Loo through their lives. At first, the two of them moved around a lot, until they settled in the town of Olympus which was the hometown of Loo's mother Lily, who died in a drowning accident. Both Loo and Hawley are outsiders in the town and even to each other. Hawley has a past before Loo came around that she knows nothing about, expect for the 12 bullet wounds on his body. It's a story about growing up, how the past always catches up with you, and love. It's told in a dual perspective between Loo in the present and Hawley in the past (and how he got each gunshot wound.)
I was actually surprised by how much I liked this book. The characters are all dynamic but in a quiet way. They seem like they could be real, and at the beginning they didn't seem like the kind of people I would like in real life, but they grow on you. In the end, I really cared about both Hawley and Loo. I was even like "no Hawley, don't get shot!" even though the chapters about his wounds were literally titled "shot 1, 2, 3" etc. I think that speaks a lot about how this character quietly grows on you.
This book isn't dynamic, although it doesn't have a boring plot. It's just the way that Tinti writes is so carefully descriptive that you feel like you get such a complete picture of everything. But even the action scenes are written with this careful nature. They're not full of bangs and pops but rather quiet moments that really draw you in, make you read carefully, and then want to scream when someone gets shot and it's written just like "and then a bullet sank into his thigh." But I actually REALLY liked that, so it's not a complaint.
There's nothing really stopping this book from being a 5 star book except that I thought it was just a "good" book, not a "great" one. But that's okay, because there needs to be good books too. It just didn't take over my life, but I'm really fond of Twelve Lives.
Loo has been on the run with her father Hawley her whole life without knowing why. When they settle down in the small hometown of her deceased mother, they must learn to try to fit in, but Hawley has a gritty past that he can't quite seem to leave behind. Alternating past and present chapters gradually unveil Hawley's secrets as Loo keeps and discovers secrets of her own. The mystery of their lives is engaging, but getting to know them is the real gem of this story.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 Underwhelmed by this one. The characters fell flat and the plot "twists" were either predictable or ridiculous. I eye rolled through most of it. The momentum was good though and despite my dislike I was able to get through it for my book club.
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti is a 2017 Dial Press publication.
This is an unusual novel, a ‘coming of age’ story AND a ‘literary thriller’ as the synopsis says. Once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down. I kept wondering how this was all going to end, and what would become of the characters in the meantime.
But, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was that made this book work, exactly. It’s fast paced, action packed, one minute, then switches instantly to a poignant father/daughter dynamic, which was at once sad and tender. What an odd combination, right?
Yet, it is a riveting tale. The characters are well drawn, but a bit enigmatic. Samuel, who recounts how he came to have all those bullet holes, relates his violent and criminal past, including the way he met Loo’s mother, married her, became a father, a widow, and then a grieving single parent. Samuel is a flawed and conflicted man, who has made some very regrettable choices, but will do anything to protect his daughter. He is dangerous, criminal, and violent, but had me rooting for him in the same way we often secretly cheer for the antihero.
Loo is a scrappy girl who has endured relentless and cruel bullying, is equally scarred emotionally by the nomadic and isolated life she has lived with Samuel, wanting to have friends, and wishing for any type of information about the mother she never knew. Her questions about her mother's past and her untimely death will lead to a few hard revelations.
Eventually, Samuel’s past comes to roost and Loo may very well get caught in the crossfire. But, maybe, just maybe, her unorthodox upbringing will not be naught as the stronger, better qualities that live within Samuel will shine through in his daughter.
This is certainly an interesting book, not exactly fitting into the ‘literary thriller’ role as I have come to think of it, but it is still jammed packed with criminal elements and suspense. The promised ‘coming of age’ aspects do slightly edge out the rougher spots, which left me feeling slightly melancholy, but hoping for the best on Loo's behalf.
Overall, the writing here is exquisite, and the story is one that, along with the vivid characterizations will linger in my mind for some time to come.
4 stars
I really enjoyed this book. Loo was wonderful, but I fell in love with Sam Hawley. The story was very well written and engaging. I was sad to see this one end.