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terranovanz's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book, but I found it ponderous and patchy. I liked Samuel's story much more than Loo's.
cathyatratedreads's review
3.0
I don't think I expected what this book actually ended up being; it's really an exploration of a very flawed man's heart, of what it can mean to be a hero even if you're a criminal. It's an exploration of the love between that flawed man and his daughter, of family. It's not a literary thriller, in my opinion, as described here. It is very literary, and it would be great for a book club to discuss.
On some levels, I didn’t care too much about Hawley because his life was so much about just carrying out the “jobs” he signed up for, going from crime to crime. But as his life is revealed, chapter by chapter, the love that he shares for just a short time with his wife, and then his fierce protection of his daughter, makes him the hero of the story. A very flawed hero, but one who’s human, who carries off the tale. The relationship he has with his daughter, who by reason of her upbringing is pretty flawed herself, is still moving. They are a team against the world. They are a family unit. And they have more power than they know.
As I pondered the story and took the time to read the Q&A with the author after the book ended, I came to appreciate more Tinti’s mastery of her craft, the symbolism of the 12 bullets survived, the structure of the book. I don’t think I loved the book, but I really appreciated it. 3.5 stars but not 4.
* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/twelve-lives-samuel-hawley-fiction-book-review/
On some levels, I didn’t care too much about Hawley because his life was so much about just carrying out the “jobs” he signed up for, going from crime to crime. But as his life is revealed, chapter by chapter, the love that he shares for just a short time with his wife, and then his fierce protection of his daughter, makes him the hero of the story. A very flawed hero, but one who’s human, who carries off the tale. The relationship he has with his daughter, who by reason of her upbringing is pretty flawed herself, is still moving. They are a team against the world. They are a family unit. And they have more power than they know.
As I pondered the story and took the time to read the Q&A with the author after the book ended, I came to appreciate more Tinti’s mastery of her craft, the symbolism of the 12 bullets survived, the structure of the book. I don’t think I loved the book, but I really appreciated it. 3.5 stars but not 4.
* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/twelve-lives-samuel-hawley-fiction-book-review/
littletaiko's review
3.0
Started this book last year and finally came back to it. The story alternates between Samuel's story and how he got each of the 12 bullet hole scars on his body and his teenager daughter Loo. Needless to say that a man who has lived the sort of life that results in being shot at that many times may not be the best parent. However, he tries is best. Loo is a rather feral child who grows up to become a complicated young woman. Lots of decisions were made that didn't make sense to me, but then again their world isn't mine.
emckeon1002's review
4.0
Mostly brilliant, with ruts of tedium, this book by Tinti is worth the read. She is a gifted writer who creates characters that are inescapably interesting. Upon reading the premise, every other chapter is the story of one bullet wound on the titular character's body, one might run screaming, but it works, mostly, and the intervening chapters are as good as the stories of gunplay gone wrong.
akrivos8's review
4.0
I really liked this book. The writing is excellent. I think it is best described as lyrical, although I hesitate to use that word because I don't want to give the impression that it in any way distracts from the story. That happens sometimes--writing that is beautiful prose on its own but not in service of the story. Here the writing is beautiful but is in no way distracting if, like me, you read primarily for the characters and the story.
I loved the characters, and I felt that they both grew and developed in interesting ways throughout the course of the novel. I also found the story exciting, and I spent several late nights reading to see what would happen next.
There were a couple of notes that didn't sit perfectly with me, especially with Loo in the beginning, which is why I'm not giving it five stars. But I would recommend this book to most. One note of caution, however, is that the book is fairly violent.
I received this book from the publisher as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
I loved the characters, and I felt that they both grew and developed in interesting ways throughout the course of the novel. I also found the story exciting, and I spent several late nights reading to see what would happen next.
There were a couple of notes that didn't sit perfectly with me, especially with Loo in the beginning, which is why I'm not giving it five stars. But I would recommend this book to most. One note of caution, however, is that the book is fairly violent.
I received this book from the publisher as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
kategci's review
4.0
I received this as part of a gift subscription from RJ Julia and I picked it up after I heard it discussed recently on a podcast. This is such a wonderful read. Samuel Hawley has indeed been shot 12 times, and most if not all were deserved. He could be easily written off, except that he is a single father raising his resourceful daughter, Loo. Loo realizes she is pretty much raising herself as Samuel is not really the responsible type. They had been on the run for her first decade of life and they have now settled in Massachusetts, near her maternal grandmother. Loo makes a life for herself and Samuel does as well, but there is always the undercurrent of unease. The book is propelled along by its dual structure: the story of Loo and Samuel interspersed with the stories of the 12 bullets. This is one of the best books I have read in 2017.
lchamberlin97's review
5.0
You might notice a strange similarity between the last book I read, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and this one: both alternating between present and past, the past counting through the major events in someone's complicated life, and the present about a younger person developing as a result of this life.
BUT THIS WAS SO MUCH BETTER.
I'll keep this short: the writing is just lovely, the characters are fantastically complex/well developed, the story line as a nice pace (combination of excitement and development), and the ending is perfect. In other words, it has all the things that make me love a book. Did it blow me away with uniqueness in terms of genre? No. But I've realized that the reason I can read this genre over and over and not get sick of it is because the characters feel like real people, and no two people are the same - as opposed to the formulas of other genres that feel like repetition. This book does the "real people" thing wonderfully.
Not that The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo fails at this, it's just...The Twelves Lives of Samuel Hawley is just lots more elegant about it and powerful. Like you know right off the bat that Loo's mother is dead but when you see how through Hawley's eyes it's HEARTBREAKING. And I just love Loo's progression. In conclusion: exactly what I needed.
BUT THIS WAS SO MUCH BETTER.
I'll keep this short: the writing is just lovely, the characters are fantastically complex/well developed, the story line as a nice pace (combination of excitement and development), and the ending is perfect. In other words, it has all the things that make me love a book. Did it blow me away with uniqueness in terms of genre? No. But I've realized that the reason I can read this genre over and over and not get sick of it is because the characters feel like real people, and no two people are the same - as opposed to the formulas of other genres that feel like repetition. This book does the "real people" thing wonderfully.
Not that The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo fails at this, it's just...The Twelves Lives of Samuel Hawley is just lots more elegant about it and powerful. Like you know right off the bat that Loo's mother is dead but when you see how through Hawley's eyes it's HEARTBREAKING. And I just love Loo's progression. In conclusion: exactly what I needed.