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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.
dearsayuri's review
5.0
My eyes, my heart, my soul. Everything is hurting from the beauty of The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley. I cried, I laughed, I grieved, I loved. I got stuck in a never-ending cycle of find, love, lose, grieve. I couldn't let go and let go a million things at the same time. I feel like a lived a life or two while reading the novel. I feel like I had some sort of rich spiritual experience and by turning the last page of Sam Hawley's story, I finished an important journey. I feel like Loo was under my skin. She was me and I was her. I feel like The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is magic in its true form.
I haven't read anything so utterly compelling and, silly to say, heartfelt. I am not sure why and how but I was affected so deeply by The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley. I devoured the novel very slowly to give myself sleep on a chapter or two, to really think about what I've read. Powerful, haunting and crookedly beautiful. I think it has the power to change lives.
I haven't read anything so utterly compelling and, silly to say, heartfelt. I am not sure why and how but I was affected so deeply by The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley. I devoured the novel very slowly to give myself sleep on a chapter or two, to really think about what I've read. Powerful, haunting and crookedly beautiful. I think it has the power to change lives.
karenleagermain's review
4.0
Thank You to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced copy of Hannah Tinti's novel, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT - Samuel Hawley is an outlaw, who has spent many years moving across the United States with his daughter, Loo. Now that Loo is a teenager, Samuel feels that he can make an honest living as a fisherman, and he settles in the same New England town as Loo's maternal grandmother, Mabel. Loo's mother, Lily, died in a lake accident when Loo was an infant, and Mabel believes that Samuel had hand in her daughter's death. Was Samuel responsible? Can a man who has committed so many crimes, really be safe from his past coming back to haunt him?
LIKE- Tinti is the co-founder of One Story, one of my favorite monthly magazines ( check it out, it's awesome), and I had the pleasure of taking an online writing class with her last month. It was fabulous!
Tinti has an interesting way of framing The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley. She has given Samuel a body riddled with scars from bullets wounds, and she alternates chapters between the present and the past, using the past chapters to explain the ways in which Samuel has been shot. In the past, we learn about Samuel's life of crime, his associates, and how he met Lily. As the story unfolds, we learn the truth about Lily's death, and how it impacts the trajectory of the story. In the present, we see Loo growing into a teenager and trying to figure out details about her mother, through both her grandmother and living in her mother's hometown. This structure created a solid framework for pacing the mysteries of the novel and keeping the suspense.
In addition to a strong structure, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley, has memorable characters. I was most intrigued by Lily and her relationship with Samuel. The chapter in which they meet, was the most intense, gripping chapter of the novel. It was cinematic. Speaking of cinematic, Tinti writes in a grand way, with beautiful imagery and sweeping landscapes. For example, there is a dramatic scene on a glacier in Alaska. Having recently visited a glacier in Alaska, I can tell you, that Tinti captured that amazing environment, including the details of the sounds a glacier makes, which is what was most memorable for me.
DISLIKE- There were a few places where I felt my suspension of disbelief was tested; for example, there are two separate scenes with a whale that didn't work for me. It seemed too outrageous for the tone of the story.
Although I love idea of this outlaw who can survive whatever comes his way, it became a little much to have so many bullet wounds that were patched up. In one chapter he shoots his own foot by accident, which leads to a memorable experience taking a young Loo trick-or-treating, but otherwise, doesn't seem to advance the story.
RECOMMEND- Yes. Tinti is an imaginative writer that takes readers to unexpected places. I was able to empathize and connect with all of her main characters. If you can let a few things slide, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is worthy read. It's suspenseful and engaging.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT - Samuel Hawley is an outlaw, who has spent many years moving across the United States with his daughter, Loo. Now that Loo is a teenager, Samuel feels that he can make an honest living as a fisherman, and he settles in the same New England town as Loo's maternal grandmother, Mabel. Loo's mother, Lily, died in a lake accident when Loo was an infant, and Mabel believes that Samuel had hand in her daughter's death. Was Samuel responsible? Can a man who has committed so many crimes, really be safe from his past coming back to haunt him?
LIKE- Tinti is the co-founder of One Story, one of my favorite monthly magazines ( check it out, it's awesome), and I had the pleasure of taking an online writing class with her last month. It was fabulous!
Tinti has an interesting way of framing The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley. She has given Samuel a body riddled with scars from bullets wounds, and she alternates chapters between the present and the past, using the past chapters to explain the ways in which Samuel has been shot. In the past, we learn about Samuel's life of crime, his associates, and how he met Lily. As the story unfolds, we learn the truth about Lily's death, and how it impacts the trajectory of the story. In the present, we see Loo growing into a teenager and trying to figure out details about her mother, through both her grandmother and living in her mother's hometown. This structure created a solid framework for pacing the mysteries of the novel and keeping the suspense.
In addition to a strong structure, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley, has memorable characters. I was most intrigued by Lily and her relationship with Samuel. The chapter in which they meet, was the most intense, gripping chapter of the novel. It was cinematic. Speaking of cinematic, Tinti writes in a grand way, with beautiful imagery and sweeping landscapes. For example, there is a dramatic scene on a glacier in Alaska. Having recently visited a glacier in Alaska, I can tell you, that Tinti captured that amazing environment, including the details of the sounds a glacier makes, which is what was most memorable for me.
DISLIKE- There were a few places where I felt my suspension of disbelief was tested; for example, there are two separate scenes with a whale that didn't work for me. It seemed too outrageous for the tone of the story.
Although I love idea of this outlaw who can survive whatever comes his way, it became a little much to have so many bullet wounds that were patched up. In one chapter he shoots his own foot by accident, which leads to a memorable experience taking a young Loo trick-or-treating, but otherwise, doesn't seem to advance the story.
RECOMMEND- Yes. Tinti is an imaginative writer that takes readers to unexpected places. I was able to empathize and connect with all of her main characters. If you can let a few things slide, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is worthy read. It's suspenseful and engaging.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
lizaroo71's review
5.0
Tinti is a writer that can create characters that are realistic because they are complex and flawed and human.
Loo is twelve when we first meet her and her father has given her a gun for her birthday. She details the nuances of learning how to shoot at a target and these details come up time and again throughout the novel.
Samuel Hawley is a man that has a criminal past and has made some tough decisions in his life. He has raised Loo the best he can, but in interspersed chapters, we get Hawley's backstory and what has lead him to have twelve bullets in his body.
I like that these characters are flawed and make mistakes and I still found myself caring about the choices they made and wanting things to turn out well for everyone, but always having a knot in my stomach telling me perhaps that wasn't going to happen.
This book is definitely dark in tone, but there are slivers of light in Loo's young romance and the environmental issues raised in the fishing community and the love Hawley has for Loo's mother Lily. I found myself always hoping for the best even as Hawley was loading some bullets in a gun and contemplating his next move.
Loo is twelve when we first meet her and her father has given her a gun for her birthday. She details the nuances of learning how to shoot at a target and these details come up time and again throughout the novel.
Samuel Hawley is a man that has a criminal past and has made some tough decisions in his life. He has raised Loo the best he can, but in interspersed chapters, we get Hawley's backstory and what has lead him to have twelve bullets in his body.
I like that these characters are flawed and make mistakes and I still found myself caring about the choices they made and wanting things to turn out well for everyone, but always having a knot in my stomach telling me perhaps that wasn't going to happen.
This book is definitely dark in tone, but there are slivers of light in Loo's young romance and the environmental issues raised in the fishing community and the love Hawley has for Loo's mother Lily. I found myself always hoping for the best even as Hawley was loading some bullets in a gun and contemplating his next move.
emilyisreading2024's review
5.0
Gripping from start to finish. Violent yes, but a beautifully written & compelling story. Loved it.
dolnick's review
4.0
Report Card for The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley
Plot: B
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley tells the story of a father and daughter, named Samuel and Loo (respectfully). The book alternates between the two characters' perspectives, with Loo's story taking place in the present and Samuel's in the past. In the present day tale, Loo is a twelve year old girl (though she is seventeen by the time the book wraps up) who has never lived in one place for very long, thanks to her father's habit of moving them on a whim. When the book begins, this has changed, as the two have moved to the hometown of Loo's deceased mother. From here, the present story is mostly about Loo's experiences in the town, her interactions with her disapproving grandmother, a boy who seems to be interested in her, and the mysterious past of her father.
The brunt of the story, though, is about Samuel's days as a criminal and the consequences this career choice had on his life, including his being shot in twelve very different, unique instances. As Samuel states at one point, your past is like a shadow: it follows you everywhere. We witness some of the past deeds that would come to haunt the man, but Samuel's story also focuses on his meeting and life with Loo's mother, Lilly.
The story is very slowly, methodically paced - with things really ratcheting up once Samuel's past comes calling. While I loved Loo as a character, I found myself bored with the present day adventures (until the last bit of the book) and anxiously awaiting my next chance to delve into the mystery of Samuel Hawley. His chapters are the ones that really make the story, especially when they cause you to notice small, heartbreaking details in the present day. It doesn't hurt that they are also the more exciting parts of the book, given that Loo's present day story is far more focused on trivial, seemingly unimportant things (and characters): like her suitor's interest in getting a petition signed to appease his mother. It is in the present where the slow pace occasionally becomes unbearable, causing my interest to crash until the past returns to spark things back up again.
Characters: B-
Before reading this book, I saw a review that compared the book to the recently released Logan (something that actually hurt the book, in my eyes, given how much I loved the movie and what sorts of expectations that comparison created). As far as the two leads are concerned, I get it. Samuel Hawley is a grizzled, heartbroken, booze-loving man who has seen some shit. Loo is a more innocent figure who must overcome the legacy of her father. This dynamic and odd-couple pairing totally works. More importantly, while they are different in a lot of ways, the two are also incredibly similar. In no place are they more similar than heart; this book essentially beats at the rate of its leads' hearts and breaks along with them. I actively wanted to spend more time with the two, an important thing given that it was a book all about them.
It's the other characters, Lilly and Jove (to a lesser extent) notwithstanding, that I didn't want to spend any time with. Most of them are not well-defined, likable, or interesting. I actively sighed whenever I had to spend anytime with Marshall Hicks, Mary Titus, or really anyone from Lilly's hometown.
Writing: B
On one hand, the writing is so expertly and vividly detailed that it actually amazed me. Hannah Tinti, the book's talented author, has an incredible gift for painting a picture in one's mind. The level of detail is what leads to the book's methodical pace, as Tinti spends pages setting the table. From a technical perspective, it truly is a feat that brings about awe. However, it also makes the book an incredibly slow read - and when that detail is put into Mary Titus' petition to save the fish in the atlantic and her quest to get signatures, this all becomes a big negative.
Overall, the book was just not written in a way that made me an addicted reader. I would read twenty pages, feel like they had weighed on me, and need to stop for awhile; I was never gripped and fully in the book's grasp. (The author also doesn't subscribe to the Oxford Comma, which is a whole different complaint.)
The Ending: A-
I obviously won't go into much detail about this part of the book, as I do not want to spoil anything, but it's usually the end of a book that really makes or breaks things. So, I will just say, that the final act is - outside of one particularly poignant and heartbreaking Hawley chapter (which is honestly a masterclass of writing) - the book's strongest. The slow build towards it is vindicated, although even its final, climactic twenty pages refuse to move at more than a jogger's pace.
Final Grade: B (4 Stars)
At the end of the day, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is a book that made me love its main characters and want to see how their story would end. I was constantly intrigued about how Hawley would receive his next bullet - particularly how bullet number twelve would find him- and it was in these moments that the book truly had me. I wish there was less time spent elsewhere and a little more blood-pumping action, but it's hard to knock a book that - at times - looks like a real work of art.
Plot: B
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley tells the story of a father and daughter, named Samuel and Loo (respectfully). The book alternates between the two characters' perspectives, with Loo's story taking place in the present and Samuel's in the past. In the present day tale, Loo is a twelve year old girl (though she is seventeen by the time the book wraps up) who has never lived in one place for very long, thanks to her father's habit of moving them on a whim. When the book begins, this has changed, as the two have moved to the hometown of Loo's deceased mother. From here, the present story is mostly about Loo's experiences in the town, her interactions with her disapproving grandmother, a boy who seems to be interested in her, and the mysterious past of her father.
The brunt of the story, though, is about Samuel's days as a criminal and the consequences this career choice had on his life, including his being shot in twelve very different, unique instances. As Samuel states at one point, your past is like a shadow: it follows you everywhere. We witness some of the past deeds that would come to haunt the man, but Samuel's story also focuses on his meeting and life with Loo's mother, Lilly.
The story is very slowly, methodically paced - with things really ratcheting up once Samuel's past comes calling. While I loved Loo as a character, I found myself bored with the present day adventures (until the last bit of the book) and anxiously awaiting my next chance to delve into the mystery of Samuel Hawley. His chapters are the ones that really make the story, especially when they cause you to notice small, heartbreaking details in the present day. It doesn't hurt that they are also the more exciting parts of the book, given that Loo's present day story is far more focused on trivial, seemingly unimportant things (and characters): like her suitor's interest in getting a petition signed to appease his mother. It is in the present where the slow pace occasionally becomes unbearable, causing my interest to crash until the past returns to spark things back up again.
Characters: B-
Before reading this book, I saw a review that compared the book to the recently released Logan (something that actually hurt the book, in my eyes, given how much I loved the movie and what sorts of expectations that comparison created). As far as the two leads are concerned, I get it. Samuel Hawley is a grizzled, heartbroken, booze-loving man who has seen some shit. Loo is a more innocent figure who must overcome the legacy of her father. This dynamic and odd-couple pairing totally works. More importantly, while they are different in a lot of ways, the two are also incredibly similar. In no place are they more similar than heart; this book essentially beats at the rate of its leads' hearts and breaks along with them. I actively wanted to spend more time with the two, an important thing given that it was a book all about them.
It's the other characters, Lilly and Jove (to a lesser extent) notwithstanding, that I didn't want to spend any time with. Most of them are not well-defined, likable, or interesting. I actively sighed whenever I had to spend anytime with Marshall Hicks, Mary Titus, or really anyone from Lilly's hometown.
Writing: B
On one hand, the writing is so expertly and vividly detailed that it actually amazed me. Hannah Tinti, the book's talented author, has an incredible gift for painting a picture in one's mind. The level of detail is what leads to the book's methodical pace, as Tinti spends pages setting the table. From a technical perspective, it truly is a feat that brings about awe. However, it also makes the book an incredibly slow read - and when that detail is put into Mary Titus' petition to save the fish in the atlantic and her quest to get signatures, this all becomes a big negative.
Overall, the book was just not written in a way that made me an addicted reader. I would read twenty pages, feel like they had weighed on me, and need to stop for awhile; I was never gripped and fully in the book's grasp. (The author also doesn't subscribe to the Oxford Comma, which is a whole different complaint.)
The Ending: A-
I obviously won't go into much detail about this part of the book, as I do not want to spoil anything, but it's usually the end of a book that really makes or breaks things. So, I will just say, that the final act is - outside of one particularly poignant and heartbreaking Hawley chapter (which is honestly a masterclass of writing) - the book's strongest. The slow build towards it is vindicated, although even its final, climactic twenty pages refuse to move at more than a jogger's pace.
Final Grade: B (4 Stars)
At the end of the day, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is a book that made me love its main characters and want to see how their story would end. I was constantly intrigued about how Hawley would receive his next bullet - particularly how bullet number twelve would find him- and it was in these moments that the book truly had me. I wish there was less time spent elsewhere and a little more blood-pumping action, but it's hard to knock a book that - at times - looks like a real work of art.
mariesreads's review
4.0
Gritty and compelling, a great story about a father and daughter who are very alike in how maladjusted they are.
shailydc's review
4.0
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.