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illidia316's review
5.0
The is an amazing book with such real characters. Hawley and Loo are such interestingly unique characters, and the story is very well written and intriguing. I hated putts this book down, and hated seeing it end because I still want more of this universe.
blok_sera_szwajcarskiego's review against another edition
4.0
'Dwanaście żywotów Samuela Hawleya' ma wszystko, czego potrzebuje książka, by mnie oczarować.
Niejednoznacznych bohaterów z niestandardową przeszłością oraz nietuzinkowym charakterem.
Konflikt między bohaterami a mieszkańcami.
Miejsce akcji z prowincjonalnym klimatem.
Drobne elementy, które są moimi ulubionymi w literaturze.
DŻSH ma to wszystko, a mimo to nie usatysfakcjonowała mnie w pełni.
Uważam, że z bohaterów można było wycisnąć trochę więcej - jako że mieli wszystko, by tego dokonać. Podobnie z fabułą. Wystarczyłoby książkę delikatnie dokręcić, co w moim mniemaniu wyszłoby jej na dobre.
Nie przekreśla jednak to faktu, że do złych książek nie należy, i mimo wszystko jej lektura nie była stratą czasu.
Niejednoznacznych bohaterów z niestandardową przeszłością oraz nietuzinkowym charakterem.
Konflikt między bohaterami a mieszkańcami.
Miejsce akcji z prowincjonalnym klimatem.
Drobne elementy, które są moimi ulubionymi w literaturze.
DŻSH ma to wszystko, a mimo to nie usatysfakcjonowała mnie w pełni.
Uważam, że z bohaterów można było wycisnąć trochę więcej - jako że mieli wszystko, by tego dokonać. Podobnie z fabułą. Wystarczyłoby książkę delikatnie dokręcić, co w moim mniemaniu wyszłoby jej na dobre.
Nie przekreśla jednak to faktu, że do złych książek nie należy, i mimo wszystko jej lektura nie była stratą czasu.
jenmat1197's review
4.0
Samuel Hawley is a single father of a girl named Loo (Louise). He has been her sole caregiver since she was less than 1 year old. Loo has no memories of her mother, and her dad rarely talks about her. He keeps pictures of her in the house, but hidden from visitors. Loo and Samuel have spent most of Loo's life on the run. Moving from town to town. Samuel's past is always chasing him, so he ties to keep ahead of it. Now that Loo is a teenager, he wants to give her a more stable life. So he settles in his late wife's hometown and begins steady work. Loo becomes more and more curious about the mother she never knew, and meets her grandmother for what she assumes is the first time. Her grandmother has never approved of Samuel, but she is willing to let him back in her life so she can be a part of Loo's. Loo begins to piece together her father's past by the scars - all 12 from bullets from his criminal past - he has. His past has come back for him, and this time Loo is caught in the middle.
This was a good book. I cannot imagine being shot 12 times and surviving to tell about it. Hawley's past is a big part of this book - almost each chapter a story of how he received a scar. But woven in there is the story of Loo and her grandmother, and Loo's mother before Loo was born. The book did end a bit abruptly - like books sometimes do - but that is never my favorite. I like a nice clean break, but alas, I didn't get it here.
Check it out.
This was a good book. I cannot imagine being shot 12 times and surviving to tell about it. Hawley's past is a big part of this book - almost each chapter a story of how he received a scar. But woven in there is the story of Loo and her grandmother, and Loo's mother before Loo was born. The book did end a bit abruptly - like books sometimes do - but that is never my favorite. I like a nice clean break, but alas, I didn't get it here.
Check it out.
miranda_is_currently_reading's review
5.0
4.5 stars.
This book was piercing. Both beautiful and heartbreaking. It consumed me, and I found myself unwilling to do anything else until I had finished it-even amid the numerous breaks I was forced to take when I came across a particularly shocking revelation-only to find, upon finishing it, that I was upset I wasn't able to read more about Loo and Hawley. Absolutely incredible.
This book was piercing. Both beautiful and heartbreaking. It consumed me, and I found myself unwilling to do anything else until I had finished it-even amid the numerous breaks I was forced to take when I came across a particularly shocking revelation-only to find, upon finishing it, that I was upset I wasn't able to read more about Loo and Hawley. Absolutely incredible.
ralphball's review
3.0
The problems I had with this book are entirely my own, not the book. I keep going for literary fiction even though I don't enjoy it as much these days.
The story was fine, but I wasn't invested in the characters. I didn't much like the title character, Hawley. It just wasn't the right time for me to read this. No doubt I'll read something similar in the future and I'll feel exactly the same. Sigh.
The story was fine, but I wasn't invested in the characters. I didn't much like the title character, Hawley. It just wasn't the right time for me to read this. No doubt I'll read something similar in the future and I'll feel exactly the same. Sigh.
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
Samuel Hawley grew up quickly moving from being a petty criminal to part of team known for their quick efficient work. However after a job goes wrong Samuel lies low and then meets Lily. She is a free spirit and they fall in love, get married and have a baby, Loo, but then Samuel's past catches up with them. Samuel and his daughter spend their lives moving from place to place until they pitch up in Olympus, Massachusetts - Lily's home town and where her mother still lives. For the next few years they try to make a life for themselves until Samuel's past comes calling again.
I loved this book on so many levels. As a description of the relationship between a father and a daughter it is written very tenderly and with that understanding of a bond that goes beyond forgiveness. The way the narrative switched between Loo's present life and Samuel's past was great and I particularly liked the use of the history of Samuel's bullet scars as a way of telling his story. Although there is a lot of violence in the book, it does not feel gratuitous or unnecessary, it feels that it is essential to understand the two sides of Samuel's character - his love for his long-dead wife and his living daughter, and the hard life he has had and the need to survive. There is also a really poetic set of motifs passing through, the beauty of whales and the vastness of the cosmos. All in all a stunning, sensitive and beautiful book.
I loved this book on so many levels. As a description of the relationship between a father and a daughter it is written very tenderly and with that understanding of a bond that goes beyond forgiveness. The way the narrative switched between Loo's present life and Samuel's past was great and I particularly liked the use of the history of Samuel's bullet scars as a way of telling his story. Although there is a lot of violence in the book, it does not feel gratuitous or unnecessary, it feels that it is essential to understand the two sides of Samuel's character - his love for his long-dead wife and his living daughter, and the hard life he has had and the need to survive. There is also a really poetic set of motifs passing through, the beauty of whales and the vastness of the cosmos. All in all a stunning, sensitive and beautiful book.
carstensena's review
5.0
What a satisfying, propulsive reading experience! I love this novel. Love Hawley and his daughter Loo. Love the structure, which takes the reader back and forth in time and sets up the suspense of each bullet wound. The clocks and stars that echo throughout.
For fellow librarians who work with teens, this is a GREAT crossover book. An excellent coming-of-age thriller. Good readalike for Steve Hamilton's Lock Artist. Something to look forward to in 2017!
For fellow librarians who work with teens, this is a GREAT crossover book. An excellent coming-of-age thriller. Good readalike for Steve Hamilton's Lock Artist. Something to look forward to in 2017!
emilyhawk's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tbim's review
5.0
Well, "The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley" is now the best book I've read in 2017. Sorry, "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane". A modern take on the 12 Labors of Hercules, Tinti's book is a thriller wrapped in a parable, vice-a-versa.