Holly B / Dressedtoread

#BookReview: How To Stop Time By Matt Haig

My Review…

3 Stars

An enjoyable book about Tom Hazard, a very old man (400 y/o), but you wouldn’t know it by looking at him! He looks to be somewhere in his forties. He is stricken with an unusual “condition”. His condition makes him an “alba” which means he could be in danger of being discovered (never aging). Is this a blessing or a curse?

The past and present alternate as we learn how Tom began his journey, and where it will take him over the years. We find out who Tom has loved, the tragedies he has endured, and the lessons we can learn about time.

There is a mystery to unravel, some elements of fantasy as he meets famous people such as Shakespeare and others, a bit of a romantic element, and even a rather thrilling end!

I enjoyed reading this unique book, but felt the alternating chapters of past and present took away from the flow (for me). Famous people thrown in for no apparent reason, Tom’s constant whining and headaches were “over done”.

I especially enjoyed reading this with Diane, Jan, and Marialyce from The Traveling Sister Group. We were split on our love for this one, so you may want to give it a try.

Book Description…

A love story across the ages – and for the ages – about a man lost in time, the woman who could save him, and the lifetimes it can take to learn how to live

Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he’s been alive for centuries. Tom has lived history–performing with Shakespeare, exploring the high seas with Captain Cook, and sharing cocktails with Fitzgerald. Now, he just wants an ordinary life.

So Tom moves back to London, his old home, to become a high school history teacher–the perfect job for someone who has witnessed the city’s history first hand. Better yet, a captivating French teacher at his school seems fascinated by him. But the Albatross Society, the secretive group which protects people like Tom, has one rule: never fall in love. As painful memories of his past and the erratic behavior of the Society’s watchful leader threaten to derail his new life and romance, the one thing he can’t have just happens to be the one thing that might save him. Tom will have to decide once and for all whether to remain stuck in the past, or finally begin living in the present.

How to Stop Time is a bighearted, wildly original novel about losing and finding yourself, the inevitability of change, and how with enough time to learn, we just might find happiness.

21 comments

    • Thanks! I like fantasy, but rarely get a chance to read it because of my love of mysteries and thrillers and of course my huge tbr!!

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  4. Interesting thought about the whining and headaches, I hadn’t heard that but I know that would bother me as well. Plus alternating timelines aren’t always my favorite, I think I’ll bump this one farther down on my tbr

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  11. It’s also funny that the bits I liked are the bits you didn’t like and vice versa, but at least it was an enjoyable read for us both! 🙂

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