It may seem strange falling in love with someone because of a single gesture, but sometimes you can read an entire person in a single moment. The way you can study a grain of sand and understand the universe. Love at first sight might or might not be a thing, but love in a single moment is.
So much feels.
I did not love this book like I loved The Humans, I didn't even really like it. I did appreciate it for the beautiful writing, which was to be expected from Matt Haig. Five stars for the abundant quotes and the beautiful Montaigne references, two stars for the actual story.
Tom Hazzard does not age like everyone else. He was born in the Shakespearean era and has only just started looking like a man in his 40's. After being around for almost 400 years, one might just lose the will to live, but Tom's search for answers from his past keeps him going and ties him to a cult-like society that "protects"people like him.
The novel alternates between present day London and Tom's looong past in various locations (London, Paris, tahiti, etc.). I honestly did not care for Tom's past life interludes, sure they were vital to the story, but meh. There was so much name dropping there, Shakespeare, the Fitzgeralds, Captain Cook, I don't care. The ending was rushed, basic and downright bizarre (view spoiler) , it undermined the effort that went into building up the anticipation.
That being said, Haig has such a way with words and with making his settings come alive, walking past Shakespeare's Globe will never be the same again. Even though I did not like the story, I enjoyed reading this book so much, simply for Haig's talent of creating hopeless broken protagonists then building them back up one beautifully written sentence at a time and giving his readers hope in humanity as he does so.
I still recommend this book and of course highly recommend The Humans. When you're feeling like everyone is a piece of shit, read Matt Haig.
So much feels.
I did not love this book like I loved The Humans, I didn't even really like it. I did appreciate it for the beautiful writing, which was to be expected from Matt Haig. Five stars for the abundant quotes and the beautiful Montaigne references, two stars for the actual story.
Tom Hazzard does not age like everyone else. He was born in the Shakespearean era and has only just started looking like a man in his 40's. After being around for almost 400 years, one might just lose the will to live, but Tom's search for answers from his past keeps him going and ties him to a cult-like society that "protects"people like him.
The novel alternates between present day London and Tom's looong past in various locations (London, Paris, tahiti, etc.). I honestly did not care for Tom's past life interludes, sure they were vital to the story, but meh. There was so much name dropping there, Shakespeare, the Fitzgeralds, Captain Cook, I don't care. The ending was rushed, basic and downright bizarre (view spoiler) , it undermined the effort that went into building up the anticipation.
That being said, Haig has such a way with words and with making his settings come alive, walking past Shakespeare's Globe will never be the same again. Even though I did not like the story, I enjoyed reading this book so much, simply for Haig's talent of creating hopeless broken protagonists then building them back up one beautifully written sentence at a time and giving his readers hope in humanity as he does so.
I still recommend this book and of course highly recommend The Humans. When you're feeling like everyone is a piece of shit, read Matt Haig.
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