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Available
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Genres
Collection
Publication
Canongate Books (2017), Edition: Main, 336 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Science Fiction. Historical Fiction. HTML:From the New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library. �??A quirky romcom dusted with philosophical observations�?�.A delightfully witty�?�poignant novel.�?� �??The Washington Post �??She smiled a soft, troubled smile and I felt the whole world slipping away, and I wanted to slip with it, to go wherever she was going�?� I had existed whole years without her, but that was all it had been. An existence. A book with no words.�?� Tom Hazard has just moved back to London, his old home, to settle down and become a high school history teacher. And on his first day at school, he meets a captivating French teacher at his school who seems fascinated by him. But Tom 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. Unfortunately for Tom, 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 tells 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. It 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. Soon to be a major motion pictu… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Beamis12
3.5 An engaging story about a man who is 400 years old and will continue to live hundreds of years more. Tom Hazard, a man now living in current times, but remembering his love who lived so long ago, and his daughter, who he has long been searching. His daughter, who like him, is able to live a
The chapters alternate between present day, and his past lives, though the past remembrances are for the most part out of order, sometimes for me it seemed like they were just thrown in to bring more famous people into the story. My reception of this novel was mixed, it is entertaining and flows well, easy to read but the constant changing focus if the story kept me from engaging emotionally. There is also a mysterious group called The Albatross, which between this and the age of Tom and others gave this a fantasy flavor, far from my favorite genre. The ending though, I thought well done and did do much to pull the novel together, which is why I went up a bit in my rating. There was also some insightful musings on the role of time in our lives.
I did, however, enjoy our sisters read discussion, love our differing opinions. So an engaging characters interesting historical tidbits but a fantasy element I couldn't fully embrace.
ARC from Edelweiss.
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long time. There are interesting forays back in time, historical happenings as Tom remembers. The witch trials in England, playing to lute and meeting Shakespeare, playing piano at Ciro's, and many others. The chapters alternate between present day, and his past lives, though the past remembrances are for the most part out of order, sometimes for me it seemed like they were just thrown in to bring more famous people into the story. My reception of this novel was mixed, it is entertaining and flows well, easy to read but the constant changing focus if the story kept me from engaging emotionally. There is also a mysterious group called The Albatross, which between this and the age of Tom and others gave this a fantasy flavor, far from my favorite genre. The ending though, I thought well done and did do much to pull the novel together, which is why I went up a bit in my rating. There was also some insightful musings on the role of time in our lives.
I did, however, enjoy our sisters read discussion, love our differing opinions. So an engaging characters interesting historical tidbits but a fantasy element I couldn't fully embrace.
ARC from Edelweiss.
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LibraryThing member funkyplaid
One of the most magnificent works of fiction I have yet read, Matt Haig's latest novel is a glorious inward reflection on the brevity of life by a protagonist who lives for centuries beyond the rest of us. That central irony is very clearly a fear-facing experiment by Haig himself, having struggled
Challenging his own proclamation that "time heals" from 2015's Reasons to Stay Alive, How to Stop Time asserts that, given far more of it for us to experience, time really only makes things worse unless the ghosts which haunt us are actively put down. Haig's prose is accessible, life-affirming philosophy for the everyperson, but it certainly helps to know a bit about the author's own experiences, which only enriched the read-through for me. As an historian who has likewise struggled with anxiety and depression, as well as temporal dread from both directions, the story and its lessons especially reverberated with me, and I recognize the tale as a kind of exercise of exorcism for the author as much as instructive fiction written for an outside audience.
Haig's delicacy with his characters and subjects is never too precious or saccharine, and they are rarely obvious or one-noted. The first-person story is punctuated with staccato blurbs of wisdom and reflections on the current state of society and how modern life might be seen by someone who has been alive since the sixteenth century. This is a character with ennui, having experienced some personal horrors early in life and now consigned to live out decades and centuries suffering from the pain of those losses. But he learns, however glacially, that both the past and the future are traps when the Now is disregarded. This is Humanity 101, and I believe it should be required reading for the unquiet id.
I must reiterate that there is no time-travel in this book. The jumps forward and backward to and from place and time serve as the protagonist's memories and experiences, and for the most part the segues are masterfully calibrated to flow cleanly within the narrative. On a couple of occasions, however, it appears that Haig has fallen victim to his own time-hopping, confusing the months and years of the continuity:
• pp. 255-6 - The memory explicitly begins in March 1768 but a later paragraph describes the "June sunlight", though seemingly no time had passed in the scene.
• p. 268 - The memory occurs in 1767, but the events in the chapter happen after the memories noted above.
That these were missed by the editors is not surprising, as they are subtle cracks in an otherwise seamless tableau. (I admit that my obsessive scrutiny, fostered by my experience as a historical scholar, might be considered abnormal.)
In closing, to offer a sense of the value with which I regarded this story, one can look to the dozens of post-its carefully placed throughout my copy of the book, marking passages and musings that I hope will have lasting effect on my thoughts and, ergo, my life. This is how I usually treat the historical non-fiction that I spend so much of my time referencing. For fiction to compel the same measures, it has to be something special. And it is.
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for many years with a deep anxiety and depression that almost ended his life. This is not a book about time travel; it is a celebration of the sanctity of the Now – something we very much need amidst the assault of terrifying political threats, lack of meaningful interpersonal connection, and landslide glut of media with which we are constantly barraged.Challenging his own proclamation that "time heals" from 2015's Reasons to Stay Alive, How to Stop Time asserts that, given far more of it for us to experience, time really only makes things worse unless the ghosts which haunt us are actively put down. Haig's prose is accessible, life-affirming philosophy for the everyperson, but it certainly helps to know a bit about the author's own experiences, which only enriched the read-through for me. As an historian who has likewise struggled with anxiety and depression, as well as temporal dread from both directions, the story and its lessons especially reverberated with me, and I recognize the tale as a kind of exercise of exorcism for the author as much as instructive fiction written for an outside audience.
Haig's delicacy with his characters and subjects is never too precious or saccharine, and they are rarely obvious or one-noted. The first-person story is punctuated with staccato blurbs of wisdom and reflections on the current state of society and how modern life might be seen by someone who has been alive since the sixteenth century. This is a character with ennui, having experienced some personal horrors early in life and now consigned to live out decades and centuries suffering from the pain of those losses. But he learns, however glacially, that both the past and the future are traps when the Now is disregarded. This is Humanity 101, and I believe it should be required reading for the unquiet id.
I must reiterate that there is no time-travel in this book. The jumps forward and backward to and from place and time serve as the protagonist's memories and experiences, and for the most part the segues are masterfully calibrated to flow cleanly within the narrative. On a couple of occasions, however, it appears that Haig has fallen victim to his own time-hopping, confusing the months and years of the continuity:
• pp. 255-6 - The memory explicitly begins in March 1768 but a later paragraph describes the "June sunlight", though seemingly no time had passed in the scene.
• p. 268 - The memory occurs in 1767, but the events in the chapter happen after the memories noted above.
That these were missed by the editors is not surprising, as they are subtle cracks in an otherwise seamless tableau. (I admit that my obsessive scrutiny, fostered by my experience as a historical scholar, might be considered abnormal.)
In closing, to offer a sense of the value with which I regarded this story, one can look to the dozens of post-its carefully placed throughout my copy of the book, marking passages and musings that I hope will have lasting effect on my thoughts and, ergo, my life. This is how I usually treat the historical non-fiction that I spend so much of my time referencing. For fiction to compel the same measures, it has to be something special. And it is.
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LibraryThing member Eat_Read_Knit
Loved this. Properly loved it.
Tom Hazard, now over 400 years old, ages slowly. Very slowly. Currently working as a history teacher and looking like he's in his early 40s, Tom has a lot of past, a troubled relationship with the present, and quite a few uncertainties over the future.
The concept is
Tom Hazard, now over 400 years old, ages slowly. Very slowly. Currently working as a history teacher and looking like he's in his early 40s, Tom has a lot of past, a troubled relationship with the present, and quite a few uncertainties over the future.
The concept is
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intriguing: what is life like when you live much longer than other people? How do you look at the present and the future, when you've seen generation after generation making the same mistakes? How does history - yours and the world's - shape your present? How do you live when everyone you know will get old and die before you do - when you know that you will inevitable grieve? All of which, of course, are questions for everyone - just on a smaller scale. Show Less
LibraryThing member kimkimkim
What if you discovered that you were going to live to be 900 and that you could love everything except for another human being? Would you want that life? Estienne Thomas Ambroise Christophe Hazard known in the current century as Tom Hazard has lived a very long time. He is in the mid-point of his
This was an engaging story, with interesting characters and circumstances. This book posed so many meaningful questions that resonated and ultimately requires you to question if you found yourself in the identical situation “How would I Live?”
Thank you NetGalley and Viking for an ARC.
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life and struggling with living in the “now”. He is struggling with all the ghosts and the previous nows. He has been many different people and played many roles. He thinks of himself as a “crowd in one body”. He has met and quotes Shakespeare and actually lives one of those quotes –you know the one “All the world’s a stage……And one man in his time plays many parts.”This was an engaging story, with interesting characters and circumstances. This book posed so many meaningful questions that resonated and ultimately requires you to question if you found yourself in the identical situation “How would I Live?”
Thank you NetGalley and Viking for an ARC.
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LibraryThing member mzonderm
Tom has met William Shakespeare, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Captain Cook. He's over four centuries old (but looks like he's only in his 40s) but of course he can't tell anyone that. As far as Tom is concerned, being practically immortal (he's not, but he should live well into his ninth century) isn't
There's not so much plot for most of the book as there is deep, dark philosophical musing on life and time and history. Until suddenly Haig realizes that he has to actually end the book in some way, and several very dramatic things happen, Tom comes to some startling realizations, and they all live happily ever after. For a long time.
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all it's cracked up to be. He probably would have done himself in a long time ago, except he has to find his daughter, who's out there somewhere. He thinks. But since he hasn't even had a hint of where she might be in about 350 years, he's decided to go back to his roots, which dredge up a lot of memories. Most of the book alternates between Tom's current life as a history teacher and his reminiscenses as he Forrest Gumps his way through history.There's not so much plot for most of the book as there is deep, dark philosophical musing on life and time and history. Until suddenly Haig realizes that he has to actually end the book in some way, and several very dramatic things happen, Tom comes to some startling realizations, and they all live happily ever after. For a long time.
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LibraryThing member cburnett5
4.5 stars
How to Stop Time is a thought-provoking read. Matt Haig envisions a world where a small group of individuals age at a much slower pace than the average human. While the main character, Tom Hazard, looks 41, he is actually centuries old. To avoid being institutionalized or treated as a
I loved the history aspects of the story. In his lengthy life, Tom met Shakespeare, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Captain Cook and many others, and their encounters were so much fun to read about. Haig focuses on relationships and their importance in people’s lives. He also observes that humans are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past, a sentiment that addresses what the United States is experiencing right now. I don’t generally quote books in my reviews, but I felt that the following statement completely encapsulates what we are going through right now: “The lesson is that ignorance and superstition are things that can rise up, inside almost anyone, at any moment. And what starts as a doubt in a mind can swiftly become an act in the world.” His recognition that humans are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past is a sobering and timely statement.
I enjoyed How to Stop Time. Occasionally, I was ready for it to move along a little faster but overall it was a very entertaining read.
How to Stop Time is a thought-provoking read. Matt Haig envisions a world where a small group of individuals age at a much slower pace than the average human. While the main character, Tom Hazard, looks 41, he is actually centuries old. To avoid being institutionalized or treated as a
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medical research subject, Tom has moved around his entire life staying nowhere more than 8-10 years. When the book opens, Tom has decided to return to London and teach history at a local low-income high school. He is tired of constantly being on the move and wants to have an ordinary life. As his quest for a normal life unfolds, we are taken back and forth in time to learn about the many places and people Tom has experienced over his long and storied life. I loved the history aspects of the story. In his lengthy life, Tom met Shakespeare, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Captain Cook and many others, and their encounters were so much fun to read about. Haig focuses on relationships and their importance in people’s lives. He also observes that humans are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past, a sentiment that addresses what the United States is experiencing right now. I don’t generally quote books in my reviews, but I felt that the following statement completely encapsulates what we are going through right now: “The lesson is that ignorance and superstition are things that can rise up, inside almost anyone, at any moment. And what starts as a doubt in a mind can swiftly become an act in the world.” His recognition that humans are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past is a sobering and timely statement.
I enjoyed How to Stop Time. Occasionally, I was ready for it to move along a little faster but overall it was a very entertaining read.
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LibraryThing member JJbooklvr
Writing to savor, characters to break your heart and then put the pieces back together, and a story that once it gets in your head refuses to go away. And yes history does tend to repeat itself but sometimes we find a way to be ok with that and appreciate the present for what it offers. A must read
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for 2018! Show Less
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
In Matt Haig‘s wildly original new novel, How to Stop Time, there is a secret society that does not want you to know they exist. They call themselves the Albatross Society because back in the day, albatrosses were thought to have an unusually long lifespan. The members of this secret society age
With rules like that, it is no wonder that Tom Hazard is tired. After four hundred years of living a fairly isolated life with no close friends or family, he questions his very existence and hopes that returning to the scenes of his early 20s will help him recall what it is like to live like everyone else. Except, once there, the proximity to his past brings it even closer than he ever thought, blurring the line between past and present, making him question his sanity, and forcing him to reevaluate everything he thought was important to him.
We enter Tom’s life at the time he is having a true crisis of faith. He is tired of life and tired of the restraints and obligations set upon him by the Society. He hopes his move to London and his position as a history teacher will bring some much-need focus to his life. We see his exhaustion and learn about his growing apathy towards everything and everyone. Most of all, we see him scoff at us regular humans for our misplaced obsession with technology and things.
With a description about a man who has lived for centuries, I was expecting a novel with a bit more adventure and action. Instead, it is almost a character study of humanity at large. It is definitely a character-driven novel in which Tom takes us through his past to the point where he joins the Society and through his present as he struggles with what to do about the endless years still facing him. Through this, we not only learn from his observances about humans over the last four centuries, we also get an intimate look at what life was like during the Elizabethan era.
Mr. Haig minces no words during the historic scenes. Nor does he beautify history. He shows what was in all its filthy, unregulated glory. Mud is the least of the issues. People setting up markets on main streets next to animal waste. Drinking beer because it was the one thing guaranteed not to kill you since no one knew if the water was safe. Abject poverty. Crime. Brutality. Bigotry. Sure, this was at the same time Shakespeare was writing and performing his plays, but there was nothing glorious about the era. Because of his unusual genetics, Tom faces the worst of humanity as people always fear what they do not understand, and during that age fear and not understanding went hand-in-hand with cries of witchcraft. Mr. Haig does not present a pretty picture because there was none to be had.
What he does do with these scenes, though, is shows us how to find the good within the bad. How to hold close love and comfort and warmth when it is available to you. Tom learns this at an early age because he understands how fleeting it is for him given his condition. Yet it is something we humans tend to repeatedly forget until it is way too late.
In How to Stop Time, Mr. Haig capitalizes on society’s fascination with living forever to show us what it might be like to truly do so. This is not a vampire story or a werewolf story or any other mythical creature who lives forever story. Tom is as human as you and me; he just happens to age very, very, very slowly. While it would be easy for Mr. Haig to focus on the negative aspects about today’s lust for the latest and greatest technology, our short attention spans, and our addictions to social media/our phones/the Internet, he does not do so. Instead, just as in his previous novel, Mr. Haig uses the outsider to observe and remember the human connections that bind us together and make us truly immortal. He reminds us to stop and rest and to enjoy life. He shows us that wishing for what we cannot have is just as bad as not paying attention to what we do have.
Tom struggles most with regret, and that is a lesson of which we all need reminding. He regrets giving up on his wife and daughter. He regrets certain decisions which put him on his current path. He regrets not being stronger when he needed to be so. Through his regrets, we are reminded that life is too short to have regrets. No one wants to look back on your life and wish you had done things differently. Even a man who has been alive for four hundred years needs a reminder that life is more than our phones and our Instagram account and that an unhappy life is one that is squandering the blesses this life provides. We just have to know where to look and not be afraid to grab it when happiness appears.
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at a fraction of the rate normal humans do, which means they tend to live for hundreds and hundreds of years, but you will never know them. They don’t fall in love; they don’t form close relationships with anyone, and they disappear every eight years to avoid detection.With rules like that, it is no wonder that Tom Hazard is tired. After four hundred years of living a fairly isolated life with no close friends or family, he questions his very existence and hopes that returning to the scenes of his early 20s will help him recall what it is like to live like everyone else. Except, once there, the proximity to his past brings it even closer than he ever thought, blurring the line between past and present, making him question his sanity, and forcing him to reevaluate everything he thought was important to him.
We enter Tom’s life at the time he is having a true crisis of faith. He is tired of life and tired of the restraints and obligations set upon him by the Society. He hopes his move to London and his position as a history teacher will bring some much-need focus to his life. We see his exhaustion and learn about his growing apathy towards everything and everyone. Most of all, we see him scoff at us regular humans for our misplaced obsession with technology and things.
With a description about a man who has lived for centuries, I was expecting a novel with a bit more adventure and action. Instead, it is almost a character study of humanity at large. It is definitely a character-driven novel in which Tom takes us through his past to the point where he joins the Society and through his present as he struggles with what to do about the endless years still facing him. Through this, we not only learn from his observances about humans over the last four centuries, we also get an intimate look at what life was like during the Elizabethan era.
Mr. Haig minces no words during the historic scenes. Nor does he beautify history. He shows what was in all its filthy, unregulated glory. Mud is the least of the issues. People setting up markets on main streets next to animal waste. Drinking beer because it was the one thing guaranteed not to kill you since no one knew if the water was safe. Abject poverty. Crime. Brutality. Bigotry. Sure, this was at the same time Shakespeare was writing and performing his plays, but there was nothing glorious about the era. Because of his unusual genetics, Tom faces the worst of humanity as people always fear what they do not understand, and during that age fear and not understanding went hand-in-hand with cries of witchcraft. Mr. Haig does not present a pretty picture because there was none to be had.
What he does do with these scenes, though, is shows us how to find the good within the bad. How to hold close love and comfort and warmth when it is available to you. Tom learns this at an early age because he understands how fleeting it is for him given his condition. Yet it is something we humans tend to repeatedly forget until it is way too late.
In How to Stop Time, Mr. Haig capitalizes on society’s fascination with living forever to show us what it might be like to truly do so. This is not a vampire story or a werewolf story or any other mythical creature who lives forever story. Tom is as human as you and me; he just happens to age very, very, very slowly. While it would be easy for Mr. Haig to focus on the negative aspects about today’s lust for the latest and greatest technology, our short attention spans, and our addictions to social media/our phones/the Internet, he does not do so. Instead, just as in his previous novel, Mr. Haig uses the outsider to observe and remember the human connections that bind us together and make us truly immortal. He reminds us to stop and rest and to enjoy life. He shows us that wishing for what we cannot have is just as bad as not paying attention to what we do have.
Tom struggles most with regret, and that is a lesson of which we all need reminding. He regrets giving up on his wife and daughter. He regrets certain decisions which put him on his current path. He regrets not being stronger when he needed to be so. Through his regrets, we are reminded that life is too short to have regrets. No one wants to look back on your life and wish you had done things differently. Even a man who has been alive for four hundred years needs a reminder that life is more than our phones and our Instagram account and that an unhappy life is one that is squandering the blesses this life provides. We just have to know where to look and not be afraid to grab it when happiness appears.
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LibraryThing member debkrenzer
2.5 stars raised to 3.
I really tried to like this book. I saw so many 4 and 5 star reviews, I just knew it had to be good. Well, 56% of the way to the end, I said "never mind, I just don't get it". I read two other books while reading this one and they were excellent.
I'm putting this one back on
Thanks to Penguin Group Viking and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I really tried to like this book. I saw so many 4 and 5 star reviews, I just knew it had to be good. Well, 56% of the way to the end, I said "never mind, I just don't get it". I read two other books while reading this one and they were excellent.
I'm putting this one back on
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the shelf. I seriously could not get into this book or care about Tom.Thanks to Penguin Group Viking and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
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LibraryThing member jmoncton
What if you were in excellent health and could live for centuries in the prime of your life. You still were mortal, but you didn't have to worry about the normal ailments that kill people. Wouldn't that be something that everyone would wish for? But eventually everyone in your circle - family,
Tom Hazard has a rare genetic trait that makes him age slowly and immune to disease. He still gets older, just very slowly. Born in the Middle Ages, he has experienced Shakespeare, the Plague, and sailed the seas with Captain Cook. Now fast forward to today. Tom has lived centuries, but only looks 41 years old. He's lived in many places and seen history in the making, but he only stays in one place for 8 years before he moves on. This endless struggle of trying to remain anonymous and not forming any bonds is beginning to wear on him.
I thought the premise of this book would make a fascinating story, and there were parts of this book that I loved, but there is also a not-so-subtle message about the true meaning of life. Although I liked the message, the delivery was a little heavy handed and felt too obvious.
So overall, I enjoyed it, but I'm a bit disappointed that the delivery wasn't as good as the premise.
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friends, and of course nosy neighbors would notice that as they got older and arthritic, you would still be going strong, looking exactly as you did 50 years ago. And that would probably raise questions and make your nosy neighbors really jealous -- so jealous that your life would be in danger. Tom Hazard has a rare genetic trait that makes him age slowly and immune to disease. He still gets older, just very slowly. Born in the Middle Ages, he has experienced Shakespeare, the Plague, and sailed the seas with Captain Cook. Now fast forward to today. Tom has lived centuries, but only looks 41 years old. He's lived in many places and seen history in the making, but he only stays in one place for 8 years before he moves on. This endless struggle of trying to remain anonymous and not forming any bonds is beginning to wear on him.
I thought the premise of this book would make a fascinating story, and there were parts of this book that I loved, but there is also a not-so-subtle message about the true meaning of life. Although I liked the message, the delivery was a little heavy handed and felt too obvious.
So overall, I enjoyed it, but I'm a bit disappointed that the delivery wasn't as good as the premise.
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LibraryThing member Othemts
The narrator of this novel Tom Hazard has a genetic condition that makes him age physically at a significantly slower pace than the typical human. In the present day he is over 400 years old but only appears middle-aged. The narrative switches back and forth from Tom's present day attempt to make a
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normal life for himself as a history teacher in London and memories of his past. These include the horrors inflicted upon him by superstitious people, his one true romance with his wife Rose in Elizabethan England, and his recruitment into a club of similar people who age slowly in the late 19th century. It makes for a charming mix of historical fiction and a contemporary romance. Haig is good at filling in the details of what it would be like to live, work, and love over the time of centuries, accumulating memories and experiences. Show Less
LibraryThing member marjorie.mallon
I've been meaning to read this for some time as the topic - time - is really up my street! I found it a very interesting novel.
Would anyone really want to live for such a long time if that meant that:
You would be classed as a dangerous oddity?
You would have to hide who you are?
You would have to
You'd live a lonely existence-as you would lose those you love through their natural death, or through their connection to you.
I doubt it.
It's a thoughtful, philosophical novel - and I particularly enjoy novels that make you ponder.
There are sad episodes in the novel but somehow they didn't make me cry which was a bit of a disappointment! All those long episodes of time and not a tear jerker is sight. This could have been a five star read, but it didn't quite make it. And that is why, in my opinion.
Nevertheless, it's well written and worthy of reading. It's a thinking novel so it might not be for everyone!
Would anyone really want to live for such a long time if that meant that:
You would be classed as a dangerous oddity?
You would have to hide who you are?
You would have to
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suffer - and those you loved would suffer or be threatened/murdered because of your condition. You'd live a lonely existence-as you would lose those you love through their natural death, or through their connection to you.
I doubt it.
It's a thoughtful, philosophical novel - and I particularly enjoy novels that make you ponder.
There are sad episodes in the novel but somehow they didn't make me cry which was a bit of a disappointment! All those long episodes of time and not a tear jerker is sight. This could have been a five star read, but it didn't quite make it. And that is why, in my opinion.
Nevertheless, it's well written and worthy of reading. It's a thinking novel so it might not be for everyone!
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LibraryThing member isabelx
Look at her,' said Agnes, as we stood outside on the upper deck of the Etruria. 'Liberty Enlightening the World.'
It was my first sighting of the Statue of Liberty. Her right arm raising that torch high into the air. She was a copper colour back then, and shone, and looked most impressive. She
I like Matt Haig's books. They are easy reads (or listens if I borrow the audiobook from the library) but contain some interesting ideas.
"How to Stop Time" is the story of Tom Hazard, who was born in a French chateau in 1581, and developed normally until about the age of 12, when his rate of aging slowed to 1 year of apparent age for 15 years of chronological age. Until he was contacted by the Albatross Club in 1891, he had only met two people like himself (his daughter and a sailor from the South Seas) and heard of one other. Since then the Albatross Club has organised a new 'life' for him every 8 years, and he has just moved to London to start a job as a history teacher, apparently aged about 40 .
It takes Tom well over 400 years to realisethat the way to stop time is to live in the present.
It was my first sighting of the Statue of Liberty. Her right arm raising that torch high into the air. She was a copper colour back then, and shone, and looked most impressive. She
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glowed in the sun, as we got closer to the harbour. She seemed vast – epic and ancient – something on the scale of sphinxes and pyramids. I had only been alive since the world had become smaller, more modest again. But I looked at the New York skyline and felt like the world was dreaming bigger. Clearing its throat.I like Matt Haig's books. They are easy reads (or listens if I borrow the audiobook from the library) but contain some interesting ideas.
"How to Stop Time" is the story of Tom Hazard, who was born in a French chateau in 1581, and developed normally until about the age of 12, when his rate of aging slowed to 1 year of apparent age for 15 years of chronological age. Until he was contacted by the Albatross Club in 1891
It takes Tom well over 400 years to realise
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LibraryThing member DLMorrese
The new history teacher at a present day school in London is uniquely qualified. He doesn't just know history. He lived through it. Born in 1581, Tom has been to several places, has met some famous people, and has accumulated many skills and experiences. One important thing he's learned is to avoid
That description may make this book sound like angst-filled romantic drivel, but it's not. Well, okay, there is some romance, and I suppose a bit of angst is unavoidable, but it's mainly a first person account of human cultures over time from the unique perspective of someone who is simultaneously immersed in and detached from them. It's a good story done well. I recommend it.
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close personal relationships; love especially. Aging at about a tenth the rate of most people, such attachments can only bring heartache.That description may make this book sound like angst-filled romantic drivel, but it's not. Well, okay, there is some romance, and I suppose a bit of angst is unavoidable, but it's mainly a first person account of human cultures over time from the unique perspective of someone who is simultaneously immersed in and detached from them. It's a good story done well. I recommend it.
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LibraryThing member hazel1123
I rarely rate books with less than three stars simply because I don’t finish books I don’t really enjoy. This was different. The story is good enough that I didn’t want to abandon the book, but I just couldn’t get involved with the characters. I understand this is just about me and what I
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felt like reading now. The plot is creative and well developed and the book is probably wort trying if you like the science fiction/time travel stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member maneekuhi
Not a ROMCOM !
I generally dislike “fantasy” fiction, though I have a difficult time describing exactly what I mean by that. So I rely mainly on examples to get my point across. A young girl is murdered and her spirit observes the earthly events following her demise; the spirit impacts
Our HST hero, narrator Tom Hazard, was born March 3, 1581 and he is still alive today; he appears to be in his early 40’s. Yes, Tom ages very slowly, and while this first appears to be a good thing, it does present problems over the years. After all, friends and neighbors will notice at some point that he doesn’t seem any older than he did eight years ago when they first met. When Tom was just a kid, witchcraft in his family was suspected, and we know what they did to witches. In some respects things haven’t improved much for those with his condition over the centuries – imagine what a guinea pig he would become today. So Tom can only survive through the ages by becoming a rolling stone, and eight years seems to be about the critical point to move on. Obviously a story with all kinds of flashback opportunities.
Over the years, Tom comes to realize that he is not the only one blessed/afflicted with this condition. There is even a secret society, and their first goal is to survive within ever-changing communities. The society has one rule – never fall in love. Though not stated as such there is a second rule and that is never tell anyone of your condition because you will endanger all other albas. Now don’t assume like I did that this story morphs into some nice sweet little romance. Ninety percent of this 331 page novel is how Tom survives over the centuries. But the anchor timepoint of HST is today, and slowly the story keeps coming back to today. Tom has just taken on a new job as a history teacher (a natural position, right? After all, he knew Shakespeare personally!) and he is soon attracted to a young lady colleague.
On the rare occasions that I have read “fantasies”, I have often become frustrated by holes in the story, mostly points where the story v. reality gap becomes enormous and distracting. To really make a story like HST work requires a ton of unusual plotting and other work on the part of the author. Haig has done that with this story and hats off to him for it. HST works. So, why not five star? Is there a message? Yes, but nothing that blew me away. Secondly, the story occasionally slowed down for me. I thought it would have benefitted from a bit more excitement, or tension. There is one such scene with Tom as a young boy, but I would have been more tightly engaged with the book had there been at least one other similar episode. I just noted this will be a movie with Benedict Cumberbatch which strikes me as perfect casting. Hopefully the movie people won’t add seven more adventure scenes.
I generally dislike “fantasy” fiction, though I have a difficult time describing exactly what I mean by that. So I rely mainly on examples to get my point across. A young girl is murdered and her spirit observes the earthly events following her demise; the spirit impacts
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subsequent events. An action hero walks into a bar on a distant planet and is confronted by a belligerent patron with three heads, while a 1200 pound frog like creature sits in a corner sipping his martini. Time travel is rife with more examples. But I’m also a romantic at heart so sub-consciously I seem to always be on the lookout for a fantasy that works. I’ve read two earlier Matt Haig books and I found them just OK, two and three star efforts. Recently, I wanted something very different from my usual crime fiction/history/bio/memoir/politics mix so I thought I’d give “How To Stop Time” (HST) a shot.Our HST hero, narrator Tom Hazard, was born March 3, 1581 and he is still alive today; he appears to be in his early 40’s. Yes, Tom ages very slowly, and while this first appears to be a good thing, it does present problems over the years. After all, friends and neighbors will notice at some point that he doesn’t seem any older than he did eight years ago when they first met. When Tom was just a kid, witchcraft in his family was suspected, and we know what they did to witches. In some respects things haven’t improved much for those with his condition over the centuries – imagine what a guinea pig he would become today. So Tom can only survive through the ages by becoming a rolling stone, and eight years seems to be about the critical point to move on. Obviously a story with all kinds of flashback opportunities.
Over the years, Tom comes to realize that he is not the only one blessed/afflicted with this condition. There is even a secret society, and their first goal is to survive within ever-changing communities. The society has one rule – never fall in love. Though not stated as such there is a second rule and that is never tell anyone of your condition because you will endanger all other albas. Now don’t assume like I did that this story morphs into some nice sweet little romance. Ninety percent of this 331 page novel is how Tom survives over the centuries. But the anchor timepoint of HST is today, and slowly the story keeps coming back to today. Tom has just taken on a new job as a history teacher (a natural position, right? After all, he knew Shakespeare personally!) and he is soon attracted to a young lady colleague.
On the rare occasions that I have read “fantasies”, I have often become frustrated by holes in the story, mostly points where the story v. reality gap becomes enormous and distracting. To really make a story like HST work requires a ton of unusual plotting and other work on the part of the author. Haig has done that with this story and hats off to him for it. HST works. So, why not five star? Is there a message? Yes, but nothing that blew me away. Secondly, the story occasionally slowed down for me. I thought it would have benefitted from a bit more excitement, or tension. There is one such scene with Tom as a young boy, but I would have been more tightly engaged with the book had there been at least one other similar episode. I just noted this will be a movie with Benedict Cumberbatch which strikes me as perfect casting. Hopefully the movie people won’t add seven more adventure scenes.
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LibraryThing member Daftboy1
This is the story of Tom Hazard a 41 year old History Teacher at an East London Secondary School, Tom is actually over 400 years old.
He has a disease called Anageria which makes him age 15 times slower than normal people.
There are a few hundred people around the world who have this condition. They
Tom is tired of running although he really wants to find his daughter Marion who has the same condition.
Hendreich the leader of the Albatross society who looks after all the people with Anageria sends Tom on missions to convert others.
Tom goes to Australia to track down an old friend called Sol.
Tom then meets his daughter Marion there how was going to shoot him.
They sort out their differences and keep in touch.
Tom also falls in love with a teacher called Camille they move to France were they live together Camille is pregnant.
Good book this bit different.
He has a disease called Anageria which makes him age 15 times slower than normal people.
There are a few hundred people around the world who have this condition. They
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live in secret and have to move on every 8 years. Tom is tired of running although he really wants to find his daughter Marion who has the same condition.
Hendreich the leader of the Albatross society who looks after all the people with Anageria sends Tom on missions to convert others.
Tom goes to Australia to track down an old friend called Sol.
Tom then meets his daughter Marion there how was going to shoot him.
They sort out their differences and keep in touch.
Tom also falls in love with a teacher called Camille they move to France were they live together Camille is pregnant.
Good book this bit different.
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LibraryThing member bookworm12
A man has lived more than 400 years, but his life is a lonely one. The story flashes back and forth in time. I wish I liked this one more than I did. I found myself rolling my eyes a lot at the dialogue and plot. It’s pretty cheesy and predictable. It frequently felt like the plot was forced just
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to give the author a chance to introduce an interaction with another famous person. Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
A good, well paced read with something to say about appreciating life, though the nice guy protagonist narrator is not anything special, nor really are any of the characters and the cover purely sucks. It's fun to visit with Shakespeare et. al. but gimmicky too.
LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
We've all heard stories of time travel but this one is not the usual. The focus of this book is a man, and others as well, who happen to live longer than usual, whilst aging at a much slower rate. Albatrosses are known for their longevity, and so, too, are these special people.
The story follows
I enjoy time travel tales and this fits in well among such other titles. Imagine having met Shakespeare, or Josephine Baker, or F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. They are mere blips upon Hazard's protracted timeline. Nonetheless, he enjoyed his time with them, for what it was.
Here are some of my favorite lines from the book:
For once in my life, nothing terrible happened. What happened was this, we had a daughter. We called her Marian. I would hold her in my arms while she was still wrapped in swaddling bonds. But I used to sing to her in French to calm her when she cried, and it generally seemed to work. I loved her instantly. Of course, most parents love their children instantly, but I mention it here, because I still find it a remarkable thing. Where was that love before? Where did you acquire it from? The way it is suddenly there; totally, complete, as sudden as grief, but in reverse. It's one of the wonders of our being human.
~
There is only the present; just as every object on earth contains similar and interchanging atoms, so every fragment of time contains aspects of every other. Yes, it is clear, that in those moments that burst alive, the present lasts forever. I know there are many more presents to live. I understand. I understand you can be free, I understand that the way you stop time is by stopping being ruled by it. I am no longer drowning in my past or fearful of my future. How can I be? The future is you.
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I cannot recall how I came across this title, but I placed it on my list of books to read. This weekend I selected it as an Audible audiobook because I had many hours of driving ahead as we returned home following a short vacation. This is the first time I've completed a whole book in a single day.
I had 4 kids with me for the drive, aged 12 - 17. They all had their own books and phones to fiddle with. After we stopped for dinner, they told me that they had enjoyed listening along and thought that the book was very well written, without me even asking.
The story follows
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some life events of one such man, named Tom Hazard. The story bounces around through 437 years of time, but does so with ease, always alerting the reader or listener to the location in time.I enjoy time travel tales and this fits in well among such other titles. Imagine having met Shakespeare, or Josephine Baker, or F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. They are mere blips upon Hazard's protracted timeline. Nonetheless, he enjoyed his time with them, for what it was.
Here are some of my favorite lines from the book:
For once in my life, nothing terrible happened. What happened was this, we had a daughter. We called her Marian. I would hold her in my arms while she was still wrapped in swaddling bonds. But I used to sing to her in French to calm her when she cried, and it generally seemed to work. I loved her instantly. Of course, most parents love their children instantly, but I mention it here, because I still find it a remarkable thing. Where was that love before? Where did you acquire it from? The way it is suddenly there; totally, complete, as sudden as grief, but in reverse. It's one of the wonders of our being human.
~
There is only the present; just as every object on earth contains similar and interchanging atoms, so every fragment of time contains aspects of every other. Yes, it is clear, that in those moments that burst alive, the present lasts forever. I know there are many more presents to live. I understand. I understand you can be free, I understand that the way you stop time is by stopping being ruled by it. I am no longer drowning in my past or fearful of my future. How can I be? The future is you.
----------
I cannot recall how I came across this title, but I placed it on my list of books to read. This weekend I selected it as an Audible audiobook because I had many hours of driving ahead as we returned home following a short vacation. This is the first time I've completed a whole book in a single day.
I had 4 kids with me for the drive, aged 12 - 17. They all had their own books and phones to fiddle with. After we stopped for dinner, they told me that they had enjoyed listening along and thought that the book was very well written, without me even asking.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sbenne3
I wanted to like this book a lot more based on the premise, but did enjoy the story and some of the conclusions of our narrator. The beginning was a bit hard to follow, but it started to pick up and I got more into it. At the end of the day there is a lesson about the time you live in and taking
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full advantage of being in the moment - which I can appreciate. Show Less
LibraryThing member KeriLynneD
This one was just a little bit better than ok which is why I went ahead and gave it three stars. I really loved the plot of this book and think it could have been done SO much better. It really had a lot of potential but for the first half of the book it dragged quite a bit. It also jumped around
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in time which messed with the flow of the story. I did like that the character came across a few important figure throughout his life, in fact I wish there had been more of that! Towards the end it was a little rushed but it did end well. Show Less
LibraryThing member m.belljackson
How to Stop Time gives readers many opportunities to consider how they would choose to age slowly with the main character's mixed blessing of living for 900 years.
Would we seek the pain of endlessly revisiting horrific memories? If yes, then we also might be blinded by our Alba boss.
Many of us
challenge to live without fear, we wish that his fear of breaking the arbitrary rules of Alba had not dominated his separate existences (and so many pages!).
While I totally enjoyed the historical perspectives, notably with the fun twist on Shakespeare, the plot would have been smoother if many of the time jumps had
been combined. It was confusing to follow the disjointed threads and it would have been good to meet others with Tom's condition to see if they could fall in love
with each other and so not be tied to the No Love Rule.
It was welcome to be reminded not to be bound to the past, to the bad and unforgivable memories, but, as nearly everyone is writing in these new hard times, to stay
in the present while letting the unpredictable and uncontrollable future be more gently revealed and prepared for.
The dialogue, when Tim is not beset by another tedious headache while teaching or sparring with Hendrich, flows comfortably when he decides to tell Camille the truth
and in his conversations with Omai.
Would we seek the pain of endlessly revisiting horrific memories? If yes, then we also might be blinded by our Alba boss.
Many of us
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might wish instead to join a grief therapy group with Tom since he stays unhappy for most of the 437 years he has so far lived. And, while it is often an impossiblechallenge to live without fear, we wish that his fear of breaking the arbitrary rules of Alba had not dominated his separate existences (and so many pages!).
While I totally enjoyed the historical perspectives, notably with the fun twist on Shakespeare, the plot would have been smoother if many of the time jumps had
been combined. It was confusing to follow the disjointed threads and it would have been good to meet others with Tom's condition to see if they could fall in love
with each other and so not be tied to the No Love Rule.
It was welcome to be reminded not to be bound to the past, to the bad and unforgivable memories, but, as nearly everyone is writing in these new hard times, to stay
in the present while letting the unpredictable and uncontrollable future be more gently revealed and prepared for.
The dialogue, when Tim is not beset by another tedious headache while teaching or sparring with Hendrich, flows comfortably when he decides to tell Camille the truth
and in his conversations with Omai.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ChelleBearss
This was a random library pick and I am so glad I picked it up. This is a book about a man with a "condition" that slows his aging process dramatically. We get flash backs of his life through the centuries, and his search for his daughter, as he tries to start a new life for himself after being
I loved this and finished it in only two days. This is the author who wrote The Radleys and I enjoyed that one too many years ago.
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forced to move once again. I loved this and finished it in only two days. This is the author who wrote The Radleys and I enjoyed that one too many years ago.
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LibraryThing member c.archer
A good yarn. It engaged me even when I wasn't feeling the story. Eventually, I fell under the spell and gave into the magic.
Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2019)
The British Book Industry Awards (Shortlist — Fiction — 2018)
Books Are My Bag Readers Award (Shortlist — 2017)
BookTube Prize (Octofinalist — Fiction — 2019)
TCK Publishing Reader's Choice Award (Popular Fiction — 2017)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2019)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017-07-06
Physical description
336 p.; 5.31 inches
ISBN
1782118616 / 9781782118619
Local notes
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. From Elizabethan England to Jazz-Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen a lot, and now craves an ordinary life. Always changing his identity to stay alive, Tom has the perfect cover – working as a history teacher at a London comprehensive. The only thing Tom must not do is fall in love.
Goldsboro book of the month club (July 2017). Signed and numbered (600 copies), blue sprayed edges.
Goldsboro book of the month club (July 2017). Signed and numbered (600 copies), blue sprayed edges.
Other editions
How to Stop Time: The Illustrated Edition by Matt Haig (Hardcover)