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How to Stop Time

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How to Stop Time

By: Matt Haig
Narrated by: Mark Meadows
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*THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN, Matt Haig's new novel from the world of The Midnight Library, is out now*

HOW MANY LIFETIMES DOES IT TAKE TO LEARN HOW TO LIVE?

Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old history teacher, but he’s been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz-Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen it all. As long as he keeps changing his identity, he can stay one step ahead of his past – and stay alive. The only thing he must not do is fall in love.

But what if the one thing he can't have just happens to be the one thing that might save him?

©2017 Canongate Books Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Fiction Thought-Provoking Funny Inspiring
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Critic reviews

"A rollicking time-hopping fantasy . . . How to Stop Time will provoke wonder and delight"
"Hugely entertaining" (JOHN BOYNE)
"Outlandish . . . heartwarming, perceptive prose" (ANITA SETHI)
"An imaginative, ambitious novel by an author with an infectious passion for history and the human condition"
"Haig writes exquisitely from the perspective of the heart-sore outsider, but at their most moving his novels reveal the unbearable beauty of ordinary life"
"Let Matt Haig take you on a journey . . . Brings every era to vibrant life . . . original and fascinating"
"Tear-jerking, time-hopping romance"
"A fabulous book" (STEPHEN FRY)
"How to Stop Time is a beautiful, and necessary book. I feel very lucky to have read it. It is magical, intriguing and at times, very sad. A triumph" (MARIAN KEYES)
"Absolutely terrific" (GRAHAM NORTON)
All stars
Most relevant

Would you try another book written by Matt Haig or narrated by Mark Meadows?

No

What will your next listen be?

A fast moving exciting adventure with humor and hopefully some uplifting pieces within the story

Any additional comments?

I have just been reading the reviews for “How to Stop Time” and wonder why I feel so out of step with the majority of the comments. A literary critic would, no doubt, rave about this book, but for me the overuse of similes and metaphors turned this book into a turgid navel gazing collection of time jumping vignettes, so much thinking and remembering, not a lot of doing i.e. finding his daughter.

I found Tom to be a pathetic character who had never grown up, for a man that has lived for over 400 years he appears to have stopped thinking for himself and learnt nothing from his experiences – every small bit of happiness overshadowed by grief/despair and “woe is me”. I would have expected an individual over this length of time to have grown and matured learning from the different experiences and people met over the years and yet he hasn’t - 400 years living in fear – what a waste of time!

I have come to the possible conclusion that this book should be read rather than listened to and would probably appeal to those who enjoy reading Non Fiction or Mindfulness and Wellness books; discovering the hidden meaning within! As you can no doubt ascertain from my comments, I didn’t empathise with Tom, I found the book to be self-indulgent and depressing and spent a lot of time shouting “Get on with it”.

Loquacious

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Matt Haig's novel, soon to be a motion picture with Benedict Cumberbatch, has had rave reviews, yet I feel I'm in the minority in saying it fell short of expectations.

Following Tom Hazard, an unusual protagonist with a rare condition which has made him live for centuries, has been searching for his daughter ever since he was forced to leave her. Describing major events in history, Hazard continues to change his identity in order to survive becoming a history teacher as his current persona. All the while being controlled by the mysterious Hendricks. Is it better to live for a short while with love, or for eternity alone?

While the story is imaginative, the characters are underdeveloped and the constant time change is inconsistent. The plot may be a little too juvenile for me, not really to my taste. Enjoy the film.

A little glib, better as a young adult novel

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The narrator is exceptionally good, and whilst this made the novel largely an entertaining listen, it also disguised a great many flaws that had I been reading a printed book, I would not have forgiven.
I loved the gallop through history, the meeting of historical characters, and the musical theme, but I did not love the utterly silly ending on a beach in Tahiti or Australia was it ? Im not sure because I started shouting at the speaker as the story slid ever more sideways into daftness. Its exactly like the author was thinking, how can I be original ? oh I know, a surfing dude from captain cooks ship, thats not been done before, and it did not work.
Neither did the dreadful hour of cod philosophy at the end. I was reaching for the bucket as they droned on about love and meaning, urgh, it was embarrassing.
And what enraged me most of all was the boring, hackneyed ‘and then she got pregnant trope’. after centuries of emotional torture the main character thinks its ok to birth a baby, I don’t think so.
Summary, first third cool, middle section meh, ending forget it.

Nothing new here sadly

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This is a totally epic story spanning 500 years. I'm not a history buff or even a fan but this book is so different. I really got pulled into the world of the narrative. Loved it.

Amazing! Heartbreaking!

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I really liked the concept but the repetition and the constant griping from the narrator kind of wore you down after a while.

The narration was really good and helped move on difficult parts of the book.

A great idea but could have been so much better

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