I...... nope. Note to self: if you find a book dreadfully boring and not matching the synopsis, DNF it. I loved the concept but this fell super flat for me. The main character was insufferable and so boring. It goes back and forth all over time (he is 439, after all) and we meet lots of famous people (come on now, just because you're old doesn't mean you will have met every bloody person who will turn out to be famous in a century or two). I didn't hate it but I didn't love it and have already forgotten it.

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 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.

This is a great book for those who enjoyed The Time Traveler’s Wife and Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life. Although the book does not have to wrestle with the paradox of meeting your self in the past or changing the future by your actions, it still presents an entertaining concept of an individual aging so slowly he or she can witness the full panoply of life over hundreds of years. Throw in a deus ex machina who controls how these long lived individuals interact with family, friends and society in general as the rest of humanity ages and they don’t, and you have an intriguing story for the history buff and fan of suspense. Some parts dragged but, let’s face it, not all of history is entertaining.

This is a tale about the (imagined) loss associated with death and aging written for young adults in their 20s-30s. The audience can at best imagine (or has experienced) emotional loss and the author extrapolates from that base for this tale. He creates a protagonist that lives for centuries, essentially alone, losing loved ones along the way. As if this were the entirety of the human experience of aging. Our hero ages so slowly he is a veritable Peter Pan, or for the purposes of this tale, a perennial almost-40 yr old. And our hero is a whiner to boot, spending centuries lamenting his loss and broken heart. Anyone older than 50 will have some trouble with this story. Because much of the trouble with aging and loss comes with the double whammy of emotional AND physical loss; the steady debilitation of friends and loved ones (and self) before death, that constitute so much of life. This book has nothing to say about that topic. Instead it places the protagonist next to every famous character ever known, as though that would be a compelling story. Can the reader learn to embrace life from a tale written with a viewpoint entirely geared towards the first two decades of life? It’s hard to reconcile the attitude of the tale with the message. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

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 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.

I really enjoyed this novel. It resembles a time-travel story, but it’s not. Tom has a rare disease that allows him to age only one year to a normal person’s 15. So that means he’s over 400 years old. I loved the flashbacks to Shakespeare’s time as well as his stint with Captain Cook. It’s a very different type of book - historical fiction, science fiction, romance, and mystery rolled into one.

Eh. This had so much potential but it fizzled out under the weight of uninspired writing and a dull plot. There was a lot the author could have done with teh different time periods, really bring them to life, but it was all superficial. The reader never gets a sense of the different eras, so they become interchangeable. And really, the protagonist meets a famous person practically in every era. How is that realistic? I found myself rolling my eyes when he happens to meet the Fitzgeralds.

There is very little plot to keep the reader hooked. Yes, the protagonist is in search of his daughter, but the urgency is just not there. There is also too much reliance on coincidence. *SPOILER* Camille just happens to see a picture with Tom in it, for example. It asks too much of the reader. We can’t suspend that much belief, even in a fantasy novel.

With amateurish writing and flat characters, this is not one I’d recommend. There isn’t even much of a love story, definitely not enough of one to “stop time.”

Tom is over 400 years old but can pass for one-tenth that age. He's lived many lives, most of them unsatisfactory, because his longevity and love do not mix. At first, the gimmick of this story and the time-hopping was unsettling, but as I got into the rhythm and character development it opened up like a vintage wine given time to breathe. There's a little bit of Zelig here as our hero meets Scott Fitzgerald, Shakespeare and others, and a bit of "Time and Again," but the narrative finds its own level and pages turn quickly. Quirky, charming, readable. Take the time and you won't likely stop.

I was under the impression that this was a time traveling story, but this is NOT a time travel story. The main character, Tom, ages much slower than the average human and the storyline jumps around as you learn more about his life. Though it was different than my expectations, I was not disappointed. Usually in "time travel" books, there are specific well-known events that are happening, and this is more "a day in the life" when we see the flashbacks.
“Everyone would realize that the thing that defines a human being is being a human." A lot of people, myself included, lament about the passage of time, how quickly it goes and how we wish we had “more” but after reading this book, it seems like Tom isn't quite happy with his extended life. I think it makes the reader think about their own life and how it is something to be appreciated.

How to Stop Time

by Matt Haig

The typical work of historical fiction takes a character from a specific time and place and imagines, hopefully based on some research, what life would have been like for that person. How to Stop Time is not a “typical work of historical fiction.” Author Matt Haig dares to explore what would happen if certain people were naturally genetically designed to age slowly, to live hundreds of years. What would life be like for that person? What would the response of others be to them? How do you form a relationship with someone who will certainly age at a different rate? What if one of these “albatrosses” becomes powerful enough to use various means to control the others?

How to Stop Time follows Tom Hazard as he negotiates life in the twenty-first century and reflects on events in his past spanning multiple centuries, locations, careers and aliases. He is musically inclined and along the way discovers an aptitude for teaching history.

Tom is a likable character whose situation is in some ways different from the circumstances of “normal” human beings. In many aspects, however, his struggles are the same as he tries to fit in, decides how open to be with those he meets, and battles with opening his heart. We all on occasion want to stop time to savor the moment, to revisit past decisions, and to look ahead into the future.

How to Stop Time is an excellent work of fiction, well-written and interesting. It introduces historical characters such as Shakespeare and Captain Cook, but there are equally fascinating fictional characters who convincingly embody the everyday men and women of past generations. With its fast-moving storyline, this book is one I recommend you add to your To Be Read list.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to the Penguin Group (Viking) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Historical Fiction

Publication: February 6, 2018—Penguin Group (Viking)

Memorable Lines:

I had no idea I had been looking for her, but now I had found her, I had no idea what would happen. I felt like I was spinning fast and out of control, like the seed of a sycamore, traveling on a changing wind.

I kept going cross the desert and over dry hills and mountains and past a large quarry that seemed to my delirious mind like the blackness of death itself calling me towards it like the River Styx.

I can’t right now think of a better purpose in life than to be a teacher. To teach feels like you are a guardian of time itself, protecting the future happiness of the world via the minds that are yet to shape it.

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 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.

I really wanted to like this book. I love time travel stories, which this one is, sort of. But I just couldn't get into the story. The moving back and forth between eras didn't bother me, and I think it was well-done, but I found that I just stopped caring about the characters. Sorry for such a lukewarm review.

I received this ARC from Netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

“The first rule is that you don’t fall in love,’ .... ‘There are other rules too, but that is the main one.
Over the 439 years of his life, Tom Hazard has used many names. "I am not a person. I am a crowd in one body." By 1890, a respected doctor called his rare condition 'anageria'.

The story alternates between past and present, moving around Tom's life. We meet many real historical characters and locations. There are LOADS of quotable quotes in this book! This book has an easy reading pace, never losing momentum. In the end Tom has found who he is, and why.

4 stars

HOW TO STOP TIME by Matt Haig is one of those mind bending books that I have been reading a bit at a time, partly to be able to reflect on Haig's work and partly to savor the writing and make it last. In this novel, Tom Hazard is four hundred and thirty-nine years old, although he physically ages very slowly and in appearance seems to be in his early forties. His life story alternates back and forth from 16th century rural England where his mother is suspected of being a witch and the London of that time where he first fell in love, to present day London where he teaches school and is attracted to a fellow teacher, Camille.

Readers learn that Tom is looking for his child, Marion, who may age similarly. Plus, he has to deal with potentially being manipulated by an organization (The Albatross Society) which seeks to protect these unique people although its leader, Hendrich, seems threatening and controlling. Throughout, Tom suffers stress headaches and is unable to develop a meaningful, deep relationship with anyone for fear of endangering them. Haig is telling this story on multiple levels, and Tom's perspective as an outsider from another time provides a vehicle for sharp commentary on current society. Here are a few of my favorite quotes (I have many):

"You are always living within the parameters of your personality. No expanse of time or place could change that."
"All we can ever be is faithful to our memories of reality, rather than the reality itself, which is something closely related, but never precisely the same thing."
"The progress of humanity seemed to be measured in the distance we placed between ourselves and nature."
"Places don't matter to people any more. ... People are only half present where they are these days. They always have at least one foot in the great digital nowhere."
"You understand quite completely that the main lesson of history is: humans don't learn from history."

HOW TO STOP TIME received starred reviews from Booklist ("Teens will love this irresistible, crossover work of speculative fiction") and Publishers Weekly.

An exceptional book, a pleasure to read. I followed Tom through his centuries of life and was amazed with him to see the world, the people, and its events as he did. Beautifully written, cleverly crafted, and satisfyingly ended.

It's been at least ten years since I read The Dead Father's Club, so I don't remember it very well. But I do remember that Haig was at his best while waxing philosophical about the topic at hand, and that remains true in this novel as well.

While the specifics are slightly different, this is essentially very much a time travel story. Tom is not actually a time traveler per se, this book follows the standard narrative for that trope (regular guy meets lots of famous people from the past and is routinely persecuted for not fitting in with the times). The reasoning for said not fitting in is obviously a little different here, but the story arc is similar.

In that sense it's not a terribly unique story, even if Haig has put somewhat of a unique spin on it. He has also crafted a likable-if-predictable good guy/pseudo hero protagonist, who is a little thin on nuance but is extremely easy to root for.

And as always, Haig writes exquisitely, dropping observations in about various subjects here and there that are delivered casually but always feel poignant.

Tom Hazard was born during the Elizabethan Era with a condition crammed anageria, which essentially means he ages much slower than most humans. Much slower. In the 21st Century he is a history teacher in England, and much of the narrative switches back and forth between his history lessons and flashbacks to earlier times, which include working as a musician for Shakespeare, a sailor on Cook’s ship, and a piano player in a French bar frequented by Fitzgerald. A member of an underground society of others like himself, he spends nearly 400 years faithfully observing the group’s number one rule: never fall in love. He’s also searching for his missing daughter from the wife he outlived before joining the Society, who has apparently inherited his affliction.

Haig’s concept is an interesting one, but not always effectively executed. Hazard is surprisingly naive for someone who has lived over four hundred years. The ending is both predictable and rushed. Still, there are readers who will enjoy this exploration of time and love.

The story is told in both the present day and in flashbacks throughout the main character’s long life. It’s a mix of contemporary and historical fiction with some romance and just a pinch of sci-fi.

Tom Hazard's story spans decades - centuries even. He lives his life in fear. Fear of being discovered. Fear of being alone. Fear of becoming too attached to anyone or anywhere. Fear of The Society.

Tom is an Alba. A member of The Society of Albatrosses, Albas for short, so named for their unusually long life span. Albas are people who live for centuries. Aging in the same ways as those around them, but at a infinitely slower pace. The Society organizes Albas, arranges for their relocation on eight year rotations, asking only for "small favors" in between. Unfortunately failure to join up isn't really an option, neither is quitting. But Tom is done.

This is the story of Tom's quest to come to terms with his past, and decide what his own future will be. True to fashion, it certainly has Matt Haig's quirky humor. The story is told in alternating segments of the present, and Tom's past, which has been filled with historical celebrities along the way. I especially enjoyed the fact that he knew Shakespeare personally, and the idea that he played piano in a speakeasy. I was curious if this might potentially be a series, but I believe it is a stand-alone, and I was very happy with the way things wrapped up.

I generously received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This book was one of my most anticipated books for 2018 and I was not disappointed with the hype.

It's a story about a man by the name of Tom Hazard who looks to be just under fourtey years old but is in fact four hundred thirty nine years old and was born in France. He is one of several people who age very slowly and has the potential to live to nine hundred. He was born in an era where people were very superstitious and someone being accused of witchcraft was alas a very popular thing especially in smaller towns.

This book is an account of the adventures, memories, love, heartache and friendships he has made over the years though it has hardly been an easy time for him and recently has had severe headaches as well as wondering what he should really be doing with his life. He has been under the thumb so to speak of Hendrich, the leader of a group of people known as the Albatross, who pretty much runs things like the mafia since the late 1800's and is also quite the paranoid nine hundred year old man.

All Tom really wants is to live a normal life, find his daughter who he's been trying to find for the last four hundred years or so, get rid of the headaches and stop having to move around every eight years due to the fact that he ages so slowly. When he decides to settle in London as a History teacher, he adopts an Akita named Abraham and finds himself drawn to the French teacher Camille though he tries hard to resist because he thinks it's for her own protection.

Just when Tom thinks he's close to finding out where his daughter is, Hendrich sends him to Australia for a week in the hopes of convincing an old friend called Omai, whom he met in Tahiti back in the 1700s, of his to get out of the lime light. Reluctant to go but also wanting to see his old friend, Tom soon realizes that not everything is so easily cut and dry. He's just about at the end of what he can deal with but Omai refuses to fall in line just because someone wants to and Tom realizes that there's much more to life than living under the thumb of Hendrich who always seems to have a hidden agenda.

Things are about to get even more complicated when Hendrich shows up in Australia, Tom will soon realize what really matters and he just may well get out alive and maybe just maybe find love again.

Full of mystery, a travel through time, humor, a touch of heartbreak and the power of true friends, it was such a pleasure to read this book. I'm so glad that I was given the chance to read it early and I couldn't seem to put it down. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy getting a glimpse into the past and quirky characters.