Review "How to stop time" - Matt Haig

Se intampla deseori ca o carte sa imi apara in diverse locuri si sa ma inspiteasca sa o citesc, insa trec cu vederea pentru un timp, dar in final ma las prada curiozitatii. Descrierea ei incita cititorul, iar imaginatia promite o poveste excitanta, dar spre dezamagirea mea nu toate cartile au potentialul de a ma face sa ma pierd in paginile lor.

Descriere 

„Sunt batran. E primul lucru pe care trebuie sa ti-l spun. Primul lucru pe care, cel mai probabil, nu-l vei crede. Daca m-ai vedea, ai crede pesemne ca am in jur de patruzeci de ani, dar te-ai insela profund.“

Tom Hazard are un secret periculos. Poate ca arata ca un barbat de 41 de ani, dar din cauza unei boli extrem de rare, traieste de cateva secole. Din Anglia elisabetana pana la Parisul din epoca jazz-ului, de la New York si pana la insulele din Oceanul Pacific, Tom a vazut destule si acum nu-si doreste decat o viata normala.

Fiindca trebuie sa isi schimbe mereu identitatea ca sa ramana in viata, acum are acoperirea perfecta: este profesor de istorie la o scoala din Londra. Aici ii poate invata pe copii despre razboaie si vanatori de vrajitoare de parca nu le-ar fi fost martor. Poate incerca sa imblanzeasca trecutul, care il ajunge tot mai repede din urma. Singurul lucru pe care nu trebuie sa-l faca e sa se indragosteasca.

(Carturesti)

O carte de fictiune, o poveste ce impleteste trecutul si prezentul, creioneaza o viata traita in secole in care iubirea este constanta chiar daca timpul se scurge si lumea se schimba. "Cum sa opresti timpul" este o carte despre o viata fantastica, familie si iubire, despre cum sa accepti prezentul si sa imbratisezi viitorul.

Tom Hazard are peste 400 de ani, dar multi i-a petrecut urmarit de sentimentul de frica; de la vanatoarea de vrajitoare din trecut, la revolutiile medicinei din prezent, el a schimbat multe identitati si a calatorit in lumea intreaga cu ajutorul Societatii Albatros, totul cu scopul de a ramane in viata si de a continua sa isi caute fiica. Tom refuza sa renunte la amintirea singurei femei pe care a iubit-o, in acelasi timp in care refuza sa gaseasca din nou iubire.

Daca ma concentrez asupra acestor idei, cartea are un mare potential. Este intensa, cu un impact puternic, plina de istorie si puterea de a continua viata cu atatea amintiri dureroase. Viziunea personajului principal asupra vietii prezente este depresiva dar de inteles, dupa atatia ani petrecuti pe fuga si urmarit de trecut este greu sa tii pasul cu realitatea. Pe de alta parte este putin plictisitor, vremurile s-au schimbat, iar el ar putea sa imbratiseze viata cu bucuriile ei, sa nu isi mai lase soarta pe mana altora si doar sa traiasca.

Scenele din prezent au fost greu de urmarit, caci se loveau cu cele din trecut - scene care au fost captivante si intrigante si care am sperat ca vor oglindi in prezent - dar atat cat corelatiile au fost interesante, au facut ca atentia sa se piarda de la ce credeam ca e important. Insa ce este frumos transpus, este devotamentul lui Tom pentru familie si iubire, lucruri care in final il trezesc din nou la viata. Poate ca o morala, poti trai 1000 ani si sa nu te simti implinit, sa nu inveti sa te bucuri de lucruri marunte, sa lasi frica sa te conduca, insa iubirea este eterna si mereu in sufletul omului.

Pe langa ideea interesanta de a trai secole si lectiile de istorie, "Cum sa opresti timpul" a fost o lectura trista si mult timp petrecut contempland daca mi-a placut sau a fost o dezamagire. Chiar mi-am dorit sa fie o carte de care sa ma indragostesc, insa nu mi-a ramas intiparita in minte prin ceva cu adevarat excitant.

Cartea este tradusa in limba romana si publicata de editura Nemira si o puteti gasi in librarii 😊

Description

I am old. That is the first thing to tell you. The thing you are least likely to believe. If you saw me you would probably think I was about forty, but you would be very wrong.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. Here he can teach the kids about wars and witch hunts as if he'd never witnessed them first-hand. He can try and tame the past that is fast catching up with him.

The only thing Tom mustn't do is fall in love.

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Often times it happens that a book pops up in random places and winks at me to read it and I ignore the temptation for some reason, but in the end I give it a chance. Its description incites the reader and my imagination promises an exciting journey, but not all books stand to my expectation of falling in love with them.
A book of fiction, of fantasy, a story that entwines the past and the present, pencils a life across centuries in which love is a constant even if time flows and the world changes. “How to stop time” is a book about a fantastical life, family and love, acceptance of reality and the embrace of the future.
Tom Hazard is over 400 years old, but so many of those years he lived in fear; from the witches’ hunt of the past, to the experiments for medicine of today, he changed many identities and lived all over the world, with the help of the Albatross Society, in order to stay alive and keep looking for his daughter. He refuses to let go of the memory of the only woman he ever loved, but at the same time refuses to find love again.
If I concentrate on these ideas, the book has a good potential. It’s raw and impactful, filled with history and the struggle of living with so many memories. The main character’s view of present life is depressing but understandable, after so many years being on the run and chased by the past is hard to keep up. On the other hand he is kind of boring, the times have changed and he can embrace old and new joys of life, stop putting his trust in somebody else’s hands and live.
It was hard to focus on the present events of the story, the past kept interfering – scenes that were captivating and intriguing, which I thought will reflect in the present – and as much as the correlations were interesting, reading and keeping up with the important lost some appeal. What is beautiful is Tom’s devotement for love and family, which in the end awakens him and brings light to his life. Maybe as a moral, you can live 1000 years and still be unfulfilled, not learning how to enjoy the little things, letting fear dictate, but love is timeless.
Apart from the idea of living for centuries and the lessons in history, “How to stop time” was a sad reading and time spend contemplating if I loved it or it was a disappointment. I wanted badly to fall in love with it, but in my mind it doesn’t stand up with nothing particularly exciting.


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