Helpful Score: 1
This novel's unique plot swept me in right away, beginning with a letter to his nemesis/best friend. Employing the clever premise of living one's life over and again, without the ability to change the course of historical events, seemed like a dream come true; you'd get the chance to be everything and everyone you'd ever wanted to be; you'd have hundreds - or thousands - of years to pursue every interest out there. It didn't occur to me until the end of the book that maybe that wasn't necessarily the "good" way to look at things.
I liked the characters of Harry and Vincent a lot. I think those two made the best BFF's out there and enjoyed the scenes with the two of them together.
I can't say anymore without handing out spoilers but suffice it to say that if you read this, you'll be thinking about the philosophical implications of technology - and it's not in the way you're thinking right now. You may end up like me and realize at the last minute - too late - that perhaps you've been rooting for the wrong side. From what I've read this is a divisive ending and I see exactly why. But, decide for yourself.
I liked the characters of Harry and Vincent a lot. I think those two made the best BFF's out there and enjoyed the scenes with the two of them together.
I can't say anymore without handing out spoilers but suffice it to say that if you read this, you'll be thinking about the philosophical implications of technology - and it's not in the way you're thinking right now. You may end up like me and realize at the last minute - too late - that perhaps you've been rooting for the wrong side. From what I've read this is a divisive ending and I see exactly why. But, decide for yourself.
The blurb for this book had me so excited. A new spin on time traveling, the world ending, an average man stepping up to save itthere were so many things to look forward to. Unfortunately, this whole premise is completely ruined by a horribly dull narrator and a severe lack of focus in the plot.
Harry August is a time traveler that has to relive the same life each time he dies (think Groundhog Day). He is reborn to the same set of parents on the same day each time, but has the memories from all his previous lives. This whole idea bugged me at first, since you would never really be able to live as a true child after your first life, but this plot hole is addressed through the fact that memories are slowly recollected after each rebirth. Harry has the ability to make different choices each life, to take himself in a new direction. There are literally a million things North could have done with this, especially combined with the world ending plot linethe only problem being that Harry has absolutely no personality. The way he relays information and interacts with people is, for the most part, either boring or confusing due to the fact that events are not revealed in a logical or chronological order. It is very possible that all the pieces line up neat and pretty at the end of the book, but since I only read around half of it I will never know. All I can say is the first half was very frustrating to read.
I kept waiting for some kind of philosophical revelation to come from Harry as he moved through his lives, particularly as he tried to find scientific and spiritual reasons for his abnormal existence, but he never finds any answers. I just couldnt make myself trudge through another page of this book to find out the ultimate fate of a character to which I had no real connection.
For those who adore time travel novels and are not bothered by lack of character development, I think this would be a fantastic read. Harry was just too weak as a protagonist for my taste and the writing style wasnt for me either.
Harry August is a time traveler that has to relive the same life each time he dies (think Groundhog Day). He is reborn to the same set of parents on the same day each time, but has the memories from all his previous lives. This whole idea bugged me at first, since you would never really be able to live as a true child after your first life, but this plot hole is addressed through the fact that memories are slowly recollected after each rebirth. Harry has the ability to make different choices each life, to take himself in a new direction. There are literally a million things North could have done with this, especially combined with the world ending plot linethe only problem being that Harry has absolutely no personality. The way he relays information and interacts with people is, for the most part, either boring or confusing due to the fact that events are not revealed in a logical or chronological order. It is very possible that all the pieces line up neat and pretty at the end of the book, but since I only read around half of it I will never know. All I can say is the first half was very frustrating to read.
I kept waiting for some kind of philosophical revelation to come from Harry as he moved through his lives, particularly as he tried to find scientific and spiritual reasons for his abnormal existence, but he never finds any answers. I just couldnt make myself trudge through another page of this book to find out the ultimate fate of a character to which I had no real connection.
For those who adore time travel novels and are not bothered by lack of character development, I think this would be a fantastic read. Harry was just too weak as a protagonist for my taste and the writing style wasnt for me either.
If you are looking for a typical time travel story, you will be sorely disappointed. More than one reviewer who didn't like this book missed the real meaning behind it. Yes, it talks about repeating lives by the two main characters and some others needed for the plot. Harry does use his knowledge of the future when he repeats his life again and again. But the real idea behind it all is a society comprised of numerous other people who experience the same thing. They come to believe that the end of the world is accelerating but they don't know why it's happening. During most of his repeated lives, he slowly attempts to track down the reason. Part spy novel, part science fiction, and part thriller - all pursued through centuries of repeated lives. At times it was difficult to get through it, but I'm glad I did. Powerful! D.
Andrew L. (mythreeblondes) reviewed The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August on + 55 more book reviews
I have to echo the comments below: Great premise, boring book. The protagonist isn't very compelling and his antagonist is not believable.
A better time traveling book would be Replay by Ken Grimwood:
http://www.paperbackswap.com/Replay-Ken-Grimwood/book/068816112X/
A better time traveling book would be Replay by Ken Grimwood:
http://www.paperbackswap.com/Replay-Ken-Grimwood/book/068816112X/
It's rather reminiscent of Ken Grimwood's Replay and even perhaps a bit of Kage Baker and her Company novels, although IMHO Grimwood did it better. I didn't like Harry that much. I didn't see why it was so important to him to stop Vincent - he didn't seem to enjoy any of his lives that much, why keep going? It meanders along rather boringly until 3/4 of the way through, when the action heats up just enough to come to a rather hurried end. And in the end, I wasn't sure why Vincent would say what he did. Did he suspect Harry all along? It just seemed a very pat ending.
Clever and thoughtful. For once, one of the more pompous blurbs on the cover comes closest to the mark: "A subtle study of friendship, love and the complexity of existence." (The Guardian) Well, yes, but also some good jokes ...
This is not, in my opinion, a book that you read for the plot. The plot is whisper-thin, the McGuffin that powers it is so "high-concept" that I can imagine North, in the early drafts of the book, leaving half-pages blank, with Insert McGuffin here in Comic Sans font.
And that doesn't matter. Well, not to me, because the real pleasure of this novel was watching Harry August live his lives, figures it all out, and play the game -- friendship, love and the complexity of existence -- with the hand he has been dealt. I love Harry's voice. I love the non-linear trajectory of his rememberings, skipping back and forth across lives as he remembers wives, lovers, parents, and friends; triumphs and tragedies.
My only reservation -- and the reason this lost one star for me was that the ending seems a little rushed, which was disappointing.
But, if you have the patience, I highly recommend this. If you have ever imagined returning to certain moments in your life, with "that's what I should have said," or "if only I knew then what I know now," you will find Harry's August's 15 lives an enjoyable journey.
This is not, in my opinion, a book that you read for the plot. The plot is whisper-thin, the McGuffin that powers it is so "high-concept" that I can imagine North, in the early drafts of the book, leaving half-pages blank, with Insert McGuffin here in Comic Sans font.
And that doesn't matter. Well, not to me, because the real pleasure of this novel was watching Harry August live his lives, figures it all out, and play the game -- friendship, love and the complexity of existence -- with the hand he has been dealt. I love Harry's voice. I love the non-linear trajectory of his rememberings, skipping back and forth across lives as he remembers wives, lovers, parents, and friends; triumphs and tragedies.
My only reservation -- and the reason this lost one star for me was that the ending seems a little rushed, which was disappointing.
But, if you have the patience, I highly recommend this. If you have ever imagined returning to certain moments in your life, with "that's what I should have said," or "if only I knew then what I know now," you will find Harry's August's 15 lives an enjoyable journey.
What an interesting premise; what a disappointment! I struggled with this book, determined to finish it. I needed to see if Harry's 15th life was any different that his previous ones. I struggled and skimmed through the pages, boring, boring, talk, talk, talk, the same life over and over with some different details thrown into the mix. Waste of my reading time!
