How to Stop Time
- Downloads：4238
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-26 07:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Matt Haig
- ISBN：1782118640
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
"The first rule is that you don't fall in love， ' he said。。。 'There are other rules too， but that is the main one。 No falling in love。 No staying in love。 No daydreaming of love。 If you stick to this you will just about be okay。"
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
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。 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。
So Tom moves back to London， his old home， to become a high school history teacher--the perfect job for someone who has witnessed the city's history first hand。 Better yet， a captivating French teacher at his school seems fascinated by him。 But 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 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。
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
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。 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。
So Tom moves back to London， his old home， to become a high school history teacher--the perfect job for someone who has witnessed the city's history first hand。 Better yet， a captivating French teacher at his school seems fascinated by him。 But 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 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。
Reviews
Phoebe Kaplan
，
Really enjoyed the plot， but thought the interactions with historical figures were really cheesy。
Rachael
，
This book met my expectations。 It was a fun read with an interesting premise。 I had a hard time getting into the book and I thought the climax was a little confusing but overall， it's a good， light read。 This book met my expectations。 It was a fun read with an interesting premise。 I had a hard time getting into the book and I thought the climax was a little confusing but overall， it's a good， light read。 。。。more
Becky
，
This book has all I need - a fascinating story that goes back and forth through the centuries （my favourite kind of story）， love， mystery， and so thought-provoking。 One that will definitely stick with me！
LostintheCosmere
，
Quick enjoyable read that makes you think about life， love， and the world around you。 Enjoyed it the same way I enjoyed his other books。 I would have to say Humans is still my favorite！
Melanie Johnson
，
Beautifully written， sweeping historical novel with wonderful insight on the human condition。 My 12 y/o daughter also loved it。
christine
，
It was an okay book I guess。。。 at first it caught my attention quite fast but I got very bored。 It's not that it's a shitty book， don't get me wrong， it's just too plane and boring for me。 It was an okay book I guess。。。 at first it caught my attention quite fast but I got very bored。 It's not that it's a shitty book， don't get me wrong， it's just too plane and boring for me。 。。。more
Kamber Woodworth Derosier
，
This was such an interesting book。 To think of living so long with your loved ones passing you by is just so weird and sad。 I loved how the book went back to many different periods in “Tom’s” life， but also to current times。 The author introduces you to many different characters you learn to love or hate and really has you rooting for Tom。 I would definitely recommend this book for those who enjoy both historical fiction or a bit of science fiction mixed with a bit of a love story。
Traci
，
Good read， really liked the premise and story progress。 Character stagnated though and resolution didn't seem to fit。 Good read， really liked the premise and story progress。 Character stagnated though and resolution didn't seem to fit。 。。。more
Mária
，
Veľmi pekná kniha o tom， čo by bolo keby。Super prelínanie minulosti s prítomnosťou， úsmevné momenty a živé dejiny。 Kopec pekných citátov a myšlienok。 Prítomnosť je teraz。 Nie je nič viac。 Žime ju。Ed1: Dodatočne pridávam obľúbené pasáže:"Správa o tom， čo sa stalo v Abesínii， však bola skutočným bodom zlomu。 Ľudia si uvedomili， že sa niečo deje。 Nielen v Nemecku， ale aj v Taliansku。 S usporiadaním sveta。 Spomínam si， ako som čítal noviny v deň， keď Mussolini vyhlásil， že zvíťazili， a。。。"Kurva。Zara Veľmi pekná kniha o tom， čo by bolo keby。Super prelínanie minulosti s prítomnosťou， úsmevné momenty a živé dejiny。 Kopec pekných citátov a myšlienok。 Prítomnosť je teraz。 Nie je nič viac。 Žime ju。Ed1: Dodatočne pridávam obľúbené pasáže:"Správa o tom， čo sa stalo v Abesínii， však bola skutočným bodom zlomu。 Ľudia si uvedomili， že sa niečo deje。 Nielen v Nemecku， ale aj v Taliansku。 S usporiadaním sveta。 Spomínam si， ako som čítal noviny v deň， keď Mussolini vyhlásil， že zvíťazili， a。。。"Kurva。Zarazil som sa。Uvedomil som si， čo som povedal。""Neviem， či ste boli v kontakte s inými ľuďmi， ktorí sú v podobnej situácii， ale ubezpečujem vás， že je ich veľa。 Že nás je veľa。 Tisícky - pravdepodobne。 Jeden anglický lekár nazval stav， ktorým trpíme， anagéria。""Ste boh， Tom。 Chodiaci boh。 Sme bohovia a oni sú podenky。" 。。。more
Michelle Marie McGrath
，
What a treat this book is！ I devoured it in 24 hours。 Such a pleasure :-）
Wanda
，
The story jogged back and forth between the present time and different points in the main characters past。 He has lived for over 400 years and things trigger memories that he relives。 He is trying to find his daughter who also doesn't appear to age and try not to be discovered by the real world。 He is involved with an organization called the 'Albatross Society' that is supposed to protect people like him and if you don't do what they want they get rid of you。 He is not happy and is thinking abou The story jogged back and forth between the present time and different points in the main characters past。 He has lived for over 400 years and things trigger memories that he relives。 He is trying to find his daughter who also doesn't appear to age and try not to be discovered by the real world。 He is involved with an organization called the 'Albatross Society' that is supposed to protect people like him and if you don't do what they want they get rid of you。 He is not happy and is thinking about getting involved with a woman but is afraid that something might happen to her if she knows about his condition。The story seemed to drag a lot for me。 Not exactly a 'can't put it down' book。 Too much constant introspection and a bit of whining。 。。。more
Philip
，
I liked the book。 I really liked it， even， until it dropped a star for me due to what felt like a rushed ending。 I often wonder why authors do that; why shortchange the readers on the ending！？。 Since I recently read "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" by V。E。 Schwab （The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。） and the ideas are very similar， it's difficult not to compare the two books。 While I have given both books three stars， this book is much better than Schw I liked the book。 I really liked it， even， until it dropped a star for me due to what felt like a rushed ending。 I often wonder why authors do that; why shortchange the readers on the ending！？。 Since I recently read "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" by V。E。 Schwab （The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。） and the ideas are very similar， it's difficult not to compare the two books。 While I have given both books three stars， this book is much better than Schwab's book。 Haig's protagonist possesses a depth that Schwab's doesn't even get close to。 However， as I mentioned， the ending feels rushed。 In essence， I feel like someone robbed me of the last quarter - or so - of the book。 Because of this， my overall rating of the book ends up as three stars。 Prior to the last few chapters， though， it was an easy four stars。 The book had me。 It had teased me， grabbed me， and carried me along。。。 and then it kind of shut the door in my face， and mailed me the cliff notes of the ending。 Overall， though， "How to Stop Time" was an enjoyable read that I'd recommend to just about anyone。 Some might not like the split narrative， the jumping between past and present， but it's a vehicle that works for me - as I'm sure it would for anyone who enjoys fantasy books。 the book punches home a very positive point about how important it is to live in the now （even if it isn't quite as romantic as the blurb intimates）。 Considering that the story， for the most parts， is pretty depressing， this positive message is akin to a dandelion breaking through concrete。 Also， Haig writes depressing really well。 Which builds what could have been lulls in the storytelling， into page-turning anticipation。 Definitely worth a read！ 。。。more
Stephanie
，
Heartfelt and entertaining。 Was a bit worried it would become too much Forrest Gump-like but luckily that didn't overtake the story。 Heartfelt and entertaining。 Was a bit worried it would become too much Forrest Gump-like but luckily that didn't overtake the story。 。。。more
Teejay
，
This book was thoroughly okay。 It was written very well and the concept was fun。 But the story line was just a little flat。 I felt like it was going to go somewhere and then just never quite did for me。 Still a good and quick read though。
Ülkü
，
i had some issues with this book but i still very much enjoyed reading about a 439 year old man's life i had some issues with this book but i still very much enjoyed reading about a 439 year old man's life 。。。more
Aylar
，
۴ستاره رو یکی بخاطر این دادم که بعضی جاها نویسنده چیزایی رو میگفت که قابل تامل بود و صرفا یک کتاب رمان نبود مثل:حق با شکسپیر بوده است。شاید تمامی دنیا تنها صحنهی بازیست。شاید اگر در این صحنه بازی نکنیم،همه چیز از هم می پاشد。کلید شاد بودن این نیست که خودت باشی。اصلا معنای این حرف چیست؟هرکسی چندین شخصیت دارد。کلید شادمانی،پیدا کردن دروغیست که بیش از هر دروغ دیگری مناسب تو باشد。کتاب رو تا صفحه ۴۰۰ درنظر داشتم ۵ستاره بدم چون موضوعشم متفاوت بود و توصیف نویسنده از لحظات خیلی خوب بود و توی کتاب غرق میشد ۴ستاره رو یکی بخاطر این دادم که بعضی جاها نویسنده چیزایی رو میگفت که قابل تامل بود و صرفا یک کتاب رمان نبود مثل:حق با شکسپیر بوده است。شاید تمامی دنیا تنها صحنهی بازیست。شاید اگر در این صحنه بازی نکنیم،همه چیز از هم می پاشد。کلید شاد بودن این نیست که خودت باشی。اصلا معنای این حرف چیست؟هرکسی چندین شخصیت دارد。کلید شادمانی،پیدا کردن دروغیست که بیش از هر دروغ دیگری مناسب تو باشد。کتاب رو تا صفحه ۴۰۰ درنظر داشتم ۵ستاره بدم چون موضوعشم متفاوت بود و توصیف نویسنده از لحظات خیلی خوب بود و توی کتاب غرق میشدی،ولی ۶۰صفحه ی اخر کتاب انگار که نویسنده عجله داشته یک پایان خوبی بنویسه و زیاد هم به جزئیات اشاره نکنه،حیف کتاب به این خوبی که اخرش به خوبی بقیه کتاب نبود。همچنین اخر کتاب خوب تموم شد و من ترجیح میدادم کمی بیشتر واقع بینانه باشه。 。。。more
dara moreno
，
Thoughtful and interesting A wonderful story and a thoughtful truth。 I love how Matt Haig weaves wisdom into such an entertaining and intriguing narrative
Peace
，
2。75
Autumn Huju
，
I had a hard time getting into this one。 The concepts are very intriguing， but the main character was not exceptionally relatable， and I think that I had a difficult time connecting to the story because of that。 I believe I went into my read through with high expectations after reading Matt Haig's The Midnight Library。 Overall， this is a interesting story about time， shame， and finding your place in the world！ I had a hard time getting into this one。 The concepts are very intriguing， but the main character was not exceptionally relatable， and I think that I had a difficult time connecting to the story because of that。 I believe I went into my read through with high expectations after reading Matt Haig's The Midnight Library。 Overall， this is a interesting story about time， shame， and finding your place in the world！ 。。。more
Zach Koenig
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 After reading "The Midnight Library" and thoroughly enjoying it， I began working my way backward through Matt Haig's works with "How To Stop Time"。 Another novel--another five-star effort。For a very basic overview， "How To Stop Time" tells the story of a man （known by many names） who is very old--as in "born in 1581 old"--yet also resides in modern-day London looking like an average middle-aged citizen。 Readers come to understand that this individual--who has worked with Shakespeare and sailed w After reading "The Midnight Library" and thoroughly enjoying it， I began working my way backward through Matt Haig's works with "How To Stop Time"。 Another novel--another five-star effort。For a very basic overview， "How To Stop Time" tells the story of a man （known by many names） who is very old--as in "born in 1581 old"--yet also resides in modern-day London looking like an average middle-aged citizen。 Readers come to understand that this individual--who has worked with Shakespeare and sailed with Captain Cook--has a rare condition that severely slows the aging process。 While trying to locate his daughter （who inherited the same prolonged youth）， he is courted--or is it pursued？--by a society that professes to understand his plight and help him not attract attention to his odd status。Haig is quickly becoming a favorite fiction author of mine。 The ideas he puts to the page have thus far been utterly fascinating。 Not only that， but peppered in amongst the "concept stuff" are nuggets of introspective wisdom that really hit home （at least for me）。 As an open sufferer of anxiety， Haig is able to take that struggle and interweave it within the characters of his novels。 Every being he creates seems immediately "real"， or speaking/acting/thinking like a normal person （even when presented with extraordinary circumstances）。Trying to compare "How to Stop Time" with "The Midnight Library" is almost a pointless exercise--they are both novels of the highest quality and that's enough for me。 Despite being about vastly different topics and featuring characters of wildly different ages， Haig's authorial skills shine out from the pages of each book。 。。。more
Elena
，
'To talk about memories is to live them a little。'Matt Haig is an unbelievable writer。 So many amazing paragraphs， quotes， words。The story itself was fine but his writing is what makes it great。'People you love never die。' 'To talk about memories is to live them a little。'Matt Haig is an unbelievable writer。 So many amazing paragraphs， quotes， words。The story itself was fine but his writing is what makes it great。'People you love never die。' 。。。more
Bloggbohemen
，
Den här boken tyckte jag verkligen om！ Det är stillsamt， men ändå händelserikt och här finns en hel del funderingar om livet att stanna upp vid om man så vill。 Bara idén om en slags tillstånd som gör åldrandet till en så långsam process att personen lever i hundratals år är intressant och att Haig dessutom får mig att nästa tro på det som en möjlighet tyder på ett skickligt författarskap。 Boken huvudkaraktär， Tom， är dessutom lätt att tycka om， vilket efter några böcker med karaktärer som känts Den här boken tyckte jag verkligen om！ Det är stillsamt， men ändå händelserikt och här finns en hel del funderingar om livet att stanna upp vid om man så vill。 Bara idén om en slags tillstånd som gör åldrandet till en så långsam process att personen lever i hundratals år är intressant och att Haig dessutom får mig att nästa tro på det som en möjlighet tyder på ett skickligt författarskap。 Boken huvudkaraktär， Tom， är dessutom lätt att tycka om， vilket efter några böcker med karaktärer som känts lite ”nja” är en positiv upplevelse。 。。。more
Nicole Elkins
，
I loved this book！ It seems sci-if because， of course， it does have those elements。 However， the book was filled with so many quotes and lessons that can be applied to everyday life。
Kara Osborn
，
Matt Haig never fails， I enjoy reading his work so much！！ This book was so fun！ I loved how the story flowed and just casually bumping into these great people throughout history。 Haig’s words are often times like poetry and I feel such a deep connection to him on such a weird intimate level lol。 I like to think that a little tiny piece of his soul is friends with mine。
Tanya
，
I really liked， except for the ending。 Endings are often very difficult for me。
Jonathan Crabb
，
This is the first book by Haig that I have ever read。 It is overall a very simple story， though a well executed one。 There is family conflict and a search for lost love ones。 Pretty standard fare。 The twist to the book is that the main character lives for a very long time for some reason。 This is also not a particularly innovative theme。 And yet this book was a pretty good fiction which I thought did a very good job at executing on its premise。 I have read lots of fiction that has had more intri This is the first book by Haig that I have ever read。 It is overall a very simple story， though a well executed one。 There is family conflict and a search for lost love ones。 Pretty standard fare。 The twist to the book is that the main character lives for a very long time for some reason。 This is also not a particularly innovative theme。 And yet this book was a pretty good fiction which I thought did a very good job at executing on its premise。 I have read lots of fiction that has had more intricate / better storylines， and yet this book was quite refreshing in its simplicity。 I am going to read more of Haig’s stuff to see if this is his style and if so， I very much look forward to his next concept he wants to unpack。 。。。more
Kristine
，
This won't go down as one of my favourite books of all time but it was undeniably beautiful。 I was certainly invested in finding out what Tom was going to do with his restlessness。 But at the same time， I wasn't so sucked in that I couldn't set it down。 I'm not sure there was anything missing per se。 It was paced wonderfully and the time hops weren't at all confusing because they were short， palatable chapters。 I really enjoyed it but wasn't omg about it。 You know， it was a really unique twist o This won't go down as one of my favourite books of all time but it was undeniably beautiful。 I was certainly invested in finding out what Tom was going to do with his restlessness。 But at the same time， I wasn't so sucked in that I couldn't set it down。 I'm not sure there was anything missing per se。 It was paced wonderfully and the time hops weren't at all confusing because they were short， palatable chapters。 I really enjoyed it but wasn't omg about it。 You know， it was a really unique twist on time travel， since he wasn't actually travelling around in time in the way we normally imagine it。 That's what made this story uniquely interesting。 。。。more
Kaska K
，
3。5
Rui
，
This was the first book I read by Matt Haig and definitely my last。 I am still speechless as to how such an intriguing premise of a secret population of people who age slower than normal humans， thus lending them hundreds of years to live， was so underwhelming in this book。 Regular humans start learning independence and how to take agency over their lives very early on in their lives and it takes how many years for this main character， Tom？ 436 years。 He lacks any redeeming qualities and kind of This was the first book I read by Matt Haig and definitely my last。 I am still speechless as to how such an intriguing premise of a secret population of people who age slower than normal humans， thus lending them hundreds of years to live， was so underwhelming in this book。 Regular humans start learning independence and how to take agency over their lives very early on in their lives and it takes how many years for this main character， Tom？ 436 years。 He lacks any redeeming qualities and kind of lives like a starfish， moving from rock to rock， hiding from predators and doing absolutely nothing。 The romance too， which the stage was set for on the very first page， was lackluster。 。。。more
Buck
，
After reading the first several reviews， I found you will either love this book or you will hate it。 I loved it。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=How to Stop Time
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=How to Stop Time&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,How to Stop Time&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0