Timeless classic, or a bit of a drag? What did the club make of May's choice?
Matt Haig's best seller How to Stop Time was the selection for May's meeting of the Tyneside Book Club. It was the second of our virtual meetings - something that we may sadly have to live with for some time.
Most members agreed this was a book that was easy to digest, and rattled along at a good and entertaining pace. The concept of people with much longer lifespans was an intriguing one, and raised some interesting questions.
There was some enjoyment to be had from the occasional famous person cropping up - although some members did question the convenient coincidences that led to Tom encountering everyone from Shakespeare to F Scott Fitzgerald. Some licence for entertaining readers was granted though.
The group also questioned whether the phenomenon of long-lived individuals could have been missed by society for so long when Tom seemed to bump into rather a lot of people in the same boat as him.
There was poignancy though to the losses he experienced, and his search for his daughter. This was balanced by dry humour and playfulness.
Some though craved for a more ambition from the author, feeling that the subject could have been explored with more depth and consideration. Members agreed though that this wasn't Matt Haig's intention and may also not have been within his scope.
For some members though the journey held more interest than the destination. A villain was dispatched a little too easily, while Tom's quest was completed in rather a sudden, and quite undramatic way. Tom's love interest - a French teacher - was seen as a little bit of a male fantasy figure, and members found the romantic elements of the novel less compelling than the journeys across time periods.
But there was still enjoyment to be had, and although some members felt they wouldn't return to the author, others said his work was well worth exploring.
Most members agreed this was a book that was easy to digest, and rattled along at a good and entertaining pace. The concept of people with much longer lifespans was an intriguing one, and raised some interesting questions.
There was some enjoyment to be had from the occasional famous person cropping up - although some members did question the convenient coincidences that led to Tom encountering everyone from Shakespeare to F Scott Fitzgerald. Some licence for entertaining readers was granted though.
The group also questioned whether the phenomenon of long-lived individuals could have been missed by society for so long when Tom seemed to bump into rather a lot of people in the same boat as him.
There was poignancy though to the losses he experienced, and his search for his daughter. This was balanced by dry humour and playfulness.
Some though craved for a more ambition from the author, feeling that the subject could have been explored with more depth and consideration. Members agreed though that this wasn't Matt Haig's intention and may also not have been within his scope.
For some members though the journey held more interest than the destination. A villain was dispatched a little too easily, while Tom's quest was completed in rather a sudden, and quite undramatic way. Tom's love interest - a French teacher - was seen as a little bit of a male fantasy figure, and members found the romantic elements of the novel less compelling than the journeys across time periods.
But there was still enjoyment to be had, and although some members felt they wouldn't return to the author, others said his work was well worth exploring.
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