This is a proper thriller of a book. Its well-written with interesting character and it cracks along at speed. I found it very filmic and expect to see this fulfilled in the near future. Its a bit too violent and gun-toting for me but it is so well written I was able to shut my eyes and carry on over the worst bits. I liked the way the story went back to learn how Samuel got his bullet wounds and gradually met in the middle with the present day story. Loo is a force of nature, a chip off the old block, but we are routing for her until the end. Great read.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Loo Hawley can't remember her mother - she died in a swimming accident while Loo was just a baby. Since then Loo and her father have moved almost constantly from place to place, ready to pack up and go at a minute's notice, leaving behind everything but the necessities never settling in a place for more than a few months. Now Loo's twelve and her father has decided that they should settle down, try to build a 'normal' life for themselves in the coastal Massachusetts town her mother grew up in. It isn't easy to get the locals to accept them though - Loo can't find a way to fit in with her new schoolmates, and Hawley himself carries an aura of violence about him which keeps his new neighbours at bay. The past too continues to haunt them - from hints dropped by her grandmother and old newspaper clippings, Loo starts to build an account of her mother's death which doesn't match the tale told by her father, and the violent past Hawley is trying to outrun is still reaching out for him.
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is an odd mix of a book, blending a coming of age novel with a violent crime thriller. As the story moves forwards, following Loo's (often disastrous) attempts to fit in at school and the beginnings of her first romance, it looks backwards too, exploring Hawley's life via the bullet scars that still serve as a reminder. Hawley slipped gradually into a life of crime and now wants to reinvent himself as a caring parent - but, as you might expect, his former associates and enemies aren't willing to let him.
I sometimes find I need to understand the 'shape' of a story before it really grabs me, and that happened here. Once I'd got to grips with the way the two story-lines were evolving, and the rather prickly characters of Loo and Hawley, I really enjoyed my read. It's cleverly plotted, giving hints about what may happen (or have happened) but never giving too much away in advance.
Although there's undoubtedly a lot of violence, I didn't find it gratuitous or glorifying. Tinti dwells more on Hawley's optimism that everything will go smoothly without the need for fire-power, and the pain inflicted on him when he's proved wrong, yet again. As his story was revealed, I found my sympathy for Hawley increasing, beginning to see him as caught in a vicious circle; he desperately wants to free himself from his past, but sometimes violence is the only way to fight off violence from others. Loo sees things differently - that guns represent power, and are a symbol of adulthood. Maybe it's learning that she's wrong that is her first step towards growing up. Hawley, though, is definitely the more intersting character.
I think the mix of themes may stop this from being a book for everyone, but I came to enjoy, and would definitely re-read, it.

Beautiful and bittersweet.

There's something about the kind of relationships, like the one in this book, that really speaks to my heart. A gruff, gun-toting, bullet-scarred man, and a spirited teenage girl - an unlikely pair, and yet when the relationship is so full of love and mutual respect, as it is here between Loo and Samuel Hawley, there is nothing so strong.

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley alternates between the present and past. In the former, Samuel Hawley teaches Loo how to survive (shooting guns and hotwiring cars, etc.) and brings her to settle in the small hometown where her late mother, Lily, grew up. Here she faces many personal trials, from bullying at school, to her developing relationship with her grandmother. This is interspersed with journeys into the past - tales of each of the twelve bullet wounds marking Samuel Hawley's body.

The writing is exquisite. Tinti captures small details in every scene, building up this portrait of both Samuel's life, and the complex relationship between father and daughter.

It is somehow both told in great detail and also extremely compelling. I've always admired authors who can do this - tell a story that builds so very slowly without taking anything away from your urgency to read it. It's only in the last couple of years that I've realized slowly-developed stories can be pageturners, too.

I don't know who made the bigger impact on me. Samuel Hawley, who literally carries the scars of his past with him... or Loo, who grows up weird in an unfriendly world (and doesn't apologize for it). The pair dazzle apart, but even more so together.

The perfectly-crafted storytelling contains many small observations on human nature; the good and the bad. It's a book which is part grit-lit, part emotional contemporary - i.e. some guns, some crime, and a whole lot of heart.

"Like those craters, Hawley's scars were signs of previous damage, that had impacted his life long before she was born. And like the moon, Hawley was always circling between Loo and the rest of the universe."

Wow, I loved this book. It's a little bit Tarantino and a little bit coming of age story. I know I'm not the first person to reference Tarantino when talking about The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley but the violence, beauty and characters really reminded me of his films. Yet, dare I say it, a little better written?

The story sucks you in right away. The flash backs to the 12 bullets that Samuel Hawley has received over his lifetime is a great way of telling Hawley, and Loo's, story, interweaving it with current events.

Although, after a while I did start to wonder if he was just a really bad criminal, surely skilled criminals don't get shot so much!

It might put you off when I describe The Twelve Lives of Samual Hawley as a bit Tarantino, but it is well written. Yes, in parts it does get a bit silly and the sceptical would be thinking 'would that really happen' but you have to go with it. It's equal parts fun and also sensitively written. Tinti paints an interesting picture of people coping with grief and anger.

Hawley could have quite easily been a cliche; the crook with a heart, but he's brought to life well by Tinti and becomes a more than a stereotype. He's mysterious, heartbreaking, terrifying, slightly over the top but also very human.

I liked Loo as well (although in the UK her name means toilet so that made me chuckle to myself). She's angry, but hers is not the typical 'angry teenager' story which I must admit I've grown out of. Tinti is good at writing from a teenage point of view but making it palatable for adults.

Be warned, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is very sad in parts, I wouldn't describe it as a weepy, too many guns for that, but it definitely got me choked up.

Speaking of guns, there is a lot of violence in the book; some people won't like it but I didn't think it was ridiculously over the top, the story is about a violent criminal, so it's going to be in there.

Overall I just really enjoyed the Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley, and I'm wondering if anyone has sent it to Tarantino to option yet.

My Rating: 4/5

I received a digital copy of The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley via NetGalley in return for an honest review. My thanks to the publisher and author.

This novel had one of the most wonderful beginnings I've read in quite some time. As soon as I started the book, I knew it would be a highly unique story. Hours later, I had finished it and I knew I was right: I had never read something quite like this. However, my initial delight wasn't always present, as I admit I struggled a bit because of its length.

I wouldn't say this is a mystery; it's more like a coming of age story and a contemporary novel: a tale about family, loneliness, and fitting in. The writing by Hannah Tinti is brilliant and the characters are simply unforgettable. I think we can expect a film sometime in the next few years.

We meet Samuel Hawley and Loo (father and daughter). They've just moved to Olympus, Massachusetts and they're having a hard time fitting in. Years pass (Loo is 12 at first and 17 in the last chapter) while we're witness of their struggles and endless adventures. At the same time, there are some flashback chapters where we learn about Samuel's 12 lives (bullet scars that he carries on his body). Initially, I thought that was a great idea, but the more I read, the more these chapters felt a bit repetitive. For once, I was more interested in the present story, especially Loo's coming of age.

As I said, Loo was amazing (independent, strong and complex) and, even though we didn't get to know her that much, Mabel Ridge was also a character I wanted to know more about. The mystery surrounding Loo's mother, Lily, was one of my favorite parts of the book. I loved how the author made no excuses for anyone's behavior. After all, when you love someone, you're able to overlook their mistakes... Blood is thicker than water.

In the end, I think I will remember this book because there's something quite special about it. It hasn't been my favorite read of the year, but I'm not sure I'll read something quite like it anytime soon.

Not my sort of book

Apparently this has been compared to Quentin Tarantino’s works and as I have never liked him it is no real surprise that this book did not resonate with me.

It is well-written and quite readable but I didn’t really connect with either of the main characters. Samuel Hawley is trying to bring up his daughter after his wife drowned when she was small but this is difficult due to his violent past and present.

We alternate between Hawley’s violent past describing how he has managed to get the twelve bullet wounds, which is referenced in the title, and the present where his daughter Loo is trying to settle into a new school having spent her childhood being dragged around various parts of America.

The relationship between father and daughter is well-described but, for me, there is just too much violence and shooting. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if Sam had only had 6 lives!!

Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

This novel is a bittersweet examination of a father and daughter relationship and a coming of age story. Samuel Hawley and Loo have spent most of their time living in places on a temporary basis. This has ensured that they have the routine down pat when it comes to leaving, taking only the bare minimum, but always with them are the items that remind the two of them of Lily, Loo's mother, and which form a dedicated shrine in the bathroom. The constant moving means Loo has no friends but this lifestyle is all she knows. Samuel Hawley has led a chequered life, defined by his gun collection, and a body riddled with the consequences of bad choices and the repercussions of crime. His body tells the story of his life through the twelve bullets that have scarred his body, and provides the structure through which we learn of what transpired with each bullet. What is never in doubt is Samuel's all encompassing love for Lily and Loo.

At the age of 12, Sam and Loo settle in Olympus, Massachusetts, the home of Lily, which she could not leave behind fast enough. Lily's mother, Mabel Ridge, is a bitter woman who hates Sam, holding him responsible for the demise of her daughter. Sam faces some stiff resistance to his arrival, which he deals with violently in his own inimitable style although he does come to be more accepted. Loo is bullied, which she eventually deals with physically. In that respect, she is very much her father's daughter. Loo is hungry for knowledge of her mother, and acquires items which she keeps secret from her dad. She forms a relationship with Marshall that is strewn with obstacles. She has the universe drawn on her body and views her relationships through the movements of the planets. She is gifted a telescope which becomes a treasured item. Loo learns about guns and hotwiring cars from Sam and eventually the truth about Lily. Things come to a head after Jove, Sam's brother in arms and crime, comes to stay. His apparent death triggers the need to move again, for Sam to complete some 'errands'. In an echo of events many years ago with Lily, Loo smuggles herself on board a boat, as we learn the story of the twelfth bullet to hit Sam.

There is a timelessness about this story which draws you in. The author's refusal to judge Sam on his litany of errors whilst emphasising his humanity is what made reading this story extraordinarily compelling. The nature of his relationship with and protection of Loo makes you root for him. It is the small details that make an impact such as Sam's eventual bonding with Loo as a baby through whisky. The universality of love and the desperation it engenders is recognised by Loo within herself and she sees it reflected in her father, Principal Gunderson's love for her mother and others. It is an all encompassing madness, with planets orbiting around the same sun throughout all time, time and time again. Absolutely riveting reading. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Headline for an ARC.

Mmm, what I love about reading is the amazing variety out there, and my favourite thing about reviewing is that I get to go out of my normal range and experiment with new genres and authors. This book is a challenge to review as it’s not something I would normally have read, and I can’t honestly use the word enjoy… but I’m also really glad I did read it, and the story has lingered with me for several days. The book is the life story of Samuel Hawley – it’s not a happy tale. The chapters alternate between his current life – largely told through his daughter Loo, and the story of his life to that point, slowly revealing the encounters and situations that have brought them to this place, at this time. The story has a brooding quality, and you sense early on that there will be no happy endings. It’s also a coming of age story for Loo, who begins to understand her own beginnings and make her own choices about how to live her adult life. The book is really beautifully written, the characters are completely identifiable and the descriptions of places and people are thoroughly engaging. Samuel is a simple man, life hasn’t dealt him a great hand, but when he falls in love he makes a series of decisions that are intended to keep his family safe… The ending is somewhat disappointing for someone who likes clear cut finishes, it leaves many things to the imagination of the reader, which I guess means you can give them a happy ending or not!

No review written - did not finish. Wasn't keen on the characters or the story.

There are some novels that you hear a lot about months before they are due to be published. The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley, which will be published next month, is, for me, one such novel. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I was approved to read this title via Netgalley.
Samuel Hawley and his daughter, Louise (Loo), have spent years travelling from place to place, never settling anywhere for too long. But as Loo gets older, Samuel thinks that it would be good for her if they settled somewhere – somewhere she can make friends and focus on school – and on the cusp of Loo becoming a teenager, they settle in Olympus, Massachusetts – Loo’s mother’s hometown.
Samuel finds work and Loo attends the local school, but they are haunted by Samuel’s past, which he has spent a long time running from. Loo knows little about it, but her father has twelve scars on his body, caused by bullets from various points in his criminal past – a past that might not be done with them yet.
The novel alternates between the present day and Sam’s past, and the reader experiences both Loo’s experiences as an outsider trying to settle in at a new school and gradually becoming a woman as well as learning about Sam’s past, one bullet at a time. Because of this, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley contains two quite different narratives, and the reader gets to experience both a coming of age tale, although Loo’s coming of age is quite different to the norm, as well as something of a thriller as we learn more about Samuel and his background. I really enjoyed both narratives, and I thought the way the two stories came together was brilliantly done.
Sam’s tale is dark, violent and occasionally humorous. And yet while his past is somewhat unwholesome and anything but typical, I found him to be a likeable character, and I did sympathise with him. This was for two reasons – his love for his wife, Lily (Loo’s mother), and daughter comes through very clearly in the novel:
For the first time he had something to lose, and it was funny how that changed things.
The second reason is that he doesn’t come across as being a violent man, unless a situation calls for it. He will (and can) defend himself, but only uses violence when it's necessary. Sadly for him, this proved to be more often than not.
Loo, on the other hand, should be quite a different character, and yet you don’t live alone with a man like Samuel Hawley without picking up a few tips and tricks (which he is more than happy to share with her). Eleven years old at the start of the novel, her life has been one of constantly moving around as Sam tries to prevent his past catching up with him, and this sets Loo apart from others of her own age, even when they settle in Massachusetts. Becoming a victim of the school bullies, she reacts. Violently. And I have to admit that I loved her for it.
Over the course of the novel, the reader sees Loo develop into a young woman, with all the usual steps and phases that such a path takes, and it’s difficult not to pity her a little for living alone with a father, with whom a daughter might not always want to discuss certain things. That said, I really liked the father / daughter relationship portrayed here, which, now that I think about it, isn’t all that common in fiction. Despite his past, Sam is clearly trying to do his best for her, and will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, and I enjoyed the exploration of what it means to be a parent, but also the acknowledgement that we don’t always know people as much as we think – even those closest to us:
"Even in the shadows she could see his scars. The skin was different there. Puckered and ghostly. And now she knew the story behind one of those ghosts."
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is a brilliantly entertaining novel that reads a little like a Quentin Tarantino film, with a bit of family drama thrown in for good measure. It will be published on 6 April 2017 by Tinder Press. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

When a criminal past catches up with you, how do you protect your daughter? With guns. Mixture of family ties, a western gun fight and astrology, this is a road trip not to be forgotten.

This book opens with Hawley teaching his daughter, Loo, how to shoot a rifle. The style is laconic and understated. I found it a promising start. Mine was a draft copy so I'm not sure how the book will be finally arranged. However, in mine, there were effectively alternating chapters in the main. One aspect was about Hawley and Loo's lives in current time in the main. The other aspects was mainly Hawley's life arranged in bullets! Hawley has twelve bullet wounds on his body so the chapters tell the story around each of those bullet holes. I found the approach interesting and easy to read.

Over the course of this book I grew to really like both Loo and Hawley. They are interesting, well written and develop over the book. The more peripheral characters are also good. I found the writing throughout the book atmospheric. Loo's development as a teenager with all its angst came over well. Hawley - this is a fairly violent criminal at times - I grew to really like; that is good writing.

In a sense this is a straightforward tale of a man and his daughter's lives in some ways. However this has a far deeper level to it in my mind. This is about a man coming to know his daughter and about that daughter coming to understand her father. This book can be tender and brutal within a few words. After that can come beauty, humour and sadness - the writing is lovely.

How far do you have to run to get far enough away and what might a father really do for his daughter? Hawley moving from wandering criminal to the person he is in the present day is a great journey. To call the ending powerful is certainly not overstating it.

There are books that I say I was drawn in to however this one has taken me deeper than many I've said that about. Loo is a very good, credible character and works well for me. However Hawley really does take the biscuit. Here is a gun toting criminal looking after his young daughter. The more I learnt about both of their lives the more I liked them both - very good writing indeed. 4.5/5 for me and I'd like to read another book by Hannah Tinti.

Interesting novel about a father daughter relationship set in America both in the present day and in the past. Samuel Hawley is bringing up his teenage daughter, Loo, as a single father. Still mourning Loo's mother who died when she was a baby, Hawley is trying to escape his criminal past and keep his daughter safe.
Told both in the present day as Hawley and Loo settle into life in a small town where Loo's Grandmother lives and through flashbacks to the past where the author explains how Hawley acquired the 12 bullet holes that adorn his body.
There is a mystery about Loo's mother's death, drowning in a lake , which Loo needs to investigate in order to understand her father and their life together. This is really the heart of the novel and it is only Samuel who can enlighten Loo as to what happened.
Parts of the plot were quite dark and violent although it was beautifully written. Hawley is really not a nice man, a petty criminal in his younger days who still has a fascination with guns but his love for his daughter redeems him and makes him a likeable character. I really wanted him to succeed as his whole life revolves round doing the best for Loo and protecting her.
I loved Loo who is feisty throughout the novel. She is forced to stand up for herself all the time due to her background and nomadic lifestyle with her father. Teased at school she does not give in and gets the better of her tormentors showing her independance and toughness which is born of her unusual home life.
I enjoyed the way that Hawley's earlier life is revealed in alternate chapters interspersed with the story set in the present day. Each bullet hole in his body represents an episode from his past. As the book progresses the atmosphere builds and I could see that the past and the present were going to collide.
Not a mystery in the traditional sense but both a coming of age drama and the story of a father's love for his daughter, this is an unusual book which was for me a compelling read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found it hard to review this book, so went back to the description, yes, that's it; one part Tarantino. Gratuitous violence, yes; but at its heart this is a love story. Disjointed by intention, but never difficult to follow. I didn't love this book, but neither did I dislike it. Probably just not my type of book. Also, spoiler alert, I hate endings that aren't tied up neatly.

This book had me hooked from the get go but I have difficulty in knowing why! I am normally a murder / mystery /detective type reader but I am so pleased to have read it.
In a sentence it's like Jack Reacher's half brother from the wrong side of the tracks brings up his daughter with ensuing adventures.
It is extremely well written. The tenderness within some of the descriptive passages and the grim horror within others brings the novel to life, making it very personal to the reader.
I do hope this goes on to be a best seller because its got my vote.

A well-told tale about a man trying to do the best for his daughter

This novel deals with Sam Hawley, a lowlife, trying to settle down with his daughter, Loo, in a small town in Massachusetts. They meet a variety of interesting characters as both attempt to adapt to a sedentary life after many years of wandering from place to place. We see Loo growing up and facing the various challenges of life with an errant father. The title refers to the various bullet scars that Sam has on him and alternative chapters relate how these occurred.

Well-written and engaging, this is well worth a read and did not end as depressingly as I suspected. Highly recommended.