Moja ocjena: 4 / 5
Goodreads ocjena: 3,85 / 5
Izdavač: Vorto Palabra
Sjećate se filma Highlander? I onih nadasve čudnih ljudi u kiltovima koji vitlaju mačevima u želji za preživljavanjem, ali i dokazivanjem tko je najbolji?
Pa raznih scena u kojima pratimo Connora MacLeoda kroz godine - od kovača u Škotskoj, vojnika u Drugom svjetskom ratu pa sve do bogatog kolekcionara umjetnina krajem 20. stoljeća?
E pa... ovu vam knjigu uvelike mogu usporediti sa spomenutim filmom. Samo što se ovdje ne borimo za preživljavanje najboljeg već pratimo ljude koje je priroda obdarila jednim neobičnim darom - možemo ga nazvati sindromom usporenog starenja, koji omogućuje putovanje kroz vrijeme dulje nego kod prosječnog čovjeka, mogućnost da iskuse puno više i otkriju novu perspektivu života i življenja istog.
U cijeloj toj priči usko smo povezani sa jednom dragom dušom imena Tom Hazard. Tom je netko koga bih htjela za prijatelja jer znam da bih u njemu uvijek pronašla upravo pravi omjer dobrote i iskrenosti. On je inače simpatičan momak koji ima oko 400 godina, a izgleda kao prosječni četrdesetogodišnjak. Prošao je mnogo toga na svom putu - od gubitka majke proglašene vješticom, gubitka voljene osobe i bezumne potrage za kćerkom, ali i do toga da je skupio neopisivo veliku količinu znanja na svom životnom putu - od jezika koje je naučio govoriti, glazbenih instrumenata koje je naučio svirati pa sve do ličnosti koje je imao prilike upoznati, a o kojima mi možemo samo sanjati.
S druge strane, on je duša svezana lancima. Otkako je upoznao Hendricha, stavljeni su mu okovi koji ga drže pod nadzorom. Hendrich mu preostali " normalni" svijet predstavlja kao prijetnju - kao one koji će, ukoliko doznaju za sindrom, započeti sa progonima, testiranjima i istrebljenjem anomalije. S druge strane, drži ga u šaci time što mu naoko pomaže pronaći davno izgubljenu kćer Marion.
Kroz ovu sam knjigu, iskusila putovanje kroz vrijeme na jedan nadasve blizak i ugodan način. I na tom sam putu, čitajući Kako zaustaviti vrijeme, dobila uvid u boje i mirise koji su mi prezentirani na londonskoj tržnici, zvuk lutnje koju stvara dječak na ulici, Shakespeareove uzvike dok priprema predstavu ili zvuk klavira u klubu početkom 20. stoljeća. Kad bih mogla putovati vremenom ili barem biti promatrač nekom drugom svijetu, drage volje bih se na to odvažila.
Što se tiče Toma, moram napomenuti kako ipak nije sve tako savršeno. U njegovim se riječima i postupcima osjeti značajna doza melankolije i malodušnosti. Redovito odlazi na mjesta koja ga podsjećaju na bolnu prošlost, često je u mislima i neprestano otvara stare rane.
Nikako da se okrene onomu što se nalazi ispred njega već se uporno vraća na ono prošlo i nepromjenjivo. U tom se segmentu zapravo dobiva uvid u misli samog autora, koji se dio svog života borio sa depresijom.
Pročitala sam nedavno i njegovu Ponoćnu knjižnicu, koju s pravom nazivaju pojasom za spašavanje, a upravo obrađuje temu pronalaženja smisla života pojedinca i shvaćanja kako ipak nije sve tako crno. Ali o tomu ćemo u jednoj od idućih objava. :)
Jedna stvar koja me oduševila i istovremeno izmamila osmijeh na lice jest što se u jednom dijelu knjige spominje period proizvodnje svile u Londonu (Spitalfields, ako se dobro sjećam) koji smo već imali priliku upoznati kroz knjigu "Kupina i divlja ruža" autorice Sonie Velton. Munjevito sam ponovno ubačena u tu priču i mogu vam reći kako mi je srce poskočilo od sreće kada sam oživjela ta sjećanja.
Ako ste propustili objavu, slobodno kliknite na poveznicu u nastavku:
Osim toga, ponovno sam se prisjetila knjige "Familijari" autorice Stacey Halls, koja me odvela u vrijeme progona vještica te napisane vlastite verzije Biblije tadašnjeg engleskog vladara, kralja Jamesa.
Ako ste propustili objavu, slobodno kliknite na poveznicu u nastavku:
I nešto što bih vam, u svakom slučaju htjela naglasiti jest to da je knjiga prepuna predivnih misli. Samo što ovog puta nisam htjela prepisivati i slagati u obliku objave. Ima ih jednostavno previše, a i bolje je da ovog puta prepustim vama da ih sami pronalazite tokom čitanja. I da u njima uživate.
(Jedan sam vam ipak morala ubaciti.)
Ako vas moja objava nije zaintrigirala (u što čisto sumnjam), pogledajte video u nastavku gdje autor objašnjava što ga je motiviralo da napiše knjigu te koji su mu općenito pokretači, kako u životu, tako i u ulozi pisca.
I za dodatno istraživanje: http://www.matthaig.com/
Velike puse i hrpa zagrljaja!
Do iduće objave,
Voli vas vaša Goga
My rating: 4/5
Goodreads rating: 3.85 / 5
Publisher: Vorto Palabra
Remember the movie Highlander? And those extremely strange people in kilts who wield their swords in the desire to survive, but also to prove who is the best of them?
And the various scenes in which we follow Connor MacLeod over the years - from being a blacksmith in Scotland, soldier in World War II to a wealthy art collector in the late 20th century?
Well ... I can compare this book "How to stop time" to the aforementioned movie. It's just that we are not fighting for survival of the One here, but we are following people endowed by nature with an unusual gift - we can call it slow aging syndrome, which allows you to travel longer through time than the average person, the opportunity to experience much more and discover new perspective of life.
Throughout this story, we are closely connected to one dear soul named Tom Hazard. Tom is someone I would like to be a friend with because I know I would always find just the right balance of kindness and sincerity in him. He is a nice guy who is about 400 years old, and he looks like an average forty-year-old. He went through a lot on his way - from the loss of a mother declared a witch, the loss of a loved one and a mindless search for his daughter, but also to the accumulation of indescribably large amounts of knowledge in his life - from the languages he learned to speak, musical instruments learned to play all the way to people he had the opportunity to meet, and about whom we can only dream.
On the other hand, he is a soul bound by chains. Ever since he met Hendrich, he has been shackled to keep him under control. Hendrich presents the rest of the "normal" world to him as a threat - as those who, if they find out about the syndrome, will start persecuting, testing and eradicating the anomaly. On the other hand, he keeps him under control by seemingly helping him find his long-lost daughter Marion.
Through this book, I have experienced time travel in a very close and pleasant way. And along the way, reading "How to stop time", I got the insight into the colors and scents presented to me at the London market, the sound of a lute created by a boy on the street, Shakespeare’s shouts as he prepares a play or piano sound at an early 20th century club. If I could travel through time or at least be an observer to another world, I would gladly dare to do so.
As for Tom, I have to mention that not everything is so perfect after all. A significant dose of melancholy and discouragement is felt in his words and actions. He regularly goes to places that remind him of his painful past, which is often in his mind and constantly opens old wounds.
There is no way to turn to what is in front of him, but he is persistently returning to the unchangeable past. In this segment, you can actually get an insight into the thoughts of the author himself, who has been battling depression for a part of his life.
I also recently read his "The Midnight Library", which is rightly called the lifeline, and it deals with the topic of finding the meaning of an individual's life and realizing that not everything is so black. But we'll talk about that in one of the next posts. :)
One thing that thrilled me and brought a smile to my face is that one part of the book mentions the period of silk production in London (Spitalfields, if I remember correctly), which we have already had the opportunity to meet through the book "Blackberry and Wild Rose" by Sonia Velton. I was quickly re-inserted into that story and I can tell you how my heart jumped with happiness when I revived those memories.
If you missed the post, feel free to click on the link below:
In addition, I was reminded again of the book “The Familiars” by Stacey Halls, which took me back to the time of the persecution of witches, and written new version of the Bible, by king James.
If you missed the post, feel free to click on the link below:
And something I would like to emphasize to you, in any case, is that the book is full of wonderful thoughts. Only this time I didn’t want to transcribe and type in the form of a post. There are simply too many of them, and this time it is better to leave it to you to find them yourself while reading. And to enjoy them.
(I had to insert one for you, though.)
If my post did not intrigue you (which I doubt very much), watch the video below where the author explains what motivated him to write the book and what are his main drivers, both in life and in the role of a writer.
And for further research: http://www.matthaig.com/
Big kisses and a bunch of hugs!
Until the next post,
Your Goga loves you
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