I was incredibly drawn to this book over the premise but it unfortunately didn't work for me. I think the writing is beautiful at moments but a bit over the top which dragged the progression of the plot. I got to around 40% and couldn't really continue - may pick this up later when I'm more in the mood for something atmospheric but putting it down for now.

Books set during WWII are hitting top charts these days. Good thing too, considering that it definitely is one of the most important eras of our history. Add magical realism and a sprinkle of fairy tale atmosphere and you've got yourself a wonderful read. I really, really enjoyed the beautiful prose and the story hit all the right spots. It could have been longer, I wouldn't have complained.

Felt like a bit of a slog. Slightly leaden prose. But did give a good sense of place. Might be a better winter read than spring/summer.

My Thoughts
The Hawkman is just one more reason that I am glad to have 'discovered' Buzz Books. This was featured in the Spring/Summer 2018 edition and if the excerpt hadn't captivated me, it is likely a book I would not have explored( as I seem to be drawn mostly to mysteries and thrillers lately). That would have been my loss since I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

**Big thanks to NetGalley for this digital copy in exchange for my review.**

It was a little slow to start, but I think that was my fault. I was expecting some wild fantasy novel. It was wild, it was fantastical, but it wasn't a fantasy. You only got to know 2 of the characters very well, and even that wasn't much.

I was also distracted trying to figure out when it took place. Again, that may be more my fault. The hints were fine, I just had to look it up and refresh my history knowledge.

But then, it just took off for me. The storytelling in this book was amazing! Not just the main characters, but there were little stories thrown in all over the place. Miss Williams was a writer, that's how she met Mr. Sheehan. She was teaching at the women's college. And that's really all I will tell you. It really was a wonderful story!

I really enjoyed this book as a reading experience. It felt extremely immersive, and I struggled to put it down!

'The Hawkman: A Fairy Tale of the Great War' is a retelling of the German fairy tale Der Bärenhäuter by the Brothers Grimm. I decided to read the book because I am a big fan of retellings as well as fairy tales in general.

Let's look at the fairy tale first.
Der Bärenhäuter is the story of a young soldier who has no place to go after the war ended. He then meets the devil who has a proposal for him. The soldier won't be allowed to wash nor groom himself for the next 7 years. In exchange he will receive a clock that will always provide him with money. The soldier, lacking an alternative, agrees to the offer and dons the skin of a recently killed bear. After wandering for some years he meets the poor father of three beautiful girls and helps him with paying his depths. To show his gratitude the man offers one of his daughters as a bride. The youngest one accepts because he sisters turn away in disgust for the man. The soldier leaves to wander the land for three more years but then returns for his wife as the beautiful man he is. The scorned sisters get angry to a point when they kill themselves which in turn makes the devil happy as he now has two new souls.

I am familiar with the original fairy tale (having read a Brothers Grimm's collection recently) but I felt compelled to look it up because I couldn't see much parallels when reading 'The Hawkman'.

'The Hawkman' is the story of a young soldier who lost his home when the Great War ended. His distressing memories of the war are strewn throughout the story explaining to the reader how his lost his humanity. The Hawkman almost lives like a bird, not talking and secluded from the people around him until he one day meets Eva, an American schoolteacher battling her own demons. They face the villager's prejudices and find strength in each other until the next blow of fate.

Talking about the main characters. Eva and Michael were interesting to follow along although I cared more for Michael's story despite the graphic scenes. You get to know more about Eva and Michael's past in several back flashes. To be honest, I wasn't prepared for this and it confused me more than once as it wasn't easy to tell when the POV or timeline changed in my edition.
However, the added insight made it easy to understand their actions and root for the both of them.
Unfortunately, I didn't care much about the other people in the book. I kept confusing them and still have the impression that the author didn't give them enough space to develop completely.

Besides this small downside, I loved the writing. LaForge has a great way of describing and taking you into the story that I appreciated a lot. However, it might be hard to stomach for those who can't stand graphic recollections of war and fighting. He writing has a Victorian feeling to it and the scenes and metaphors she used were great. (view spoiler)

However, the book is rather short and I felt like there were whole parts missing of the story. Parts of it were rushed while others felt drawn out unnecessarily. All in all, I had my problems with the pacing.
Another aspect I want to complain about is the reference to the fairy tale. I was looking the whole book for more similarities and was left somehow disappointed in the end, because both stories only share the basic idea. Just not what I expected.

It still was a good read, beautiful prose with interesting aspects which will fascinate fans of magical realism more than those of fairy tale retellings. I am glad that I got the chance to read the book.

This is a beautifully written novel. Exquisite in its intimate details of two tragic lives drawn together, we are captivated by the tale that the author states is based on a reading of a fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers (The Bearskin).
The story begins with the body of a dead bride found in bed and the bridegroom being evicted from their house by the seemingly wicked Earl.
Who were this couple?
We first meet the man as a bearded and often frightening shambolic homeless beggar, known as The Hawkman in the village of Bridgetonne. It is a few years after the end of WWI and although the village seems ordinary it is on the edge of a grand estate which hosts a developing Women's College training "nurses, governesses and young ladies of use".
Owner of the estate Lord Arthur Thorton has had service in the Boer War and lives with his wife Lady Margaret and son Christopher (injured badly in the trenches).
Miss Eva Williams has come from America to teach and is liked by all - particularly the Earl's son Christopher.
But she becomes concerned about The Hawkman and senses much beyond his portrayal as a frightening malignant scrounger. In fact he seems magical and appeals to her inner and outer senses. Taking him in to live at her cottage (rented from the Earl) leads to an unravelling of both their past tragic lives and the gathering of strength and draining of love.
Miss Williams literally takes Michael Evan Sheehan (for that is his name) under her wing. The silent Irishman and the poetic beautiful American poet grow together. There are detailed and revealing descriptions of Sheehan's imprisonment as a POW and his inability to adjust to life once he returns after the war. There are shades of 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' in the intimate detail of shell shock (or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as we would know it now.
We learn also of Miss William's young life in America and the violence and hatred of nuns - linking well to her growing love for an Irishman and his views of his homeland.
I loved the author's style and the building of character and plot. The ending is very emotional but well written.
Poetic and disturbing - so much of course like all fairy tales, I am so glad I read this wonderful novel and will be recommending it to others.

*3.5 Stars*

The Hawkman, as title suggest was a fairy tale of war, a story of the Hawkman- an Irish musician and an American school teacher- Miss Williams, inspired from Grimm Brothers’ story- The Bearskin and recorded experience of prisoners of war. It was about the greatest war, its casualties, horrible mistreatments of prisoners during the WWI, and how it changed life of people including those survived the war; about courage, humanity, compassion, and resilience; society and its rigid stereotypical mindset.

Characters-
The Hawkman (Michael) – He was an Irish musician, who had to be a part of war that taken from him his passion and humanity, abondoned by his own people and left to wonder the streets without food and shelter. Even though he was treated very cruelly, he never lost his sanity, never fought for his need and never was threat to anyone still people saw him as threatening diseased plagued creature. He was such a gentleman who suffered lot. Author write this character very creatively and for that I gave most of the stars.

Miss Williams (Eva) – She was American teacher came to teach at women’s college of Bridgetonne. She was smart, caring, compassionate, creative storyteller and an outstanding strong female character in the world of men. Her childhood was depressing and she suffered lot herself but she turned out a great woman who could see humanity in the Hawkman and taken him under her care.

What I liked-
Flowery, lyrical writing with the touch of both fantasy and reality that had a classical feel narrated by third person switching between present life of protagonists, their past and experience, and tales of Eva and her mother.

First chapter was much promising with wonderful description of The Hawkman, village, and earl of the village. I loved the way author described Hawkman’s look and how he got his name. He was one mysterious and weirdly interesting character that hooked me to the book from the very beginning. I wanted to know more about him and what caused him such appearance. Eva and her story inspired from Grimm brother’s told at the luncheon that was strikingly similar to Hawkman, was mesmerizing. All of her stories throughout this book was greatly narrated by author. But I admit some were very confusing, to be specific her mother’s tales and her childhood stories.

Lord Thorton and villager were the real antagonists of the book. They were awfully cruel towards The Hawkman and Miss Williams’ strong challenging thoughts. I couldn’t understand what Lord Thorton’s problem was. He was epitome of hypocrite and stereotype, rude and totally thoughtless who refused to understand condition of both Michael and Miss William. He acted heartless during their downtime.

Life story of Michael was sad and thought-provoking. One by one author told his story from his passion as a musician to his time in war, his tormenting experience on field, how he lost his hearing, fingers, voice, look, got awful disease that didn’t have cure, how ultimately he was abandoned by his own people, tagged traitor, and named The Hawkman by villagers. He was the worst casualty of the war, a living example of what war can do to a person. It was horrible to read his account.

Both Michael and Eva’s childhood was very depressing. It helped to get the clear background of characters. I liked the way they both cared for each other. It was poignant to read what they gone through in this book. The end of their story was fantastical and I liked to see development in Christopher by the end of the book.

why 3.5 stars-
Though the writing was outstanding that any literature lovers and students would love to read, it took lot of time and concentration for me to read this book.

Some tales and some part of Eva’s childhood was very confusing and so lengthy that it distracted me from the main plot and at the end I couldn’t understand it completely. Many times I put the book on hold and lost interest that I had in initial chapters and in Michael’s story. At some point it felt like it was focused more on writing than the story.

Another thing that I wanted in book was, Eva and Michael’s chemistry, more of their current problems, and their fight with society which was overshadowed by their past and childhood.

Overall, it was interesting, thought-provoking, beautifully written story but it was difficult to read for me. Those who like historical fiction with touch of magical realism will definitely enjoy this book.

I struggled with this book. I wanted to like it and there were components that I really enjoyed but it felt jumbled and confusing at times. The attempts to turn it into a fairy tale is probably what is causing this problem...it felt contrived at times. I wished this could have been edited and re-aligned just a bit to make it more cohesive and flowing.

That book cover, though...it's what got me.

Beautifully written story of a great love, post WWII. The mix of reality and fantasy was very engaging. In some places I became a little bored with so many details but overall this was a four star for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for proving me a galley of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

From the moment I read This is a story about a man who thought he was a bird and the woman who helped him find his humanity again I knew that this book would be the kind of trip I needed. I knew with those few words that something in me was going to be challenged.
If you've ever wondered why it's easier to say we salute our war heroes but even more difficult to accept that they may suffer from PTSD, hallucinations, that some may never walk, see, touch or hear again...then read this book!
If you seek another reason to be compelled to read it, I fear I have no higher humane reason than that. Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

I rarely read fiction these days but I glad I read The Hawkman. It is a fairytale novel that echos Beauty & the Beast. I also love that it deals with post-war PTSD. It is also well written with great descriptive language.

I definitely recommend this book!

Beautiful story- this one took me by surprise. Lyrical and magical writing. Will definitely be mentioning this one to customers

I wanted so much to like this book. 

Jane Rosenberg LaForge's "The Hawkman: A Fairy Tale of the Great War" is the story of two strangers who come together after the Great War. 

This is the story of Eva Williams, an imaginative and charming American schoolteacher and Michael Sheehan, an Irish pianist, now homeless and bedraggled after World War I is over. 

He survived the trenches and being a prisoner of war under the Germans only to return home mute, with damaged ears and hands, feeling completely lost. He wanders from place to place begging for food, appearing to be more animal than human.

Eva's natural inclinations are to reach out and care for him. She ends up bringing him back to her cottage for a warm meal and he never leaves, much to the dismay of the local lord who wants Sheehan gone from their town. 

When she becomes ill, their strange relationship is thrust into the public eye, earning them both sympathy and disgust. 

The parts of the story that take place between Eva and Michael and the little town they live in worked for me. However, I quickly grew bored with the sections in the past, as well as the fantastical stories that Eva spins. Maybe WWI stories just don't do it for all: all that mud in the trenches or something. WWII seems full of stories of heroism (as awful as the war was) and patriotism, but WWI just seems depressing. 

I also am not into magical realism. I tried so hard to read "A Thousand Years of Solitude" and felt like I just kept missing something. It is one of my least favorite genres in fiction, so frankly those elements of the book were lost on me. 

I do love stories based on fairy tales, like "The Bear and the Nightingale", but I just wasn't a fan of this one.

Like the subtitle to the story says it's a fairy tale of the Great War. Michael Evans Sheehan is an Irish soldier captured as a prisoner during the First World War and after the end of the war he has a hard time returning to his normal life. The encounter with Eva Williams, an American teacher, changes everything and thanks to her he will be able to find his place again in the society and to be accepted again. What it's told between the lines is a beautiful and delicate love story with a touch of magic, inspired by a brothers Grimm's tale "Der Bärenhäuter" and by the well known story "The Beauty and the Beast". Moreover there's the tragedy of the war and the deep changes inflicted to a man who recalls vividly what happened to him during the war. People who love fantasy stories connected to real events will find themselves perfectly at ease in the world told by the author and they will enjoy her magical writing.

I thank NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Come dice il sottotitolo della storia si tratta di una fiaba ai tempi della Grande Guerra. Michael Evans Sheehan è un soldato irlandese catturato come prigioniero durante la Prima Guerra Mondiale che ha difficoltà a ritornare alla sua vita normale. L'incontro con Eva Williams, un'insegnante americana, cambia tutto e grazie a lei riuscirà a trovare di nuovo il suo posto nella società e sarà di nuovo accettato. Ciò che viene raccontato tra le righe è una bellissima e delicata storia d'amore con un tocco di magia, ispirata da una fiaba dei fratelli Grimm "Der Bärenhäuter" e dalla conosciuta storia della Bella e la Bestia. Inoltre c'è la tragedia della guerra e i profondi cambiamenti inflitti a un uomo che ricorda vividamente che cosa gli è successo durante la guerra. Chi ama le storie fantasy collegate a eventi reali si ritroverà perfettamente a proprio agio nel mondo raccontato dall'autrice e apprezzerà la sua scrittura magica.

Ringrazio NetGalley e Amberjack Publishing per avermi dato l'opportunità di poter leggere un ARC di questo libro in cambio di una recensione onesta.

The Hawkman is a twist on Beauty and the Beast. An American teacher and an Irish musician are drawn together with the common thread of the Great War. Hidden away together - trying to hide form the world that hurt them, the community that surrounds them...threatens to break them apart.

This is a beautiful story and is told in beautiful language. It does tend to drag a little, but as a whole, it's a book of wonder and light.

I’m giving The Hawkman a 2.25/5 stars. The premise of people and their relationships after the Great War seemed rather interesting. I loved reading about Michael and his experiences in the war. That kind of stuff is just very intriguing to me. Not to mention that the cover for this book is absolutely stunning. I also really liked Eva’s character. I liked that she was more headstrong and didn’t care what the other townspeople thought of her. She just wanted to help and wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that. She was also a writer, which was an interesting aspect to the novel. It showed us her ideas for her books. But while I liked the main characters and the book’s premise, I did not like the plot. It was slow and boring. The way the story is written can be a bit hard to follow, even though the writing itself is pretty good. Really not much happened in this book, and the ending was really confusing. I have so many mixed feelings about this book.

"He had for himself no expectations other than to survive, to start over, to live as he had not during the war, as a human."
-The Hawkman, @janerosenberglaforgeauthor 🌻.
I finished The Hawkman this morning. Received this beautiful ebook from NetGalley. And first of all let's appreciate the gorgeous cover it has! 😍😍 😍.
🌻.
Writing 🌟🌟🌟.7/5
I found @janerosenberglaforgeauthor writing to be compelling. Her words were substantial and I was drawn to the meanings behind each chapters. But I couldn't help to feel that some parts were elaborated too detail that I came to boredom.
🌻.
Story 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
The Hawkman is about a man, wounded and traumatic from the World War to the point he had forgoten his humanity. He became a mute, neglected by society and his ownself. Until he met Miss Williams, an american storyteller who helped him to find humanity again.
Of course, i adore the story! It is heartwarming, and makes me reflect my own humanity. I finished this book with a new mindset. Also, it is not an expected story. "It is a fable," as Miss Williams had said.
🌻.
Overall I give this book a 🌟🌟🌟🌟, the humanity lesson in this book speaks the loudest to me. .

"This is the story about a man who thought he was a bird, and the woman who helped him find his humanity again"

The first thing that got my attention was the beautiful cover, the second thing was the synopsis. Sadly I had to DNF it at 30%, because this wasn't for me. The writing is unbelievably beautiful, but after a while I felt like the writing was more important than the story, and that started to be a problem as I am someone who enjoys plot-driven books the most.

I did enjoy the connection with Grimm's fairy-tales, and the relationship that was building between Miss Williams and Mr. Sheehan.

I am sad that I didn't enjoy this one, but would definitely recommend this book to fans of beautiful writing and fairy tales retelling