Cover Image: The Hawkman

The Hawkman

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Member Reviews

Due to a passing in the family a few years ago and my subsequent health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for years after the bereavement. Thank you for the opportunity.

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I am organizing my Netgalley library and this book was never read for it was downloaded on a computer disk that stopped working. I am sorry not to be able to give you feedback and I hope you will still approve future requests of books

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The horrors of WWI loom large in this fable like tale of Eva and Michael who meet, bond,, and heal in a small British village away from prying eyes. Until....It's unusual in so many ways. Michael has been psychically wounded and struggles mightily but Eva,, the Beauty to his Beast. pulls him through. Lovely writing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

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This was a well-written book in the format of a fairy tale. I'm not the biggest reader of fantasy elements, so this is more of my problem than the book's, but I did have struggles getting involved into the story. Even so, the themes present throughout were well executed. I'm sure lovers of fairytale fiction will appreciate this unique story.

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This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. thanks for letting me have an advance copy. I'm new to this author.

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This was a strange and ethereal book but I did end up enjoying it. Certainly not a favorite or even that memorable but I did enjoy the time I spent reading it

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This is a beautifully written retelling of Beauty and the Beast set immediately after WWI. It tells the story of traumatized soldier Michael Evans Sheehan and the village who couldn't see him as anything other than an outsider. The only person who sees past his silent, dirty, enigmatic surface is local schoolteacher Eva Williams. This is a powerful story of loss, grief, and the redemptive power of love.

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This novel about the aftermath of war was brooding but well-written. It blends folklore and realism in an interesting way with characters that are compelling. Good for fans of WWI novels.

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This was so different from my usual reads but I really enjoyed it. This book was inspired by the Grimm Brother's fairy tale The Bearskin. I really enjoyed it despite the mythological element of it. Set during the great war we meet Michael who is suffering from shock and stress after being a POW during the great war. He meets American school teacher Eva who is kind, considerate, caring and very compassionate. This story was beautifully written even if the tale was a little long winded at times. I loved the language and will remember it for a long time to come.

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This was a middle-of-the-road read for me. While I liked a lot of aspects, there were some things I disliked, and overall, I just didn't feel strongly enough about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

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This book is a combination of genres I love - Historical Fiction, mythology, and fantasy and a cleaver interweaving of folklore and realism. I find the story remarkable and intriguing, however, it was not an easy read for me. I find myself pondering the meaning behind the narration, but I guess that's the beauty of this book.

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I got drawn in by how attractive the cover was for this and this made me want to pick it up. The story was okay for the first 65% but as it progressed, the more I did not care about the characters. I did find the man who was found more interesting than the woman but that was down to the mystery aspect of his character and not knowing who he is.

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I’m not going to lie I initially wanted to read this because the cover is just stunning. I’m a sucker for a great cover. I wasn’t totally disappointed in that decision. It was fun reading a mix of magical realism and historical fiction.. I feel like that in itself made the book unique and fun but it also bounced around a lot. Like one minute it’s going through the lives of the characters and then next it’s one of the characters telling fairy tales. Just made it very hard to follow sometimes. All in all not a terrible reading experience though!

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Generally, I enjoy fairy tales and retellings but this one didn’t work for me. I didn’t find the story to be engaging and it couldn’t keep my interest.

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I did not finish this book. It was beautifully written but I just couldn't stick with it. Still it should be in a literature textbook as it is a great example of literature. Maybe I will return to it someday.

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I received an electronic arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was first pulled in by the gorgeous cover of this book and the fact it was presented as a fairy tale of the great war. I'd still hail the book for having the ability to pull me in again every time I look at that cover - honestly, it's the best thing it had going for it. I found myself constantly bored with the story and having to re-read sections to get back into the story. I really wanted to like the characters better and in essence, like the book better, but I spent so much time getting pulled towards other books and other activities that it was a struggle to even finish this one.

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A magical realist tale set during the Great War and sporting a cover this beautiful could not fail to appeal to me! What I initially loved about this, however, failed to continue to enthral me. This story was, perhaps, too quiet in its telling, for me. As evocative as the writing was and as sublime as the story-line continued to be, there was an almost treacle-like quality to the pacing that often had me wishing to pull myself free and hurry ahead rather than sit still and appreciate the current sweetness that surrounded me.

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Unfortunately, I was unable to get into this title. It just wasn't a good fit for me. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this title. I will not be posting a review online, in order not to skew the ratings.

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Magical realism meets historical fiction in this tale of love and war ; inspired by the Grimms fairytale “The Bearskin”.
Michael is suffering from shell shock and probably PTSD after spending years as a prisoner of war. He is either ignored or taunted by the community who consider him to be stupid and homeless. Until Eva, an American teacher, decides he is a person and treats him as such.

We flip back and forth between his life after meeting Eva, and his days in the war in a lyrical writing style. It was at times quite beautiful, and at others a little to wordy, but always a unique way to write about WWI.

Recommended to those who don’t mind a bit of magical realism in their historical fiction .

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

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The Hawkman is a moving tale of love, recovery, and resilience. LaForge has an incredible gift, not only with storytelling but with making words come alive through her powers of description. I love the era she chose to set her story in as well; that time was rife with difficulty, fear, and prejudice. The perfect setting for a tale of love blossoming within hardship.

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