The Humans

Cartea are stilul tipic, optimist al lui Haig. Am drag de autor și voi reveni la titlurile sale, dar am scăzut o stea fiindcă undeva printre ultimele aproximativ 50 de pagini ceva s-a deconectat în experiența mea. Povestea parcă nu a mai fost la fel. A virat abrupt spre ceva ușor ciudat, parcă prea pedant pentru Matt Haig.

If you don't like Extra Terrestrial tales, read this anyway. Matt Haig has a way of engaging the reader. This was a fun and interesting story about an alien to arrives on earth and takes over the life of a human that, unfortunately, had to lose his life for the alien to arrive. But it's mostly a feel-good story. And the author will make you view everyday events a little differently. Just read it!

A powerful and piercing prayer for people

You'll find yourself dog-earing pages all the way in this spectacular story. The long wind-up of the first third of this fine book pays off with big hits of comedy, wisdoms, and peanut butter. The ending does not disappoint, either. If you want to know who we are, ask this alien. Then go find a sunset and put on the Debussy. I love this book!

This book felt a bit like a sub-par version of K-Pax with some sweet moments but not enough to really grab you in. I think it's Matt Haig's first book and it feels as I remember loving all the others I read from him. Still it was not a bad read, it just didn't resonate enough with me and felt weaker than K-Pax while trying to express the same ideas and message (and concept).

“Obey your head. Obey your heart. Obey your gut. In fact, obey everything except commands.”

Cute lil read

I never thought aliens' perspective of humans will be this interesting.

At the start, I thought this book was going to be cheesy. An alien comes to Earth and points out all these inconsistencies in human behavior and it felt like an intro to anthropology course in college. But as the book went on and the alien has to struggle more with adapting to human life in order to remain hidden and starts seeing not only the inconsistencies in human life and behavior, but also the joys in it, it becomes much more interesting and challenging. Anyone can point out that the amount and types of clothing humans wear can be silly, but demonstrating the power of love is a much different concept.

Review coming soon..

The best book I've read to date. 

There is something magical about the way Matt Haig writes his books. It really makes you believe in the value of human life. The whole unlikelihood of the existence of life and the life of any certain individual in the way they are is so captivating and emotionally disruptive. It twists your mind on itself trying to think about how lucky and blessed you should feel to just exist.

I've had suicidal thoughts before, and depressive episodes, and I wish I had Matt's books then. Instead of writing a book full of advice to live, his approach to writing fiction with all the advice embedded in it is just perfect. Once you pick up this book it's almost impossible to put it back down without finishing it.

And just like always, this book is filled with lines worth highlighting and reading over and over again.

I couldn't recommend this book more. This should be on every human's reading list.

This was very ‘Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' except there were emotions and personal connections involved. The Humans is a funny look at what makes being human ridiculous through the eyes of an alien dropped into a family without their knowledge. But what the alien discovers is that the magic of being human is found in all the mistakes, imperfections, unexpected details, and sadness. He discovers the magic of hope.

I started this book wanting it to end. Haig's The Midnight Library was so well done I wanted more of the same which is why I sought out this book. Of course, he can't give me the same, so I went into this read with a bad attitude. Once I got over myself to embrace this novel, I found myself laughing and wanting more. I would have five-stared this book except I didn't like the Hitchhiker's similarities. Maybe he intended it as a wink of respect, but I found it unoriginal. Everything beyond the ‘math will fix the galaxy' was wholly original and nothing like Hitchhikers.

I might have to read this again when I'm in a better mood but I did enjoy it overall. Fun read.

Funny, entertaining and thoughtful is how I'd describe this book. I read Matt Haig's The Midnight Library last year and was deeply moved by it, so I wanted to give some of his other work a try too. Although I didn't feel quite the emotional connection to this book as that one, it still managed to make me laugh out loud and has some really poignant things to say about humanity, life and love. While the premise is somewhat sci fi in nature, it really is only a gateway to the real story, so don't let that turn you off if your not a big fan of the genre, because the story is more about reflecting on ourselves and about life than about aliens, planets and space. Not that I didn't enjoy the fantastical aspect, I rather thought it was a very clever and fun way to delve into deep subjects without bogging it down. I don't think The Humans changed my life or anything so dramatic, but it certainly made me think beyond just the entertainment value and it gave me a lot to chew on in regards to my own thoughts on life and humans

The story is told from the point of view of an alien who has been sent to Earth to inhabit the recently vacated body of Professor Andrew Martin in order to prevent the humankind gaining knowledge the aliens have decided they are not equipped to have. Our alien soon discovers that Professor Martin was quite unpleasant, grows attached to Professor Martin's friends and family, and discovers a love of poetry, all of which lead him to reconsider the mission he was sent to complete.

The narrator was very endearing and likeable, and the development & progression of his relationships and interactions with others are heartwarming and touching. The list for humans that completes the book is especially so. I read this book not long after a sudden and traumatic bereavement and found it a great comfort.

All in all, this book is funny, heartwarming, poignant, endearing and just beautiful. A definite recommendation.

Never do I feel more hope than in the final moments of reading a Matt Haig book.

“The Humans” is endearing and enjoyable, but also condescending and overly-simplistic. Several plot threads seem to just fizzle out without conclusion, and it's themes are messy at best. It doesn't trust the reader with even the simplest of ideas, insisting on over-explaining and repeating them over and over again, to the point where there are several scenes in which the characters are just shouting subtext at each other. This is definitely not the smartest book in the universe, but it really seems to believe it is.

The book tells the story of an alien coming to earth and finding our day to day life, relationships and possessions weird and irrational. And yet, they at no point question nor even note upon the neo-liberal status quo and the inequality it creates within our society. Matt Haig's insights into the meaning of life are simple but positive, and made me smile several times. However, when his surrogate protagonist and narrator spends pages upon pages talking about how weird everyday objects are, and yet accepts his position of privilege as a cis-het white man and the lack of power the lower-class have over their lives without question, it only comes across as jarring and pretentious. Would an alien living on earth not find the unequal power relations in our neo-liberal, late capitalist society weirder and more illogical than the basic hygiene we exercise every morning?

Despite all that, the book's simple message of appreciating life as it is was one I thoroughly enjoyed, and one really needed after the year it's been. “The humans” is charming and truly endearing at times, and the protagonist's loving demeanor towards sunsets, love, and peanut butter sandwiches are moving and a nice reminder of the beauty of the mundane. I wish the book didn't assume its readers stopped emotionally growing past the age of 16, but I appreciated it nonetheless. Thanks Matt:)

Wow.. This book! Just blow my mind!

It starts a little slow and a little ridiculous when an Alien is sent to earth as a math professor. His work is to eliminate everyone who knows about the professor's discovery: the meaning of life. The Hosts - alien's “bosses” - are convinced that humanity is not ready for this discovery and it's too soon for us to know the truth.

In the beginning, Alien passes through a lot of obstacles - such as dealing with crazy people and the life of the professor. And most importantly, life as a human being.

The best part about this book, it's the acknowledgment of how interesting, sad but beautiful our life is. How our feelings are weird and sometimes misunderstood.

It's really a good book about the valorization of life and the people around us.

Wow I was late to the party here. Wonderful!

I think the general idea with this book is to go into it without any expectations and give it a little time. There are some gems in here and some sage advise that are shared as part of the story but can be used as guidelines for all aspects of life.

this was just what i needed it to be. loved it

3.5/5 stars

This book came highly recommended to me by my best friend who let me borrow it (thanks!) and it had great reviews on Goodreads. I hate to say that I feel alone in my disappointment with this book. I had super high expectations for it, though.

I love the concept of aliens and I love a good alien story, whether it be a book or movie. So I was definitely excited to read this story about an alien who takes over a mathematician's body. Andrew has just solved a math problem that will change the world. The unnamed alien is sent to make sure that doesn't happen. The problem is that the alien starts to understand humanity and isn't sure about completing his mission anymore.

I wanted so badly to love this book. I wanted to feel and see the beauty as the alien was seeing and feeling it. For the most part, I didn't. There were aspects that I really enjoyed and thought were lovely, mostly the relationships aspect. Not necessarily romantically, but just the alien understanding and being involved in human relationships. I really enjoyed reading those progressions. But mostly, the descriptions of the alien falling in love with earth and humanity felt pretentious. It was supposed to be full of meaning and the whole “searching for the meaning of life” thing, but it just felt very surface to me and like it was trying way too hard to be deep. The Humans started out hilarious, I really enjoyed the beginning of the book. But by the end, there was just too much meaning of life fake depth for me. I was really disappointed by it, which made me really sad. I'm apparently too jaded.

Would I recommend?
It's honestly 50/50. Read more reviews and take a chance if it sounds like something you'd enjoy. If anything, it was a quick and easy read!

A human on Earth has solved an important mathematical problem and it could provide Earthlings with information that could damage the universe. To erase any evidence of the solution to the problem, an extraterrestrial has arrived on Earth and assumed the identity of the mathematics professor who came up with the solution. The assignment of the extraterrestrial? Eliminate the mathematics solution as well as the professor, his wife, his child, and anyone else involved.

Which should be easy. The extraterrestrial finds Earthlings hideously ugly and repugnant in their behavior.

At first...

And then he discovers Emily Dickinson...and chunky peanut butter...

A darkly comedic ride through what it is to be a human being, including a long and clever list of advice for humans.

“forever is composed of nows”

My first read-twice book. A love letter to humanity.

This is the first time I've read this was 2 years ago, directly after reading Matt Haig's ‘How to stay alive', and as such, it was easy to see the relationship between The Humans and Haig's own personal experiences.

On second reading I really enjoyed the characters perspective and fresh eyes on the world.

After my own personal tragedy, I remember walking through the woods and seeing the beauty of the late summer light shining through the plant life, as if seeing the beauty of everything that surrounds us.

Haig's writing and this story in particular, reminds me of this feeling. Seeing the wonder and amazing around us all the time.

The impossibly unique circumstances that bring us together, and for those lucky ones, share the love with others.

I could describe the story in this review, but instead I'd recommend reading this book and simply falling in love with all the wonder around you.

This was an entertaining premise, and Haig did it some justice. The protagonist is an extraterrestrial being impersonating a math professor, Andrew Martin. The being tries and fails to understand people, and more specifically, the type of person Andrew was.

Haig's absurd humor hit the mark for me. The main character understood so much more and so much less than the readers. It was a clever and enjoyable way to prompt people to (re)consider human motivation and priorities.

I do think that the beginning and middle of this story are definitely stronger than the end. Things got too sentimental and repetitive for me. I'm a sucker for the “supernatural entity becomes oddly taken with humans despite originally intending them harm” trope, but not when combined with the “man changes entire worldview due to the love of a good woman he finally appreciates” trope. I thought one of the worst bits was the chapter with numbered advice (including some flippant and reductive items about suicide). It felt like one of those “in this house we...” wall decor pieces. I quickly lose interest when ideas as stale as “pain is necessary for there to be joy” start impacting plot.

Overall, though, I had a good time. The Humans is a fun, funny way to think about big questions that can be asked of and about humanity.

Some funny moments and good passages but overall didn't have anything unique to say. Probably would have enjoyed this more if I had read it in English. Then again, probably wouldn't have bothered to finish it if I wasn't making myself read german books specifically.

4 stele pentru că am citit-o cu plăcere și dintr-o răsuflare, pentru că în câteva locuri e foarte amuzantă și în altele emoționantă.
1 stea în minus pentru că deseori romanul cochetează cu dulcegăria și pentru că nu e original ca idee.
total 3