The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

By Claire North

Book Overview

Wildly original, funny and moving, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is an extraordinary story of a life lived again and again from World Fantasy Award-winning author Claire North.

Harry August is on his deathbed. Again.

No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes.

Until now.

As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside. "I nearly missed you, Doctor August," she says. "I need to send a message."

This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316399620
• ISBN13: 9780316399623
• Release Date: October 2014
• Publisher: Redhook
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.4" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

Top read of this year! Highly recommend 👌🏼

Some stories entertain you; others linger. This one did both. Thoughtful, surprising, and quietly profound in ways I didn’t expect. This novel is one of the more thought-provoking and carefully constructed stories I’ve read in a while. Claire North takes a high-concept premise (a man reliving the same life again and again, with full memory of each) and turns it into a subtle and engaging exploration of memory, morality, and purpose. What struck me most was how it tackles the question of meaning in a life without finality. Harry could easily fall into apathy, but instead, he chooses action enduring manipulation, loneliness, and even torture not for reward, but because it feels necessary. His quiet persistence, intelligence, and sense of responsibility make him a compelling and admirable character. North’s writing is clean, precise, and accessible, even while exploring big ideas around time, identity, and human progress. The looping structure could have felt repetitive, but it doesn’t. Each life adds something valuable, and the story always feels like it’s moving toward something purposeful. This is speculative fiction with depth. Part sci-fi, part philosophical reflection, part psychological drama. It made me think, reflect, and stay curious, which is exactly what I hope for when I pick up a novel like this. Loved it!!

A decent freshman outing

The concept is very interesting, similar to Groundhog Day (1993), both taking everything from Ken Grimwood’s Replay (1986). The execution is barely okay. The aura of stifling tedium borders on gothic and doesn’t seem to be the intent. The author struggles with the male narration and little characterization. It almost read better as gothic love story of Harry and Vincent. The author does a decent turn at speculative science fiction aspect and keeps her rules tight. So no having to deus ex machina everything to get it done. The nerd aspect saves the day, delivering a decent freshman outing ~ worth reading. (read Replay by Ken Grimwood!)

A twisted take on groundhog’s day

Absolutely astounding twist on the time travel genre. From the concept to the characters to the various timelines, everything is executed flawlessly. I loved every second of it and was completely hooked from page one.

My first Claire North book & I want more!

This was a page turner! I liked her take on immortality and the story moves along well. I found Harry August an engaging protagonist who explores the world he lives in while striving to preserve it. Some may feel that questions were left unanswered and the end was a bit neat, but, to me, that's the nature of Life sometimes. The antagonist proves to be "only human".