About This Book
WINNER OF THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right? During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath. During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale. What if there were second chances? And third chances? In fact an infinite number of chances to live your life? Would you eventually be able to save the world from its own inevitable destiny? And would you even want to? Life After Life follows Ursula Todd as she lives through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. With wit and compassion, Kate Atkinson finds warmth even in lifeâe(tm)s bleakest moments, and shows an extraordinary ability to evoke the past. Here she is at her most profound and inventive, in a novel that celebrates the best and worst of ourselves.
What Members Thought
As I began to read this book, I opened the pages with joy at the prospect of a new adventure into an exploration of the human experiment. The feel of the pages, the tone of the prose, and the enticing opening event served to immerse me into the life and times of Ursula, our main character. I reveled in this deep search into character and the unique and fascinating circumstances she found herself in; the novel details her journey from birth in 1910 all the way up to the 60s. The journey is not linear, so pay attention. The novel skips around in time as we see life after life after life… Beginning to read this book, I felt excitement at the concept of exploring the various themes of lives lived. Just by the title, I at first thought this book was about the possibility of other lives after death. But this book is not really about death at all. It’s very much about life. It’s about all the little decisions that one makes which may have a greater impact than their seeming import in the moment. Such a minor mishap of thought can be just as momentous as say, killing Hitler before WW2. Atkinson takes her time to explore the thoughts and dreams of our main character, Ursula as we see her decisions impact life after life after life… Reading through this book, I was at first stunned by the bold choices of the author to give us such quick shot glimpses into the main character, Ursula. But then as the book progressed, so was Ursula’s character fleshed out and made as real as anyone else. The book really explores how circumstances can shape a person. Ursula’s core character morphs into her surroundings as she is blended into the events that happen. She rises and falls accordingly as each event renews or destroys her inner self; making one woman after another, life after life after life… I hope you are getting the point I am trying to make about this book. I hope you enjoy the style of storytelling this book promises. If not, this book may not be for you. But if so, you are in for a real treat. Atkinson has a wonderful hold on her characters, each unique and vibrant on the page. She also places the characters in well realized settings that come alive as you read, partly because of the familiarity of history, and partly because of her lush descriptions. I thoroughly enjoyed following Ursula through her different escapades. As the book moved along, there were certain points where I grew weary of the “gimmick”; I got the “gist”, but at no point was I disappointed or bored. If anyone tries to tell you this isn’t a fantasy, they’re lying. :) Definitely a book worth reading that will have you thinking long after you put it down. It teaches you to live your life like there is no tomorrow, even though there probably will be. That way you can life after life after life…
Our Reading Schedule
August 15
Session 1: Session 1