Life After Life

A Novel

By: Kate Atkinson

Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar

Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

What if you could live again and again, until you got it right?

On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born to an English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in a variety of ways, while the young century marches on towards its second cataclysmic world war.

Does Ursula's apparently infinite number of lives give her the power to save the world from its inevitable destiny? And if she can - will she? Darkly comic, startlingly poignant, and utterly original: this is Kate Atkinson at her absolute best.

©2011 Kate Atkinson (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"A densely layered, century-sprawling work that is a formidable bid for the brass ring of the U.K.'s prestigious Man Booker Prize. Life After Life is a drama of failures and providential rebirths...High-concept premise...A deft and convincing portrayal of an English family's evolution across two world wars...Marvelous...Not only does she bring characters to life with enviable ease, she has an almost offhand knack for vivid scene-setting ...Her storytelling prowess is on fullest display in a gorgeous and nerve-racking novella-length chapter set during the Blitz...It's spellbindingly done." (Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal)

"Life After Life is a masterpiece about how even the smallest choices can sometimes change the course of history. It's wise, bittersweet, funny, and unlike anything else you've ever read. Kate Atkinson is one of my all-time favorite novelists, and I believe this is her best book yet." (J. Courtney Sullivan, best-selling author of Maine and Commencement)

"Life After Life is dark and funny and suspenseful and sad all at the same time." (Emily Ecton, NPR, Great Reads of 2013)

Kinda weird pacing and slow to get started.

I like the concept of rebirth, but it seemed like this story spent 3/4 of the book just getting started, and took forever to get through family Dynamics.

remarkable storytelling ability, craftsmanship

Have you ever had the opportunity to think back on a decision you made, and wondered what would happen if you altered that decision? This is a remarkable novel that will allow you to travel with a family from the beginning of the twentieth century through the Second World War. It's an absolutely remarkable and haunting story that will stay with you for months after you finished reading.

my opinion. UDG

great narrator. intriguing style of writing. creative thinking. sometimes redundant bits. should have been edited some.

A book you’ll be dying to read

The story of a girl who begins her life anew every time she dies. Allows us to see how little differences in the choices we make can change everything in our individual lives and society around us. Forced us to contemplate the impact of fate. She has a hard time getting past WWII since there are many different ways to die at that time period. #WWII #selfdiscovery #tearjerker #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

My new favorite novel

What made the experience of listening to Life After Life the most enjoyable?

The story structure.

What does Fenella Woolgar bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator was the perfect voice for the story and character, and a delight to listen to.

If you could take any character from Life After Life out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The heroine of the story, as her decisions and motivations would make for great conversation. However, I think her father would also be a delightful dinner partner.

Astonishing Vocal Performance

What about Fenella Woolgar’s performance did you like?

The narrator's performance was the standout highlight of this audiobook. She carries off a variety of languages and accents almost flawlessly, and manages to create a recognizable voice for each of the characters, even modulating them carefully from childhood to old age while not losing the timbre and tone that differentiates each role. Her pace was just right too - fast enough to hold the attention while never garbling or running sentences together. Her narration added immeasurably to the book and the lasting impression it will leave with me: it's truly a reference for quality audio recording.

fascinating

loved it may even listen a second time. everything was lovely such a sweet story that keeps you on your toes.

Such a great story!!!

What made the experience of listening to Life After Life the most enjoyable?

It was unique and very interesting in the historical sense.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ursula. She went through so much but learned from her experiences and sought to make the world a better place.

What does Fenella Woolgar bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The British feel

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Her love for her brother Jimmy at many points in the book.

Gets better halfway through

Just finished Life after Life and it redeemed itself for me right before the half way mark. 1/4 of the way into the book I just didn't get it (and all of the glowing reviews and high ratings) and was thinking about throwing in the towel. Then I read a reviewer on Goodreads who said it starts to make sense half way through so I said Ok I'm going to stick with it. Then we started to get into *spoiler alert * Nancy’s murder, Ursula’s rape, pregnancy and abusive marriage. It was just so emotionally charged and heavy I again thought about putting it down but I persevered. Then it slightly shifted downward for me with ALL of the bombing sequences. However as it was wrapping up it was just really good to see the evolution of situations or the back stories and outcomes. I think it was more than a solid effort by the author. Very thought provoking and discussion worthy.

Struggle

I struggled to write this review. Difficult because it’s so well written. The story is intriguing. But at times I had a hard time sticking with it.
The narrator is phenomenal. Did such a good job.