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Life After Life  By  cover art

Life After Life

By: Kate Atkinson
Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar
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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)

Featured Article: It Was the Best of Scribes—The Best British Authors


With its esteemed history and bold contemporary scene, Britain lays claim to some of the most exciting literature in audio. With the hundreds of incredible British writers throughout the centuries, a person could devote their whole literary life solely to British authors and still never run out of amazing things to listen to. Whether you're an avid Anglophile or just want to discover the best English novelists for yourself, here’s a list of the best for you to choose from!

What listeners say about Life After Life

Average customer ratings
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Excellent novel, excellently read.

Took me a little while to get the hang of the structural conceit but once grasped it was all fascinating and deeply evocative. Wonderful writer.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Underwhelmed

This one just didn't work for me. The "Groundhog Day" plot mechanism where she keeps dying and being reborn serves a purpose, but it's just not worth it. I'm glad I was listening to this because I would have never made it past page 100 if I tried to read it.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A good premise but a tedious listen

I grew bored with the book and by the time it ended I didn't care about the outcome.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Great idea but...

Great idea for a story but it could be very hard to follow at times! From the description of the book I expected it to be much more exciting but it was kind of boring...

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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An astonishing book. A masterpiece.

So original, clever, intelligent and heartfelt . Beautiful prose- so well written. Incredible character development that brings the horrors of WW2 to life as no other book I’ve read has. You come to really know, admire and love this family. I keep listening to it again. It just blew me away! A God in Ruins did as well.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Very hard to follow

Confusing and disjointed. Sophisticated and clever but not to my liking. This has been my least favorite of all of my Audible selections.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Narrator’s Performance Keeps it going

I kept listening because the narration was lovely. I think there are many books which follow the same theme, yet they are done well. Ending the book was a rush to avoid another 30 chapters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

100 Ways To Die in WW2

A bit depressing at times but very good. Interesting to consider living again and again, being able to go back and change things. Just don't listen whole falling asleep. Narrator is perfect.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best narrator ever

What did you love best about Life After Life?

Kate Atkinson's brilliant writing, though it ties with Fenella Woolgar's equally brilliant narration.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the character-building is deepened, not cheapened, by the repeated lives.

Which character – as performed by Fenella Woolgar – was your favorite?

Ursula, the protagonist; though she performs them all well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The scenes of the abusive marriage were difficult to listen to. I was glad when that life was over.

Any additional comments?

Woolgar's is the best audiobook performance I've come across to date.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Wonder from Beginning to End

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

I had already read the book, loved it and wanted to experience it a new way. The narrator is great. It is a big book and I was able to notice things I didn't when I read it

What did you like best about this story?

I loved every word of this story. I have read many of Kate Atkinson's other books but was unprepared for how wonderful the language is in this book. I loved the premise, the execution, the narration- everything. I recommended the book to my book club and we all loved it- and had a great discussion about what we would change - if we could.

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

Having just finished reading the book, and not wanting it to end, I decided to listen to it. I was not disappointed! Now I can't decide if I want to reread it or listen to it again!!

Any additional comments?

The book is a little confusing in the beginning- I did not realize that each time the word snow appeared at a chapter heading- the book was going back to the beginning. Read it, bask in Kate Atkinson's mastery of the english language and enjoy the story- I know I will again

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