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)

Wonderful story!

It's the kind of story you want to listen to over and over again. The narrator was great as well really giving each character a personality of their own.

What if this moment changes everything...

This book surprised me with the richness and depth of the many variations of a life. I've often thought about how a different choice or circumstance could alter the course of a life and this book gives us so many different paths. Some of the book was difficult for me, reading about the terrible conditions during war time, but it also made me think. This is a book I will listen to many times.

Utterly magnificent!

I love period dramas, historic novels and so have read or watched on tv quite a selection of this type of content. This book and it's ingenious structure was something new, something so great I cannot help but give it full 5 stars on everything. I recommend it to anyone into well written historical fiction. Especially to people like myself who prefer to be surprised and drawn into a winding story. And as a bonus, the reader of the audio recording is magnificent.

Excellent book, excellent performance

Overall a really excellent book that I very much enjoyed. I thought the narration performance in this book was better than any other audible book I've heard so far.

Engrossing Story

The subject matter of this book was fascinating to me. The narrator was outstanding. I was highly impressed by her correct pronunciation of German and French words and phrases in a few areas of the novel. The character studies were extremely three dimensional, if not a bit on the drawn out and lengthy side. The author describes a large assembly of people at length, even the minor characters. This may just be a little too thorough for me, hence the four stars. A bit more conciseness would have made this a five star listen.
I truly enjoyed the main focus on Ursula who recalls her lives. The author really hit the nail on top of the head spot on. She conveyed all the emotions superbly. The WWII historical events gave the story a sense of pulling the reader into the scenes.

That's a first!!

After a while books can become similar. Ideas merge together to create genre and groups and such. This one breaks the mold. It is different. It is unique. It's thought provoking in a way you haven't thought. Indescribable and unforgettable. It will have your mind returning to dwell on it long after the final page is read.

Wonderful read..

I am a big fan of Kate Atkinson's work and was not disappointed in this book. The structure of the book is very unusual as it traces Ursula Todd's life over and over again as she is born and dies in different ways. I found it compelling. For me, it was not difficult to follow. Ursula is a character with whom I no problem sympathizing. I particularly liked the descriptions of Ursula's involvement in the support efforts during the war. Those parts of the book really came alive for me. I also found it very well-read. Woolgar has a pleasant voice and was easy to listen to without being boring. Well done all around. I am looking forward to Atkinson's next book.

Fascinating

I loved the twists and turns, and simply the whole premise of the story. It took a little to get into at first, but I quickly became enthralled.

New favorite book.

Any additional comments?

This book is amazing. Excellent performance by Fenella Woolgar, though her rendition of Rock-A-Bye Baby confuses me (either she's never heard it before or we sing it differently in the States, I suppose either is possible). Since I'd already read the book, I was able to pick up little details I'd forgotten the first time around; it has endless rereading/relistening value. I would take it with me to a deserted island. Highly recommend.

One of my favorite books ever

I first listened to Life After Life ten years ago and loved it. I never listen to books over again, but I just finished it for a second time ten years later and it was even better than I remembered. Just excellent.