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)

listened to it again immediately

Where does Life After Life rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

i enjoyed this book immensely. the concept was interesting, the storytelling was word-perfect, and the performance was flawless. some criticized that for all that it was an intriguing idea, ultimately it got you nowhere. but life is about the journey, and not the destination. i enjoyed the journey so much, i wanted to take it all over again right away.

Which scene was your favorite?

i was drawn into a second listening because the first and the last scene are almost exactly the same, so i went back and started at the beginning to catch the differences. but the most compelling scene in the book was ursula in war torn germany, at the end, with her daughter, awaiting the arrival of the russians.

Any additional comments?

this book was smart, and such a thoughtful dissection of the consequences of decisions, both good and bad, opportunities, taken or missed, and the trajectory of one's life hinging on every step you take.

Interesting Concept

I enjoyed the reader and the history in this book. Really makes you think about life.

String theory? Quantum stacking?

Fantastic writing. The performance was excellent. Let it flow! This was the most enjoyable audible book for me this year.

Too long but beautiful,

Lots of possible scenarios, no linear plot. Way too long. Needs to be edited better.

Brilliant

This book and its voice actor are brilliant. This is everything I like in a book but didn't know it until now. Inventive, creative, with characters you want to like and one or two you enjoy disliking. Not lazy, not predictable - well, until the near end. The pentiultimate bit is the only part I was a little disappointed in, because it WAS predictable, but it was mostly saved by the "end," and everything up until then is so wonderful I just don't care enough to think it takes away from the whole book.
The voice actor does a terrific job, uses wonderful voices that really give you the feel of the person talking. She was a perfect fit for this book.

wonderful

I really enjoyed this story. The author did a wonderful job of building the story over a period of time. Engaging, clever and emotional.

Enjoyable but irritating

I enjoy Ms Atkinson's writing.
I am intrigued by the premise of this book.
Unlike many who have reviewed this book. I do not believe it is great literature.
I believe a general loss of hope and faith has given this fresh treatment of reincarnation as a palimpsest versus a cycle more weight than it otherwise would have enjoyed. It is fun, not ground-breaking.
The writing is uneven. Sometimes truly fine, others unpolished. The characters suffer from the same difficulties.
The shifting sands of time can be dusorienting. I blame the this for the difficulties in writing the author had, as well as the difficulties I had keeping track of the story. I enjoyed what the author has managed to create within that context. I was very ready for the story to end when it did.
The performance is absolutely pristine.

LOVE IT

I have enjoyed all Kate Atkinson books but was concerned about this because of its description.... I was wrong to be worried. This was so different but so, so good. Keep surprising me!

Great story, Great Reader.

This is one of my favorite stories to read again and again! I'll probably read it in my next life and the one after that!

Everyone wants this!

Everyone wishes they could have done something over again in their life to correct a mistake or make the right choice, or even to see if another choice would have led down a better path in life. Ursula gets that ability in this excellent novel. Ursula is a young girl who gets to do life over and over again until she gets it exactly right. Of course, the ultimate point of the story is whether or not it's possible to get it exactly right or if you are doomed to infinite repetition.
Very powerful, very emotional.
Highly recommended!