A God in Ruins

A Novel

De: Kate Atkinson

Narrado por: Alex Jennings

This stunning companion to Kate Atkinson's #1 bestseller Life After Life, "one of the best novels I've read this century" (Gillian Flynn), follows Ursula's brother Teddy as he navigates an unknown future after a perilous war.

"He had been reconciled to death during the war and then suddenly the war was over and there was a next day and a next day. Part of him never adjusted to having a future."

Kate Atkinson's dazzling Life After Life explored the possibility of infinite chances and the power of choices, following Ursula Todd as she lived through the turbulent events of the last century over and over again. A God in Ruins tells the dramatic story of the 20th Century through Ursula's beloved younger brother Teddy -- would-be poet, heroic pilot, husband, father, and grandfather -- as he navigates the perils and progress of a rapidly changing world.

After all that Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge is living in a future he never expected to have. An ingenious and moving exploration of one ordinary man's path through extraordinary times, A God in Ruins proves once again that Kate Atkinson is one of the finest novelists of our age.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A novel so sublime I would nominate it to represent all books in the Art Olympics. The afterword deserves a literary prize all to itself. It is, as claimed on the sumptuous proof, even better than Life After Life."—The Bookseller

"Only as the book unfolds is each character more fully revealed. Ms. Atkinson's artistry in making this happen is marvelously delicate and varied."—Janet Maslin, New York Times

"If you loved Atkinson's Life After Life, you're in luck. If you're one of the, say, five people who didn't read it: You're still in luck--Atkinson is a master at the top of her game. A quiet, moving portrait of a guy navigating life's small pleasures and painful failures."—Marie Claire

"Gorgeous, thought-provoking...once again, Atkinson explores the concept of paths not taken versus those that are. Her hero's journey has its trials...but also joys and deep love. Quiet, humble Teddy is easy to root for. At the end of this tender story (a weeper, by the way), you won't want to let him go."—Good Housekeeping

"Dazzling."—People

"A sprawling, unapologetically ambitious saga that tells the story of postwar Britain through the microcosm of a single family, and you remember what a big, old-school novel can do."—Tom Perotta, New York Times Book Review

"Atkinson's genre-bending novels have garnered critical praise, but nothing on the order of a Rushdie, or even an Ian McEwan. A God in Ruins should change that."—Amy Gentry, The Chicago Tribune

"Atkinson writes the way LeBron dunks or Stephen Hawking theorizes; she can't help but be brilliant."
—Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

"Transcendent."—Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times

"A staggeringly gorgeous book, offering through the story of one small, good, imperfect life, the chance to grieve and cherish so many more."—Ellis Avery, Boston Globe

"Ms. Atkinson rises beautifully to the challenge of dramatizing the raids, capturing the virtually suicidal nature of these operations in muscular, unsentimental prose."—Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal

"A novel that takes its place in the line of powerful works about young men and war, stretching from Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage to Kevin Powers's The Yellow Birds and Ben Fountain's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk."—Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post

"A sprawling, epic novel...A God in Ruins expresses the ways lives can be seen close up, in seemingly unconnected individual moments, or from a distance, as a series of through-lines."—Tasha Robinson, NPR.org

"...more subtly postmodern, shifting between past, present, and future in ways both subversive and perfectly organic."—Boris Kachka, New York Magazine

Beautiful writing, but . . .

I love Kate Atkinson, have read everything she's published, and will continue to do so. This is beautifully written, and sections of it are extremely engaging and moving. I think I would have done better with this book had I read it instead of listened to it.

I wasn't thrilled with Alex Jennings' narration for two reasons: (a) his voicing of women, particularly Teddy's daughter Viola, and (b) his reading of quotations in the voice of the characters who said them. As in, when Teddy is thinking of something his wife or daughter said, it is spoken in his wife or daughter's voice. I understand the intent but found that it kept jarring me out of Teddy's thoughts. It gave the quotes an affected, somewhat sarcastic tone.

The book jumps around in time, particularly at the beginning, and that made it difficult for me to feel a strong connection to Teddy. I never really did, which is one of my problems with the book. He's a kind, sweet, moral man, but I didn't find him very interesting. His daughter Viola is such a pill that it's hard to believe anybody could be this unpleasant, and I found the voicing of her difficult to listen to. There's only so much time one wants to spend listening to this kind of person! The sections dealing with Teddy's war and his bombing raids are marvelous, as is the section about Teddy's grandson Sunny's childhood.

Some of the book's characters resemble archetypes more than people; their actions and personalities are so extreme and without redeeming factors. Viola, her husband Dominic, and Dominic's mother are difficult to swallow as real people.

Kate Atkinson is one of my favorite authors.

This book, along with its companion piece, Life After Life, is a splendid study of Britain just before, during, and in the years after WWII. I recommend it to anyone interested in this period.

Great author but Not this author's best

We all loved Life After Life in my book group. Several of the members suggested Atkinson's mysteries. I listened to Case Histories by her. It was fantastic. This one however was not interesting. None of the characters were likable.

Interesting twist at the end.

I wasn't expecting that. The flight imagery was beautiful. Actually all the imagery was intense.

Outstanding!!!

This is an extraordinary book! It really should be read with it’s companion book - Life After Life , although it can stand on own. The narration in both is exceptionally good. I am so sorry to have come to the end! Give it a try - Ursula and Teddy will stay with you for a very long time.