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)

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.

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.

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.

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

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.