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Life After Life: A Novel

By Kate Atkinson
Binding:Hardcover
Publisher:Reagan Arthur Books, (4/2/2013)
Language:English

Average Rating:

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4.60 out of 5 (5 Clubie's ratings)

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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.

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Karin P's thoughts on "Life After Life: A Novel"
updated on:11/13/2013

DEFINITELY Unleash it

Librarian's thoughts on "Life After Life: A Novel"
updated on:5/20/2013

What an interesting book! Lots of good topics to discuss with your book club.

Very Unleashable

Webmaster's thoughts on "Life After Life: A Novel"
updated on:5/16/2013

Very Unleashable

Ceci's thoughts on "Life After Life: A Novel"
updated on:5/4/2013

A first-rate story and brain tease. What does it mean to live your life again and again? Is it an opportunity to correct the things that went wrong before – to finally “get it right” for yourself, for those you love, for the whole world? But how can that be if you can unintentionally undo these improvements in another round? Perhaps the point is in the details that comprise each life – our lives? The first kiss you want to remember forever. The first kiss you wish you could forget. The decision to go abroad before studying. The decision to forego travel altogether. Buying your first bottle of wine to make a boeuf bourguignon. A quick goodbye to your father at the end of a visit. A life is the sum of all of its details, good and bad, major and minor, each of some consequence. This story immerses you in Ursula’s details in a wonderful way. I couldn’t put it down, and now that I’ve finished I keep thinking about Ursula and what her life, her lives, really mean.

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Book Junky's thoughts on "Life After Life: A Novel"
updated on:4/23/2013

Wow, how many ways can a person die? Answer: Lots! Which makes you think about the "vulnerability of your own life" thing.

And how many ways and different directions can/could a life go in? Answer: Infinite! Which just makes you wonder about soo many different things…

What if we are all in that loop and we are doing things differently this life time vs last? What from this life would you do differently next time around? Who would you make sure you could save or influence? Or, who would you come back and kill before they could do evil? If you were living the "same" life over and over, what things would you make sure you did every time? What happens when you get a life exactly as you want it? Do you keep repeating it, or take a few different routes for the sake of variety?

This book had to be so much fun to write as the writer was able to explore so many different directions that Ursula's (and other's) lives could go in and the ripple effect that each of their individual choices could make.

This is one of those books that is just pleasant to read, yet when you are done reading it is when it really gets good. It gets good afterwards because it opens your mind to a million questions. Which makes this a GREAT book club book. The ending is a little abrupt, but at the same time perfect and thought provoking too. It's a long book, but worth the pick for your next book club discussion.

DEFINITELY Unleash it