Life
After Life
Author:
Kate Atkinson
The Blurb from The
Book Depository:
“What if you had the
chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right?
During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can
take her first breath. During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is
born and lives to tell the tale. What if there were second chances? And third
chances? In fact an infinite number of chances to live your life? Would you
eventually be able to save the world from its own inevitable destiny? And would
you even want to? "Life After Life" follows Ursula Todd as she lives
through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. With wit and
compassion, she finds warmth even in life's bleakest moments, and shows an
extraordinary ability to evoke the past. Here is Kate Atkinson at her most
profound and inventive, in a novel that celebrates the best and worst of
ourselves.”
Find your
copy of Life After Life or any of
Kate’s other wonderful books at my favourite bookstore, The Book Depository
My Thoughts on Life After Life:
This book
is framed around such a fascinating concept - a life lived over and over and
over (at the decision of fate, not the person whose life is involved) until the
wrinkles are ironed out. Die at birth? Come back and make it through. Get raped
and end up having an abortion? Come back and fight off the would-be attacker.
Become the victim of an abusive husband? Come back and consign the turkey to no
more than a brief encounter.
At times I did get a little confused, but I actually enjoyed the confusion, as
did Ursula, the main character. I wanted to go along to the psychiatrist with
her so that we could work through the queries and ponderences together. Oh, and
I loved the ending: it’s marvellous, it’s just right, it’s the perfect way for
us to say goodbye to Ursula and her family. And for those of you who know I
often enjoy a sad ending, I will give nothing away here.
This book is so different to Kate Atkinson's other work, which I think is fantastic. It's lovely to follow a contemporary author whose work changes as she and all around her - around me, around us - change. Highly recommend, but if you don't enjoy don't blame me.
And here are some other top reads by Kate Atkinson which you will also find at The Book Depository.
