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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 show more 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. "-- show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
BookshelfMonstrosity These moving and thought-provoking novels portray characters whose lives are continually disrupted by time shifts -- in Life after Life, the protagonist repeatedly dies and comes back to life, while in The Time Traveler's Wife, the protagonist time-travels involuntarily.
Also recommended by Yells
327
BookshelfMonstrosity Life after Life and Replay feature characters who live multiple lives against their wills; the complications of dying and coming back to life form the core of each novel and create moving, sometimes funny, always thought-provoking situations.
Also recommended by fspyck
110
sturlington Both have unusual narrative structures and explore the theme of reincarnation.
122
sturlington These are both interesting contemporary works of speculative fiction that play with time and structure.
60
fairyfeller Explores the same concept of one person living the same over and over.
Also recommended by pan0ramix
40
rstaedter A different concept, but nonetheless also brilliantly written and with the Blitz as backdrop.
40
amysisson Both books examine decisions and moments that change the course of a life.
31
JenMDB Exploring the different life paths we might take
amysisson Both are about the unusual ways in which women may impact the tides of war
22
rstaedter Any explanation would be a spoiler for Crouch's novel.
anonymous user Similar time in history. A story of 2 sisters during the Second World War.
Member Reviews
I’ve read most of Kate Atkinson’s books, but I didn’t rush out to buy this one, as the reviews all focussed on the “branching narrative” thing and made it sound as if it would be rather gimmicky. It is gimmicky, of course, but now I finally get around to reading it (the book club picked it for this month) I have to admit that Atkinson is a good enough writer to get away with being gimmicky. It’s a very professionally assembled historical novel that gives us — multiple — convincing pictures of what it might have been like to grow up as the daughter of a middle-class Home Counties family in the first half of the 20th century.
We move pretty seamlessly from a Forster-ish view of the Todd family in its idyllic outer-suburban show more retreat ca. 1910 to a Stephen Spender view of the London Blitz (plus additional graphic horror that no-one writing at the time would have put in, but which we need because most of us nowadays haven’t actually lived through that kind of experience ourselves). Along the way, Atkinson gets us to think about things like the position of domestic servants, violence against women, and the limitation of educational and career opportunities for girls, all without ever seeming to be pressing any obviously anachronistic buttons. (Atkinson is from a similar background and generation to me, and her knowledge about England in the first half of the century must come from much the same kind of sources as mine, so it’s perhaps not surprising that it all rings so true…)
I’m not sure if the “multiple lives” thing actually adds much, but perhaps it does allow Atkinson to play with a wider range of ideas and settings than might comfortably have fitted into a simple linear narrative. And it does raise some interesting ideas about the arbitrariness of the kind of small events that dictate how our lives will turn out, even if we ignore all the slightly silly reincarnation and déjà-vu and “what if I went back to assassinate Hitler?” stuff. show less
We move pretty seamlessly from a Forster-ish view of the Todd family in its idyllic outer-suburban show more retreat ca. 1910 to a Stephen Spender view of the London Blitz (plus additional graphic horror that no-one writing at the time would have put in, but which we need because most of us nowadays haven’t actually lived through that kind of experience ourselves). Along the way, Atkinson gets us to think about things like the position of domestic servants, violence against women, and the limitation of educational and career opportunities for girls, all without ever seeming to be pressing any obviously anachronistic buttons. (Atkinson is from a similar background and generation to me, and her knowledge about England in the first half of the century must come from much the same kind of sources as mine, so it’s perhaps not surprising that it all rings so true…)
I’m not sure if the “multiple lives” thing actually adds much, but perhaps it does allow Atkinson to play with a wider range of ideas and settings than might comfortably have fitted into a simple linear narrative. And it does raise some interesting ideas about the arbitrariness of the kind of small events that dictate how our lives will turn out, even if we ignore all the slightly silly reincarnation and déjà-vu and “what if I went back to assassinate Hitler?” stuff. show less
Kate Atkinson's Life After Life is a wonderful, wonderful novel, and I absolutely loved it. Ursula is the third child of Sylvie and Hugh, born just before WW1, and this is the story of her many lives. Not reincarnation, not time travel (although the book's structure is time-hopping all over the place), but deja vu taken to the extreme, where she gets the chance to live bits of her life over again with different outcomes. It's very cleverly done - Ursula doesn't necessarily know what awful thing is going to happen, but the deja vu feeling means that she does *something* to change the outcome of what could have happened (and did, in another parallel life). There are a lot of difficult events - war, rape, backstreet abortion, Nazism, show more teenage pregnancy, murder, suicide, domestic violence, amongst others - and poor Bridget, the family maid, has a particularly hard time as Ursula tries several times to stop her from catching the Spanish flu at the end of WW1 and infecting the household. In some lives Ursula is a mother, in others she is a maiden aunt with a history, in some she lives in Nazi Germany, in others she is in London, but throughout, each timeline is believable even as you know you're suspending disbelief. I'll definitely be picking up her related novel, A God in Ruins (primarily about Ursula's brother Teddy - thank goodness it's not about her brother Maurice!), in the next few months before the characters start to fade in my mind. show less
(21) Wow. I loved this though I think it is quite possible I didn't "get" it all. I am particularly perplexed by the ending which I just finished and certainly will not spoil. I had no idea this writer was so clever and lyrical. I loved the time period - having been watching a bit of 'Downton Abbey' and echoing some of my favorite novels such as Faulk's 'Birdsong' and Byatt's 'The Children's Book.' Turn of the century England and post WW1 is a favorite literary haunt for me. It is hard to really say what this book is about - except with the question: "What if you got to live your life over and over again?" Ursula Todd does, though she does not have complete knowledge of this - just a constant feeling of deja vu and some serious show more premonitions about when something bad is going to happen. This novel is the best explanation of why we make the decisions we do and informs the old axiom "everything happens for a reason" that I have ever read. Perhaps we are all doing this all the time even as we speak; parallell universes and the like.
In this novel there are several key moments in Ursula Todd's life - her birth; her 16th birthday, the Armistice at the dawn of the Spanish flu pandemic, the night before WWII, and a particular evening during the Blitz in London. There ware a few other events that are relived as well, but these are the main ones. Based on decisions made at these pivotal moments, Ursula's life takes different paths. It is unclear to me though whether or not she can really alter world events. I mean, I guess we never know the outcome of her decision to re-take the German path again. As was mentioned at one point - perhaps any of Hitler's henchmen could have stepped up and filled the void and WWII and its aftermath would all have still transpired.
Anyway, I can't say enough about this novel. Well-written; intriguing, original. And while one might think it could get boring reading a similar scene over and over - it is so creepy and well-done with slightly different view-points and outcomes each time. And more and more details of the events fleshed out such that we gain a deeper understanding of the characters and the atmosphere each time. Brilliant! in my opinion . . . best book I have read all year. A bit of a Sarah Waters, A.S. Byatt, Ian Pears kind of feel with pitch perfect atmosphere and pacing and lovely literary references. Well-done. show less
In this novel there are several key moments in Ursula Todd's life - her birth; her 16th birthday, the Armistice at the dawn of the Spanish flu pandemic, the night before WWII, and a particular evening during the Blitz in London. There ware a few other events that are relived as well, but these are the main ones. Based on decisions made at these pivotal moments, Ursula's life takes different paths. It is unclear to me though whether or not she can really alter world events. I mean, I guess we never know the outcome of her decision to re-take the German path again. As was mentioned at one point - perhaps any of Hitler's henchmen could have stepped up and filled the void and WWII and its aftermath would all have still transpired.
Anyway, I can't say enough about this novel. Well-written; intriguing, original. And while one might think it could get boring reading a similar scene over and over - it is so creepy and well-done with slightly different view-points and outcomes each time. And more and more details of the events fleshed out such that we gain a deeper understanding of the characters and the atmosphere each time. Brilliant! in my opinion . . . best book I have read all year. A bit of a Sarah Waters, A.S. Byatt, Ian Pears kind of feel with pitch perfect atmosphere and pacing and lovely literary references. Well-done. show less
Kate Atkinson's newest novel, 'Life After Life,' is a virtuoso performance. The master story teller recounts the life of Ursula Todd, who is born into an upper middle class English family in November 1930. Perhaps I should have said 'lives of Ursula' because the hapless Ursula is born, lives, dies, and is born again countless times throughout the novel.
Early on Ursula is too often the victim of fate as her existence is cut short by accidents. But with experience and shadowy memory, she is slowly able to control her destiny a bit and twitch the outcome here and there. Each new birth returns to November 1930; each time the reader learns a bit more about Ursula and her family. And each time in her 'do over' Ursula makes slightly different show more decisions that alter the outcome just a little.
How Virginia Woolf would have enjoyed Atkinson's novel. It is surely no accident that Atkinson gives Ursula a mentor named 'Miss Woolf.'
Ursula lives her life over and over learning each time a little more about herself and learning to care a bit more about others in each of her incarnations. Events are far less important than understanding. The biographical facts of Ursula's life may vary, but the essence of Ursula remains constant.
This is a novel that forces the reader to think, to focus on the craft of the novel, to ponder time and change and to ask if one can step into Heraclitus swiftly flowing river without change? to anticipate how the novelist can keep killing the heroine and yet maintain the reader's interest?
Congratulations, Ms Atkinson, I had an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.
(The reviewer received an ARC from the Amazon Vine Program.) show less
Early on Ursula is too often the victim of fate as her existence is cut short by accidents. But with experience and shadowy memory, she is slowly able to control her destiny a bit and twitch the outcome here and there. Each new birth returns to November 1930; each time the reader learns a bit more about Ursula and her family. And each time in her 'do over' Ursula makes slightly different show more decisions that alter the outcome just a little.
How Virginia Woolf would have enjoyed Atkinson's novel. It is surely no accident that Atkinson gives Ursula a mentor named 'Miss Woolf.'
Ursula lives her life over and over learning each time a little more about herself and learning to care a bit more about others in each of her incarnations. Events are far less important than understanding. The biographical facts of Ursula's life may vary, but the essence of Ursula remains constant.
This is a novel that forces the reader to think, to focus on the craft of the novel, to ponder time and change and to ask if one can step into Heraclitus swiftly flowing river without change? to anticipate how the novelist can keep killing the heroine and yet maintain the reader's interest?
Congratulations, Ms Atkinson, I had an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.
(The reviewer received an ARC from the Amazon Vine Program.) show less
In this tale of alternate life trajectories, Atkinson has found the sweet spot between daring experimental story structure and telling a damn good story. I finished and my first impulse was, like the heroine Ursula, to begin again; I'm certain I'll find great riches upon a second reading.
As the story opens, Ursula shoots Hitler. Yay! But in the next chapter she is strangled at birth by the umbilical cord. Her life starts and stalls again and again, a variety of scenarios unfolding and squeezing shut. The significance of these do-overs is deepened by Ursula's insight. She experiences deja-vu and, occasionally, a prescient dread which allows her to change the course of (some of) her histories and those of her family. This insight makes show more Ursula a fascinating character as she cannot trust the linear march of time the rest of us take for granted. She is distanced from and confused by her own life, and her ability to nevertheless embrace it compelled me to think anew about fate, purpose and devotion.
Hats off to Atkinson for an intelligent, moving story bravely told. show less
As the story opens, Ursula shoots Hitler. Yay! But in the next chapter she is strangled at birth by the umbilical cord. Her life starts and stalls again and again, a variety of scenarios unfolding and squeezing shut. The significance of these do-overs is deepened by Ursula's insight. She experiences deja-vu and, occasionally, a prescient dread which allows her to change the course of (some of) her histories and those of her family. This insight makes show more Ursula a fascinating character as she cannot trust the linear march of time the rest of us take for granted. She is distanced from and confused by her own life, and her ability to nevertheless embrace it compelled me to think anew about fate, purpose and devotion.
Hats off to Atkinson for an intelligent, moving story bravely told. show less
This is an excellent story! I was drawn in from the first and found it hard to put down. It's been difficult to describe to people who have asked what I'm reading, though. "So this girl keeps being born and dying and being born again. She's always born on February 11, 1910. The first time she dies at birth. The next time she survives birth but is drowned as a small child. The next time, she has a premonition/fear that keeps her from drowning so she lives longer and dies another way." Not the happiest sounding book.
There is tragedy in this story but there is also beauty and love and hope. One hope is that Ursula will keep being reborn until she "gets it right," although at the end of the book it appears that the rebirth cycle is show more infinite. And I was left to ponder what it means to "get it right" anyway. In one life, Ursula regrets not having children and yet the life in which she had a child was far from perfect. I guess the point is that we all just muddle through the best we can; we might make some decisions differently if we knew what would happen but then we'd not know what the change in decision would precipitate.
Atkinson is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This book is a wonderful experiment in "what ifs," a story well-told, with wonderful character development and lots of heart. I recommend it! show less
There is tragedy in this story but there is also beauty and love and hope. One hope is that Ursula will keep being reborn until she "gets it right," although at the end of the book it appears that the rebirth cycle is show more infinite. And I was left to ponder what it means to "get it right" anyway. In one life, Ursula regrets not having children and yet the life in which she had a child was far from perfect. I guess the point is that we all just muddle through the best we can; we might make some decisions differently if we knew what would happen but then we'd not know what the change in decision would precipitate.
Atkinson is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This book is a wonderful experiment in "what ifs," a story well-told, with wonderful character development and lots of heart. I recommend it! show less
“What if we had a chance to do it again and again, until we finally did get it right? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson begins with the birth of Ursula Todd in 1910. Born into an affluent family in the English countryside, Ursula’s life seems destined for comfort and routine. And yet, when Ursula dies, her life resets. Everything suddenly restarts with fresh paths to venture and new decisions to make. But what happens when even small deviations cause much larger repercussions? Atkinson provides food for thought on a variety of philosophical questions as Ursula is born, dies, and is born again.
The novel’s structure is bewildering at the beginning, but becomes easier to navigate as the narrative moves show more forward. Admittedly, the first ten chapters or so are quite a struggle to endure due to their repetitive nature, but the story picks up the pace considerably once they have passed. These chapters should not be skipped though, as they introduce important symbols and imagery that will appear throughout the rest of the novel. If you’d like a hint, the chapter titles are more than mere decoration.
Since Ursula’s life begins again many times, character often surpasses plot in importance. The omniscient third-person narrator concentrates on more than just Ursula. The Todd family is a large one, and Ursula’s unassuming and pleasant manner attracts people to her, so there is never a lack of characters to appreciate. Following the different timelines closely also encourages readers to observe the different facets of each character’s personality, fueling deeper intimacy. When Ursula dies and time resets, the loss is sometimes overwhelming.
The novel doesn’t move forward in a predictable way. The reader never knows which events will be highlighted in Ursula’s many lives. Sometimes certain moments never appear at all because Ursula makes a different choice and the event never occurs. Huge changes can even be caused by minor variations, like the weather or merely standing in a different spot. The possibility of surprise is riveting.
Fate versus free will is the obvious theme of the novel, but the way in which Atkinson chooses to address it inspires analysis. From time to time, Ursula experiences déjà vu. She may not remember her past lives, but this prophetic sense can be the catalyst for her to make a different decision. If that is the case, can Ursula’s power be useful? If so, if her life always resets upon her death, does making changes have any impact? Is everything she does ultimately futile? That’s for the reader to decide.
Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life is a unique reading experience. How does one cope with the plot starting and ending, then beginning again with a high probability of change? Despite the challenge of following numerous timelines, confusion is a rarity. And even if you do find yourself trying to place a character being reintroduced, does it really matter? Every life is different, and ultimately: “Life wasn’t about becoming, was it? It was about being.” show less
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson begins with the birth of Ursula Todd in 1910. Born into an affluent family in the English countryside, Ursula’s life seems destined for comfort and routine. And yet, when Ursula dies, her life resets. Everything suddenly restarts with fresh paths to venture and new decisions to make. But what happens when even small deviations cause much larger repercussions? Atkinson provides food for thought on a variety of philosophical questions as Ursula is born, dies, and is born again.
The novel’s structure is bewildering at the beginning, but becomes easier to navigate as the narrative moves show more forward. Admittedly, the first ten chapters or so are quite a struggle to endure due to their repetitive nature, but the story picks up the pace considerably once they have passed. These chapters should not be skipped though, as they introduce important symbols and imagery that will appear throughout the rest of the novel. If you’d like a hint, the chapter titles are more than mere decoration.
Since Ursula’s life begins again many times, character often surpasses plot in importance. The omniscient third-person narrator concentrates on more than just Ursula. The Todd family is a large one, and Ursula’s unassuming and pleasant manner attracts people to her, so there is never a lack of characters to appreciate. Following the different timelines closely also encourages readers to observe the different facets of each character’s personality, fueling deeper intimacy. When Ursula dies and time resets, the loss is sometimes overwhelming.
The novel doesn’t move forward in a predictable way. The reader never knows which events will be highlighted in Ursula’s many lives. Sometimes certain moments never appear at all because Ursula makes a different choice and the event never occurs. Huge changes can even be caused by minor variations, like the weather or merely standing in a different spot. The possibility of surprise is riveting.
Fate versus free will is the obvious theme of the novel, but the way in which Atkinson chooses to address it inspires analysis. From time to time, Ursula experiences déjà vu. She may not remember her past lives, but this prophetic sense can be the catalyst for her to make a different decision. If that is the case, can Ursula’s power be useful? If so, if her life always resets upon her death, does making changes have any impact? Is everything she does ultimately futile? That’s for the reader to decide.
Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life is a unique reading experience. How does one cope with the plot starting and ending, then beginning again with a high probability of change? Despite the challenge of following numerous timelines, confusion is a rarity. And even if you do find yourself trying to place a character being reintroduced, does it really matter? Every life is different, and ultimately: “Life wasn’t about becoming, was it? It was about being.” show less
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ThingScore 93
I absolutley loved Life After Life. It's so brilliant and existential, and I really responded to all of the 'what ifs' and 'if onlys' that she plays with.
added by Sylak
Atkinson’s juggling a lot at once — and nimbly succeeds in keeping the novel from becoming confusing.
added by melissarochelle
For the other extraordinary thing is that, despite the horrors, this is a warm and humane book. This is partly because the felt sense of life is so powerful and immediate. Whatever the setting, it has been thoroughly imagined. Most of the characters are agreeable. They speak well and often wittily. When, like Ursula’s eldest brother, Maurice, they are not likeable, they are treated in the show more spirit of comedy. The humour is rich. Once you have adapted yourself to the novel’s daring structure and accepted its premise that life is full of unexplored possibilities, the individual passages offer a succession of delights. A family saga? Yes, but a wonderful and rewarding variation on a familiar form. show less
added by vancouverdeb
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Author Information
36+ Works 52,452 Members
Kate Atkinson was born in York, and studied English Literature at the University of Dundee. She earned her Masters Degree from Dundee in 1974. She then went on to study for a doctorate in American Literature but she failed at the viva (oral examination) stage. After leaving the university, she took on a variety of jobs from home help to legal show more secretary and teacher. Her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won the 1995 Whitbread Book of the Year ahead of Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh and Roy Jenkins's biography of William Ewart Gladstone. It went on to be a Sunday Times bestseller. Since then, she has published another five novels, one play, and one collection of short stories. Her work is often celebrated for its wit, wisdom and subtle characterisation, and the surprising twists and plot turns. Her most recent work has featured the popular former detective Jackson Brodie. In 2009, she donated the short story Lucky We Live Now to Oxfam's 'Ox-Tales' project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Atkinson's story was published in the 'Earth' collection. In March 2010, Atkinson appeared at the York Literature Festival, giving a world-premier reading from an early chapter from her forthcoming novel Started Early, Took My Dog, which is set mainly in the English city of Leeds. Atkinson's bestselling novel, Life after Life, has won numerous awards, including the COSTA Novel Award for 2013. The follow-up to Life After Life is A God in Ruins and was published in 2015. This title won a Costa Book Award 2015 in the novel category. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Life After Life
- Original title
- Life After Life
- Original publication date
- 2013
- People/Characters
- Ursula Todd; Hugh Todd; Sylvie Todd; Pamela Todd; Maurice Todd; Teddy Todd (show all 40); Jimmy Todd; Mrs Glover; George Glover; Bridget; Millie Shawcross; Nancy Shawcross; Izzie; Benjamin Cole (Ben); Jock (West Highland Terrier); Crighton; Howie (Howard S Lansdowne III); Derek Oliphant; Mrs Appleyard (Eryka); Emil Appleyard; The Nesbit Sisters, Lavinia & Ruth; The Miller Family; Mr Bentley; Miss Hartnell; Ralph; The Brenner Family (Herr & Frau Brenner, Karla, Hilldegard, Hannelore & Helmut); Jurgen Fuchs; Eva Braun; Frieda; Miss Woolf (Dorcas); Mr. Durkin; Mr. Simms; Mr. Palmer; Mr. Armitage; Mr. Bullock (John); Herr Zimmerman (Gabi); Fred Smith; Bea Shawcross; Gertie Shawcross; Winnie Shawcross
- Important places
- London, England, UK; Berlin, Germany
- Important events
- World War II (1939 | 1945); The Blitz (1940 | 1941); World War I (1914 | 1918); Influenza pandemic (1918)
- Epigraph
- What if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: "This life as you now live and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more"... Would you n... (show all)ot throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: "You are a god and never have I heard anything so divine."
Nietzsche, The Gay Science
Everything changes and nothing remains still.
Plato, Cratylus - Dedication
- For Elissa
- First words
- A fug of tobacco smoke and damp clammy air hit her as she entered the café.
- Quotations
- "It's as if," he said to Ursula, "you walk into a room and your life ends but you keep on living."
"All those names," Teddy said, gazing at the Cenotaph. "All those lives. And now again. I think there is something wrong with the human race. It undermines everything one would like to believe in, don't you think?"
"No... (show all) point in thinking," she said briskly, "you just have to get on with life." (She really was turning into Miss Woolf.) "We only have one after all, we should try and do our best. We can never get it right, but we must try." (The transformation was complete.)
"What if we had a chance to do it again and again," Teddy said, "until we finally did get it right? Wouldn't that be wonderful?" - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"You may as well have another tot of rum. You won't be going anywhere in a hurry tonight."
- Blurbers
- Flynn, Gillian; Sullivan, J. Courtney; Mantel, Hilary
- Original language
- English UK
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 823.92
- Canonical LCC
- PR6051.T56
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