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Life After Life (Todd Family, #1)

Kate Atkinson

Start date: September 15, 2013

Finish date: October 15, 2013

Discussion: Reading List

Discussion leader: Sherry

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Reading List

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What Members Thought

Sep 15, 2013 Ruth rated it really liked it

I loved this book. It's been quite a while since I've plowed through something at this rate. I was glued. I didn’t find the story/stories at all hard to follow.

At first I thought the dying/starting over theme was just a gimmick. Couldn’t help but be reminded of Edward Gorey’s The Gashlycrumb Tinies, in which quite a few children are killed off in an interesting variety of ways. Which way is she going to use next?

I soon forgot all that stuff though. Atkinson managed to transcend the gimmick wi ...more

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Jun 08, 2013 Sara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audios-owned

Need to think on this one a bit, but really brilliant.

Having thought, here we go:

This was a very satisfying read for me. Once I got used to the rewinds, I found it very inventive, rather than any sort of gimmick (which translates as "tricky" to me, and not complementary). The comparison to Groundhog Day doesn't resonate for me at all, as that is a comedy about a smug, self-absorbed man who needs to learn how to care about other people. I got very involved with pretty much each iteration (some of Need to think on this one a bit, but really brilliant.

Having thought, here we go:

This was a very satisfying read for me. Once I got used to the rewinds, I found it very inventive, rather than any sort of gimmick (which translates as "tricky" to me, and not complementary). The comparison to Groundhog Day doesn't resonate for me at all, as that is a comedy about a smug, self-absorbed man who needs to learn how to care about other people. I got very involved with pretty much each iteration (some of them didn't work as well for me, like the stay in Germany, her daughter and the little-too-research-showing stuff about Eva Braun!) of Ursula's life. The rape/abortion/abusive husband section was very difficult, but I loved the "solution" when she just kicked the rapist pre-rape.

All of which is to say that I found this to be a very complex, involving way of telling a story about (that dreaded word!) a family between the wars and during WWII. My one major regret is that Atkinson didn't follow the thread offered by the guy who saw Ursula solving the crossword and handed her a business card--because I've read a lot in this period, I know that was how people (particularly young women) were recruited into Bletchley Park, the decoding arm of Britain's intelligence service during the war.

As mentioned already, the depiction of the Blitz reminded me of Connie Willis's two books Blackout and All Clear, which I loved, and made me think a lot (as did Atkinson) about what is worth saving in the context of war, and how one faces the inevitable hopelessness. Being a sucker, I did love that Ursula eventually found a way to save Lucky, the dog. :-)

I wonder, too, if other characters had some insight into Ursula, and I'm okay with it being murky. Certainly the therapist did, and possibly Izzie, and yes, the scissors made me think Sylvie possibly as well. But the ultimate ending, with Teddy seeming to say, "Thank you" to Ursula, made me think that he possibly knew, too. It would sort of make sense that as Ursula gained knowledge, so did others, but I don't have a lot invested in that. It's fine with me, either way.

I have not particularly enjoyed Atkinson before, but it has never been about the quality of her writing, which I find to be extraordinary. The complexity of the structure of this book, along with the consistency of the writing, just blew me away.
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Jul 27, 2013 Joyce rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

This is one of those books that you could probably chew over with friends for hours. I very much enjoy Kate Atkinson's work. In "Life After Life," however, I started out a tad bit annoyed. Perhaps this is because I am always in search of meaning and I couldn't see where the author was going with the endless killings of Ursula Todd. But once I reached the section on the Spanish flu, I started to get with the program and just enjoyed the ride. This is probably a book that bears reading more than o ...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Jennie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: europeans, women, listened-to

Atkinson tells a beautiful story. She uses reincarnation as a literary device to show the reader different facets of the novel's events and characters. These facets fit together to form a riveting mosaic involving lovable characters and vine like plot lines. ...more

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