"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."

Received via PaperBackSwap. (Unabridged on 12 CD's; read by Fenella Woolgar)

I think I'm still trying to absorb this one. It definitely has a different "feel" than Atkinson's Jackson Brodie detective novels, which are somewhat quirky and not necessarily your typical detective novels. This particular book feels more novel-like to me, sort of a coming-of-age story with the odd twist of the main character (Ursula) re-living her life over and over. In Ursula's first life, she dies at childbirth. In her second life, things somehow correct themselves so that she lives a bit longer, but ultimately she dies again due to different circumstances. And so things continue on this way throughout the book. It sounds like it would grow monotonous, but it doesn't. Little details change here and there, thus changing the course of Ursula's history each time she lives.

I was totally into this book for about the first half of it. But then the flow started changing, and the time line didn't quite seem to match up for some of Ursula's later lives. At that point it started to get kind of confusing. This would make a very good discussion book, but I also think it would best be discussed as a group read as the reading progressed. In other words, read a chapter or two, discuss, read more, discuss, etc.

I ultimately loved the idea of this book & I think the way Atkinson weaved some of her stories together was brilliant, but there were other aspects where she fell short.

Sending off to rebekkila in a trade. Enjoy!

I caught this in a trade with indygo88, I have heard such great things about this book.

This is going in the audio book box.

As they always say,

if you don't get it right
try, try again.

I had heard great reviews about this one. But then again, there have been other books I've read that had great reviews and I wound up not really liking them at all.

So I went into this one carefully and hoped I wouldn't be bored to tears.

Luckily, it has a great premise and the writer is wonderful at keeping threads and changing things while keeping the constant aspects of events in place. Even if the outcomes differ.

So I found it highly entertaining mostly for the reason of the seeing how she would vary it next and what the outcome would be. This REALLY reminded me of those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. (which I loved by the way)

So while I didn't find the story or the characters the most compelling on earth, I loved the concept and the beautiful execution of it.

Good stuff. :)

This lucky little audiobook has become part of HI77's Audio BookBox #2!

https://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/20/573907

Hopefully it will find many new readers to enjoy it! ;)

Thank you for sharing this audiobook.

After trying to listen to this book for the second time in several years, I have decided it's not for me. I can't get past Ursula dying in childhood, and it's excruciating.

Included in Audio Bookbox #4. Enjoy!

I picked this out of rhythmbiscuit's Audiobook Bookbox #4. This story has an interesting concept. I am going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing!