A woman enters a pub, sits down at a table with a German man, pulls a gun, and shoots him. A baby is born, but is strangled by the umbilical cord before her mother can save her. Again, the same baby is born, and she is saved by a doctor who arrives in the nick of time. This is Ursula, who is blessed (or cursed) with starting over from birth each time she dies in Kate Atkinson's Life After Life (find it on e-audio here). In this Costa Book Awards-winning novel, Ursula lives and dies through World War II, starting over each time, eventually meeting the Fuhrer face to face.
Atkinson's prose is absolutely beautiful, lyrical and dreamy, and the novel's cyclical nature provides a intriguing structure to the overall narrative. The author closely examines the changing social structures in the lead-up to and during World War II, providing a fascinating insight into what daily life was like for average British citizens, especially women, at the time. Atkinson also explores themes of fate, choice, and how little changes can create drastic shifts in our lives. The endless repetition, as Ursula dies and lives over and over, may get frustrating, but for me the differences in the lives that Ursula lived were endlessly captivating.
Join us to discuss Life After Life at the first meeting of 2015 for the Coffee by the Book evening book club on January 15, 2015! Coffee by the Book meets at Bailiwick's on South Washington St. from 6-7 p.m. every third Thursday of the month. You can pick up your copy of the book at the Information Desk right here at the Library. Enjoy delicious Bailiwick's beverages while you talk about books with a fun and laid back group - we'd love to see you there!
Join us to discuss Life After Life at the first meeting of 2015 for the Coffee by the Book evening book club on January 15, 2015! Coffee by the Book meets at Bailiwick's on South Washington St. from 6-7 p.m. every third Thursday of the month. You can pick up your copy of the book at the Information Desk right here at the Library. Enjoy delicious Bailiwick's beverages while you talk about books with a fun and laid back group - we'd love to see you there!
Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian
I enjoyed the book and was not frustrated with the repetition. I thought it was interesting to consider the different permutations. However, I was a bit confused by the very end, and maybe that was the point!
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