Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Life After Life

I am trying to read more meat and less fluff in my books this year. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson was on the 100 Best of 2013 NY Times so I picked it up from the library and dug right in.

Source


Good Reads' SynopsisOn a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born, the third child of a wealthy English banker and his wife. Sadly, 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 any number of ways. Clearly history (and Kate Atkinson) have plans for her: In Ursula rests nothing less than the fate of civilization.

Wildly inventive, darkly comic, startlingly poignant — this is Kate Atkinson at her absolute best, playing with time and history, telling a story that is breathtaking for both its audacity and its endless satisfactions.

What I Thought: Yeesh. I had really high hopes for this one but I could not get into it at all. I found the time hopping disorienting, a bit cumbersome, and very repetitive. As a character, I liked Ursula but as her story continued, I found it unbelievable and just really didn't care anymore. The concept was intriguing but fell flat. At 529 pages, it took me quite awhile to get through. I'm not really sure why this gets such good reviews but it was not my cup of tea. If anyone has read it and can tell me why it was so good, PLEASE leave a comment. I don't usually disagree with reviews this much but I don't really recommend this one.


Rating: * * 

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