Review: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Title: Life After Life
Author: Kate Atkinson
Pages: 529
Genre: Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Source: Library Hardback

Rating: A

Summary: Imagine, after dying, coming back to the beginning of that very same life, over and over again. What’s more, what if with every passing life, you felt a stronger and stronger sense of deja vu, a sense that you had been here before, and were able to make different choices, often leading to different outcomes? Welcome to Ursula’s existence.

Review: This was a selection by my book club, and though it was already on my list, it isn’t likely I would have picked it up so quickly otherwise. And boy would I have been missing out!

The setting of the story is primarily England, at a time that encompasses both World War’s. That background created a lot of drama and heartbreaking loss throughout the story. Likely I spent as much time crying as not while reading this. The character building was wonderful. The writing was beautiful and fluid. Once I settled in, it was a treat to read.

There were a few downfalls. The premise made the beginning of the story really choppy and therefore a little hard to get into at first. Conversely, there was one section of the book that seemed overly long, and I was ready for her to die and move onto the next life before it actually happened. Finally, because she keeps coming back to the beginning of her life, at times it felt very repetitive. There are only so many unique ways to view a birth, etc.

Overall, a book I would recommend. In fact, I have and will continue to do so. Well worth a read.

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