A review by funktious
Life after Life by Kate Atkinson

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This has been in my TBR pile for years - it came out in the years I wasn’t reading much but I was always aware of it and figured I’d enjoy it based on how people talk about it. And I did, to a certain extent - I really enjoyed the first half, and the Todd family and Fox Corner. The between the wars years have always been interesting to me. I liked Ursula a lot and I particularly enjoyed the periods where she seemed to get stuck
like the Spanish Flu and the Blitz
and seeing how she got out of those.
I was very satisfied when she pushed Bridget down the stairs, and when she punched Howie in the face.


But the second half dragged; maybe I’ve read too many blitz novels but those chapters went on forever. And in the end, I found the whole conceit just… depressing. I get that there’s no 'right' way to live your life, and so many different ways a life can go. And I really enjoyed reading the different variations and seeing how the choices Ursula made played out. But making her more aware of it each time? That just seems a recipe for madness. Or possibly enlightenment; maybe she'll reach nirvana?

In the authors note at the end of my edition, Atkinson said she wanted to write a novel about 'Englishness’ and I think she achieved that very well. 
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