Life After Life
2013 • 544 pages

Ratings192

Average rating3.7

15

Atkinson is attempting some pretty wild nonlinear timey-wimey stuff here. I found the first and last third exhilarating, racing to see how and why and where Ursula would reset. The middle was so tough to get through I considered DNF'ing. 
Part of it is I struggle with this style of historical fiction writing- very set on telling the story of a middle-upper-class girl and her boring dailies. I wanted intrigue, action, misery, setting-grounded magic in reincarnation. If both of those sound great to you, you'll love this.

If you struggle at all with narrative justification of victim blaming rape/abuse victims, you'll hate this. I struggled with those rounds of Ursula's life, and it left a very sour taste in my mouth that never left.

Pretty good. Will not read again.

July 13, 2023