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Life After Life
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Ruby Lennox was conceived grudgingly by Bunty and born while her father, George, was in the Dog and Hare in Doncaster, telling a woman in an emerald dress and a D cup that he wasn't married. Bunty had never wanted to marry George, but there she was, stuck in a flat above the pet shop in an ancient street beneath York Minster, with sensible and sardonic Patrica, aged five; greedy, cross-patch Gillian, who refused to be ignored; and Ruby...
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Transcription
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 85
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 78
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Story4 out of 5 stars 78
In 1940, 18-year old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathisers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. But after the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past for ever. Ten years later, now a producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat.
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5 out of 5 stars
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As you would expect
- By Anonymous User on 30-09-2018
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Case Histories
- Jackson Brodie 1
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Jason Isaacs
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Abridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 8
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
Cambridge is sweltering, during an unusually hot summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet – Lost on the left, Found on the right – and the two never seem to balance. Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge, and has a failed marriage to prove it.
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Case Histories
- Jackson Brodie
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Susan Jameson
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
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Story4 out of 5 stars 30
Cambridge is sweltering, during an unusually hot summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet--"lost" on the left, "found" on the right--and the two never seem to balance. Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge and has a failed marriage to prove it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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brilliant book & great performance
- By Anonymous User on 11-12-2018
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Human Croquet
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Susan Jameson
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 9
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
Once it had been the great forest of Lythe--a vast and impenetrable thicket of green. And here, in the beginning, lived the Fairfaxes, grandly, at Fairfax Manor, visited once by the great Gloriana herself. But over the centuries, the forest had been destroyed, replaced by Streets of Trees. The Fairfaxes have dwindled, too; now they live in Arden, at the end of Hawthorne Close, and are hardly a family at all.
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Milkman
- By: Anna Burns
- Narrated by: Bríd Brennan
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 316
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 296
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Story4 out of 5 stars 295
In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes 'interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed and to be noticed is dangerous. Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences.
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5 out of 5 stars
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magic
- By Dr. Sue Tait on 12-09-2018
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Behind the Scenes at the Museum
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Susan Jameson
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Story4 out of 5 stars 22
Ruby Lennox was conceived grudgingly by Bunty and born while her father, George, was in the Dog and Hare in Doncaster, telling a woman in an emerald dress and a D cup that he wasn't married. Bunty had never wanted to marry George, but there she was, stuck in a flat above the pet shop in an ancient street beneath York Minster, with sensible and sardonic Patrica, aged five; greedy, cross-patch Gillian, who refused to be ignored; and Ruby...
-
Transcription
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 85
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 78
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 78
In 1940, 18-year old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathisers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. But after the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past for ever. Ten years later, now a producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
As you would expect
- By Anonymous User on 30-09-2018
-
Case Histories
- Jackson Brodie 1
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Jason Isaacs
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
Cambridge is sweltering, during an unusually hot summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet – Lost on the left, Found on the right – and the two never seem to balance. Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge, and has a failed marriage to prove it.
-
Case Histories
- Jackson Brodie
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Susan Jameson
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 30
Cambridge is sweltering, during an unusually hot summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet--"lost" on the left, "found" on the right--and the two never seem to balance. Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge and has a failed marriage to prove it.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
brilliant book & great performance
- By Anonymous User on 11-12-2018
-
Human Croquet
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Susan Jameson
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
Once it had been the great forest of Lythe--a vast and impenetrable thicket of green. And here, in the beginning, lived the Fairfaxes, grandly, at Fairfax Manor, visited once by the great Gloriana herself. But over the centuries, the forest had been destroyed, replaced by Streets of Trees. The Fairfaxes have dwindled, too; now they live in Arden, at the end of Hawthorne Close, and are hardly a family at all.
-
Milkman
- By: Anna Burns
- Narrated by: Bríd Brennan
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 316
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 296
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 295
In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes 'interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed and to be noticed is dangerous. Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences.
-
5 out of 5 stars
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magic
- By Dr. Sue Tait on 12-09-2018
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Love Is Blind
- By: William Boyd
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 21
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Love Is Blind by William Boyd. Love Is Blind is William Boyd's sweeping, heart-stopping new novel. Set at the end of the 19th century, it follows the fortunes of Brodie Moncur, a young Scottish musician, about to embark on the story of his life. When Brodie is offered a job in Paris, he seizes the chance to flee Edinburgh and his tyrannical clergyman father, and begin a wildly different new chapter in his life. In Paris, a fateful encounter with a famous pianist irrevocably changes his future - and sparks an obsessive love affair with a beautiful Russian soprano, Lika Blum.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Not the author’s best book
- By Spencer on 04-02-2019
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Boy Swallows Universe
- By: Trent Dalton
- Narrated by: Stig Wemyss
- Length: 16 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 957
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 881
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 886
Brisbane, 1983: A lost father, a mute brother, a mum in jail, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious criminal for a babysitter. It's not as if Eli's life isn't complicated enough already. He's just trying to follow his heart, learning what it takes to be a good man, but life just keeps throwing obstacles in the way - not least of which is Tytus Broz, legendary Brisbane drug dealer. But Eli's life is about to get a whole lot more serious. He's about to fall in love. And oh yeah, he has to break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day, to save his mum.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Exceptional
- By Al on 01-07-2018
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Normal People
- By: Sally Rooney
- Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 234
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 213
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Story4 out of 5 stars 212
Connell and Marianne grow up in the same small town in rural Ireland. The similarities end there; they are from very different worlds. When they both earn places at Trinity College in Dublin, a connection that has grown between them lasts long into the following years. This is an exquisite love story about how a person can change another person's life - a simple yet profound realisation that unfolds beautifully over the course of the novel. It tells us how difficult it is to talk about how we feel and it tells us - blazingly - about cycles of domination, legitimacy and privilege.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Right with them
- By Anonymous User on 09-10-2018
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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
- By: Gail Honeyman
- Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,514
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,235
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,224
Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive - but not how to live. Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world....
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5 out of 5 stars
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So much better than completely fine
- By Bec on 29-10-2017
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Late in the Day
- By: Tessa Hadley
- Narrated by: Abigail Thaw
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1
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Performance3 out of 5 stars 1
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1
Alexandr and Christine and Zachary and Lydia have been close friends since they first met in their 20s. Thirty years later Alex and Christine are spending a leisurely summer evening at home when they receive a call from a distraught Lydia. Zach is dead. In the wake of this profound loss, the three friends find themselves unmoored; all agree that Zach was the sanest and kindest of them all, the irreplaceable one they couldn’t afford to lose. Inconsolable, Lydia moves in with Alex and Christine.
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The Lost Man
- By: Jane Harper
- Narrated by: Steve Shanahan
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 489
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 463
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 464
Three brothers, one death, a fenceline stretching to the horizon. Two brothers meet at the border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of outback Queensland. They are at the stockman's grave, a landmark so old, no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family's quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish. Something had been troubling Cam. Did he lose hope and walk to his death? Because if he didn't, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Congratulations
- By Anonymous User on 03-11-2018
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A Gentleman in Moscow
- By: Amor Towles
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 99
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 93
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 94
Soon to be a major TV series starring Kenneth Branagh. On 21 June 1922, Count Alexander Rostov - recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt - is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. But instead of his usual suite, he must now live in an attic room while Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval. Can a life without luxury be the richest of all?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Spectacular
- By Tim Goodman on 14-12-2018
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The Luminaries
- By: Eleanor Catton
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- Length: 29 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 309
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 277
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Story4 out of 5 stars 278
It is 1866 and Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the New Zealand goldfields. On arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of 12 local men, who have met in secret to discuss a series of unsolved crimes. A wealthy man has vanished, a whore has tried to end her life, and an enormous fortune has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. Moody is soon drawn into the mystery: a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely patterned as the night sky.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Best audiobook in ages
- By Antonia on 18-02-2014
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Educated
- By: Tara Westover
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- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 619
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 570
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Story5 out of 5 stars 566
Tara Westover and her family grew up preparing for the End of Days but, according to the government, she didn’t exist. She hadn’t been registered for a birth certificate. She had no school records because she’d never set foot in a classroom, and no medical records because her father didn’t believe in hospitals. As she grew older, her father became more radical and her brother more violent. At 16, Tara knew she had to leave home. In doing so she discovered both the transformative power of education, and the price she had to pay for it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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LOVE in this family = loyalty to a bipolar father
- By Zoonda on 08-11-2018
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Bridge of Clay
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- Narrated by: Markus Zusak
- Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 162
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 153
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 152
The Dunbar boys bring each other up in a house run by their own rules. A family of ramshackle tragedy - their mother is dead, their father has fled - they love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world. It is Clay, the quiet one, who will build a bridge - for his family, for his past, for his sins. He's building a bridge to transcend humanness. To survive. A miracle and nothing less.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding
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The Psychology of Time Travel
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 11
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 11
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 11
1967. Four female scientists invent a time travel machine. They are on the cusp of fame, but then one of them suffers a breakdown and puts the whole project in peril.... 2017. Ruby knows her beloved Granny Bee was a pioneer, but they never talk about the past. Then they receive a message from the future - a newspaper clipping reporting the mysterious death of an elderly lady.... 2018. When Odette discovered the body, she went into shock. Blood everywhere; bullet wounds; that strong reek of sulphur. But when the inquest fails to find any answers, she is frustrated. Who is this dead woman that haunts her dreams? And why is everyone determined to cover up her murder?
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1 out of 5 stars
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Just no...i'm stunned this made it to published.
- By Jasen Palmer on 15-02-2019
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The Cuckoo's Calling
- Cormoran Strike, Book 1
- By: Robert Galbraith
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,031
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 952
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 952
When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger...
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great read
- By Looraine on 03-09-2014
Editorial Reviews
Publisher's Summary
What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right?
During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath. During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale.
What if there were second chances? And third chances? In fact an infinite number of chances to live your life? Would you eventually be able to save the world from its own inevitable destiny? And would you even want to?
Life After Life follows Ursula Todd as she lives through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. With wit and compassion, she finds warmth even in life’s bleakest moments, and shows an extraordinary ability to evoke the past. Here is Kate Atkinson at her most profound and inventive, in a novel that celebrates the best and worst of ourselves.
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What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars67
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4 Stars36
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3 Stars15
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2 Stars3
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1 Stars3
Performance
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars92
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4 Stars19
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3 Stars6
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2 Stars1
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1 Stars2
Story
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars65
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4 Stars27
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3 Stars16
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2 Stars6
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1 Stars5
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Denise
- Adelaide
- 10-06-2015
Interesting Book - Very different
This is the kind of book you really have to concentrate on. It explores the main characters life from every eventuality. If certain things happened in the beginning then the ripples that follow through her life to eventual death. Sometimes her life is short, sometimes longer. It is quite fascinating the effect some small thing can have on the rest of her life.
The narrator does an excellent job.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 17-11-2018
Life After Life
Wonderful, so compelling, many times brought me to tears. Can’t wait to read another Kate Atkinson
Excellent narration!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 20-07-2018
Enchanting
An enchanting story that weaves history, family life and human emotions together in a non-linear, but compelling story. Superb characters and even better prose. A wonderful read (listen)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tash Hayes
- 14-10-2017
beautiful touching story
very well written story almost forgot it was fiction. The narrotor spoke wonderfully
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kathryn
- Taipei, Taiwan
- 12-01-2019
Brilliant story
Loved the performance from Fenella Woolgar! Absolutely perfect. Also liked the story a lot but the ending was really ... just annoying to be honest! It should have ended several pages earlier rather than where it did. Anyway. I still deeply enjoyed this book.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Carol
- Mid North Coast - NSW
- 10-12-2018
A Saga Of NOTHING That Goes NOWHERE
17 chapters and this story is in its death throes going nowhere.
17 chapters I could had done in 4 sentences.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Juliette
- 24-11-2016
interesting, but no resolution
It was am interesting topic. i found out a bit sad though that there was no resolution.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dr Deb
- 31-08-2016
Life after life
Don't be like me; I don't like to read the dust-jackets of books in case they give too much away. However in this instance I should have! This is a beautifully written and wonderfully performed book but I got confused with various lives starting and re-starting in the story. My mistake!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anna Petrou
- 24-05-2016
A new favourite
Where does Life After Life rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is one of the best books I've listened to! I've been subscribed for over 2 years but Fenella Woolgar has been one of my favourite narrators. She really brings the characters to life. I loved every moment of this and couldn't stop listening!
What did you like best about this story?
I am a big fan of metaphysical narratives which are well written. This reminded me of David Mitchell novels. It was complex and many layered and beautiful to read.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
The part about the Blitz really stayed with me.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amanda
- macquarie fields, Australia
- 09-05-2016
Just wonderful.
I don't read many books twice but this I want to listen to again. beautifully written and read.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Chrissie
- 22-04-2013
A puzzle - is it worth the effort?
If you could live your life over time and time again, would you/ could you ever get it right? That is the central question of this book. The next question posed is if this ability to relive your life would be a gift or a curse. This is a book of fantasy and historical fiction. It poses philosophical questions concerning how life should be lived.
Atkinson's writing is clever, both the questions she poses and her ironic, satirical, sarcastic and often sardonic humor. Don't expect good-natured laughs based on happiness. It is solely because of the writing that I have chosen three rather than only two stars.
The book is confusing. Not only does the reader jump back and forth in time but also into different versions of the same story, the point being that there is not just one story. The stories overlap at points only to later go off in different directions. The reader must continually figure out if they have been dropped into a different version or a different time period of an earlier version. In addition, many characters are not introduced. When they are first mentioned you have not the slightest idea who they are.
By the end everything is interwoven. Picture a twine of yarn that is split at several points, each strand going off in different directions. The reader hops back and forth to different segments. Is there one "correct" ending? Is there one preferable ending? Is it possible to choose the final destination? Most importantly, what is the message of the book? Was the message worth the confusion? In my view, the answer is no.
I thought the author magnificently described life in London both during the Blitz and after the war. I enjoyed the segment set in Obersalzberg, at Hitler's residence Berghof, near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany, meeting up with Eva Braun. This IS a book of historical fiction. Events of both WW1 and WW2 are covered.
The audiobook narration by Fenella Woolgar was exemplary. Irish, British, American and French accents are all perfectly executed. I believe the audio version further enhances how people of different cultures "think".
You must keep a paper and pen nearby to jot down the date of the episode you are listening to. In addition, I recommend you read this book quickly; if you read a little each day you are sure to get lost! Good Luck!
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julie
- 25-05-2013
Intriguing and fascinating
I think this is my absolute favourite Kate Atkinson. What are the pivotal episodes in our lives that alter everything to come? Who can determine the purpose in their own life? An absolute thought provoking narrative.
Excellently performed by Fenella Woolgar
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Heather
- 29-11-2014
A mind altering book
What made the experience of listening to Life After Life the most enjoyable?
The trick to this book is to stay with it. It is 1910 and snow is falling and life starts. And starts again.Kate Atkinson is simply one of the finest writers today. This book is a literary wonder - earthed by beautiful characters and a solid English country home - and yet delving into the questions of life and time and choice. World War Two vividly evoked. Ethereal and captivating. Don't miss it.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Suzanne
- 13-07-2014
I REALLY enjoyed this
What did you love best about Life After Life?
It's such a creative story! The characters were so easy to attach to and the reader has such talent for telling the story, not just reading.
What other book might you compare Life After Life to and why?
It's such a creative story. I can't compare it to anything because I've never read/listened to another story quite like it.
Have you listened to any of Fenella Woolgar’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I had not listened to Fenella before but her voice is so fantastic for audio books that I will definately be looking out for more of her books.
If you could take any character from Life After Life out to dinner, who would it be and why?
This is a hard one. I'm tossing up between Ursula and Izzy. Izzy would be highly entertaining, but Ursula would the character I would be most interested in chatting to.
Any additional comments?
Thank you to the author for such an entertaining story.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shevaun
- 14-01-2014
Mesmerising!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
The story draws you in from the very start. Over and over the story is retold and the path of her life is rewritten. It's gentle and sad, uplifting and wistful. I really enjoyed it.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susannah
- 24-06-2013
Hurry up and write a new book please Kate...
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, but I am biased...I love any book by Kate Atkinson.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Life After Life?
The bomb scene in the London townhouse when the baby is found...
What does Fenella Woolgar bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Audible books come to life with a brilliant narrator...
If you could take any character from Life After Life out to dinner, who would it be and why?
Silvie - as long as we could have dinner at Fox Corner as I would love to visit that house.
Any additional comments?
LIke I said, please write another book soon Kate Atkinson.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- EssDee
- 30-05-2013
Stunning story and performance - Missing it!
What other book might you compare Life After Life to and why?
One Day, The Last Letter from Your Lover
Have you listened to any of Fenella Woolgar’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No, she's new to me, but I'll be looking into her other performances.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I never wanted to reach my destination in the car and turn it off. I miss it since I finished listening.
Any additional comments?
I've recommended this to my friends. I just loved it.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark Fletcher
- 19-10-2016
Wonderful.
The combination of magical realism and a family narrative works fantastically work. Each live relived presents different dramas, joys and sorrows, such that by the end you feel you have inhabited a life with all its possible outcomes. Totally satisfying.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susan Copas
- 07-08-2015
Extraordinary
Fenella"s extraordinarily gifted talent for narration brought life after life to life again and again
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jessica trusler
- 12-06-2015
Superb rendition of life after life
Brilliantly read - a great way to listen to Kate Atkinson - one of her best books - I loved it!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- susan
- 02-05-2013
Intriguing story, beautifully told.
This was my first Kate Atkinson book, and I shall certainly seek out others. The narrative, though fractured is gripping, and the fluent style is reminiscent of Elisabeth Jane Howard
at her best.
I agree that it seemed to lose its way a little toward the end, and would the pedantic Ursula really misuse the term 'beg the question' ?
Despite these niggles, I have become a fan of this author, and of Fenella Woolgar's superb narration.
19 of 19 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kirstine
- 13-05-2013
Intriguing story of "what ifs"
Kate Atkinson is such an imaginative writer and has again produced an intriguing, multi-layered story that explores different scenarios for the characters that pivot on a single event or choice in their lives that leads to quite different outcomes. There's an undercurrent of mysticism over the possibility of re-incarnation and the notion that time is fluid such that the past and future can intrude into the present.
The narrative switches back and forth in time from 1910 to 1967. You might think that this would be confusing in an audio book, but this is not the case: The time periods are clearly sign-posted and the characters seem so familiar that one remembers what happened to them in the other scenarios. The book is rich in period detail, particularly those during the Second World War. I was sorry when the book finished as I had felt so absorbed by the characters lives and made to think about how ones life can change direction in an instant.
The narrator is very good.
58 of 60 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Pj
- 09-04-2013
Superbly written and superbly read.
There are times when a book takes your breath away - the originality of the story line and the quality of the writing work together to bring the reader something wonderful. That is what Kate Atkinson has done with her latest novel. How often have we asked the question 'what would have happened if...?' - Ms Atkinson has taken that idea and constructed something marvelous with it. The reading too is excellent, Fenella Woolgar added an extra dimension to what is an excellent novel. Her characterisation was superb, and her wonderful modulation kept me spellbound. I could not stop listening. I loved it all.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- T
- 20-03-2013
A satisfying trip through sliding doors
I've enjoyed a number of Kate A's books, includding all the unabridged ones on audible, and think this is my new favourite. Well written and narrated, it covers a period from 1910 until post-war, returning time and again to reconsider events and what might have been. Parallel worlds of personal history? The path/s taken/not taken? Deja vu is given an intriguing viewpoint through moving portraits of people locked together by family and circumstance. I loved it!
35 of 37 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- G. Cohen
- 28-12-2016
28 chapters to go and I give up
The concept is interesting, and this book came highly recommended by people who had read it. As I have difficulty reading, I listen to audio books and this is the first one I have given up on.
The reading is monotone and it is difficult to tell the difference between one chapter and the next, and each section of the story.
For me, it was dull and had no life in it.
Extremely disappointing.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gamester
- 10-06-2013
Gripping, original, fantastic
Have read all of Kate Atkinson's books and this has to be her best. I'd never voluntarily listen to /read any WW2 books. But this......stunning and evocative.
Great characters, fascinating plot, gripped from start to finish.
Imagine The Time Travelers Wife crossed with Sarah Waters The Night Watch.
And them some. 5 star.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 08-04-2013
Facinating
Kate Atkinson does not disappoint with this story where the main character has several opportunities to relive her life. The story is in true Atkinson style with lots of twists and turns and the narrator's voice is very soothing.If you have enjoyed this author's other novels, you should enjoy this.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- CF
- 28-03-2017
Interesting but slow
I generally enjoyed this story but it was very slow to start. Also, the concept is interesting but it ultimately doesn't seem to go anywhere.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Judy
- 18-04-2013
not sure
The reader was brilliant. She captured the voice of the era perfectly and brought the characters to life.
The story was clever, the idea of being born again and again until you got it right, was fascinating.
It is the first time I have read about war torn London, usually avoid war stories, but this was beautifully done and very evocative.
It all worked very well .. until the end. Then, I'm just not sure. It wasn't what I expected and I don't feel I understood anymore. I may go back and re-listen to the end and see if I can understand it better. It sort of ..flopped. But the rest of the book was terrific.
22 of 25 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Janice
- 15-06-2013
Couldn't finish it
I've enjoyed several other Kate Atkinson talking books and was looking forward to Life after Life as the subject matter seems intriguing. The repetition of events is obviously intentional, but the childhood of Ursula seemed interminable and became tedious, so I jumped to the next part hoping it would improve, as I know several other reviewers thought it was a wonderful audiobook. In my opinion it didn't improve as I found the minutiae of description and repetition irritating. The narrator was excellent but even she couldn't persuade me to continue, so I gave up and couldn't finish it.
38 of 44 people found this review helpful