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The Immortalists

If you knew the date of your death, how would you live?

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The Immortalists

By: Chloe Benjamin
Narrated by: Maggie Hoffman
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About this listen

 'For someone who loves stories about brothers and sisters, as I do, The Immortalists is about as good as it gets. A memorable and heartfelt look at what might happen to a family who knows too much. It's amazing how good this book is' Karen Joy Fowler

It's 1969, and holed up in a grimy tenement building in New York's Lower East Side is a travelling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the date they will die. Four siblings, too young for what they are about to hear, sneak out to hear their fortunes.

We then follow the intertwined paths the siblings take over the course of five decades and, in particular, how they choose to live with the supposed knowledge the fortune-teller gave them that day. This is a story about life, mortality and the choices we make: is it better to live a long and cautious life, or to burn brightly, but for the shortest time?

(P)2018 Headline Publishing Group Ltd©2018 Chloe Benjamin Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic Reviews

A boundlessly moving inquisition into mortality, grief and passion...The Immortalists is not just a novel about grief; it conjures characters with such dimension that you mourn them too, a magic rare enough to leave one astonished
Immersive and impressive
A captivating family saga
The Immortalists is a compelling and utterly absorbing read with virtuoso storytelling on display. The drive to discover how each character's story unfolds gives the novel a sense of urgency yet Chloe Benjamin's prose - lyrical, tender, perceptive - compels you to linger on every exquisitely crafted sentence: The Immortalists is rich in historical detail and displays immense wisdom in its portrayal of the intensity and messiness of sibling bonds. It is a hugely powerful novel and asks fundamental questions about fate, mortality and life and the ways we choose to live it
For someone who loves stories about brothers and sisters, as I do, The Immortalists is about as good as it gets. A memorable and heartfelt look at what might happen to a family who knows too much. It's amazing how good this book is (Karen Joy Fowler)
Mesmerising, like a well-crafted illusion...Benjamin is a gifted writer, a creator of quiet asides and haunting images, who mines a seam of sad wisdom
Big themes of fate and free will, superstition and rationalism, guilt and legacy bounce back and forth with the lightness of ping-pong balls through this rambunctious novel, as each vividly drawn character grapples with the question of how to live. Benjamin crams her novel with incident, while never stinting on detail. Such is her dazzling sureness of touch that you wonder if here is a writer who is truly capable of anything.
A stunning, immersive novel, which has echoes of Donna Tartt and Elizabeth Strout, but Benjamin's gift for story-telling is all her own. It's a novel that you'll lose yourself in and foist on all your friends and will still be thinking about it long after you've read the final page. I expect this one to be on all the book award shortlists for 2018 and deservedly so
One of those books that whenever I wasn't reading it, all I could think about was getting back to it... Incredibly absorbing, hugely moving and that perfect balance of beautiful writing and brilliant storytelling
Skilled storytelling, a complex structure that spans decades and vivid characters make this an intelligent, entertaining read
Once I started reading The Immortalists, I resented every moment I had to spend away from the book until I'd finished. It's an extraordinarily moving, beautifully told and, at times, almost unbearably tense read
Skilled storytelling, a complex structure that spans decades and vivid characters make this an intelligent, entertaining read
As deft and dizzying as a high-wire act... the reader is beguiled with unexpected twists and stylish, crisp prose...[an] ambitious, unorthodox tale
All stars
Most relevant
I was worries this story would be real downer but it wasn't. great characters and the story flowed well.

great story/listen

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Great concept and makes for an interesting book club discussion but as most reviews suggest it doesn't go as deep into the concept of knowing your death day as I would have liked. All round, 4/5 glad to have read but probably unlikely to read again

As most reviews would suggest

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This book held my attention and I was always happy to pick it up again. An intriguing story and does make you think about mortality.

A good read

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Not exactly my type of book and pretty far from the genre that I usually read but reading it for a book club I have recently joined and I enjoyed it immensely. The characters are told through thoughtful eyes. They are as complete as a book of this type needs them to be. I love how grounded the author has made each and every character and how relatable they are. I definitely recommend reading it even if it's not up your alley.

A really well told story

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Couldn't get past the gay porn literature, which I found distasteful. I wouldn't recommend this book.

Avoid

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