Life After Life | Thinking About...

Life After Life ~ Kate Atkinson

Ursula Todd is born in February of 2010, but does not survive because her umbilical cord is wrapped around her neck. Then she is born in February of 2010 and she survives. She dies over and over again throughout the book, only to be born again and start over. In some realities, she has memories of past lives, and is thus able to change both her reality and those of others.

She drowns, is murdered, dies from bombing in London, dies from bombing in Berlin, so many ways to die. She dies as a child and as a middle aged woman. As the story begins, she is pulling a gun on Adolph Hitler in a restaurant, in an attempt to prevent World War II. Then we go back to her birth.

This was an interesting premise, a variation of Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence. Unlike Nietzsche, however, there are subtle differences. And though she is born into the same family, and meets many of the same people over and over again, she is not the only one who makes different choices in different realities.

Atkinson is a gifted writer, I loved how very British the characters were, and how even when things were extremely bleak, there was humor to be found.

I liked this book, but didn’t love it. Mainly, I wanted something different from the ending. Overall though, I would recommend it.

6 Comments

Margaret

June 7, 2026 at 9:32 am Reply

I loved the book and couldn’t stop thinking about it for some reason. I wanted my book club to choose it so I could discuss it, but it didn’t happen. Too many people weren’t fond of the alternative lives idea.

J

June 7, 2026 at 10:54 am Reply

I liked the alternative lives aspect, I just wanted some resolution from it all, and with infinite returning lives, I guess you don’t get that.