Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
blurb
Donna1980
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

Did I need more books? No but when you finally get to visit Daunt Books with your best friend it would be rude not too. Look at that book gallery of dreams. Tagged was high on my wish list after reading Life After Life.

Balibee146 I loved A God In Ruins one of her absolute best 3d
9 likes1 comment
quote
BkClubCare
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

“He had settled on BLAKE…” When I read SO many books back to back, usually at some weird whim, and then they happen to CONNECT?! 💞 I call it book-coinkydink. This book mentions William Blake as did the Olga Tokarczuk‘s Drive Your Plow.

#PeachPie #CaresPieShow #Aug2024 Book69

willaful I get these so often I blog about them once a month. :-) 2mo
BkClubCare Thank you @BarkingMad for reminding me that I have wanted to read this after falling for 2mo
BkClubCare I enjoyed spending time with Ursula‘s little brother. Atkinson is a must read author and she has plenty for me to get to yet. 💖 2mo
31 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
LeafingThroughLife
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

In this follow up to Life After Life, Atkinson follows Ursula‘s brother Teddy into war where he becomes a respected bomber pilot and beyond. She expertly weaves the story back and forth in time, giving us the full picture of Teddy‘s life. Compelling and powerful and with a twist I didn‘t see coming, this is a great book. It would be a great one to discuss with a book group because I‘m sure I missed half the clever things Atkinson wrote into this!

review
candc320
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Mehso-so

I really wanted to love this one but, much like Life After Life, it was really hard to follow the rapid changes in timeline and situations, especially as an audiobook. The writing is beautiful, though, and the ending was quite thought provoking. A very interesting way to view English life and one particular family from about WWII to the present time. 🌟🌟🌟

review
Creadnorthey
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

This was a slower read than its companion book, but Atkinson is in fine form, with woven details making each chapter a meal of a read- the ending a bitter-sweet palette cleanser; it all falls into place.

review
Rissreads
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Mehso-so

I‘m sorry to say I found this a tad boring.

Centique I couldn‘t get into this one but I loved Life After Life. I‘m hit and miss with Kate Atkinson for some reason. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4y
33 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Eva_B
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this one. It was more of a companion to ‘Life After Life‘ rather than a sequel. I liked that it focussed on Teddy‘s life and filled in some gaps and ‘what ifs‘ of the previous book. A really good read. Thank you to @CarolynM for pointing this one out to me 😊

14 likes1 stack add
review
8little_paws
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
Pickpick

I was in the mood for historical fiction, and after having an enjoyable discussion about Life After Life back in January (when we could have in person book club!) I thought I'd pick up the sequel. It's great, but it's really, really sad and dark, moreso than I was really in the mood for. Anyways, it's well done, I can't knock it--it's not you, book, it's me. I'm glad I did read it, it brings up interesting points about mortality.

CarolynM I loved this book, but you're right, it's very sad. 4y
33 likes1 comment
review
Kazzie
God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
Pickpick

Great sequel to Life after Life. Liked getting into his entire life

4 likes1 stack add
review
AlizaApp
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

I love Kate Atkinson so much! This is the companion to her previous novel Life After Life - not so much as a sequel as a spinoff. It is focused on Teddy, the RAF pilot and beloved younger brother of Ursula. Teddy survives the war but is never quite sure about the rest of his life, and the book bounces around in time between WWII and the next generations of the family to his grandchildren. Beautiful and a little heartbreaking.

blurb
Victoria_Clyne
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

#7books7days Day 2

Books that made an impact on me, change how I think or will just never leave me (no explanation).

blurb
CareBear
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

#7books7days (Day 4)

Interested, @RamsFan1963 ?

CarolynM I loved this book too❤️ 5y
64 likes1 comment
review
andrew61
God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

#booked2020 @4thhouseontheleft @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage Animal on cover. I was hesitant to read this as i loved life after life but it was a wonderful read, written with such skill as we weave our way around the life of teddy todd, bomber pilot, br of ursula, son of sylvie husband of nancy, father of viola and grandpa to sunny and bertie. The stories intertwine with gradual reveals that stop you short +at times had me wiping away a tear👇

andrew61 Id love to know what anyone else thought about the ending which i won't reveal but it certainly left me with food for thought and thinking about the meaning of a life. I definitely now want to re read life after life. 5* 5y
Cinfhen Life after Life drove me INSANE and I wasn‘t a fan of Case Histories so I‘ve been avoiding this book even though I‘ve heard it‘s excellent. Your review makes me want to pick it up 😁 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Those covers are so different from the U.S. covers. Good pick for the prompt! 5y
andrew61 @Cinfhen i can imagine that life after life may not be for everyone but if you can park one similar point in this book id recommend. ☺ 5y
CarolynM Such a great book! 5y
36 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
violabrain
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

I picked up this book from the grocery store bargain bin several years ago and delayed reading it because I wanted to read Life After Life first. It was well worth the wait! I‘m sad to now have to leave these wonderful characters behind. 😥😥

MommyWantsToReadHerBook This was so wonderful! 5y
23 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
Lindy
God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

#jan2020wrapup
Thanks to audiobooks, I was able to feed my voracious reading habit while recovering from a concussion.
Two memorable titles are #BlameitonLitsy: the tagged audio (buddy read with @shawnmooney ) + Emily of New Moon ( @TheBookHippie ).
Stats: 31 books (16 audio; 8 print; 4 GN; 2 picturebooks; 1 poetry; 1 DNF)
12 NF; 5 Canadian; 12 by PoC or Indigenous; 11 by queers; 25 by women, trans or nonbinary authors; 2 in translation (French).

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome!!! 🎉🥳🙌🏻🎊📚 5y
TheBookHippie How wonderful !! 5y
49 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

What is the meaning of an individual life, specifically when viewed through the lens of war? Atkinson creates vivid fictional characters, beguiles with her sentence wizardry and treats time like a plaything. An absolutely outstanding #audiobook, narrated by Alex Jennings. I have loved pretty much all of Atkinson‘s other books and it appears that I have saved the best for last. Thanks to @shawnmooney for suggesting this buddy read. ❤️

quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

“…geofencing …we should want to do because …the new normal …client-agency relationship or on the other hand …as well as near-field communication …”
The man who was speaking had a degree in jargon and a doctorate in nonsense. His words were floating in the air, language devoid of meaning, sucking out the oxygen, making Bertie feel mildly hypoxic.

quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

She had worked on herself. Years of therapy and fresh starts, although nothing that really required an effort on her part. She wanted someone else to effect change in her. It seemed a shame you couldn‘t just get an injection that would suddenly make everything all right. (“Try heroin,” Bertie [her daughter] said.)

Cathythoughts Oh yes , I recognise her voice , even though I‘ve only read the Jackson Brodie crime books .... love her way of writing & talking (edited) 5y
Lindy @Cathythoughts 😊👯 5y
39 likes1 stack add2 comments
quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

Bea had moved in a medical world during the Blitz when she had been recruited to work in a mortuary, piecing together jigsaws of body parts. Her art college background had, for some unlikely reason, deemed her suitable for this work.

quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

His grandfather was a hero too, wasn‘t he? He‘d had a life. Sunny wondered how you went about getting one of those.

quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

She drew heavily on the cigarette and then, in a touching display of maternal responsibility, lifted her chin so that the smoke blew over her children‘s heads. When she got pregnant the first time, Viola had no idea what it would involve further down the line. She wasn‘t sure she‘d ever seen a baby, let alone held one, and imagined it would be like getting a cat, or, at worst, a puppy. (Turned out it was nothing like either.)
[Internet photo]

LeahBergen 😆😆 5y
43 likes1 stack add1 comment
quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

“I heard they take drugs and dance naked in the moonlight,” the farmer said. (True, although it wasn‘t as interesting as it sounded.)

[Internet photo]

Cathythoughts Love this post ❤️ 5y
38 likes2 comments
quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

The Great War had made Sylvie into a pacifist, albeit a rather belligerent one.

Lindy Illustration from 5y
39 likes1 comment
quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

She was disappointingly unimpressed by the bluebells. At Fox Corner the annual exhibition was greeted with the same reverence that others accorded the Great Masters. Visitors were trooped proudly out to the wood to admire the seemingly endless blur of blue. “Wordsworth has his daffodils,” Sylvie said, “we have our bluebells.”

ladym30 What a great picture!❤️ 5y
Lindy @ladym30 Thanks! It‘s a pastel I made quite a long time ago. Not special enough to frame, but I like it too much to throw it away. 5y
ladym30 @Lindy It is really lovely. You are one talented lady! 5y
See All 6 Comments
Lindy @ladym30 ☺️😘 5y
batsy That's gorgeous, Lindy 😍 You're a woman of many talents! 5y
Lindy @batsy Aw, thanks. 🥰 5y
37 likes1 stack add6 comments
quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

He had seen the bull with the cows and Maurice had said that was what people did too, including their mother and father, he sniggered. Teddy was pretty sure he was lying. Hugh and Sylvie were far too dignified for such acrobatics.

Cathythoughts Great quote ... looking forward to this one. I havnt read any of her non- crime 5y
Lindy @Cathythoughts I‘m loving it. 😊 5y
merelybookish This book! So good! 5y
Aimeesue @merelybookish I agree completely. 5y
Lindy @merelybookish @Aimeesue So much love from everyone for this book! I‘m glad I‘m finally getting around to it. 5y
45 likes1 stack add5 comments
quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

Was he supposed to be educating his aunt, he wondered? Was that why they were here? “The lark‘s known for its song,” he said instructively. “It‘s beautiful.” It was impossible to instruct on the subject of beauty, of course. It simply was. You were either moved by it or you weren‘t.

TrishB Loved this book ❤️ 5y
Lindy @TrishB I‘m buddy reading it with @shawnmooney over the month of January. I feel like sharing quotes from every page. 😊 5y
Pricel101 One of my favourite books ever!! 5y
Lindy @Pricel101 😊👍 5y
TrishB She does have a way with words! 5y
41 likes5 comments
quote
Lindy
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

Poor mice, he had thought when he was a boy. Still thought the same now that he was a man. Nursery rhymes were brutal affairs.

(Internet image)

Cathythoughts Nursery rhymes ARE brutal 5y
Lindy @Cathythoughts I guess it‘s best to prepare children early for the darker side of life. 🤪 5y
39 likes1 stack add2 comments
quote
shawnmooney
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

Cathythoughts Oh dear , there are so many of those seafaring metaphors about relationShips in songs too .... it can get carried a bit too far 🙈 5y
41 likes1 comment
review
Victoria_Clyne
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

Kate Atkinson is one of my favourite authors. This is the companion novel to Life After Life. It follows Teddy through life from an idyllic childhood to being a fighter pilot in the second world war and beyond. I love the backwards and forwards nature of the book as you explore different elements of Teddy's life, Viola's, Bertie's and Sunny's. And oh poor Sunny.

Victoria_Clyne P.S. My two year old is so bunny obsessed that she would kiss the front cover of the. Was very cute. 5y
TrishB I loved this one after really disliking Life After Life! 5y
24 likes2 comments
blurb
Victoria_Clyne
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

Oh gosh how I appreciate my once a week commute for the uninterrupted reading time.

Joanne1 Can‘t believe it took you this long to get to A God in Ruins when it was you who got me into Kate Atkinson. This one is soooo good. 5y
Victoria_Clyne @Joanne1 I am as always enjoying Kate Atkinson, but I was expecting the same life repeating that happens in Life after Life. 5y
Joanne1 @Victoria_Clyne perhaps they would be too the same if she used the same structure. Hope you still loved it. We should buddy read 5y
Victoria_Clyne @Joanne1 yes true. And yes I did enjoy it. Its Kate Atkinson how could you not? I'm definitely up for a buddy read of Case Histories. I've got it on my book shelf. Just let me get a few other reads in first. 5y
19 likes4 comments
blurb
Balibee146
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

#gratefulreads #readinonesitting
I read at a slower pace and usually don't read books in one sitting but this is an exception. Probably my favourite Kate Atkinson read one Saturday when I barely moved ❤️❤️
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

TrishB I loved this one too 👍🏻 5y
Cathythoughts I have this stacked .. sounds really good 5y
Balibee146 @Cathythoughts I actually prefer it to Life After Life... It is a wonderful book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5y
See All 7 Comments
OriginalCyn620 👍🏻📚😊 5y
Reagan I did not like this as much as Life After Life, but I still really enjoyed it. 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🙌🏻📚 5y
Lucy_Anywhere I loved Life After Life - I need to read this one 5y
70 likes7 comments
quote
Aims42
God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

I‘m not positive, but I‘m reading this as a “Doctor Who” reference and that makes me happy 😁
I‘m really enjoying “A God of Ruins”. When I was halfway thru I knew I had to read the campion book (“Life after Life”) so I borrowed it from my library👍🏻

KathyWheeler That is so completely a Doctor Who reference! I love it.😊 5y
Aims42 @KathyWheeler Yay!!! 🥳🎉 I re-read it to make sure, what a fun Easter egg 💙 5y
KathyWheeler @Aims42 If it‘s not one it should be! When I read that sentence, I saw the Doctor and the Tardis immediately. 5y
Aims42 @KathyWheeler Right?! Which Doctor did you think of? I saw David Tennant lol 5y
KathyWheeler @Aims42 I saw David Tennant too. I‘ve loved the other ones too, but he‘s who I see first.😊 5y
22 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
HardcoverHearts
God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

One of my favorite books of the year is on sale today for the digital edition... It‘s remarkable.

28 likes1 stack add
blurb
Author_Chelsea_Warren_PA
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson

"The purpose of Art," his mother, Sylvie, said- instructed even- "is to CONVEY the truth of a thing, not to BE the truth itself."

~Sylvie~

#LitsyQuotes

blurb
Author_Chelsea_Warren_PA
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

This may end up being my next read!

review
Deborah42
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

A companion book to Life After Life.

In Life After Life, Ursula Todd dies and reboots to the day of her birth time after time as the author creates alternate realities and gives Ursula the chance to do things correctly. Ursula plays a minor role here, as this is Teddy‘s story.

Teddy is a fighter pilot during WWII, and even though he fights on the “right” side, he is still damaged by the savagery of war.

blurb
Ottergirl
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson

This book was picked for my book club, and I have tried to read it a couple of times but just can‘t! Normally I finish books deliberately, but this is a book I just can‘t get into. I‘m not enjoying the writing style at all. Maybe I‘d enjoy it more if I‘d read the first book beforehand.

review
Emilymdxn
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Mehso-so

I enjoyed this more than I expected, and a lot more than Life After Life. I liked the ending, I liked everything about Nancy and I realised things slowly through fragments.

Tho there was lots I enjoyed, I really don‘t feel I needed another book about ww2. All the war sections just reminded me of every other book I‘ve read about ww2 (too many) and I don‘t think this added anything that interesting. I‘d rather it had focused on after the war.

Aimeesue Huh. I thought it was a great illustration of all the lives and futures that we lose during wars when young soldiers are killed that we don‘t even notice because those lives just … never happened. Not so much about WW2 as it is about the possible futures lost, I think. 6y
Emilymdxn @Aimeesue yeah I thought the stuff she was considering and the themes were interesting, but I‘m never very inspired by World War Two as a backdrop 6y
Aimeesue But nothing after the war actually happened, so WW2 is about the only UK war that fits. I guess she could‘ve done WWI. 6y
Emilymdxn @Aimeesue im not saying it‘s a terrible book or a bad thing to write about, but it wasn‘t something I was ever going to find very interesting personally. I feel I‘ve read a lot of books about what we lose during war and while this one has a really original concept, it didn‘t make it worth it for me personally as it would take an awful lot to make me enjoy a book about it ww2 or almost any other war. Just a matter of personal taste 6y
Aimeesue Understandable! I have a hard time with minutely observed domestic dramas. Give me a war novel any day. 😉 (edited) 6y
60 likes5 comments
blurb
Emilymdxn
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

This is up next from my audio backlist on my phone. I honestly didn‘t enjoy Life After Life at all, i found it a cool concept but the multiple lives thing was swamped by average historical fiction, but I already owned this so I‘m ploughing through. I‘ll try to enjoy it but i guess mainly I‘m trying to tick it off my tbr

review
saresmoore
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

I don‘t even know how to begin reviewing this. Kate Atkinson‘s books hit all the capitalized notes. They are Art and Work and Love and Family. Don‘t believe for a second that (as the author herself implies) this is a novel about WWII; this is so much more and it utterly wrecked me. This book needs no context, just follow the red thread and you‘ll find yourself rising and falling through the unsentimental truth of what it means to be human.

merelybookish I LOVE this book. That ending blew me away!! 6y
saresmoore @merelybookish I‘m floored. I didn‘t think there was any way it could live up to Life After Life, but it more than stands as its own beautiful creation. 6y
merelybookish @saresmoore Agreed! I love how she pushes the boundaries of what a novel can do! 6y
See All 19 Comments
TrishB I loved this too 💕 (but actually really didn‘t like Life After Life 🤷‍♀️) 6y
saresmoore @TrishB I can understand that. Life After Life felt more disjointed and unpredictable. This ebbed and flowed so nicely. I think I even liked Ursula better through the eyes of Teddy. 6y
vivastory Fantastic review 👍 6y
saresmoore @vivastory Thanks, friend! 6y
LauraBeth Wow - great review! And I love this cover! 6y
LeahBergen I DO need to read this soon. 6y
Moray_Reads For some reason I've always avoided her books, I will have to rectify this immediately! 6y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads I‘m pretty enamored of her, at this point. 6y
CarolynM I loved this too, more than Life After Life. The family dynamics were so beautifully realised. 6y
emilyhaldi I have yet to read any of her books but I‘m moving her to the top of my list! (edited) 6y
batsy Lovely review, Sara! ❤️ 6y
kspenmoll Your wonderful review makes me want to go to the library in hopes of finding this now! (edited) 6y
readordierachel Wonderful review. I am so excited to read this after I finish Life After Life! 6y
Suet624 I‘m with @kspenmoll. 6y
RohitSawant Awesome review! 6y
97 likes6 stack adds19 comments
blurb
violabrain
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

I haven‘t read Life After Life. Should I read that before I read this one? Or does this one stand on its own?

review
Amiable
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

The companion novel to Atkinson's "Life After Life," which told the story (stories) of Ursula Todd as she was born and lived and died and was born again. Technically speaking, this book is just one of those lives. It focuses on Teddy, Ursula's brother, and the life he lives. Or does it? As always, Atkinson writes well, but I couldn't get as emotionally engaged in Teddy's life as I did in Ursula's many lives. I liked "Life After Life" better.

review
TobeyTheScavengerMonk
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

This turned into a long listen through all of November, and honestly I could have spent twice as many hours with Teddy Todd and Atkinson‘s prose, which was often bitingly clever and always stunningly beautiful.

This intimate epic covers Teddy‘s life from his childhood in the 1920s to his time as a bomber pilot in WWII to his death in 2012, omnisciently weaving back and forth through time, sometimes focusing on his wife, child, and grandchildren.

TobeyTheScavengerMonk I felt this one in my bones and the audio had me tearing up repeatedly on my morning drive. Atkinson‘s Life After Life follows Teddy‘s sister Ursula and you don‘t have to read it to appreciate this but it‘s perfect so why wouldn‘t you? 6y
sprainedbrain Love this book so much. Excellent review. 6y
emtobiasz Agreed 100%. I read each of these books in marathon format, on long flights a month apart, which is also a wonderful way to truly escape into their world. 6y
RachelAmphlett She‘s SUCH a great writer 6y
57 likes2 stack adds4 comments
blurb
Heatherfeather
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

Went into Barnes & Noble for a gift...and came out with 4 books for myself...(and I actually put one back right before I checked out, thinking "that's too many!")

TheBookKeepers A Man Called Ove is so good!!!! 6y
Heatherfeather @TheBookKeepers I'm super excited about it! 6y
14 likes2 comments
quote
TobeyTheScavengerMonk
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

This is from the Author‘s Note and I wholeheartedly agree. As long as the author plays fair, I don‘t mind a bit of trickery.

quote
TobeyTheScavengerMonk
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

saresmoore You‘ve convinced me to start reading this tonight. 6y
CareBear Loved this book so much. 6y
49 likes2 comments
quote
TobeyTheScavengerMonk
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

Don‘t be like Sunny! Go vote!

quote
TobeyTheScavengerMonk
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

review
kricheal
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image
Pickpick

This is a companion book to Life After Life. I was not a big fan of L.A.L. So I was hesitant to give this one a chance and I'm so glad I did! That ending though 😲 I was not expecting THAT! #54

TrishB I loved this one, but disliked LAL. 6y
AJTimberlake So cute how you placed the headphones! 6y
kricheal @TrishB Yes! I always feel like I have the unpopular opinion with LAL. 6y
kricheal @AJTimberlake 😶😶 Thanks I try to work those headphones in if I can. 6y
99 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
cariashley
A God in Ruins | Kate Atkinson
post image

Reading Susan Orlean‘s By the Book in the Times today and thinking SAME. The end of this book slayed me. 😭

LoveToReadLiveToRead Oh I haven‘t read that book but really liked Life After Life. 6y
vivastory I'll be seeing Susan Orlean speak in a few weeks. Really looking forward to it! 6y
cariashley @LoveToReadLiveToRead it‘s so good if you liked Life After Life, you‘ll probably love it. 6y
See All 7 Comments
cariashley @vivastory ooh. I‘ve never read her actually, which of hers do you recommend as a good starting point? 6y
vivastory I haven't read her yet, but I've heard great things about 6y
vivastory & her new book sounds fascinating 6y
cariashley @vivastory I‘ve heard good things about the Orchid Thief too, will definitely have to check her out. Thanks! 6y
39 likes1 stack add7 comments