lifeafterlife

Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

Here we are at the end of our Buddy Read! Thanks so much @Pruzy for co-hosting and for having such great questions, including our final discussion question this week! Make sure you swing over there!
My easy questions this week are these: What were your final thoughts on the book? Do you plan on reading the companion novel, A God in Ruins?

I loved reading this book with buddies. Thanks so much for joining in!
#LAL2019 #LifeAfterLife

Ingerella @Meaw_catlady @DivineDiana @readordierachel @squirrelbrain @Elma @daena @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Laura317 @MellieAntoinette @sblbooks @CoffeeNBooks @TheBookAddict @LapReader @Dogearedcopy @cobwebmoth 5y

readordierachel Thanks for hosting @Ingerella and @Pruzy !! I really loved the book and plan on reading the sequel very soon (and more Atksinson in general). It was such a cool twist on historical fiction. I'm anxious to see where she takes this idea in A God in Ruins! 5y

cobwebmoth Even though there were some very heavy topics in the book I still enjoyed it. I didn't know about the companion novel, so I'll have to check that out. Thanks to you and @Pruzy for hosting the buddy read! It was nice getting to discuss the book with others. 5y

DivineDiana I enjoyed the book,but I did find it confusing. Not really sure what was real. Probably will not read the companion book. Thank you to you and @Pruzy for organizing the buddy read! I can finally check this off my #MtTbr ! 5y

Ingerella @cobwebmoth @readordierachel @DivineDiana Thanks so much for joining us! I really loved the book and will definitely read A God In Ruins. 5y

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Ingerella

Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

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Question 2!
What type of commentary does Atkinson make on the English
approach to war? Why do you think Atkinson portrayed one of Ursula‘s lives in Germany,
experiencing war and the bombing from the opposing side?
@Pruzy
#LAL2019 #LifeAfterLife

SoniaC Just started this one. 5y

Ingerella @SoniaC I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. I have loved this book. 5y

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DivineDiana All caught up! Stranger and stranger!!! 5y

Ingerella I think she's illustrating that the war was terrible on both sides. Ultimately Ursula was just as at risk. In terms of the approach, there were a few comments that indicated she felt the Nazis worked almost like a machine, and the British weren't going to the same effort to prepare for a war. It also seemed as though her family in Fox Corner were pretty removed from how terrible it was in places like London. 5y

Laura317 That one scene with Frieda! 😭 It was interesting seeing the war from the Germany side. The big jump in time was a jolt though. 5y

Pruzy It really was an interesting section! Probably one of the better sections of the book! Grounded the story in historical events instead of running parallel! 5y

daena I felt the same way @Laura317 The scene with Frieda was intense. 5y

Laura317 Can someone tell me what we read for this week? I don‘t want to read ahead of the group. 😊 5y

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Ingerella

Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

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We've had some tough reading this last week, and we are still in the middle of "A Long Hard War." This week I found 2 interesting questions.

Question 1! On page 379, Ursula faces a bleak end in Germany with her daughter, Frieda. She chooses

death over life for the first time, saying, “Something had cracked and broken and the order of

things had changed.” What do you think she means by that?
@Pruzy
#LAL2018 #LifeAfterLife

Ingerella Maybe she's referring to how everything is turned upside down. For example when before the war, food and the essentials for survival were just a given, now they have to search and scrounge for everything. Also, they used to worry about what was happening in the west with the war, but now the rumors of the Russians are more terrifying. When before Ursula worried about Freida not surviving, the real worry now IS her surviving. 5y

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Ingerella

Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

Dear Buddy Readers,

I'm so sorry I forgot to post this week's schedule! We are in week 5 of our 6 week buddy read, not including the week 3 redo. I hope you all are still hanging in there and will stick with us as we push through the final two weeks.
We'll have our discussion again this coming Sunday.

Happy Reading!

@Pruzy
#LAL2019 #BuddyRead #LifeAfterLife

Pruzy The book keeps getting better and better! 5y

daena We‘ve got this! It‘s not hard considering what a great book it is. Super curious about how this whole thing is going to wrap up. I honestly have no clue! 5y

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DivineDiana @daena Agree! 🤔 5y

Ingerella @Pruzy @daena @DivineDiana I agree too! 5y

Laura317 I‘m loving it. I arrived too late for Sunday‘s discussion, but I hope to be there for this week‘s. 5y

Ingerella @Laura317 I'm loving it too! 5y

readordierachel Still really enjoying it! 5y

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Ingerella

Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

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Happy Sunday! Let's talk about this past week's "A Lovely Day Tomorrow" trifecta. At the very beginning of this section, there was a quote from Sylvie that got me thinking. " 'Well, we all get on,'...'one way or another. And in the end we all arrive at the same place. I hardly see that it matters how we get there.' It seemed to Ursula that how you got there was the whole point..."
Who do you agree with?
@Pruzy
#LAL2019 #LifeAfterLife

Ingerella For the record, this question came from online discussion guide. I really liked how it got my wheels turning and thinking about fate and destiny. 5y

cobwebmoth I ultimately agree with Ursula. I feel like the journey is often more important than the destination. But in Ursula's case, with her gift/curse, there may be more to it. 5y

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readordierachel Me too @cobwebmoth And since Ursula frequently has deja vu and borderline premonitions that are telling her to do or avoid things, *how* she gets to wherever she's going seems to have more weight. 5y

Meaw_catlady This section I kept on asking why does she not seem to have deja vu like she used to as a kid? Like if she did she would know not to go to that apartment. Back to your question tho Clearly for Ursula her choices do make the difference for where she ends up. It changes every time . But she sure does seem to end up miserable no matter the circumstances. 5y

daena I feel that the journey is just as important as the destination, but it seems for Ursula that journey seems to cause so much anguish and pain. I wonder if that destination ultimately is shaped by the journey. @Meaw_catlady I got that feeling as well. She does not seem to have the same premonitions as she did as a child. This seemed so much more profound. 5y

Dogearedcopy This seems like a variation of the issue as to whether the end justifies the means and I don't think it's really answered in the reading thus far. We've seen Ursula try to change the outcome of events, by fair means and foul (the flu cycle) and yet now as an adult her choices do not seem deliberate in re the pivotal moments of her fate. But the question does ping back to the opening chapter and the discussion of Hitler.... 5y

Dogearedcopy It will be interesting to see if/how the narrative resolves back to the moment in the beginning. 5y

Ingerella @Dogearedcopy I think that's definitely the direction my brain was headed, and I am anxious to see if this is where we are headed. @daena You are thinking along the same lines as me. @Meaw_catlady I wondered the same thing. 5y

Ingerella @cobwebmoth I agree with you and @readordierachel in that ultimately it's the journey. But in Ursula's case I'm not so sure. Although in 3 different scenarios, the outcome was the same but her journeys were pretty different. Maybe this is Ursula's argument 5y

Pruzy To me it seems like an interplay between fate (lot of events she experiences can‘t be avoided, only tweaked) and how her Deja vu lets her subtly alter her narrative 5y

Pruzy Thanks for joining us this weekend, everyone! 5y

DivineDiana @Pruzy I agree with you. This section was painful, and I so wanted deliverance for Ursula. The journey gives purpose to life. A very interesting question. 5y

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Ingerella

Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

This week's section is a bit shorter, and includes the chapter A Lovely Day Tomorrow, three times.

Have a great week! See you next Sunday for our discussion!

@Pruzy
#LAL2019 #BuddyRead #LifeAfterLife

Laura317 👍🏼 5y

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Ingerella

Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

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This week's section was tough! I felt so much for Ursula and the trajectory her life had taken, but then relief in the life that followed. One question I came across on a list of questions for this book is, Do you think Ursula's ability to relive her life is a gift or a curse? My mind goes in lots of directions when I think about this question, especially after "Like A Fox in a Hole". What do you think?
#LAL2019 #LifeAfterLife
@Pruzy

Meaw_catlady The whole time I was screaming! Just end it!! You can be born again. And I was like. Hmmm but she was told by her family and her therapist that she was just imagining it all. So if she did end it she still had that fear that she wouldn‘t get another chance. Also there is the question of if you‘re born again in a different timeline is it even really you or just another version of you with some of the other memories still... okay that was a spiral. 5y

Pruzy I think it was the difference between Ursula realizing she didn‘t just have to survive, but that she could self actualize. It took her a whole miserable life to realize that she could avoid not only mistakes that were lethal, but mistakes whose ramifications would crush her soul rather than outright kill her! 5y

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Dogearedcopy In this section we have an instance in which Ursula wants to die but is denied, and another instance in which she wants to live but darkness descends anyway. At this point, I think the "ability" is a curse because she has no control over it; and even her actions within her life are limited by how much she trusts her intuition (which is challenged by her mother and psychiatrist.) 5y

Pruzy @Dogearedcopy However, her intuition seems to be obtained from her previous lives, so it is not like she has absolutely no control or benefits from her ability what so ever. If it was truly a curse she would be living over the same death again and again, I think 5y

Dogearedcopy @pruzy She can effect actions or trajectories within a segment of her life, and as a result the when and where the darkness falls to a degree, but as to whether she dies is beyond her control. "The darkness" can neither save her, nor can she escape it once the moment is at hand. What becomes less clear is the power that decides, i.e. When Ursula was near death, and she reached for it, why did it draw back? 5y

Pruzy @Dogearedcopy Interesting! That makes it sound like the ability has some sort of will of its own where it is trying to make sure Ursula learns whatever lesson she needs to learn on this iteration of her life. 5y

cobwebmoth Interesting thoughts. I think it can be a gift when she gets to try again, but this section made it seem more fickle, more of a curse. I have never been so eager for a character I like to die! 5y

Pruzy @cobwebmoth Haha, good point! 5y

Laura317 I think it‘s more of a mixed blessing. Ursula is able to “fix” some things, but she has no control over the when. My love of Doctor Who come out here in this: are the things she can fix not fixed point in time? Can she ever go too far to the point of making things worse? 5y

Ingerella @cobwebmoth I felt the same..I wanted that life to be over for her. 5y

Ingerella @Dogearedcopy @Pruzy I'm on the fence as to whether it's a curse. It's a curse in one life and a blessing in the next. Ultimately will it turn out to be a blessing the more lives she lives? It seems to me that in order to live as long as she is now, she's stacking up the moments of "intuition" to get there. It's unfortunate that she has to suffer first in order to benefit from the suffering. Not sure if benefit is the right word to use though. 5y

Ingerella @Laura317 I definitely don't think everytime she follows her "intuition" the outcome is always better. In one of the instances where she tried to stop Bridget from spreading the flu, more people died than in previous lives. I am with you..it's a mixed blessing. 5y

DivineDiana My heart broke for Ursula in this chapter. Although she had been reborn previously, and had been able to alter her previous life, I did not know for certain that she would still have that ability. It was a very tense section for me! I‘m voting for gift. Don‘t we all yearn at times for a do-over? (edited) 5y

Ingerella @DivineDiana True! But it's terrible what she has to keep going through in order to get to move on. I also keep thinking about all the people around her in each life who keep going on. I think of them all as parallel universes because what happens in each life to the people who aren't Ursula? 5y

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Ingerella

Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

Hello Buddy Read Friends,

Some of our readers have gotten a bit behind this week, so we have decided to give week 3 another life! We'll push back the discussion one week to next Sunday. I hope those of you who are caught up won't be too disappointed and will be with us next Sunday. For now...I'm off to see Hamilton!
Happy Sunday!!
@Pruzy #LAL2019 #buddyread #LifeAfterLife

Ingerella @Meaw_catlady @DivineDiana @readordierachel @squirrelbrain @Elma @daena @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Pruzy @Laura317 @MellieAntoinette @sblbooks @CoffeeNBooks @TheBookAddict @LapReader @Dogearedcopy @cobwebmoth 5y

DivineDiana Thank you for the update! Hamilton!!! 👏🏻🎼👏🏻 5y

Ingerella @DivineDiana Totally spur of the moment! Hubby surprised me with tickets and it's 2 hrs away! I'm so excited!! 5y

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BookishMarginalia Enjoy! 5y

Laura317 That‘s understandable to wait. I caught up, but totally understand. 🙂 5y

DivineDiana How fantastic! What a guy! Are you seeing it on Broadway? 5y

Ingerella @DivineDiana No, Orlando. This is the touring Hamilton. When we were in NYC a couple of years ago we tried to win them in the lottery every day but didn't get lucky. It's ok though, I'll see it in Orlando. It will be fun to see on stage the songs that I already have memorized! 5y

Ingerella @Laura317 Thanks so much! We'll be back next week. 5y

Ingerella @BookishMarginalia Thanks! 5y

DivineDiana Absolutely!!! 5y

squirrelbrain That‘s fine! I‘ve read the section but I‘m bookshop crawling in London this weekend....! Enjoy Hamilton! 5y

Ingerella @squirrelbrain Bookshop crawling in London sounds amazing!! 5y

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squirrelbrain

Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

Thought I‘d post the cover of my version of LaL - it‘s so pretty! No spoilers here, but I‘ve read this week‘s section on my commute today. It‘s *quite* different to what‘s gone before so I can‘t wait to hear what everyone else thinks next Sunday. I‘m still loving it and it‘s getting veeerrry interesting....

#LaL2019
#lifeafterlife

Dogearedcopy, KarouBlue, Laura317, LapReader, TheBookAddict, DivineDiana, daena, readordierachel, cobwebmoth, Pruzy, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Elma, Ingerella, CoffeeNBooks, Meaw_catlady, sblbooks

Ingerella That is a pretty cover! I also love the cover I posted this week's schedule on. I found that one on Goodreads. I started Like a Fox in a Hole last night but am only a few pages in. I hope I can make some headway tonight. You have me excited to read it! 5y

Laura317 @squirrelbrain I love that cover! Mine is the rose cover. I‘m about 1/4 through this week‘s reading. I am having lots of “aha!” And “hmmm” and “haha” moments right now. 5y

squirrelbrain @Laura317 - it‘s very much like that isn‘t it?! “Ooh”, “really?”, “goodness me”, “I see now”! 5y

Pruzy Awesome! I can‘t wait to start reading this week‘s section! 5y

daena Oooo, I‘m intrigued, I am starting the next section tonight. And I love that cover! 5y

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Ingerella

Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

Thanks for all of the great discussion today. You all had lots of interesting insight and @Pruzy, some very thought provoking questions. I'm still pondering my own answers.
Week 3 starts tomorrow and this section is a bit longer than our last two. It also covers just one chapter, Like A Fox In a Hole. Happy reading!
#LAL2019 #Buddyread #LifeAfterLife

readordierachel Looking forward to getting deeper into the story! 5y

daena Looking forward to our next discussion! 5y

KarouBlue Wow that‘s a beautiful cover! 5y

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