A CLASSIC IS BORN
Kate Atkinson’s LIFE AFTER
LIFE is amazing, incredible, unique, extraordinary, page-turning, surprising,
moving. Still all these superlatives fall short in
their praise. It’s that special.
Even labelling presents
difficulty. It’s an historic tale set
during WWI and WW2. It’s a supernatural tale of re-incarnation. It’s an alternate history in part. It’s beautiful
literature with sentences so poetic you read them more than once. And it’s a drama of secrets that unfold so
teasingly that you want to skip ahead so bad your fingers itch. But you dare not because Atkinson has framed
and paced her story so perfectly you know you will miss out. As you close the final page you want to open
the first page and start all over again. This is a book you want to own and not
borrow from a friend. You want to touch its
cover later and remember how you felt as you read it.
Ursula Todd is born on
February 11th, 1910 to wealthy English parents but dies immediately
only to be reborn again. This time she
lives longer and we learn more about her life and family. But again she dies and is reborn to a new life with slightly altered events. It is an era fraught with danger
from illness, accidents and dangerous friends and strangers. In each new life Ursula retains a Déjà vu sense of her previous
downfall and is able to avoid those deaths
only to face new challenges. Her deaths are varied and
surprising and whilst some lives are short, in some she lives to middle-age. Atkinson’s
mastery of pacing creates a marvelous rollercoaster ride, so we never really know
when the next death will arrive.
Through Ursula’s and her family’s eyes we
experience life in early twentieth century England and the horror and tragedy
of the two World Wars; once even behind the German lines up close and personal
with Hitler. The detail is meticulous and the feeling of witnessing history
uncanny.
LIFE AFTER LIFE is a thought-provoking rarity and sometimes these
beauties cannot be analysed. Somewhere in the words, the emotions, between the
ink on the page, a magic is born. On
February 11th, 1910 Ursula Todd is born, a classic wondrous character,
surely to be loved by generations of readers.
For more information please visit http://www.randomhouse.com.au
Release Dates: Australia and New
Zealand: 18th March 2013
To
Pre-order or purchase after release date in Australia click
hereAvailable in Hard Cover, Paperback and eBook.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kate Atkinson was born in York and now lives in Edinburgh. Her first
novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won
the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and has been a critically
acclaimed international bestselling author ever since.
She is the author of a collection of short stories, Not the End of the World, and of the
critically acclaimed novels Human Croquet, Emotionally Weird, Case Histories, and One Good Turn.
Case Histories introduced her readers to Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned
private
investigator, and won the Saltire Book of the Year Award and the Prix Westminster.
When Will There Be Good News? was voted Richard & Judy Book Best Read
of the Year. After Case Histories and One Good Turn, it was her
third novel to feature the former private detective Jackson Brodie, who also made a welcome
return in Started Early, Took My Dog.
Kate was awarded an MBE in the Queen's 2011 Birthday Honours, for
services to literature.
Useful Links
- Visit Kate Atkinson's official website
- Follow Kate Atkinson on Facebook
- Follow Jackson Brodie on Twitter
- Sign up to Kate Atkinson's enewsletter for updates
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