As I began to read this book, I opened the pages with joy at the prospect of a new adventure into an exploration of the human experiment. The feel of the pages, the tone of the prose, and the enticing opening event served to immerse me into the life and times of Ursula, our main character. I reveled in this deep search into character and the unique and fascinating circumstances she found herself in; the novel details her journey from birth in 1910 all the way up to the 60s. The journey is not linear, so pay attention. The novel skips around in time as we see life after life after life…

Beginning to read this book, I felt excitement at the concept of exploring the various themes of lives lived. Just by the title, I at first thought this book was about the possibility of other lives after death. But this book is not really about death at all. It’s very much about life. It’s about all the little decisions that one makes which may have a greater impact than their seeming import in the moment. Such a minor mishap of thought can be just as momentous as say, killing Hitler before WW2. Atkinson takes her time to explore the thoughts and dreams of our main character, Ursula as we see her decisions impact life after life after life…

Reading through this book, I was at first stunned by the bold choices of the author to give us such quick shot glimpses into the main character, Ursula. But then as the book progressed, so was Ursula’s character fleshed out and made as real as anyone else. The book really explores how circumstances can shape a person. Ursula’s core character morphs into her surroundings as she is blended into the events that happen. She rises and falls accordingly as each event renews or destroys her inner self; making one woman after another, life after life after life…

I hope you are getting the point I am trying to make about this book. I hope you enjoy the style of storytelling this book promises. If not, this book may not be for you. But if so, you are in for a real treat. Atkinson has a wonderful hold on her characters, each unique and vibrant on the page. She also places the characters in well realized settings that come alive as you read, partly because of the familiarity of history, and partly because of her lush descriptions. I thoroughly enjoyed following Ursula through her different escapades. As the book moved along, there were certain points where I grew weary of the “gimmick”; I got the “gist”, but at no point was I disappointed or bored. If anyone tries to tell you this isn’t a fantasy, they’re lying. 🙂

Definitely a book worth reading that will have you thinking long after you put it down. It teaches you to live your life like there is no tomorrow, even though there probably will be. That way you can life after life after life…