WINNER OF THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right? During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath. During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale. What if there were second chances? And third chances? In fact an infinite number of chances to live your life? Would you eventually be able to save the world from its own inevitable destiny? And would you even want to? Life After Life follows Ursula Todd as she lives through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. With wit and compassion, Kate Atkinson finds warmth even in lifeâe(tm)s bleakest moments, and shows an extraordinary ability to evoke the past. Here she is at her most profound and inventive, in a novel that celebrates the best and worst of ourselves.
Todd Family Series
This series follows the life of Ursula Todd as she repeatedly experiences pivotal moments of the first half of the twentieth century. Each new beginning offers a chance to alter fate, both her own and the world's. With remarkable humor and sensitivity, the author explores what it means to live fully and whether destiny can truly be escaped. It's a compelling narrative about possibilities, mistakes, and the endless cycles of life.


Recommended Reading Order
- 1
- 2
A God in ruins
- 576 pages
- 21 hours of reading
Kate Atkinson's 'Life After Life' explored the possibility of infinite chances, as Ursula Todd lived through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. In 'A God in Ruins', Atkinson turns her focus on Ursula's beloved younger brother Teddy - would-be poet, RAF bomber pilot, husband and father - as he navigates the perils and progress of the 20th century. For all Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge will be to face living in a future he never expected to have.