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Fiso book club - March 2014 - Life after life - discuss

A forum for discussion on the 'finer' things in life.

Vote for your nook choice.

Poll ended at 24 Feb 2014, 19:30

The Last Kingdom - Bernard Cornwell
3
21%
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists - Robert Tressell
2
14%
'Serious' - John McEnroe
2
14%
Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde
1
7%
Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
6
43%
 
Total votes: 14

bspittles
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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by bspittles »

Achiles74 wrote:I might skip this one, based on the negative reviews,comments on here
You could always read it and make up your own mind :-)

Real life has got in the way this week, only 12% through it. Should get a better run at it this week.

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by murf »

I've finally finished my other book so should be able to pick this up soon but I just don't seem to have much time to read these days....

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by Achiles74 »

murf wrote:I've finally finished my other book so should be able to pick this up soon but I just don't seem to have much time to read these days....
you need to get bed earlier and read a n bex, or failing that read in the bath.

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by Surprised »

Achiles74 wrote:I might skip this one, based on the negative reviews,comments on here

You haven't quite grasped the concept of this have you?

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by Rob »

I'm just after finishing it now.

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by bspittles »

Up to 18% and suddenly it has grabbed me (just past the flu episode, trying to avoid spoilers!)

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by Vid »

bspittles wrote: (just past the flu episode, trying to avoid spoilers!)
which time? :D

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by murf »

Just started it this afternoon......

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by Surprised »

Vid wrote:
bspittles wrote: (just past the flu episode, trying to avoid spoilers!)
which time? :D

Spoiler in itself!

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WilBert
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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by WilBert »

12% here; will look forward to the flu. How about we aim to finish by Easter Monday (21/4?) Leaves a week to discuss, review. Then we can choose one for May?

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by bspittles »

51% and really enjoying it. Unfortunately, most of my reading is done at work during lunchtime, and I've got a holiday over Easter.

I'll do my best!

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by murf »

Struggling to get into it. Just about the child's dull, simpering mother so far. I would dismiss it (on pages to date) as a "woman's book" but I can't even see women enjoying it!

Will persevere as it must get better. Would never have been published let alone critically praised based on the opening....

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by WilBert »

Finished it. That is all for now...

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by bspittles »

Finished. Well worth persevering Murf!

How many more are still in progress?

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by murf »

bspittles wrote:Finished. Well worth persevering Murf!

How many more are still in progress?
I'm only going to keep going because there MUST be more to it than I have discovered so far. Surely.....

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by Achiles74 »

So what is the general consensus on this novel then?

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by Surprised »

Achiles74 wrote:So what is the general consensus on this novel then?
I enjoyed it

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by Achiles74 »

A bit more please, what feelings did it engendered in you? Did you respect the prose in this novel?

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by WilBert »

Easter Monday is the deadline, no spoilers please.

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by unc.si. »

Still going. Not had a lot of time, but got into it now after a slow start and want to get it finished. Unfortunately won't be by Easter Monday.

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - How are you getting on?

Post by unc.si. »

Achiles74 wrote:A bit more please, what feelings did it engendered in you? Did you respect the prose in this novel?
Have you actually read it?

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - Life after life - discuss

Post by WilBert »

*******Spoiler alert*********

I went through phases with this book. At times I really enjoyed it at other times I couldn’t wait for her to die and start again. At time I found it so typically “English middle class” I felt like giving up. It was very clichéd e.g. American taking advantage of English girls, Irish maids, attitude to Jews etc.

Overall it warmed me to the characters, even the mother, was she having an affair? Lots of unanswered questions like that.
However I think the book struggled with an identity. Was it an insight into the strife of the times, was it a lesson in bringing up children, was it a good vs evil fantasy? Was it dementia? Was it about growth as a person? Unlocking the inner you?
If it was about senility, as in later life her memory started to go, it might have been her mind going through possibilities that happened in life as she reached her dotage.

At times I expected Al and Ziggy to turn up and jump her to another life. Did she kill Hitler in a reality or not? What did her psychologist mean when he said something like “Do you have enough information now?”

I thought the bit about the European adventure was extremely rushed – I found it hard to believe that a few weeks of shooting lessons would convince the mother she was ready for such an adventure and capable of killing someone.

In summary for me it was a confused novel that was neither a good episode of Quantum Leap, period drama or deep enough to be a fractal existence exploration. However, a decent read and perhaps I either took it too seriously or not seriously enough. Look forward to other reader’s thoughts.

Thanks to Rob for suggesting it though as it would be something I’d have never read otherwise.

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - Life after life - discuss

Post by Surprised »

A book that took a bit of time to get into as her first few lives had little happening in them. Interesting that she knew from an early age that she had lived before but only some of her actions to change events seemed to have an effect so I assume she did not kill Hitler.

Some of the lives the author seemed lost on how to progress so just killed Ursula off. Also interesting that the same people turned up in all her lives albeit in different ways but they all had the same personalities

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - Life after life - discuss

Post by bspittles »

An enjoyable book, and those who get past the slow and slightly confusing first quarter are rewarded with a tale of a harsh abnormality in a sea of middle-class ordinariness. For me, the tipping point in the novel was the flu epidemic, and the realisation that Ursula could make conscious decisions to alter a future she didn’t like.

I liked the way each telling of the same incident bought out a little more of each child’s characteristics, and how Ursula had to go back further and further to make the necessary alterations to everyone’s lives. It was also interesting that the "most ideal" future, the one in which she may or may not have killed Hitler, still involved the sacrifice of two children. I guess the author could have continued in a similar vein for many volumes as the main character tried small adjustments to smooth life’s path.

In the end, the final playing of her life seemed a little rushed, as if the author believed the reader to have enough information and skipped a lot of the prose that had gone before.

For me, the highlight – if that’s what it can be called – was the description of her life in Berlin towards the end of the war. There was no romanticism there, and a complete lack of hope; excellent writing.

I’m glad I persevered and I would probably read more from the author.

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - Life after life - discuss

Post by Surprised »

The more I think about it the more I believe she did not kill Hitler. She seemed able to alter her own destiny (ie avoiding the rape by her brothers friend) but not alter the destiny of others. She pushed the nanny down the stairs to prevent her going to London but it did not prevent the nannys death

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - Life after life - discuss

Post by Vid »

Surprised wrote:The more I think about it the more I believe she did not kill Hitler. She seemed able to alter her own destiny (ie avoiding the rape by her brothers friend) but not alter the destiny of others. She pushed the nanny down the stairs to prevent her going to London but it did not prevent the nannys death
It did when she split the romance by telling tales about the bloke and another woman, he still died, she lived.

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - Life after life - discuss

Post by Surprised »

Vid wrote:
Surprised wrote:The more I think about it the more I believe she did not kill Hitler. She seemed able to alter her own destiny (ie avoiding the rape by her brothers friend) but not alter the destiny of others. She pushed the nanny down the stairs to prevent her going to London but it did not prevent the nannys death
It did when she split the romance by telling tales about the bloke and another woman, he still died, she lived.
And she also saved Nancy didn't she?

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - Life after life - discuss

Post by Vid »

Surprised wrote:
Vid wrote:
Surprised wrote:The more I think about it the more I believe she did not kill Hitler. She seemed able to alter her own destiny (ie avoiding the rape by her brothers friend) but not alter the destiny of others. She pushed the nanny down the stairs to prevent her going to London but it did not prevent the nannys death
It did when she split the romance by telling tales about the bloke and another woman, he still died, she lived.
And she also saved Nancy didn't she?
Can't remember all the names as it's 2 months since I finished reading.

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - Life after life - discuss

Post by Surprised »

Vid wrote:
Surprised wrote:
Vid wrote:
Surprised wrote:The more I think about it the more I believe she did not kill Hitler. She seemed able to alter her own destiny (ie avoiding the rape by her brothers friend) but not alter the destiny of others. She pushed the nanny down the stairs to prevent her going to London but it did not prevent the nannys death
It did when she split the romance by telling tales about the bloke and another woman, he still died, she lived.
And she also saved Nancy didn't she?
Can't remember all the names as it's 2 months since I finished reading.

Nancy was the little girl who lived next door and was murdered by some odd guy who was about.

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Re: Fiso book club - March 2014 - Life after life - discuss

Post by Vid »

Surprised wrote:

Nancy was the little girl who lived next door and was murdered by some odd guy who was about.
Of course, but most of the times she survived seemed more down to pure chance when other decisions were changed, so not a concious decision at any point to actually save her.

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