Life After Life - BBC begins this evening

I watched the first episode, enjoyed it but found it was going too fast, missing the thoughtfulness and nuances of the book. I've decided not to watch the rest.

Having reread the book, I don't want to give too much away but it returns to the event which starts the book (but not the TV adaptation). Ursula does something which changes world events.

Then there is a series of very short chapters revisiting the different scenarios of her births, over and over. The final chapter is midwife Mrs Haddock the midwife, snowbound in the pub.

mokryna

I was left wondering if there was something more to come but the TV series finished this evening.
Does the book have the same ending?

I saw an interview with the author and I think the book ends in the same way. Because there isn’t an ending to it as she will continue to be reborn.

Just reread the book and it seemed so much more cheerful than the tv adaptation. I’ll rewatch it, then no doubt re- reread, then…

A God In Ruins is just wonderful, perhaps the best way in to Kate Atkinson books? Oh if you haven’t already read the Jackson Brodie books, of course

I am so happy I persevered with this program.
After the first episode I wasn’t sure, but I’ve just watched the last three, and found it to be outstanding.
Don’t pretend to completely understand it, but it was a wonderful production, the acting was superb, especially Ursula.
I was crying through most of the final episode, so poignant.

I was left wondering if there was something more to come but the TV series finished this evening.
Does the book have the same ending?

I loved both the book and the series.

I didn't particularly like the book and couldn't decide why as it is beautifully written and I usually love her books. But watching the TV series has clarified what I find wrong with it.It mixes up two theories of life, reincarnation and the infinite universes theory. If you are reincarnated as Ursula sometimes seems to be you come back as someone different. If you are part of the infinite universes your life splits every time you make a choice, or are subjected to some incident. The life you are living continues as it was but another you in another universe makes a different choice and lives a different life. The idea that you live the same life over and over again seems a rather narrow and restricted idea. Apart from that I think it's a reasonably good production.

It was a driech day here yesterday so I binge watched Life after Life . I loved it , a wee bit confusing at first but I relaxed into it - just like life !

SPOILER ALERT.I’ve just watched several interviews with Kate Atkinson and was relieved to hear someone say that Life After Life ended so abruptly it took her aback and left her a bit angry because I felt that at the end of the series. Relieved to find that I really like Kate Atkinson and relate to her in several ways eg she loves objects and tends to retrieve things from her family home because her Zen like mother just throws things away. And that she’s an only child. Also she did a reading from the book and it seems that a lot of the dialogue from the book is in the series. Also, as people that have read the book have said, the book is quite witty. Having binge watched it I can’t quite move on from it and might have to rewatch it. I do hope they adapt A God in Ruins although I’ve stupidly wikipedia’d it so I know what happens…..

Watched a couple more episodes last night. Made me feel terribly sad, but not necessarily in a bad way if that makes sense.

already watched the first episode - it was fabulous!

I wonder if I should stop binge watching and read the book. I can’t seem to find books that grab my attention these days.

Luckygirl3

Hmmm ... it's a good try. But the beauty of Atkinson's books is the slick verbal humour, which is not in the form of dialogue and cannot be replicated on screen.

I so agree with this.

Just started watching it and think I feel a binge watch coming on once I realised she wasn’t going to die. Was getting upset about watching children in dangerous situations. I, too, struggled with The Time Travellers Wife until one day I just ‘got’ it. My ex husband said he read it on a plane and cried at the end. I thought the film was quite good given that it was such a difficult book to adapt. Current thinking is that when the licence fee is abolished we won’t be getting series like this….

Treebee Good point. I started and gave up with The Time Traveller's Wife twice before having to try again for a book group. Third time around, I gave up trying to reconcile their different ages each time Claire and Henry meet, just went with the flow and enjoyed it immensely. Terrible film though!

I am rereading Life and Life and have only watched one episode so far as I don't want to get ahead of where I am in the book. I felt the first episode rushed and missed the nuances and humour in Atkinson's writing but it gets the concept across well - each time Ursula is born again she knows more about what the future holds and can act to change it. I wonder whose decision is was to omit the first crucial chapter of the book. I guess someone decided it would give too much away.

Odd thing about Atkinson's novels. I've read them all and always enjoy them but can rarely remember anything about them. I remember enjoying A God in Ruins more that LaL but until I reread it I won't know why!

I too am interested in the comparisons to The Time Traveler’s Wife, which is probably my favourite book ever, and I loved Life After Life which I think I said upthread. It helps to suspend disbelief and just go with the concept. I was so disappointed with the film of The Time Traveler’s Wife. It missed out all the music that was in the book which brought it to life for me. But I’m enjoying Life After Life on telly, I think it’s done well. Looking forward to future episodes, and I agree Teddy’s story would make an enjoyable follow up.

I hadn't read the book, which is probably good. I was drawn into this series immediately, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I just suspended belief, loved it, watched it over 2 days.

I think Life after Life and A God in ruins were both phenomenal novels, and perhaps I was expecting too much.
I agree, the filming was exquisite, beautifully cast, and very atmospheric, it just hasn’t gripped me yet.

I'm another who loved the book, definitely my favourite of hers. I've only seen one of the episodes I'm kind of savouring them rather than binging on the whole series. I thought the first one was beautifully filmed, conjuring up a bygone Buckinghamshire throughout the seasons and very well cast. Possibly, if I hadn't read the book I might be slightly baffled by the umpteen deaths of Ursula only to survive another day by living a different scenario. It's very much a suspend belief narrative. Some comparisons to The Time Traveller's Wife, personally I hated that book

Grannydarkhair
Thanks for that, I will watch it, especially now I know it becomes more engrossing.

Sara1954 Although I really loved it all, I enjoyed the first episode less than the next three. The repetition in it gets a wee bit irritating imo, but that obviously does fade off as she ages. I thought parts of episode four were wonderful. And I agree, the casting is excellent, so nice to see less well known faces.

I loved the book.
I had one of those very rare evenings with no one home but me, and I planned on watching at least a couple of episodes.
I watched one, and didn’t feel interested enough to watch another one.
I think the casting was excellent, where did they find such adorable babies? I will watch the rest, and hopefully become a bit more engrossed.

I usually like time travel and changing outcomes but this was a bit strange because each time she died she didn't die. So there was only actually one life story but it had several possible points where it could have ended.....but didn't. I'm not sure what the purpose of this is. We all have near death experiences (there was a thread about this) but we are all here, having come through them. So why is her life any different to any of our lives? I could write this story about my own life, nearly run over aged 2, nearly drowned at age 4 and again aged 17, and so on. No different from this story.

I loved Doris Day singing “Again” over the closing credits of episode one.

Finished watching this adaption last night, I thoroughly enjoyed it.