On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born, the third child of a wealthy English banker and his wife. Sadly, she dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in any number of ways. Clearly history (and Kate Atkinson) have plans for her: In Ursula rests nothing less than the fate of civilization.
This was an inventive, creative and exhaustive book as we read about the protagonist, Ursula, living life after life in a state of chronic deja vu. I was wholeheartedly sucked into this book and couldnβt put it down until about β of the way in, during WW2, I seemed to get bored and perhaps flat out tired of the brutality and madness of war. So then I understand without a doubt that the author did her job well by executing Ursulaβs parallel or palimpsestic lives. (Yes, I learned what palimpsest meant from the book, the author has an incredible vocabulary!) I loved Ursulaβs relationships with her siblings; even the horrible Maurice. Her cousin Izzie was a welcome break from the prim and proper British ideals. This book leaves you thinking for sometime as you ponder the possibility of this being real and wonder are we all are just reliving our lives amongst the same people especially when we feel the overpowering sense of deja vu?
Quotes I liked:
What if we had a chance to do it again and again, until we finally did get it right? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?β
– βI feel as if Iβm waiting for something dreadful to happen, and then I realize it already has.β
-βThere was always a second before the siren started when she was aware of a sound as yet unheard. It was like an echo, or rather the opposite of an echo. An echo came afterwards, but was there a word for what came before?β
– βItβs not as if love dies with the beloved.β
– βHindsightβs a wonderful thing. If we all had it, there would be no history to write about.β
– βYou couldnβt necessarily judge a woman by the man she slept with. (or could you?)β
-“Ursula craved solitude but she hated loneliness.β
I am only 120 pages in. I started to read this book knowing nothing about it (not a good thing for this book). It took me over 100 pages to finally figure out the concept of Ursula’s life over and over again. Hope I can finish it. So many other books to read!! I got this book because it was a “question” on Jeopardy! I love your book recommendations, reviews and Facebook posts. My new year’s resolution last year was to read more because of you and I read 52 books. I’m on my 12th book for 2015. Keep up the great work.
This book is a wild ride but I think it’s written so incredibly well. Your post was so meaningful to me! I’m so glad you’re reading more. 52 books is out of control, keep at it! Happy Reading!
Review:Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a story that shows the dysfunction of family in a pretty dysfunctional small town in Pennsylvania. When Marley comes to town with her single mother, she is the one that sets the crux of the book in motion. Her power over the Joseph boys is remarkable and her maturity at this young age was immense. She seemed to be omnipresent at times because she got into all of the Joseph families heads. The authorβs strength is in her multi-layered character building. I felt like a knew each character quite well. I found the discord between Elise and Marley to be incredibly well written. They were the adage of: so close and yet so far.Themes of mental illness, egotistical misogyny, sibling relationships, motherhood, and mystery were all woven through the storyline. Book clubs will get a good discussion out of this one.@burnsamyjo @celadonbooksπ: Do you have any sisters or brothers? #newbookreview #bookreview #bookstagram#bookreader #tbr #addtoTBR #bookreviewer#goodbookfairybookreview #goodbookfairy... See MoreSee Less
Miss your smile. Miss your face. Miss your calls. Miss your laughter. Miss your honesty. Miss you telling me what I needed to hear when I was too fragile to hear it. Miss you telling me the hard truths when I couldn't see straight. Miss not celebrating our birthdays together. I just plain miss you. Enjoy your lemon drop πΈ in Heaven. ... See MoreSee Less
I am only 120 pages in. I started to read this book knowing nothing about it (not a good thing for this book). It took me over 100 pages to finally figure out the concept of Ursula’s life over and over again. Hope I can finish it. So many other books to read!! I got this book because it was a “question” on Jeopardy! I love your book recommendations, reviews and Facebook posts. My new year’s resolution last year was to read more because of you and I read 52 books. I’m on my 12th book for 2015. Keep up the great work.
This book is a wild ride but I think it’s written so incredibly well. Your post was so meaningful to me! I’m so glad you’re reading more. 52 books is out of control, keep at it! Happy Reading!