I was disappointed. I thought it was a very interesting premise, but the execution left something to be desired, and I almost stopped reading the book several times, but I didn't have a chance to run to the library to pick up something better. Many of her "lives" were dreary and I would wait for one to end, hoping that the next life would be more interesting or less hopeless-sounding, but often it wasn't. Toward the beginning there was a sense that she was aware of her life-reliving tendency, which disappears in the lives in the middle of the book, and then all of a sudden at the last life she mysteriously pulls it all together, figures out what has been going on this whole time, and becomes a heroine when in most of her previous lives she languishes as a victim. Not that I expected action every second, but the character development seemed forced and did not elicit my sympathy or interest.

This is a great audiobook, absolutely lovely narrator. The premise is very cool too, but after a point it can get to be a little much with the repetition. So it drags in parts while listening, and for some people, myself included, reading it in print might work better.

Stopped reading, too slow and jumped around too much!

Interesting premise; addictively atmospheric, but the storytelling is at times annoyingly protracted and over-the-top. The ending is abrupt and weird.

Ursula’s constant quoting of various poets, and her corrections (even in her own mind) of other characters’ misquotes, is heavy-handed and detracts.

The audiobook delivery is solid.

A clever book! It was a very interesting read. Some of the elements are repetitive with variation, and each scenario of the main character's life is very surprising. The climax brought everything together and ultimately gave way for a new version of her life that was very interesting. I will definitely read the author's other books, especially the companion to this book!

I was surprised by how immediately this book swept me up. The last several audiobooks I've tried either bored or frustrated me, and I was expecting this one to be the same. Despite revisiting elements of the same story, Atkinson kept uncovering new layers of the story, recreating the characters with unexpected variations.

What a clever concept - not exactly time travel, but it made the wheels of my mind start spinning in the same way. We all wonder "what if I had done this instead of that?" Kate Atkinson has a wild imagination. I enjoyed the ride. This is one of my most highly recommended books for Library patrons.

Every choice has a consequence that is far reaching. Ursula is able to relive her life with the hint of knowledge from previous lives; like the feelings of unexplained dread or deja vu. An intelligent and thoroughly engaging read.

I found this a powerful and sad book. Sad because the pictures of two world wars seriously--if temporarily--undermined my illusion that everything's gonna be okay.
But there are worse things than feeling sad for humanity. And of course this book is chockablock full of love, beauty, sensitivity, and really good prose. Insights in almost every paragraph. I'm working on reading 2 more of Kate's.

I admit, I put this on my For Later shelf ages before I read it, so I'd forgotten entirely what I was getting myself into. This meant that since I was reading the audio version, without visual cues, that I was completely disoriented for a bit before I caught on to what was happening. Overall, it was brilliant. Difficult, at times, especially the versions of Ursula's life that were especially realistic and devastating (abusive husband; German husband), but the reoccurring threads and characters that repeatedly touched her story in different ways was fascinating and sometimes charming. More than just an exploration of how many decisions an author makes - it's a question of choices and fate, reincarnation, and revision.