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Available
Call number
Series
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Publication
Black Swan (2015), 576 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Historical Fiction. HTML:This stunning companion to Kate Atkinson's #1 bestseller Life After Life, "one of the best novels I've read this century" (Gillian Flynn), follows Ursula's brother Teddy as he navigates an unknown future after a perilous war. "He had been reconciled to death during the war and then suddenly the war was over and there was a next day and a next day. Part of him never adjusted to having a future." Kate Atkinson's dazzling Life After Life explored the possibility of infinite chances and the power of choices, following Ursula Todd as she lived through the turbulent events of the last century over and over again. A God in Ruins tells the dramatic story of the 20th Century through Ursula's beloved younger brother Teddy �?? would-be poet, heroic pilot, husband, father, and grandfather �?? as he navigates the perils and progress of a rapidly changing world. After all that Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge is living in a future he never expected to have. An ingenious and moving exploration of one ordinary man's path through extraordinary times, A God in Ruins proves once again that Kate Atkinson is one of the finest novelists of our age… (more)
Media reviews
Kate Atkinson writes a brilliant follow-up to her brilliant novel, focusing on Teddy, the RAF pilot and brother of the previous book’s heroine....But if A God in Ruins suffers from a touch too much tidiness, if it overcalculates the glories of a sensitive “artistic soul,” those flaws pale
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next to Atkinson’s wit, humanity, and wisdom. In her afterword, she alludes to the “great conceit hidden at the heart of the book to do with fiction and the imagination, which is revealed only at the end.” It is a great conceit. But it’s also a testament to the novel’s craft and power that the conceit isn’t what you’ll remember when it’s over. Show Less
A God in Ruins doesn’t have a plot so much as a question, namely: How does such a lovely, perfect guy produce such a horrible, ungrateful daughter? Atkinson’s characteristic intelligence and wit are often on prominent display in the novel, yet it isn’t quite idiosyncratic enough to avoid the
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pitfalls of plotlessness. The chapters describing Teddy’s wartime exploits, in particular, feel over-long and over-detailed. One gets the sense that Atkinson has done a lot of painstaking research and doesn’t want to waste the fruits of her labour. ...Unlike Life After Life, which began flamboyantly and had a large cast of nuanced characters, this novel’s rewards come late in its pages. Until they do, we’re left in the company of two people who are ultimately rather dull: one because he’s “deplorably honest,” the other because she’s exasperatingly self-serving. Narrative psychology tells us there’s bound to be an explanation for this, and there is; the question is whether readers will have the patience to stick around and find out what it is. Show Less
But then you read a novel like Kate Atkinson’s “A God in Ruins,” a sprawling, unapologetically ambitious saga that tells the story of postwar Britain through the microcosm of a single family, and you remember what a big, old-school novel can do. Atkinson’s book covers almost a century,
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tracks four generations, and is almost inexhaustibly rich in scenes and characters and incidents. It deploys the whole realist bag of tricks, and none of it feels fake or embarrassing. In fact, it’s a masterly and frequently exhilarating performance by a novelist who seems utterly undaunted by the imposing challenges she’s set for herself....Taken together, “Life After Life” and “A God in Ruins” present the starkest possible contrast. In the first book, there’s youth and a multitude of possible futures. In the second, there’s only age and decay, and a single immutable past. This applies not only to the characters, but to England itself, which is portrayed over and over as a drab and diminished place. The culprit is obvious — it’s the war itself, “the great fall from grace.” Show Less
A God in Ruins is the story of Teddy’s war and its legacy, “a ‘companion’ piece rather than a sequel”, according to the author. At first glance it appears to be a more straightforward novel than Life After Life, though it shares the same composition, flitting back and forth in time so
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that a chapter from Teddy’s childhood in 1925 sits alongside a fragment of his grandchildren’s childhood in the 1980s, before jumping back to 1947, when Teddy and his wife Nancy, newly married, are trying to come to terms with the aftermath of the devastation: ...A God in Ruins, together with its predecessor, is Atkinson’s finest work, and confirmation that her genre-defying writing continues to surprise and dazzle. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member lauralkeet
I love Kate Atkinson's novels, and have gobbled up everything from her early character-driven mysteries to the critically acclaimed Life After Life, which told the story of Ursula Todd, who somehow lived the events of the 20th century over and over again. Atkinson's latest work, A God In Ruins, is
But this book is so much more than Teddy's war story. It's also the story of Teddy's wife Nancy, his daughter Viola, and his grandchildren, Sunny & Bertie. Atkinson moves elegantly between different time periods and points of view. Some chapters are set before the war and others much, much later, when Teddy is quite old. Some are told from another character's point of view. Atkinson often hints at the fate of certain characters and fills in the details gradually, challenging the reader to assemble a giant puzzle in their imagination.
Teddy's story is quite poignant. After the war, he is content to settle down to a quiet life with his family, his garden, and an ever-present dog. But Atkinson has other plans for him. Teddy's daughter Viola makes a series of disastrous decisions growing up, and becomes quite a vile young woman. It took a long time to identify the pivotal moment when it all went wrong for her, and at that moment she became less distasteful and more sympathetic. Atkinson kept the surprises coming, all the way up to the final pages. A God in Ruins is billed as a companion book to Life After Life. Although the two books are only loosely related, if they are read in order readers will appreciate Atkinson's creativity and the plot twists much more. I sincerely hope A God in Ruins is nominated for a major literary prize -- it's truly amazing.
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the story of Ursula's brother, Teddy. Teddy appears to lead a more typical life than his sister, coming of age in England between the wars and, like so many of his generation, serving his country in World War II. Teddy was a bomber pilot, lucking into a leadership role by virtue of his class and education. Despite his rather unassuming manner and lack of experience, he earns the respect of his crew and turns out to be quite effective leading them into conflict.But this book is so much more than Teddy's war story. It's also the story of Teddy's wife Nancy, his daughter Viola, and his grandchildren, Sunny & Bertie. Atkinson moves elegantly between different time periods and points of view. Some chapters are set before the war and others much, much later, when Teddy is quite old. Some are told from another character's point of view. Atkinson often hints at the fate of certain characters and fills in the details gradually, challenging the reader to assemble a giant puzzle in their imagination.
Teddy's story is quite poignant. After the war, he is content to settle down to a quiet life with his family, his garden, and an ever-present dog. But Atkinson has other plans for him. Teddy's daughter Viola makes a series of disastrous decisions growing up, and becomes quite a vile young woman. It took a long time to identify the pivotal moment when it all went wrong for her, and at that moment she became less distasteful and more sympathetic. Atkinson kept the surprises coming, all the way up to the final pages. A God in Ruins is billed as a companion book to Life After Life. Although the two books are only loosely related, if they are read in order readers will appreciate Atkinson's creativity and the plot twists much more. I sincerely hope A God in Ruins is nominated for a major literary prize -- it's truly amazing.
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LibraryThing member japaul22
This was excellent. Atkinson has written a companion book to Life After Life that follows the life of Teddy, Ursula's (the main character in Life After Life) brother. In Life After Life, Teddy is the perfect person, who Ursula loves unconditionally and everyone else seems to love too. In A God in
As in every other book I've read by Atkinson, time is fluid and death is prominent. Though sections of the book are organized with headings stating a time period, each section also flashes backwards and forwards so that sometimes I'd have to go back to check which time period was supposed to be home base. At first this annoyed me, but I ended up liking it. Chronology is not the point; linked experiences, themes, symbols, and shared moments are instead what orient this book. Death is pervasive and there is a lot of exploration about how life ends, what happens afterward, and how the inevitability of death should effect how we live life. Some of these topics, especially with one of the characters, made for some emotional reading for me.
Since most readers of this book will have read Life After Life as well, I will say that this book worked much better for me. Even though I really loved Life AFter Life, I was always bothered because I thought that her idea for the book, Ursula's many lives, sort of ended up clouding the writing and overshadowing the story and character development. This book didn't have that problem and I thought that the characters were really well developed without losing creative form and innovation. I really loved this book.
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Ruins, we get to delve in to Teddy's war experience as a bomber pilot in WWII. We also get to know him as more than the beloved and idealized brother and son that he is in the first book. As in every other book I've read by Atkinson, time is fluid and death is prominent. Though sections of the book are organized with headings stating a time period, each section also flashes backwards and forwards so that sometimes I'd have to go back to check which time period was supposed to be home base. At first this annoyed me, but I ended up liking it. Chronology is not the point; linked experiences, themes, symbols, and shared moments are instead what orient this book. Death is pervasive and there is a lot of exploration about how life ends, what happens afterward, and how the inevitability of death should effect how we live life. Some of these topics, especially with one of the characters, made for some emotional reading for me.
Since most readers of this book will have read Life After Life as well, I will say that this book worked much better for me. Even though I really loved Life AFter Life, I was always bothered because I thought that her idea for the book, Ursula's many lives, sort of ended up clouding the writing and overshadowing the story and character development. This book didn't have that problem and I thought that the characters were really well developed without losing creative form and innovation. I really loved this book.
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
She had never been without a book for as long as she could remember. An only child never is. Literature had fueled her childhood fantasies and convinced her that one day she would be the heroine o her own narrative. Throughout her teens she inhabited the nineteenth century, roaming the moors with
A God in Ruins is a companion novel to Kate Atkinson's amazing Life After Life, and follows the life of Ursula's younger brother, Teddy. It's a very different book from Life After Life, for all the connections. While Ursula's life is characterized by flux and change, Teddy's is characterized by a resigned steadiness. A bomber pilot during the Second Word War, Teddy survives raid after raid, seeing his friends and companions die is horrible ways, and fully understanding the repercussions of his actions. For him, the bombings of German cities is never an abstract or patriotic event. He vows that if he survives the war, he will live quietly, and he does his best to fulfill that vow.
A God in Ruins is deceptively quiet, with the only drama outside of his war years being his contentious relationship with his daughter, Viola, who is a prickly, off-putting person. I'll admit that I liked her, although the consensus clearly goes the other way. Viola was a sullen child, whose personality did not mesh well with her nature-loving father's, and her teenage years and adulthood proved no easier for her. Becoming a mother much too young, she was never a good parent, although her parenting skills far surpassed those of their father. Atkinson has a talent for creating characters who are very different from one another, and having each of them come to life. The book gathers power slowly as it progresses. The parts set during Teddy's flying years are especially compelling, which echoes the pattern of his life.
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the Bröntes, feeling vexed at the constraints of Austen's drawing rooms. Dickens was her -- rather sentimental -- friend, George Eliot her more rigorous one.A God in Ruins is a companion novel to Kate Atkinson's amazing Life After Life, and follows the life of Ursula's younger brother, Teddy. It's a very different book from Life After Life, for all the connections. While Ursula's life is characterized by flux and change, Teddy's is characterized by a resigned steadiness. A bomber pilot during the Second Word War, Teddy survives raid after raid, seeing his friends and companions die is horrible ways, and fully understanding the repercussions of his actions. For him, the bombings of German cities is never an abstract or patriotic event. He vows that if he survives the war, he will live quietly, and he does his best to fulfill that vow.
A God in Ruins is deceptively quiet, with the only drama outside of his war years being his contentious relationship with his daughter, Viola, who is a prickly, off-putting person. I'll admit that I liked her, although the consensus clearly goes the other way. Viola was a sullen child, whose personality did not mesh well with her nature-loving father's, and her teenage years and adulthood proved no easier for her. Becoming a mother much too young, she was never a good parent, although her parenting skills far surpassed those of their father. Atkinson has a talent for creating characters who are very different from one another, and having each of them come to life. The book gathers power slowly as it progresses. The parts set during Teddy's flying years are especially compelling, which echoes the pattern of his life.
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LibraryThing member msf59
“The whole edifice of civilization turned out to be constructed from an unstable mix of quicksand and imagination.”
“He thought of all the men he knew who had been killed. The dead, like demons and angels, were legion.”
We first met Teddy in Life After Life. He was Ursula Todd's younger
I ended up liking this more than Life After Life and I think her writing keeps getting better and better. I do not think it is necessary to read the earlier novel first but I am sure you will want to go back and read it, after finishing this astonishing companion piece.
“He thought of all the men he knew who had been killed. The dead, like demons and angels, were legion.”
We first met Teddy in Life After Life. He was Ursula Todd's younger
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brother. An RAF bomber pilot. He is the central figure in this story and we follow him, through the war and many years beyond, until he is an old man, reflecting on his past. There are shifting timelines and narratives but Atkinson keeps the story flowing, through her masterful prose and dark, spiky humor.I ended up liking this more than Life After Life and I think her writing keeps getting better and better. I do not think it is necessary to read the earlier novel first but I am sure you will want to go back and read it, after finishing this astonishing companion piece.
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LibraryThing member Cariola
Atkinson's Life after Life was one of my top five novels a few years back. It's series of "What ifs" in the life of Ursula Todd, born in the 1910s: what if Ursula had been stillborn or lived into old age, married or never married, stayed in England or spent years in pre-war Germany, etc. To me, it
While I liked this book well enough, it can't compare to its predecessor. I can't really explain why without giving away too much of Atkinson's "surprise" ending, but for me, the "what if" just didn't work and was totally unnecessary. This could as easily--and perhaps better--have been a stand-alone novel about someone NOT a member of the Todd family. And I found some of the spiritual speculation in the last pages a bit heavy-handed and forced (not to mention irritating). Still, putting that aside, the book is well written, the characters well drawn, and the main story fairly engaging.
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seemed as much an exercise in writing--what an author decides to do with his or character and plot--as the kind of spiritual quest others have suggested. A God in Ruins tells the story of Ursula's youngest brother, Teddy, who we know from the earlier book was a heroic RAF fighter pilot during World War II. (If, like me, you read the first book several years ago, you'll begin by questioning your memory about what happened to Teddy there . . . ) Here, Atkinson gives us another "What if"--but only one, and that comprises the bulk of the novel. The novel moves back and forth through time, from Teddy's wartime experiences to the early years of marriage and fatherhood, on into old age and, finally, death in 2012. He's a likable character, a decent man who cares deeply about the men in his crew and his family, continually trying to put things right without offending anyone. Most touching is his relationship with his two grandchildren, neglected by a mother who blames every flaw in her character and misadventure in her life on the fact that her own mother died when she was nine. Some chapters are devoted not to Teddy but to Viola, his only child, and her treks through commune life, drugs, several marriages, novel writing, and failed motherhood, and a few focus on Teddy's grandchildren, Bertie and Sunny. As other reviewers have mentioned, Atkinson also gives us through Teddy a detailed inside look at the experiences of war, particularly those of a bomber crew captain.While I liked this book well enough, it can't compare to its predecessor. I can't really explain why without giving away too much of Atkinson's "surprise" ending, but for me, the "what if" just didn't work and was totally unnecessary. This could as easily--and perhaps better--have been a stand-alone novel about someone NOT a member of the Todd family. And I found some of the spiritual speculation in the last pages a bit heavy-handed and forced (not to mention irritating). Still, putting that aside, the book is well written, the characters well drawn, and the main story fairly engaging.
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LibraryThing member librarian1204
As a big fan of Life After Life, I was eager to read what the author had labeled a companion book, God in Ruins.
It is a companion book and even though it could stand alone, I think the enjoyment of this read is heightened by having read Life After Life.
The World War II setting returns but it is
It is a companion book and even though it could stand alone, I think the enjoyment of this read is heightened by having read Life After Life.
The World War II setting returns but it is
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extended to the present day. This book centers on Teddy, Ursula's beloved younger brother. The book is not written in the same way, it does not change an outcome and then go back and tell the story a different way for a different outcome. In the book we follow Teddy from a young boy to the nursing home but not sequentially, rather by an in and out of different years or events in Teddy's life. So the cradle to grave is a circle that we jump in and out of. Exciting, mundane, dramatic and sad. Definitely the two books together are a thought provoking look at a powerfully emotional time in history and at the destruction that such a time brings to everyone who lives through it and beyond. Show Less
LibraryThing member smallwonder56
What's not to love about Teddy, the main character of Kate Atkinson's "A God in Ruins"? You don't have to have read Atkinson's previous novel, "Life After Life" to enjoy this book, but for those that have, Teddy is the brother of Ursula, the main character in the first book. The narrative goes back
I loved the parts about Teddy as a WWII bomber pilot. It gave me a glimpse into a part of the war I'd never been exposed to. Atkinson does a superb job making you feel what it was like to be in those planes and to have friends--comrades--that you value so much. I also appreciated seeing the places he'd grown hard, and the places he'd grown soft. That's what makes up all of us.
Wonderful book. Amazingly well-written. I continue to be a devoted fan of Atkinson's work.
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and forth in time, just the way we do when we look back on our lives. You see Teddy's youth, his time as a bomber pilot in the RAF in WWII, his marriage to his wife, his relationship with his no-good daughter (in my not so humble opinion), Viola, and the love he has for his wonderful grandchildren. You get to know a man who has his faults and failings, but continues to love quite unselfishly in most cases. I loved the parts about Teddy as a WWII bomber pilot. It gave me a glimpse into a part of the war I'd never been exposed to. Atkinson does a superb job making you feel what it was like to be in those planes and to have friends--comrades--that you value so much. I also appreciated seeing the places he'd grown hard, and the places he'd grown soft. That's what makes up all of us.
Wonderful book. Amazingly well-written. I continue to be a devoted fan of Atkinson's work.
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LibraryThing member mmoj
I have to start out saying how much I loved Life After Life so perhaps that's why I didn't love this book - my expectations were too high. This is the story of Ursula's younger brother, Teddy. I felt that while Ursula was dynamic and interesting Teddy was rather boring. I felt sorry for him because
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he was so disengaged. He had no passion and really no depth. The story that didn't include Teddy was far more interesting than Teddy himself. There were moments of depth to Teddy but overall I want to shake him out of his apathy. I wanted to fill sorry for his daughter but she was just too nasty a piece of work. It must be hard to write a book to follow one that was so well written and engaging. Show Less
LibraryThing member WeaselOfDoom
I loved "Life After Life", and was very excited to hear that Teddy's story would be published. And for the most part, I loved "A God in Ruins", too.
My grandfather was a pilot in World War II, and the descriptions of Teddy's war made me think of him, and what he must have gone through. To me, the
On the peace front, I hated hated hated Viola, was so glad to "see" Hugh and Ursula and Lucky again, felt sad and horrified for Sunny, thankful for Bertie, and disappointed in Nancy.
I am still not sure how I feel about the ending, though, which is why I am rating this book only 4.5 stars.
My grandfather was a pilot in World War II, and the descriptions of Teddy's war made me think of him, and what he must have gone through. To me, the
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war parts of the book were the best (and that includes Izzy's experiences in World War I).On the peace front, I hated hated hated Viola, was so glad to "see" Hugh and Ursula and Lucky again, felt sad and horrified for Sunny, thankful for Bertie, and disappointed in Nancy.
I am still not sure how I feel about the ending, though, which is why I am rating this book only 4.5 stars.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
I think I am going to try to stop looking forward to the publication of high profile books. I had been waiting for 'A God in Ruins' for what seems like several months, my appetite repeatedly pricked by snippets drip-fed through Kate Atkinson's Facebook page.
Sadly, my fervour proved rather misplaced
Sadly, my fervour proved rather misplaced
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as I found the book wavered between tedium and impenetrability. This might not be the best time for me to be reading this book, so I will come back to it again later, But right now my overriding response is of being rampantly underwhelmed. Show Less
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
A God In Ruins, Kate Atkinson, author; Alex Jennings, narrator
The book opens with the quote, “A man is a god in ruins.” The story then proceeds to illustrate Teddy Todd’s life from his childhood to his death. It is a poignant tale about an easy-going, non-confrontational man who always seems
The story is about nurturing and its opposite, neglect, which shape all concerned. It is about tolerance and intolerance. It is about the circle of life which begins with Teddy, his parents and his siblings; it then proceeds to his future family, his wife Nancy and his only child; and then it continues with his grandchildren and great grandchildren who remain to carry on the mantle of the family. Life goes on, people are born and then they die, and like a book that is popular and then fades into history, so do the people and their lives. What remains of them after they are dead? Is there a legacy? We live, we influence the lives of others, negatively and positively, then we die, they die, and ad infinitum. Does it matter? The readers will watch as the characters shape shift and morph into their ultimate state of being, stirring those around them.
Teddy is a man who suffers the agonies of life and death with as much grace as he can muster. When he was a pilot during the war, he was respected by those under his command. Most always agreeable, the atmosphere around him was often calm and serene. His very presence encourages peaceful coexistence. He knows his own mind. Although his wife, Nancy, was very compatible with him, their relationship was not one of extreme passion, rather, like Teddy, it was calm and steady until tragedy struck. The one volatile part of Teddy’s life, was his relationship with his daughter Viola. She witnessed something early in life which remained in her memory, and she never truly realized how she felt about her father until it was pretty much too late. Although she was devoted to him in terms of his care, she was most often resentful of him and his place in her life. Actually, Viola was a rebel, or rather, she was rebellious. So was her son. Her daughter was the constant, the one to be relied upon by others.
There are many surprises in the story, and it reads more like a Dickensian novel, with fully developed characters whose lives twist and turn rather than progress in a single, straight line. It is a story that the author wishes to be viewed as a companion piece to the novel “Life after Life”, which was largely about Ursula Todd, Teddy’s sister. The timeline jumps around as Teddy relives his past life for us and also exists in his present and ongoing one, as well. It, like my review, is therefore a little repetitious. Because I found the back and forth in the timeline confusing, while listening to the audio, I had a difficult time getting into the book and remembering all of the facts that I wanted to hold onto, so I recommend this book in a print version. There are many characters and they are covered in the past and present as well, which sometimes requires a look back as a refresher, and in an audio, it is very inconvenient to do that.
Teddy is a really likeable character as is his wife, Nancy. Their child, however, Viola, who becomes a successful author, using her own life experiences to write her novels, leaves a lot to be desired. Her son develops into an interesting modern day character, searching for true meaning in life. Yet, it is actually death, their own or the death of someone near and dear, that brings many to discover their true meaning in life. The story is about life cycle events and consequences, about death, when it comes by surprise, when it approaches with dignity and when it is slow and withering. All of the characters are attached to this earth by their secrets, memories, and idiosyncrasies. They are all searching for a kind of freedom throughout their lives, the freedom from those thoughts that tether them to their own painful or joyous experiences, preventing them from growing and moving on.
This is a story about how our version of life’s events alters how we, then live life. Our analysis has the power not only to ruin us, but to ruin others. How others treated us, affects how we, in turn, treat others. Then that, in turn, has an effect on them and their future generations. Yes, life’s experiences have the power to ruin us, but also the power to free us. We all deteriorate physically; we weaken, shrivel and die, but that is only our physical being. The story is also about how our spirits can soar like the skylark‘s, with our hearts, minds and emotions flying free.
The book opens with the quote, “A man is a god in ruins.” The story then proceeds to illustrate Teddy Todd’s life from his childhood to his death. It is a poignant tale about an easy-going, non-confrontational man who always seems
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to want to do the right thing. The reader witnesses his boyhood and his manhood as he marries Nancy Shawcross, fights in World War II, raises a child, Viola, who then also bears two children, a son and a daughter, Sunny and Bertie, who then also go on to raise their own families in life’s continuing story. It is a multi-generational, family saga which shows the effect that different memories of the same event, and actions surrounding it, can have on each of the characters, as they grow, and how those memories with each of their interpretations may cause them to behave in a certain way, even when the memory of the event and the actual event may be completely different than their perception of it. Memories and also secrets, affected the way all of the characters behaved and, as the book progresses, we get to know the entire family, past, present and future. As many of their thoughts are revealed, it becomes obvious that each person sees the world from their own perspective. The story is about how life’s moments affect succeeding generations, even when those generations are not directly involved. There is an echo effect on those generations, in much the same way that the “little gray hare” amulet touched its successive owners. The story is about nurturing and its opposite, neglect, which shape all concerned. It is about tolerance and intolerance. It is about the circle of life which begins with Teddy, his parents and his siblings; it then proceeds to his future family, his wife Nancy and his only child; and then it continues with his grandchildren and great grandchildren who remain to carry on the mantle of the family. Life goes on, people are born and then they die, and like a book that is popular and then fades into history, so do the people and their lives. What remains of them after they are dead? Is there a legacy? We live, we influence the lives of others, negatively and positively, then we die, they die, and ad infinitum. Does it matter? The readers will watch as the characters shape shift and morph into their ultimate state of being, stirring those around them.
Teddy is a man who suffers the agonies of life and death with as much grace as he can muster. When he was a pilot during the war, he was respected by those under his command. Most always agreeable, the atmosphere around him was often calm and serene. His very presence encourages peaceful coexistence. He knows his own mind. Although his wife, Nancy, was very compatible with him, their relationship was not one of extreme passion, rather, like Teddy, it was calm and steady until tragedy struck. The one volatile part of Teddy’s life, was his relationship with his daughter Viola. She witnessed something early in life which remained in her memory, and she never truly realized how she felt about her father until it was pretty much too late. Although she was devoted to him in terms of his care, she was most often resentful of him and his place in her life. Actually, Viola was a rebel, or rather, she was rebellious. So was her son. Her daughter was the constant, the one to be relied upon by others.
There are many surprises in the story, and it reads more like a Dickensian novel, with fully developed characters whose lives twist and turn rather than progress in a single, straight line. It is a story that the author wishes to be viewed as a companion piece to the novel “Life after Life”, which was largely about Ursula Todd, Teddy’s sister. The timeline jumps around as Teddy relives his past life for us and also exists in his present and ongoing one, as well. It, like my review, is therefore a little repetitious. Because I found the back and forth in the timeline confusing, while listening to the audio, I had a difficult time getting into the book and remembering all of the facts that I wanted to hold onto, so I recommend this book in a print version. There are many characters and they are covered in the past and present as well, which sometimes requires a look back as a refresher, and in an audio, it is very inconvenient to do that.
Teddy is a really likeable character as is his wife, Nancy. Their child, however, Viola, who becomes a successful author, using her own life experiences to write her novels, leaves a lot to be desired. Her son develops into an interesting modern day character, searching for true meaning in life. Yet, it is actually death, their own or the death of someone near and dear, that brings many to discover their true meaning in life. The story is about life cycle events and consequences, about death, when it comes by surprise, when it approaches with dignity and when it is slow and withering. All of the characters are attached to this earth by their secrets, memories, and idiosyncrasies. They are all searching for a kind of freedom throughout their lives, the freedom from those thoughts that tether them to their own painful or joyous experiences, preventing them from growing and moving on.
This is a story about how our version of life’s events alters how we, then live life. Our analysis has the power not only to ruin us, but to ruin others. How others treated us, affects how we, in turn, treat others. Then that, in turn, has an effect on them and their future generations. Yes, life’s experiences have the power to ruin us, but also the power to free us. We all deteriorate physically; we weaken, shrivel and die, but that is only our physical being. The story is also about how our spirits can soar like the skylark‘s, with our hearts, minds and emotions flying free.
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LibraryThing member shazjhb
I loved the first book and appreciate the story about the bombing and the flyers. However, the characters were flat and not as interesting as the people who inhabited Life after Life. Even the ending was flat and easy to guess.
LibraryThing member alexrichman
A companion to Life After Life, and equally enjoyable; Atkinson seems to have found the sweet spot between 'literary fiction' and 'books that people actually read'. A basic description - the story of an RAF pilot and his family - does little justice as we sweep back and forwards in time from
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chapter to chapter, and sometimes paragraph to paragraph. The Todds, whom I loved in Life After Life, are complemented by two more generations of compelling characters, and the passages about the war as every bit as thrilling as they were in A God In Ruins' sister novel. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
I love Kate Atkinson, she's such a natural writer. Her characters are relatable, if not always likeable, and she fills her stories with the perfect combination of research, humour and imagery. A God In Ruins is a 'companion piece' to Life After Life, according to the author, returning to tell the
I enjoyed learning about the brave crews of the Halifax and Lancaster bombers during the Second World War - sort of Memphis Belle without the obnoxious American characters - but what really resonated for me with this novel was Teddy and his family. I felt like I knew all, and could relate to both Viola's selfish nature and Sunny and Bertie's love for their grandfather. Even the omniscient narration didn't break the spell! Telling Teddy's story in such a disjointed fashion, and from different perspectives, only reinforced the illusion that I knew these characters inside and out.
A book to savour and read again and again, definitely recommended.
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story of Ursula Todd's brother Teddy, who enlists in the RAF and survives a career in Bomber Command, marries his childhood sweetheart, produces a horrible daughter, and then takes on the care of her two neglected children. I enjoyed learning about the brave crews of the Halifax and Lancaster bombers during the Second World War - sort of Memphis Belle without the obnoxious American characters - but what really resonated for me with this novel was Teddy and his family. I felt like I knew all, and could relate to both Viola's selfish nature and Sunny and Bertie's love for their grandfather. Even the omniscient narration didn't break the spell! Telling Teddy's story in such a disjointed fashion, and from different perspectives, only reinforced the illusion that I knew these characters inside and out.
A book to savour and read again and again, definitely recommended.
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
I didn’t think it could be done….to create a book as good as its predecessor, Life After Life. But Atkinson did it! This time she focuses on Ursula Todd’s brother, Teddy. Although you need not read Ursula’s story first (Life after Life) you may find this story more complete if you have some
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background. Flashbacks to Teddy’s childhood, his World War II years as a fighter pilot, his marriage and relationships to his child and grandchildren make this book memorable. He leads no different life than many people and the ending scene of his death in a nursing home with his granddaughter by his side brought tears to my eyes. When we think we are ordinary, we just need to reread this book to find out our importance in the world. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dianekeenoy
Just could not finish, very unusual for me.
LibraryThing member Laura400
Kate Atkinson in my opinion is the best contemporary mystery writer out there, with her pessimistic world view and her quippy humor working very well in that context.
Yet, I didn't enjoy either Life After Life or A God in Ruins. A God in Ruins was less numbingly violent, at least, perhaps because
But, I also know both novels are tremendously successful, financially and critically. And of course, who am I to argue with that?
Plus, she's a very, very good writer, technically. What she does with the characters and plots, and keeping all those threads going at once, is tremendously impressive. She is so smart. I can't give either novel less than three stars, because technically they are so impressive and she's such an assured writer. But I didn't like either, and this will be the last one I'll read from her.
Because, in my opinion, both of these novels strike me as worth less and having far less heart than any of her Jackson Brodie mysteries. I don't think that makes her less of a writer, either. Sadly, I suspect, from her treatment of Teddy's daughter, that she might.
Yet, I didn't enjoy either Life After Life or A God in Ruins. A God in Ruins was less numbingly violent, at least, perhaps because
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the main character is a man. Both novels confirm for me that she seems to hate or inflict extra misery on her female characters. But both novels are too long and repetitious. And I grew to dislike in this context her sitcom style rapid-fire of humorous dialogue; it seemed misjudged and jarring in context of what's meant to be a Serious Novel about Unhappy People. Moreover, the ending of this one, though very meta-, felt almost like a slap in the face to any reader who, unlike me, had read to the end not out of duty but enjoyment.But, I also know both novels are tremendously successful, financially and critically. And of course, who am I to argue with that?
Plus, she's a very, very good writer, technically. What she does with the characters and plots, and keeping all those threads going at once, is tremendously impressive. She is so smart. I can't give either novel less than three stars, because technically they are so impressive and she's such an assured writer. But I didn't like either, and this will be the last one I'll read from her.
Because, in my opinion, both of these novels strike me as worth less and having far less heart than any of her Jackson Brodie mysteries. I don't think that makes her less of a writer, either. Sadly, I suspect, from her treatment of Teddy's daughter, that she might.
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LibraryThing member queencersei
A God in Ruins is the follow up to Kate Atkinson's superb novel Life After Life. This new book follows the journey of Ursula Todd’s younger brother Teddy. The format of A God in Ruins is quite different from the earlier work. Teddy only gets one life to live. And a dull, plodding life it is. A
The novel jumps around Teddy’s life span frequently. We go from his war experiences to his old age in the 1990’s and then back to his younger married days in the 1950’s. Sometimes the jumps herald the start of a new chapter and sometimes they seemed shoehorned in. Overall it makes it a jarring read. I loved Life After Life, but unfortunately this latest installment of the Todd family falls totally flat. Here’s hoping that we are all spared a sequel focusing on the boorish oldest Todd sibling, Maurice.
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member of the RAF in WW II, Teddy survives the war and marries Nancy, the girl next door whom he liked well enough, though certainly not passionately. The eventually have a daughter Viola. Viola is lazy, of middling intellect, opinionated without knowing any real facts and an indifferent mother to her own two children. In short she’s just the sort of person most of us try to avoid in real life and reading about her is no more pleasant. The novel jumps around Teddy’s life span frequently. We go from his war experiences to his old age in the 1990’s and then back to his younger married days in the 1950’s. Sometimes the jumps herald the start of a new chapter and sometimes they seemed shoehorned in. Overall it makes it a jarring read. I loved Life After Life, but unfortunately this latest installment of the Todd family falls totally flat. Here’s hoping that we are all spared a sequel focusing on the boorish oldest Todd sibling, Maurice.
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LibraryThing member missizicks
The companion work to Life After Life, this novel follows Teddy Todd, younger brother of Ursula Todd, through his life. It examines the immediate and long-term effects of war, and the long shadow it can cast over the families of those who served. It was 100 pages too long, and there was too much
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focus on characters I didn't care enough about (Viola, Sunny). There should have been more about Bertie. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. Show Less
LibraryThing member mmoj
I have to start out saying how much I loved Life After Life so perhaps that's why I didn't love this book - my expectations were too high. This is the story of Ursula's younger brother, Teddy. I felt that while Ursula was dynamic and interesting Teddy was rather boring. I felt sorry for him because
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he was so disengaged. He had no passion and really no depth. The story that didn't include Teddy was far more interesting than Teddy himself. There were moments of depth to Teddy but overall I want to shake him out of his apathy. I wanted to fill sorry for his daughter but she was just too nasty a piece of work. It must be hard to write a book to follow one that was so well written and engaging. Show Less
LibraryThing member mmoj
I have to start out saying how much I loved Life After Life so perhaps that's why I didn't love this book - my expectations were too high. This is the story of Ursula's younger brother, Teddy. I felt that while Ursula was dynamic and interesting Teddy was rather boring. I felt sorry for him because
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he was so disengaged. He had no passion and really no depth. The story that didn't include Teddy was far more interesting than Teddy himself. There were moments of depth to Teddy but overall I want to shake him out of his apathy. I wanted to fill sorry for his daughter but she was just too nasty a piece of work. It must be hard to write a book to follow one that was so well written and engaging. Show Less
LibraryThing member janismack
This book started out rather everywhere and confusing. The author went all over the place with the main character Teddy's life. After you got used to all the names and learned who was who, it was so worth the read. So interreresting the way the author let you discover all the personalities of the
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main characters of the story. If it hadn't been so confusing and slow in the beginning I would have given this book 5 stars for sure. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmoncton
I can completely understand the mixed reviews on this book. The pacing at the beginning is slow and the plot jumps from present to future to past with very little warning, making it hard to understand. I can see why some people abandon the book -- but stick with it! This is a companion book to Life
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After Life, Atkinson's book about Ursula Todd's and her many possible lives - another one of my favorite books. This novel is about Ursula's brother Teddy who is an RAF bomber pilot during WWII. But more than a war hero, he is also a poet, a husband, a father, and we see him in many different stages of his life. But, the story is not told in anything close to a linear fashion so in a single scene, we might see Teddy as a very old man, close to the end of his life and then as the dashing young hero of the RAF. To many people, this bizarre style of storytelling might come across as gimmicky, but once you get used to it, you can see that the order of the scenes is very deliberate and the message of who Teddy was and who he becomes really comes together. Innovative, and beautifully written, this story will really stay with me for a long time. Show Less
LibraryThing member Doondeck
Very well written. Really loved Teddy. Ending really threw me.
LibraryThing member BDartnall
** spoiler alert ** Atkinson revisits one of the characters from Life After Life, the beloved "Teddy", brother to Ursula, the narrator of that amazing story. Again the author moves back and forth throughout Teddy's life, from his early boyhood, to his "walkabout" time after college, to his marriage
I wanted so much to see Teddy (even though it's obvious through his ruminations his desire to suppress the past)- to see him get his due as one of those many stalwart men and women whose futures were altered forever by the world conflict. In his old age, his granddaughter Bertie does take him about the countryside visiting bygone places, and we recognize in their affectionate exchanges and familiarity that they mutually love and care for one another. But through all of his ups and downs, his desires and attachments, and the always present, but silent backdrop of his searing WWII battle experiences,the tone feels oddly detached or overly reserved. (While I recognize Atkinson's style follows those of other Brit writers in their precise, understated prose which somehow still conveys bigger than life heartbreak or terror or passion, I guess it didn't quite work as well with this treatment.) I think that's my key disappointment with this second go around with the Todd family and the history through which they lived and died.
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and his one daughter's life and her children, his grandchildren. Most dramatic, filled with the jargon of the Brits' RAF and WWII, he recalls vivid moments and missions as a pilot, and these sections do help in revving up the narrative pace. Perhaps because the startling time changes were no longer unexpected, the overall pace of the novel seems a bit plodding, without much tension or conflict, especially because Teddy's determined optimism and acceptance of just about everybody rules most of his narrative. He's definitely of the "stiff upper lip" old school British gentleman, but his suppression of all things to do with the war, and his heroic efforts during it, prevent those around him - including us readers- from truly appreciating the horrors and the tragedies he overcame. When I realized we weren't going to get any reincarnation experience(s) like we did w/Ursula's story (why NOT??), I kept looking for the key conflict or even emerging understanding of human nature through Teddy's eyes. His constant approach often was summed up in quiet declarations such as: "he resolved that he would try always to be kind" (330). For goodness sake, he served time in a prisoner of war camp, and yet there's not even one or two chapters intermixed with his other years- to give us a sense of his suffering? And for his lifelong friend, lover and then wife, we only get glimpses of Nancy's inner life and views of their friendship, war years, and marriage; the most sustained narrative from her comes when she discovers she has inoperable brain cancer and must soldier on until her death. How she meets "her end", was, I admit, a dramatic and heartrending scene-one of the best descriptions I've seen of this terrible disease- but this comes near the end of the novel. And long before we get to hear directly from Viola, his troubled, self-involved, and flighty daughter, we know the struggle he must've had as a widower, and a father to be both mother and father to her. The joy he has with his two grandchildren is tempered by his ongoing concerns, based on their unstable upbringing and (Sunny's) wildly rebellious young adulthood. I wanted so much to see Teddy (even though it's obvious through his ruminations his desire to suppress the past)- to see him get his due as one of those many stalwart men and women whose futures were altered forever by the world conflict. In his old age, his granddaughter Bertie does take him about the countryside visiting bygone places, and we recognize in their affectionate exchanges and familiarity that they mutually love and care for one another. But through all of his ups and downs, his desires and attachments, and the always present, but silent backdrop of his searing WWII battle experiences,the tone feels oddly detached or overly reserved. (While I recognize Atkinson's style follows those of other Brit writers in their precise, understated prose which somehow still conveys bigger than life heartbreak or terror or passion, I guess it didn't quite work as well with this treatment.) I think that's my key disappointment with this second go around with the Todd family and the history through which they lived and died.
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Awards
Women's Prize for Fiction (Longlist — 2016)
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2017)
Costa Book Awards (Shortlist — Novel — 2015)
Audie Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2016)
Scotland's National Book Awards (Shortlist — Fiction — 2015)
The British Book Industry Awards (Shortlist — Fiction — 2016)
The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction (Longlist — 2016)
NPR: Books We Love (2015)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Historical Fiction — 2015)
Christian Science Monitor Best Book (Fiction — 2015)
The Observer Book of the Year (Fiction — 2015)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015
Physical description
576 p.; 5 inches
ISBN
0552776645 / 9780552776646
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DDC/MDS
| 823.914 |