Life After Life

I'm a big fan of Kate Atkinson novels. So I was keen to see the adaptation of Life After Life. In my opinion, cast and crew have done a great job. It's a very intricate novel and I was concerned it wouldn't work on screen.

I really enjoyed it and Thomasin McKenzie is a wonderful young actress.

Having just binge watched all four episodes, this was rather enjoyable. Sure its a little confusing, and it seems that some of the "lives" in the book have been omitted, but inclusion may have over complicated. I did think the narration was necessary and understated.

Overall, well acted (the Ursula character particularly) , well made, needs concentrations and occasional rewind to catch up on missed plot lines.

Certainly worth watching and better than a lot of the drama series currently being put out.

Life After Life: A cycle of life, death and rebirth from 1910 to the 1940s. Ursula sometimes dies at birth, at times a child, a teenager, an adult. Dies from accidents, suicide, murder, a bombing victim. In one instance she changes history by assassinating a tyrant. This is indeed a tale of the Multiverse traversed by one person, But a person who starts to remember past lives, how this affects their actions and their subsequent treatment is teased out in this adventurous and engaging series. Thomasinn MacKenzie is wonderful as the teen/adult Ursula. Directed by John Crowley, Screenplay by Bathsheba Doran, adapted from the novel by Kate Atkinson. Four episodes on BBC2 amd BBC iPlayer. 8/10.

Adapted for TV from a popular novel with an intriguing premise - a protagonist continually being reborn with a chance to live her life again with different outcomes.

This was a quality drama with high production values, beautiful direction and cinematography and a fine classical score by Volker Bertelmann. The script by Bash Doran was well-crafted with lovely crisp dialogue and a well paced structure. The cast was strong in depth from the children right up to the protagonist Ursula.

Minor quibble would be the narration - a little over used but in general everyone was on song in this production, congrats all round, I loved it.

A mixed bag. Lovely sets and acting. The first episode dragged, but the second was more engaging. The third was good too, but by the fourth I was bored. Unnecessarily harrowing in places, to the point of mawkishness. But I liked the way Ursula's character changed in her different lives. Difficult to watch the mother without thinking Claire in Fleabag! 😀

I have read the book and enjoyed it very much, even if the stuff in Germany is a bit fantastical. But they changed the ending for the series!! That was a mistake - the series ending is a letdown. I won't give away what it should have been, but it means they can't make an adaptation of the sequel, A God in Ruins, which to my mind is actually a better book.