None
way more of the nitty-gritty of war from the soldier's perspective than her other books
English language
Published June 21, 2015
A God in Ruins (Todd Family, #2)
4 stars
(8 reviews)
A God in Ruins is Kate Atkinson's ninth novel, published in 2015. The main character, Teddy Todd is the younger brother of Ursula Todd, the protagonist in Atkinson's 2013 novel, Life After Life. Atkinson calls it the "companion piece" rather than a sequel to the earlier novel. The first book spans half a century, including World War II; the second is set entirely within it. It won the Costa Book Award for Novel in 2015.
Jamie reviewed A God in Ruins (Todd Family, #2) by Kate Atkinson
Review of 'A God in Ruins (Todd Family, #2)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I was prepared to complain pretty bitterly about this book, especially after having loved Life After Life. The first 90% of this novel seems like all the gloomy bits the editor removed from the first novel, which is saying a lot because Life After Life contains a lot Death After Death, of course.
A God in Ruins seemed to exist merely to instruct us on why all of the characters in Life After Life were so fond of Teddy - something the first novel never really got across. But then, it got better. The emotional charge is entirely back-loaded but worth a read to get to.
Didactylos reviewed A God in Ruins (Todd Family, #2) by Kate Atkinson
Review of 'A God in Ruins (Todd Family, #2)' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
An amazing book, the narrative strands are cleverly woven together and criss-cross at times with stunning and dramatic effect. A book that is comic and tragic, a book that deserves to be reread for its profundity. Brilliantly portrayed and peopled by incredibly rounded characters. A delight.
Review of 'A God in Ruins (Todd Family, #2)' on 'Storygraph'
3 stars
This was disappointing. As always, the writing was fantastic. But I was not at all interested in the story. Teddy was just...bleh. I was not vested in his view of things at all. This was simply not the book for me.
