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Publication
A Shannon Ravenel Book (2013), Hardcover, 352 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML: Award-winning author Jill McCorkle takes us on a splendid journey through time and memory in this, her tenth work of fiction. Life After Life is filled with a sense of wonder at our capacity for self-discovery at any age. And the residents, staff, and neighbors of the Pine Haven retirement center (from twelve-year-old Abby to eighty-five-year-old Sadie) share some of life's most profound discoveries and are some of the most true-to-life characters that you are ever likely to meet in fiction. Delivered with her trademark wit, Jill McCorkle's constantly surprising novel illuminates the possibilities of second chances, hope, and rediscovering life right up to the very end. She has conjured an entire community that reminds us that grace and magic can�and do�appear when we least expect it..… (more)
Media reviews
In its quiet way, “Life After Life,” McCorkle’s sixth novel, is a daring venture — an attempt to tell a big story inside a tiny orbit. At the Pine Haven retirement center in the author’s familiar, fictional Fulton, N.C., dinner is finished early, which is fine with sunny Sadie, “who
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likes to watch ‘Jeopardy’ in her pajamas.” Other occupants are less delighted with the place: crusty Toby, a retired schoolteacher, repairs to her room, “haunted by little past moments,” and Rachel, once a lawyer up North, sniffs at Southern manners and sweet tea, succumbing to “a wave of time sickness” for her former life.
The prospect of spending hours among these people might seem tedious to a reader not having to bunk at Pine Haven himself (“Who in the hell wants dinner at 5:30?” as feisty Rachel complains), but McCorkle is a poet of the everyday. Show Less
The book — released a week before Kate Atkinson's novel of the same title — revolves around characters linked in different ways to Pine Haven, a retirement center in Fulton, N.C. Chapters alternate between bits of narrative and short pieces about various characters' deaths written from two
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points of view — that of a hospice volunteer and that of the deceased.
As grim and morbid as this sounds, it's not. McCorkle's writing is tender and warm and funny, not sad. Show Less
Amid a literary landscape increasingly rife with metafictional and postmodern high jinks, Jill McCorkle's sixth novel, Life After Life, is as resolutely down to earth and unpretentious as the hot-dog franchise owned by one of her characters.
If parts of the novel read like a needlepoint sampler, other parts read like needlepoint graffiti.
User reviews
LibraryThing member astridnr
I began reading Life After Life and was not sure that I was going to be able to deal with the subject matter, having lived through my mother's dementia, experiences in assisted living, and ultimately, her passing. The characters in the book make the subject matter more palatable. In fact, McCorkle
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manages to weave a story that is really as much about life as it is about death. In so doing, she gave me space to ponder the events in my own life in a new context. This was a meaningful book. I know that in the days to come I will be returning to it in my mind. The characters' lives are cleverly intertwined. We are allowed to view a person's life from different vantage points, which I found fascinating. Joanna, a hospice worker, documents each passing in her diary, from her viewpoint. Then we are given insight into that particular person's state of mind at the moment of death. We may meet a character in the Pine Haven Estates assisted living facility and form an opinion about them. Yet, later in the book we see them in a completely different context, as they once were, and find greater compassion and understanding for them. There is an endearing thirteen-year-old named Abby, who visits the retirement home daily. Her presence in the book is essential in providing balance. The book deals with family issues, infidelity, insecurity, loss, love, friendship, hope and aging. I am so happy to have read it and am very grateful for the gift of this early reviewer's edition. Show Less
LibraryThing member -Cee-
At first I thought a reader’s age would determine, at least partially, their reaction to this book. However, as I think more about it, I realize there is an enormous age range of characters in this book – each with a unique personal struggle in life and with death. So, the appeal is wider than
The first half of the book was difficult for me to keep the characters straight. This annoyance was slight and eventually straightened itself out. Another bothersome occurrence was McCorkle’s occasional writing about something that assumes the reader knows something that has not yet been presented. With patience that too becomes clear as you keep reading. It becomes a mental exercise.
Chapters alternately focus on individuals from various viewpoints. The main character, Joanna, is a hospice worker with a heartbreaking story of her own. A strong, likable person who reaches out to others, she tries to make sense out of her relationships and her own purpose in life. This book is rich in its portrayal of people who come across very realistically.
Events are interwoven among the residents in a small southern town where everyone knows everyone, and revolve around Pine Haven - a retirement home. It felt like the center of a small universe. So much emotional depth… my heart was wrung out by the end of the book.
I did not find much humor in this novel. Personally, I felt more pain and sorrow flowing throughout and most of that feeling came from recognizing the struggles in all of us. Not a book of joy, it was nevertheless saturated with love, contentment, and giving. Many end-of-life accounts and speculative inner thoughts from deathbeds are scattered in the book. McCorkle handles them with great sensitivity and thoughtfulness.
I did not like the ending at all which seemed ill fitting to the rest of the book. It did not take anything away from the body of the story – too abrupt and not quite right. I would not consider this book a tear-jerker. It is more like the recognition of life’s troubles and how they are individually resolved. Or not.
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what would be expected at first glance.The first half of the book was difficult for me to keep the characters straight. This annoyance was slight and eventually straightened itself out. Another bothersome occurrence was McCorkle’s occasional writing about something that assumes the reader knows something that has not yet been presented. With patience that too becomes clear as you keep reading. It becomes a mental exercise.
Chapters alternately focus on individuals from various viewpoints. The main character, Joanna, is a hospice worker with a heartbreaking story of her own. A strong, likable person who reaches out to others, she tries to make sense out of her relationships and her own purpose in life. This book is rich in its portrayal of people who come across very realistically.
Events are interwoven among the residents in a small southern town where everyone knows everyone, and revolve around Pine Haven - a retirement home. It felt like the center of a small universe. So much emotional depth… my heart was wrung out by the end of the book.
I did not find much humor in this novel. Personally, I felt more pain and sorrow flowing throughout and most of that feeling came from recognizing the struggles in all of us. Not a book of joy, it was nevertheless saturated with love, contentment, and giving. Many end-of-life accounts and speculative inner thoughts from deathbeds are scattered in the book. McCorkle handles them with great sensitivity and thoughtfulness.
I did not like the ending at all which seemed ill fitting to the rest of the book. It did not take anything away from the body of the story – too abrupt and not quite right. I would not consider this book a tear-jerker. It is more like the recognition of life’s troubles and how they are individually resolved. Or not.
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LibraryThing member Kimaoverstreet
A beautifully written, character-driven Southern novel that follows the lives of some of the residents and staff of the Pine Haven Retirement Center during the course of about a week (with a lot of remembering thrown in). Chapters alternate back and forth from the vantage points of well imagined,
When I started reading, I was expecting a cozy sort of ultimately life affirming novel about aging like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, but Life After Life didn't fit that mold, and is indeed in a class all its own. It faces hard truths about aging and human nature head on and would definitely fuel some interesting book club discussions. I just finished reading and am confident this story and these characters will stay in my thoughts for some time.
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richly drawn characters with intersecting storylines. When I started reading, I was expecting a cozy sort of ultimately life affirming novel about aging like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, but Life After Life didn't fit that mold, and is indeed in a class all its own. It faces hard truths about aging and human nature head on and would definitely fuel some interesting book club discussions. I just finished reading and am confident this story and these characters will stay in my thoughts for some time.
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LibraryThing member morningwalker
Pine Haven Retirement Center is a nursing home in a small southern town and this is the story of a handful of the residents and the people associated with them. Each chapter focuses on a different character. The beginning is used to tell each character's story and the end is used to bring their
Mixed in with the residents' stories are the people they come in contact with at the home. Joanna, the former local girl who escaped the small town gossip, only to return as a hospice worker to care for her dad at the end and evaluate her life choices. Abby, the little girl next door who escapes her arguing parents and spends most of her time visiting the residents at the home and the cemetery next door, and C.J. the young unwed mother who dresses in punk style and gives the residents manicures and pedicures and reads their palms.
The characters and the events that link their lives don't seem to be related until the end when the author successfully brings them together and subtly gives the reader some of the answers. However, all is not divulged, and while just enough answers are given for a successful ending, and the reader can easily imagine the unwritten future of the characters, it seems a sequel could easily follow.
This isn't just a story about the elderly and death, but a story about life in general. Everyone has a past and everyone has an unknown future and this author reminds us of those facts.
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stories together and entwine their lives. Among the residents are Toby, a hinted at, but never really divulged lesbian, Stanley, a former town lawyer with dementia(?), Sadie, a sweet peacemaking former 3rd grade teacher who uses scissors, Polaroids and glue sticks to create memories for people that never really happened, and a former lady lawyer who left her hometown in New England to live the rest of her days in her former lover's hometown.Mixed in with the residents' stories are the people they come in contact with at the home. Joanna, the former local girl who escaped the small town gossip, only to return as a hospice worker to care for her dad at the end and evaluate her life choices. Abby, the little girl next door who escapes her arguing parents and spends most of her time visiting the residents at the home and the cemetery next door, and C.J. the young unwed mother who dresses in punk style and gives the residents manicures and pedicures and reads their palms.
The characters and the events that link their lives don't seem to be related until the end when the author successfully brings them together and subtly gives the reader some of the answers. However, all is not divulged, and while just enough answers are given for a successful ending, and the reader can easily imagine the unwritten future of the characters, it seems a sequel could easily follow.
This isn't just a story about the elderly and death, but a story about life in general. Everyone has a past and everyone has an unknown future and this author reminds us of those facts.
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LibraryThing member LizzieD
Jill McCorkle doesn't write "great" literature, not even "very good" literature. In the ranks of the "good," however, Life After Life is excellent. It is set in Fulton, North Carolina, Jill's hometown and my own as filtered through the creative spark of the novelist. Specifically, it is set in Pine
Joanna is a hospice volunteer who sits with the dying and listens and records their summings up of their lives - what they love, what they regret, what is important to them, who they were. She comes with a lot of experiential baggage of her own which she has learned to handle. C.J. is a young woman with a baby born out of wedlock, who runs the beauty salon at the facility and helps Joanna with her father's business. The residents whom we meet are in the "assisted living" section with one exception - two school teachers and two lawyers. And there is Abby, a twelve year-old who finds in the grandmotherly Sadie the support that she doesn't receive from her parents.
We meet some dementia and witness several deaths as these folks live and reflect on what is important for living. It's a quiet book, and I agree that a plot twist near the end is gratuitously violent and unnecessary. Otherwise, I was happy to spend time with these people and maybe will appreciate them when I meet them in real life more than I might have before I read the book.
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Haven, a retirement community/nursing home, among the residents and a couple of the people who work with them.Joanna is a hospice volunteer who sits with the dying and listens and records their summings up of their lives - what they love, what they regret, what is important to them, who they were. She comes with a lot of experiential baggage of her own which she has learned to handle. C.J. is a young woman with a baby born out of wedlock, who runs the beauty salon at the facility and helps Joanna with her father's business. The residents whom we meet are in the "assisted living" section with one exception - two school teachers and two lawyers. And there is Abby, a twelve year-old who finds in the grandmotherly Sadie the support that she doesn't receive from her parents.
We meet some dementia and witness several deaths as these folks live and reflect on what is important for living. It's a quiet book, and I agree that a plot twist near the end is gratuitously violent and unnecessary. Otherwise, I was happy to spend time with these people and maybe will appreciate them when I meet them in real life more than I might have before I read the book.
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LibraryThing member 2LZ
Many thanks to librarything.com for sending me an advanced copy of Life After Life by Jill McCorkle.
After finishing Life after Life by Jill McCorkle I waited a few days before writing this review because I wanted to provide a thoughtful opinion. I have the greatest respect for those who write and
Was there nothing about growing older that the author felt touching or heartwarming or worth sharing? Must each chapter be more depressing than the last? Is life that disappointing? I thought reading about a retirement community would have been appealing for so many reasons. Aren't the elderly our greatest resource? Aren't they the voice of reason for the next generation? It must be difficult to get old, but can't life be fulfilling and enjoyable no matter the age? With a few exceptions, each resident, staff worker and visitor had so many regrets. This reader needed a more hopeful story, instead it felt hopeless.
After finishing Life after Life by Jill McCorkle I waited a few days before writing this review because I wanted to provide a thoughtful opinion. I have the greatest respect for those who write and
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create art through words, and that is why I struggled to write this review. I anticipated really liking this novel, but I just didn't. I found it disturbing how Ms. McCorkle depicted the elderly residents of the Pine Haven Retirement Center. Equally distressing was the way she represented life itself. The residents and the staff were unhappy, dissatisfied, lonely people. The novel alternated perspectives, each chapter being told by a different character. Various characters revealed their stories ranging from a Hospice caseworker, the center's beautician, a young girl who visited the center, and the residents themselves, just to name a few. Despite alternating perspectives, the chapters weren't necessarily told in the first person which was difficult to follow. In the beginning, there were too many names to keep track of which added to the confusion. Additionally, it was difficult to like many of the characters.Was there nothing about growing older that the author felt touching or heartwarming or worth sharing? Must each chapter be more depressing than the last? Is life that disappointing? I thought reading about a retirement community would have been appealing for so many reasons. Aren't the elderly our greatest resource? Aren't they the voice of reason for the next generation? It must be difficult to get old, but can't life be fulfilling and enjoyable no matter the age? With a few exceptions, each resident, staff worker and visitor had so many regrets. This reader needed a more hopeful story, instead it felt hopeless.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Joanna is a hospice volunteer, working with the dying and their families to ease them through the final days. She works closely with the residents of Pine Haven, a retirement community, and other families in town. She records her thoughts about each person's life in a journal. Through Joanna, Jill
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McCorkle introduces character after character, from seniors nearing the end of their lives to retirement home employees to a twelve-year-old girl and her dog. And every single one had a convoluted personal story. The novel rapidly became a dog's breakfast of detail and stereotype. Some of the stories had promise, but were left hanging. Then, out of nowhere, a secondary character took center stage for the climax, resulting in events that were implausible due to poor character development. It was a disappointing ending to a disappointing book. Show Less
LibraryThing member theeccentriclady
Jill does a wonderful job portraying each of her character’s strengths, weaknesses and secrets. And as she connects their lives through their present circumstances, their past, and in some cases, through their deaths, she celebrates the blessings and wisdom of later life and infuses this
Getting to know the residents of Pine Haven Estates gives you plenty of chuckles as well as a chance to see the different way people see life and how they handle their later years. A young girl , Abby, seeking companionship at the nearby assisted living community warms your heart and her family infuriates you. The things these residents teach Joanna and the stories of the dying patients she help pass as a hospice worker show how important the task of care giver can be. It also shows us that older people have a lot to teach us and living doesn’t end until your last breath. I enjoyed the various personal stories of each character’s life and the story line that brings them together.
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remarkable novel with hope and laughter.Getting to know the residents of Pine Haven Estates gives you plenty of chuckles as well as a chance to see the different way people see life and how they handle their later years. A young girl , Abby, seeking companionship at the nearby assisted living community warms your heart and her family infuriates you. The things these residents teach Joanna and the stories of the dying patients she help pass as a hospice worker show how important the task of care giver can be. It also shows us that older people have a lot to teach us and living doesn’t end until your last breath. I enjoyed the various personal stories of each character’s life and the story line that brings them together.
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LibraryThing member Jim53
Jill McCorkle's first novel in 17 years brings us back to the small town of Fulton, NC, the site of her previous novel, Carolina Moon. It is set both in the town and in its retirement community, Pine Haven. The primary character is Joanna, a hospice volunteer who keeps a notebook about the people
The characters fall, for the most part, into two groups: Joanna's contemporaries, including Ben, who was her friend growing up, and their families; and the residents of Pine Haven. It should be noted that these are the most capable of its residents; they seem to be coming to meals on their own, and there is no description of their requiring much help with daily living. They might have ailments that we don't see, but some could apparently be living on their own if they chose. One result of this is that we see very little of any nursing staff or other caregivers, other than Joanna and CJ the beautician.
McCorkle does a nice job of drawing the characters. We get to where we can guess what one will say next. She sets them up for surprises and challenges to the way they've thought about their lives. This gives them a chance to show what they're really made of as they deal with disillusionment or disappointment.
Things come to a head for several characters near the end of the book. Two of the seniors help each other deal with their situations, and several of the town's residents must deal adjust to plans falling through. An attractive character is apparently murdered, and several other stories are left hanging. One is left to ponder how they'll react to new events and whether they'll be able to follow through with plans and fantasies.
There are a couple of references to Carolina Moon, and one character seems to be the son of one of its characters. These links are lagniappe, however, and a lack of familiarity with the previous book does not detract from the pleasure of Life After Life.
Overall I found the book quite satisfying. The characters are nicely detailed and some are quite interesting people. Joanna's backstory gives us one character with more history and depth than the others. Some readers have apparently found this novel depressing, but I did not. There is a realistic emphasis on things not turning out as we expect, but we also see several characters making the best of their situations, so overall I would call it hopeful.
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whom she helps as they die. We also see brief (two-pages or so) sections from the point of view of the person who has just died; I didn't know if these were their final thoughts, post-mortem musings, or something else; they did provide interesting insights into the characters, some of whom we met only in this way.The characters fall, for the most part, into two groups: Joanna's contemporaries, including Ben, who was her friend growing up, and their families; and the residents of Pine Haven. It should be noted that these are the most capable of its residents; they seem to be coming to meals on their own, and there is no description of their requiring much help with daily living. They might have ailments that we don't see, but some could apparently be living on their own if they chose. One result of this is that we see very little of any nursing staff or other caregivers, other than Joanna and CJ the beautician.
McCorkle does a nice job of drawing the characters. We get to where we can guess what one will say next. She sets them up for surprises and challenges to the way they've thought about their lives. This gives them a chance to show what they're really made of as they deal with disillusionment or disappointment.
Things come to a head for several characters near the end of the book. Two of the seniors help each other deal with their situations, and several of the town's residents must deal adjust to plans falling through. An attractive character is apparently murdered, and several other stories are left hanging. One is left to ponder how they'll react to new events and whether they'll be able to follow through with plans and fantasies.
There are a couple of references to Carolina Moon, and one character seems to be the son of one of its characters. These links are lagniappe, however, and a lack of familiarity with the previous book does not detract from the pleasure of Life After Life.
Overall I found the book quite satisfying. The characters are nicely detailed and some are quite interesting people. Joanna's backstory gives us one character with more history and depth than the others. Some readers have apparently found this novel depressing, but I did not. There is a realistic emphasis on things not turning out as we expect, but we also see several characters making the best of their situations, so overall I would call it hopeful.
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LibraryThing member CarolO
The small town vibe certainly rings true for me in Life after Life. The story builds layers through a collection of short memoirs that revolve around the hospice worker Joanna and the Pine Haven Retirement Facility. The characters were a little over the top but still were developed enough to be
I’m still not sure what to think about the chapters written by the recently departed. Is it their deathbed experience? Is it their voice from the afterlife?
I wish that more of the loose ends had been tied up at the end of the book. But life tends to have loose ends.
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believable. My favorite is recently widowed Stanley, who thinks his son is avoiding life by moving in with and caring for him, forcing his son to move on by pretending to have dementia and moving into Pine Haven. I’m still not sure what to think about the chapters written by the recently departed. Is it their deathbed experience? Is it their voice from the afterlife?
I wish that more of the loose ends had been tied up at the end of the book. But life tends to have loose ends.
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LibraryThing member CandyH
I appreciate receiving this book from LibraryThing, but it definitely is not my kind of reading. I really struggled to finish this depressing book about the residents of Pine Haven Estates. There truly is no need to write such things about people even if it is how they live their lives. There are
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many good things out there truly worth reading and this is not one of them. I would not recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member fglass
I found it difficult to stay with this book. The characters are richly drawn but in too sporadic a way for me. Each episode of character development grows the way one would see a Monet by standing very close to it and then slowly drawing back until the full picture appears and congeals for you.
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But, it’s at that point that you are taken to another character to continue their story, and from up close again. When I say up close, it’s that feeling of being too near the Monet, and only seeing who and what is before us by slowing drawing back. Show Less
LibraryThing member KayeBarley
I'm a huge fan of Jill McCorkle's and was worried that I might never see another novel written by her.
LIFE AFTER LIFE was worth waiting all those years for.
It will, I think, resonate with readers who are, life myself, "of a certain age." Some passages were hard to read, but touched my heart. Many
I'll be recommending this book to friends and family for a long time to come.
LIFE AFTER LIFE was worth waiting all those years for.
It will, I think, resonate with readers who are, life myself, "of a certain age." Some passages were hard to read, but touched my heart. Many
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passage brought great joy. I'll be recommending this book to friends and family for a long time to come.
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LibraryThing member claudiaannett
The best thing about the book was the description of small town North Carolina life, where you have a fixed identity and interact with the same people throughout your life. Cj was the strongest character, very real and like able. The worst thing about it was the lack of continuity... Like a lot of
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modern novels, it skips from character to character and past to present. I just prefer a story with a single storyline. Show Less
LibraryThing member CelticLibrarian
3.5 out of 5 stars - You live on as long as there is someone alive who still remembers you.
Pine Haven Retirement Center is the final stop on life's journey for most of the residents there. They live out their days with only a little interest and awareness of current events in the outside world --
This interesting novel was slow to get into, but once the reader had met all the characters, the story evolved into something very poignant and memorable. I liked it but I am left with vague feelings of disquiet and sadness after finishing.
Pine Haven Retirement Center is the final stop on life's journey for most of the residents there. They live out their days with only a little interest and awareness of current events in the outside world --
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other than what lives on in complete detail in their memories. This is a "beautiful exploration of life and death" through the eyes of the various characters who make up the staff and residents of this facility in Fulton, North Carolina. Despite the fact that most are nearing death, they find in each other that there is still the potential and need for self-discovery. As they sit by the television, eat in the dining room, or participate in the center's activities, their interaction provides insight into what WAS true of their lives compared to what was hoped for or wanted. Each has a story to tell. But some might not really be telling the truth or giving an accurate picture of who they were. In addition, there is family to deal with, petty squabbles and jealousies among the residents that create conflicts, and a little girl who visits because her parents are always fighting and she loves the Center and the people who live there. The death stories of some are revealed.This interesting novel was slow to get into, but once the reader had met all the characters, the story evolved into something very poignant and memorable. I liked it but I am left with vague feelings of disquiet and sadness after finishing.
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LibraryThing member rglossne
This is the first book I have read by Jill McCorkle, but I think I will seek out her earlier work. I found this to be an insightful and powerful novel about people facing death, and life; about learning what really matters after all; about the many forms that love can take, at any age. The
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characters were (mostly) well written and believable. Her only misstep, I think, was Kendra, Abby's mother. She was simply too over the top evil and self absorbed for me to believe. The retirement home residents, and the young girl Abby, Joanna the hospice volunteer, and CJ are all characters I am happy to have met. Read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member WKinsey
I really wanted to like this book. I loved the idea of a story that involved seniors, relationships and a coming of age tale but I just couldn't get into the story line.It slow to set up the characters. It wasn't the kind of book that grabbed you at page one and wouldn't let you.
LibraryThing member juniperSun
Very interesting characters. My first contact with McCorkle's novels, it kept me reading straight thru. Chapters following the lives of various residents of Fulton, NC are interspersed with coupled chapters (Joanne's hospice notes on her patients' last day and the dying thoughts of each person she
Review based on an Early Reviewers' copy.
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cared for). I didn't get the intended effect of feeling "the precarious line between life and death" but just read these as random insets into the action of the novel. I had really hoped for more character development by Joanne, since she was who we were first introduced to, but it seems Rachel and Stanley are the only 2 who move on to more than they started. Well, we do hear of Joanne's personal growth in the past, but the other characters seem to be stuck in their roles.Review based on an Early Reviewers' copy.
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LibraryThing member AudrieClifford
It is probably a failing on my part that I didn't understand everything in this book. Although I am a writer, I don't claim to know anything about literature, so this is possibly a better book than my rating would lead you to believe. In my opinion, the format was unusual and confusing. Some of the
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characters seemed very real and their chapters were well-written. Others, much less so. The book was not as good as I expected, and I don't intend to keep it. Show Less
LibraryThing member readaholic12
Life After Life, by Jill McCorkle is one of those rare novels with characters and lives fully realized and stories so bittersweet that I remain haunted by them days after I finished reading the book. This is my first book by this author, and I am certain to seek out her earlier works to read
The interwoven stories and lives of the members of a small southern town, the residents of a retirement community and the hospice worker who helps them not only to die, but to live on in her memories is deeply touching and authentic. Maybe I am of the right age to appreciate this novel and the thoughts it inspires, but I think the author has done an outstanding job of creating an original look at the beauty and sadness of living and dying, mostly on your own terms. There is also much to consider about the notions of perspective and perception, as the characters' secrets and motivations are revealed through the eyes of the narrator, the hospice volunteer and the characters themselves.
I was not pleased with the almost abrupt ending of the story, and specifically the ending of one particular character, but I enjoyed reading this book very much. It flows at a quick pace and there were times when I struggled to keep the many characters straight, but every time I slowed down and let the lives and memories and words sink in, I found myself deeply moved by the truths revealed about life and death and loss. This is not a book to be read lightly, but with care. There are so many memorable characters and so much great writing that I did not want this book to end, and I only wished for more of the unresolved story lines to be finished. I know that this author's words and her characters will remain in my memory for a long time.
"The longest and most expensive journey you will ever take is the one to yourself."
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next.The interwoven stories and lives of the members of a small southern town, the residents of a retirement community and the hospice worker who helps them not only to die, but to live on in her memories is deeply touching and authentic. Maybe I am of the right age to appreciate this novel and the thoughts it inspires, but I think the author has done an outstanding job of creating an original look at the beauty and sadness of living and dying, mostly on your own terms. There is also much to consider about the notions of perspective and perception, as the characters' secrets and motivations are revealed through the eyes of the narrator, the hospice volunteer and the characters themselves.
I was not pleased with the almost abrupt ending of the story, and specifically the ending of one particular character, but I enjoyed reading this book very much. It flows at a quick pace and there were times when I struggled to keep the many characters straight, but every time I slowed down and let the lives and memories and words sink in, I found myself deeply moved by the truths revealed about life and death and loss. This is not a book to be read lightly, but with care. There are so many memorable characters and so much great writing that I did not want this book to end, and I only wished for more of the unresolved story lines to be finished. I know that this author's words and her characters will remain in my memory for a long time.
"The longest and most expensive journey you will ever take is the one to yourself."
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LibraryThing member msbaba
Life After Life, by Jill McCorkle is an alluring, subtle, character-driven novel on the theme of life as illusion. The book revolves around Pine Haven Estates, a multi-tiered retirement community in small-town Fulton, North Carolina. Over the course of the novel, we meet a unique collection of
McCorkle is an amazing craftsman at developing authentic characters and there are many here in this book to enjoy. That is ultimately the best reason to read this novel: to become immersed in a completely real world…to savor the magnificent richness of ordinary life. But unfortunately, there is a type of claustrophobia that descends after a reader has spent a lot of hours involved with these characters. This is a small community, in a small town, in countryside of North Carolina. Think about that before you chose to open the covers of this book. After all, you will be with these characters, in this community, for a fairly long time.
In many ways, this book could have been a masterpiece, but for me, it slipped from five to four stars for the following reasons. First, it was just too slow. Yes, it was funny and these characters were marvelously normal and delightfully quirky, but that did not make for a compelling novel. I almost gave up on it twice. Second, it often left me feeling uncomfortably claustrophobic. Third, for a book filled with an impressive array of wholly three-dimensional characters, I found it totally inexcusable that some fairly important characters—for example young Abbey’s monstrous villain of a mother—were glaringly stereotypical. How could McCorkle do this? It was totally jarring, snapping me right out of the reading trance like a pistol shot. Finally, I had problems with the end; it was way too melodramatic for a book with such a serious theme.
This book is very good, but it could have been much better. McCorkle has enormous talent and much is on display here. But the book feels uneven. I wonder if McCorkle just gave up on this novel after so many years of working on it and perhaps put some parts of it together with haste.
Despite these shortcomings, I sincerely recommend Life after Life to those who enjoy character-driven novels as well as those who love novels that deal with weighty themes about the nature of life.
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fascinating characters. We view their past lives through their eyes as a collection of beloved memories. We also listen in on their current thoughts and witness their daily experiences. Slowly, we grasp the delicate dissonance between reality and illusion. We see life at Pine Haven—as it may be for most of us as we enter that last phase of our lives—as a perpetually morphing shadowland of life after life…mostly illusion, but necessarily so in the overall scheme of things.McCorkle is an amazing craftsman at developing authentic characters and there are many here in this book to enjoy. That is ultimately the best reason to read this novel: to become immersed in a completely real world…to savor the magnificent richness of ordinary life. But unfortunately, there is a type of claustrophobia that descends after a reader has spent a lot of hours involved with these characters. This is a small community, in a small town, in countryside of North Carolina. Think about that before you chose to open the covers of this book. After all, you will be with these characters, in this community, for a fairly long time.
In many ways, this book could have been a masterpiece, but for me, it slipped from five to four stars for the following reasons. First, it was just too slow. Yes, it was funny and these characters were marvelously normal and delightfully quirky, but that did not make for a compelling novel. I almost gave up on it twice. Second, it often left me feeling uncomfortably claustrophobic. Third, for a book filled with an impressive array of wholly three-dimensional characters, I found it totally inexcusable that some fairly important characters—for example young Abbey’s monstrous villain of a mother—were glaringly stereotypical. How could McCorkle do this? It was totally jarring, snapping me right out of the reading trance like a pistol shot. Finally, I had problems with the end; it was way too melodramatic for a book with such a serious theme.
This book is very good, but it could have been much better. McCorkle has enormous talent and much is on display here. But the book feels uneven. I wonder if McCorkle just gave up on this novel after so many years of working on it and perhaps put some parts of it together with haste.
Despite these shortcomings, I sincerely recommend Life after Life to those who enjoy character-driven novels as well as those who love novels that deal with weighty themes about the nature of life.
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LibraryThing member Mooose
Not a fluffy book at all so if you're looking for that move on. As the title says, this book deals with life after life after life. A lot of lives are dealt with in this book and, while some may have trouble keeping characters straight in their head, I didn't have any issues with it. Just like in
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the real world, some characters are likable, some are not, but most people have moments on both sides of the spectrum. It was an engaging novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member tangledthread
It's an odd quirk of the publishing world that Jill McCorkle's book, Life After Life was released just a week before Kate Atkinson's book by the same name. I hope that the confusion doesn't cause McCorkle's book to be overlooked.
The author uses the setting of a multi-stage retirement home of Pine
There are several narrative threads in the book:
One deals with Joanna and C.J. Joanna, in her mid-40's, is a native of Fulton who left (escaped) town in her late teens and has returned home after three marriages to care for her dying father. Her mantra is "the longest and most expensive journey you will ever make is the one to yourself". Her job at Pine Haven is a hospice worker who serves as "a bridge between two places - the past and the present -- the before and the after." Her notebook pages about those she has cared for appear in the book, often followed by a short narrative in the voice of the deceased, a bit like Spoon River Anthology.
Joanna is friend and mentor to C.J. a 26 year old "punk, pierced, and tattooed with a baby boy whose father she won't dicuss" who works at Pine Haven as a beautician. She does hair, manicures, and pedicures in a loving way. C.J.'s life has been hard, including her mother's suicide when she was still in school. Joanna and C.J. have shared their stories, many (tho' not all) of their secrets including an exchange about "if anything ever happens to me".....
Another thread deals with Abby, a 12 year old girl who is suffering the loss of her dog, Dollbaby; the effects of a frustrated, selfish mother, Kendra, and an inept "Southern boy" father, Ben. Abby often seeks refuge at Pine Haven, especially with Sadie, the woman who has taught third grade just about everyone in town, and has a business in the nursing home helping to others to realize thwarted dreams.
The remaining cast of characters include:
Stanley, a retired lawyer who carries out his own brand of theatrics in the nursing home for his own reasons, and also knows most of the long time residents of Fulton. Rachel, a retired Jewish lawyer from Massachusetts who has come to Pine Haven to recover the essence of an unfulfilled romance. Toby, a retired high school literature teacher and lesbian. And Marge, the widow of the town judge who keeps a scrapbook of true crime in the region.
The author uses poetic, descriptive language to describe emotions, events and memories. She is a southern woman writer who spent much of her adulthood in New England and this provides keen insight into the characters and culture conveyed in the novel. She is able to convey a Southern sensibility as well as a Northern perspective on that sensibility (mostly through the character of Rachel).
There is a lot packed into this book. It's the kind of story that calls back to the reader long after reaching the end of the story.
Disclosure: I received this book as an Early Reviewers Selection through Library Thing. And though a review is requested as part of the program, the opinion and content of the review is entirely my own.
The author uses the setting of a multi-stage retirement home of Pine
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Haven in Fulton, North Carolina as a back drop similar to Thornton Wilder's Our Town. The chapters are mostly written in differing points of view of the various characters with a delightful and well drawn range of personalities.There are several narrative threads in the book:
One deals with Joanna and C.J. Joanna, in her mid-40's, is a native of Fulton who left (escaped) town in her late teens and has returned home after three marriages to care for her dying father. Her mantra is "the longest and most expensive journey you will ever make is the one to yourself". Her job at Pine Haven is a hospice worker who serves as "a bridge between two places - the past and the present -- the before and the after." Her notebook pages about those she has cared for appear in the book, often followed by a short narrative in the voice of the deceased, a bit like Spoon River Anthology.
Joanna is friend and mentor to C.J. a 26 year old "punk, pierced, and tattooed with a baby boy whose father she won't dicuss" who works at Pine Haven as a beautician. She does hair, manicures, and pedicures in a loving way. C.J.'s life has been hard, including her mother's suicide when she was still in school. Joanna and C.J. have shared their stories, many (tho' not all) of their secrets including an exchange about "if anything ever happens to me".....
Another thread deals with Abby, a 12 year old girl who is suffering the loss of her dog, Dollbaby; the effects of a frustrated, selfish mother, Kendra, and an inept "Southern boy" father, Ben. Abby often seeks refuge at Pine Haven, especially with Sadie, the woman who has taught third grade just about everyone in town, and has a business in the nursing home helping to others to realize thwarted dreams.
The remaining cast of characters include:
Stanley, a retired lawyer who carries out his own brand of theatrics in the nursing home for his own reasons, and also knows most of the long time residents of Fulton. Rachel, a retired Jewish lawyer from Massachusetts who has come to Pine Haven to recover the essence of an unfulfilled romance. Toby, a retired high school literature teacher and lesbian. And Marge, the widow of the town judge who keeps a scrapbook of true crime in the region.
The author uses poetic, descriptive language to describe emotions, events and memories. She is a southern woman writer who spent much of her adulthood in New England and this provides keen insight into the characters and culture conveyed in the novel. She is able to convey a Southern sensibility as well as a Northern perspective on that sensibility (mostly through the character of Rachel).
There is a lot packed into this book. It's the kind of story that calls back to the reader long after reaching the end of the story.
Disclosure: I received this book as an Early Reviewers Selection through Library Thing. And though a review is requested as part of the program, the opinion and content of the review is entirely my own.
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LibraryThing member debnance
One of my constant worries as a reader is that a beloved author will disappoint. It is especially true when the beloved author hasn’t published anything in a long, long time. Jill McCorkle is one such author for me and I must say that I was very, very worried that her new book, Life After Life,
Life After Life takes place in a nursing home. All the characters live in the nursing home or work in the nursing home or have family or friends in the nursing home. Death is a silent character in every story in this book. You can see Death, waiting down the hall, sitting on the bed, at times hovering over and carrying our characters away, and that gives the stories resonance. Unlike other books with younger characters, the characters in Life After Life often greet Death, welcome Death, like a beloved friend; Death in these stories is no longer the enemy.
I liked this book a lot, but you should know that I’m at a place in my life where Death is visiting more and more of my family and friends. I’m not sure the stories would have the same impact for those of you who are not well acquainted with him.
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would be a disappointment. Happily, I will tell you that this did not happen.Life After Life takes place in a nursing home. All the characters live in the nursing home or work in the nursing home or have family or friends in the nursing home. Death is a silent character in every story in this book. You can see Death, waiting down the hall, sitting on the bed, at times hovering over and carrying our characters away, and that gives the stories resonance. Unlike other books with younger characters, the characters in Life After Life often greet Death, welcome Death, like a beloved friend; Death in these stories is no longer the enemy.
I liked this book a lot, but you should know that I’m at a place in my life where Death is visiting more and more of my family and friends. I’m not sure the stories would have the same impact for those of you who are not well acquainted with him.
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LibraryThing member readingrebecca
Every life has a story, but unfortunately most of them never get told. Thankfully in Jill McCorkle’s book, Life After Life, that is remedied with the stories of some delightful characters. I loved how the residents of Pine Haven Estates, a retirement community, were all connected in some way as
I found the writing flowed and the characters were fully developed. It was very easy to picture each resident and the local town folk they interacted with. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story with delightful characters.
I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers group. Thank you for a wonderful read.
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the story unfolded. I plan to read this book again and I am sure that I’ll find more connections on a second reading.I found the writing flowed and the characters were fully developed. It was very easy to picture each resident and the local town folk they interacted with. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story with delightful characters.
I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers group. Thank you for a wonderful read.
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Awards
Maine Readers' Choice Award (Longlist — 2014)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (General Fiction — 2013)
Original publication date
2013-03-26
ISBN
1565122550 / 9781565122550