There are some Buddhist philosophers (a branch referred to as Zen) who say that sometimes a bad thing happens to prevent a worse thing happening," Dr. Kellet said. "But, of course, there are some situations where it's impossible to imagine anything worse." page 160

Life after Life was recommended to me after reading End of Days and I'm so glad I prioritized it and got to it quickly. How do you even describe it? It is a series of overlapping realities, in which Ursula lives her life again and again as she tries to reach her true destiny. It was incredibly well written and beautifully shaped. This novel brings up so many questions about what would have happened throughout history if the right person was in the right place at the right time. "History is all about 'what ifs'" (page 473).

I loved so much about this book. Much of it takes place in various parts of Europe during WWII - totally my thing. Ursula's cozy childhood home is called Fox Corner and is the stuff of fairytales and Kate Morton novels (which are sort of the same thing?). She lived so many interesting lives and it was an incredible journey. It is endlessly discussable and I wish I would have read it with a book group. Why can't every book be THIS good?? I definitely experienced a book hangover after this one and had a difficult time landing on my next good read.