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Afterwards
by
Rosamund Lupton (Goodreads Author)
There is a fire and they are in there. They are in there...
Black smoke stains a summer blue sky. A school is on fire. And one mother, Grace, sees the smoke and rush. She knows her teenage daughter Jenny is inside. She runs into the burning building to rescue her.
Afterwards Grace must find the identity of the arsonist and protect her children from the person who's still int ...more
Black smoke stains a summer blue sky. A school is on fire. And one mother, Grace, sees the smoke and rush. She knows her teenage daughter Jenny is inside. She runs into the burning building to rescue her.
Afterwards Grace must find the identity of the arsonist and protect her children from the person who's still int ...more
Hardcover, 386 pages
Published
April 24th 2012
by Crown
(first published 2011)
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J L Bonnet
haven't read those 2 but am reading "The Quality of Silence" and am enjoying it a lot! Well written and suspenseful :-)
Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
As abysmal as Sister was readable. For a start, the protagonists are bloody angels or spirits or something, telling the story (too dull to precis here, but it's about who was responsible for burning a public school down - good riddance to it, I say) whilst their corporeal selves lie comatose in hospital having been injured in the blaze. I thought this madness would resolve itself in something satisfyingly realistic, but no, it appears Ms Lupton is happy for her 'spirits' to communicate with each
...more
I'm afraid i was really disappointed with this, Sister was fantastic but this certainly wasn't. The mother-and-daughter-as-disembodied-spirits just didn't work for me, Grace talking to her hubby was really irritating and sometimes i wasn't even sure WHO she was meant to be addressing! There was far too much gushing sentimentality, very corny lines and why so much overuse of italics?? I didn't care about any of the characters either and all these things combined made this a bit of a slog. Maybe i
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3.25 out of 5
Afterwards was a lot of things for me: frustrating, alienating, weird, intriguing, and eventually, quite moving. There's a lot of hype built around this newish author, largely due to the wild success and continued love for her first novel, Sister. With that in mind, I went into this sophomore effort with high hopes that were never quite met. There's a lot of potential in this novel about mothers and daughters, love, and independence but i ...more
3.25 out of 5
Afterwards was a lot of things for me: frustrating, alienating, weird, intriguing, and eventually, quite moving. There's a lot of hype built around this newish author, largely due to the wild success and continued love for her first novel, Sister. With that in mind, I went into this sophomore effort with high hopes that were never quite met. There's a lot of potential in this novel about mothers and daughters, love, and independence but i ...more
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What a strange concept. I rather like it as an idea to consider as possible. There was too much drama & repetition & the culprit was pretty obvious to me all the time. Some folks say they had trouble following the pronouns/characters but it seemed clear enough to me. Maybe you need a muddled mind to follow it! However, I turned the pages as fast as I could and I lost sleep (lots of sleep....all sleep) finishing it. Not really as good as her book, "Sister," but still a very good read!!
I read Rosamund Lupton's debut novel 'Sister' last year. You may remember me raving about it - it was a fantastic read. I jumped at the chance to read her second novel - Afterwards. Another absolutely brilliant read - one I would highly, highly recommend!
I was hooked from the opening paragraph of the prologue.
"I couldn't move, not even a little finger or a flicker of an eye. I couldn't open my mouth to scream....Only one thing for it, I said to myself, thinking of you, and I slipped out of the ...more
I was hooked from the opening paragraph of the prologue.
"I couldn't move, not even a little finger or a flicker of an eye. I couldn't open my mouth to scream....Only one thing for it, I said to myself, thinking of you, and I slipped out of the ...more
Disturbing and dark, yet a powerful story of family loyalty, Afterwards is full of suspense, mystery and terror.
I can't even finish this book. Sister was really good. This is awful. I skipped to the end to see what happens (something I've done many times) but the ends didn't seem to justify the turgid writing I would need to endure to get there. OK, it wasn't turgid, but just so difficult to read! A floating spirit wife talking to "you", her husband whilst trying to uncover a mystery that is just plain nasty? It was hard to maintain just who was being discussed at any time. It's left a bad taste in my mou
...more
It was the first book I 've read from the author and I liked it.
It starts as a mysterry-crime novel, but it turns out to so much more. There is enough drama and you also see what most of the characters in this book think about their family and what they do to help/protect them-even if it is morally wrong.
Perhaps, because being a mother, I think there will be nothing I wouldn't do to protect and keep my children safe and happy..
It starts as a mysterry-crime novel, but it turns out to so much more. There is enough drama and you also see what most of the characters in this book think about their family and what they do to help/protect them-even if it is morally wrong.
Perhaps, because being a mother, I think there will be nothing I wouldn't do to protect and keep my children safe and happy..
Αν κάτι λάτρεψα στην Rosamund Lupton, είναι η ικανότητά της να πλάθει αστυνομικές ιστορίες οι οποίες δεν μοιάζουν με καμία άλλη απ' όσες κατά καιρούς διαβάζουμε. Ο λόγος; Ότι σε πρώτο επίπεδο καταπιάνεται με το αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, στήνοντας την πλοκή και την δράση της ιστορίας της πάνω σε αυτήν την φιλοσοφία, εμπλουτίζοντάς το σε δεύτερο επίπεδο με την δύναμη και την σημασία που έχουν οι βαθύτεροι, οικογενειακοί δεσμοί. Και αν στο "Στα Ίχνη Σου..." αξιοποίησε την ιδέα της αληθινής αδελφικής
...more
Malo neobicna krim.prica.
Majka i kcerka su nastradale u pozaru,u skoli i obadvije su u komi,na aparatima.
Dok policija istrazuje slucaj,majka i kcerka su prisutne kao duhovi.
Prisluskuju razgovore,pokusavaju otkriti krivca za pozar,nastoje se prisjetiti svih detalja tog nesretnog dana,lutaju bolnickim hodnicima...
Majka i kcerka su nastradale u pozaru,u skoli i obadvije su u komi,na aparatima.
Dok policija istrazuje slucaj,majka i kcerka su prisutne kao duhovi.
Prisluskuju razgovore,pokusavaju otkriti krivca za pozar,nastoje se prisjetiti svih detalja tog nesretnog dana,lutaju bolnickim hodnicima...
Warning: I shouldn't have read this. It's not my kind of novel and this is by no means an unpartial review.
I hugely disliked the central character and she is pretty much what this book is all about. What I found so objectionable was her outlook on life. It's summed up neatly in this extract in which she talks about how she felt when she first met her husband.
'In that prim little tea shop you told me that you were desperate to be away from the confines of university and out there doing 'stuff'. ...more
I hugely disliked the central character and she is pretty much what this book is all about. What I found so objectionable was her outlook on life. It's summed up neatly in this extract in which she talks about how she felt when she first met her husband.
'In that prim little tea shop you told me that you were desperate to be away from the confines of university and out there doing 'stuff'. ...more
2 stars - Meh. Just ok.
This book starts off with a fascinating premise - a mother and daughter that are close to death after a tragic accident, are both in bodiless spirit forms, are lucky enough to find one another in the hospital where they can communicate together. Sadly, that was the only fascinating thing about this novel, which is essentially a family dynamics drama with a mystery thrown in as a subplot.
Parenting, parenting, parenting. If you relish in exploring every literary context pos ...more
This book starts off with a fascinating premise - a mother and daughter that are close to death after a tragic accident, are both in bodiless spirit forms, are lucky enough to find one another in the hospital where they can communicate together. Sadly, that was the only fascinating thing about this novel, which is essentially a family dynamics drama with a mystery thrown in as a subplot.
Parenting, parenting, parenting. If you relish in exploring every literary context pos ...more
Afterwards is not a conventional story being narrated by Grace a woman who has left her body in a hospital bed. Grace is in a coma but her supernatural self is on a mission to find out who started the fire which she and her beloved daughter Jenny were so terribly injured. Jenny has also left her badly burnt body in intensive care unit and together unseen by anyone else they set about piecing together the events that led up to the fire, on sports day at a prestigious private school.
This book has ...more
This book has ...more
This book just sucked me in from the first page. I would give it a 4.5 stars. There are just so many layers to this book. The central theme involves a fire started at a school, ruled arson, that leaves two critically injured. Those two turn out to be mother and daughter. The story focuses on this family and who could have wanted to burn down the school. As it turns out, while mother and daughter are near death they are able to leave their bodies and communicate with one another. They are also pi
...more
I am so glad Rosamund Lipton became a novelist. I absolutely loved her first book 'Sister' and loved her second one, 'Afterwards' just as much. She touches so well on the depth of relationships and love, in this instance, mainly a mother and her daughter, but the complexity goes so much further. Her novels are powerful and unique and I can't wait to read her next one. She has become one of my favourite authors and I would highly recommend her novels to anyone.
Holy. Crap.
This book just skyrocketed to the top of my favorites list. Have I ever read a book so intense and moving as Afterwards? No. No I have not. I kid you not my friends, this book - the last page, I cried. I have never actually sobbed during a book before. This one killed me. It broke my heart.
And it was a beautiful agony.
Now for the bad parts - it's very, very British, which I happen to adore, but I know some Americans can't translate to our cousins across the Pond. If you don't have a ...more
This book just skyrocketed to the top of my favorites list. Have I ever read a book so intense and moving as Afterwards? No. No I have not. I kid you not my friends, this book - the last page, I cried. I have never actually sobbed during a book before. This one killed me. It broke my heart.
And it was a beautiful agony.
Now for the bad parts - it's very, very British, which I happen to adore, but I know some Americans can't translate to our cousins across the Pond. If you don't have a ...more
I don't know how to discuss Afterwards, by Rosamund Lupton, because it defies categorization.
On the one hand, and at its most basic, it is a mystery. Grace runs into a burning school building to rescue her daughter Jenny, who is trapped inside. As Grace and Jenny recover from their wounds, Grace learns that the fire was arson, and she sets out to discover who is to blame.
But this book is so much more.
It is the story of parents. Grace and her husband, Michael, have 17-year-old Jenny and 8-year-ol ...more
On the one hand, and at its most basic, it is a mystery. Grace runs into a burning school building to rescue her daughter Jenny, who is trapped inside. As Grace and Jenny recover from their wounds, Grace learns that the fire was arson, and she sets out to discover who is to blame.
But this book is so much more.
It is the story of parents. Grace and her husband, Michael, have 17-year-old Jenny and 8-year-ol ...more
I am seriously loving this author at the moment! I really enjoyed Sister; such a captivating tale of two sisters love. As a girl who only has one sister I found the whole story incredibly moving and what an amazingly shocking ending.
Now Lupton has released her second novel Afterwards and it's another heart wrenching story! This time focused around a mother's love and the million different emotions that includes. Somehow through this storyline she has woven a crime novel into it as well, with t ...more
Now Lupton has released her second novel Afterwards and it's another heart wrenching story! This time focused around a mother's love and the million different emotions that includes. Somehow through this storyline she has woven a crime novel into it as well, with t ...more
Πρωτότυπο όσον αφορά την αφήγηση αλλά και την ταυτότητα των αφηγητών. Αν και αστυνομικό, δεν εμοιαζε καθόλου με όσα αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα έχω διαβάσει μέχρι τώρα. Καθόλου προβλέψιμο• τα δεδομένα ανατρέπονταν μέχρι την τελευταία στιγμή. Συνκινητικό.
"Είμαι ένα φως λεπτό σαν αχτίδα και κοφτερό σαν διαμάντι, που μπορεί να γλιστρήσει μέσα από χαραμάδες στον κόσμο που ξέρουμε. Θα έρχομαι στα όνειρά σου και θα σου ψιθυρίζω λόγια γλυκά όταν θα με σκέφτεσαι.
Μπορεί να μην υπάρχει το <<έζησαν αυ ...more
"Είμαι ένα φως λεπτό σαν αχτίδα και κοφτερό σαν διαμάντι, που μπορεί να γλιστρήσει μέσα από χαραμάδες στον κόσμο που ξέρουμε. Θα έρχομαι στα όνειρά σου και θα σου ψιθυρίζω λόγια γλυκά όταν θα με σκέφτεσαι.
Μπορεί να μην υπάρχει το <<έζησαν αυ ...more
Βιβλίο θητείας #6
Readathon 2017 [6/13]: Ένα βιβλίο που δανειστήκατε
Τα πράγματα εδώ είναι ψιλοαστεία. Νομίζω η συγγραφέας απλά σκαρφίστηκε ένα twist-turn κι άρχισε να γράφει 500 σελίδες με τα ίδια και τα ίδια ανακυκλωμένα της τεχνάσματα μέχρι να τελειώσει το βιβλίο. Μέχρι και η αφηγηματική τεχνική της, με την πρωταγωνίστρια να ζει μια εξωσωματική εμπειρία στο κρεβάτι του νοσοκομείου και να περιφέρεται ως άλλο πνεύμα μέχρι να βρεθεί ο ένοχος, από προχώ κατέληξε σαχλή. Δεν βοηθάει ίσως και η μετάφ ...more
Readathon 2017 [6/13]: Ένα βιβλίο που δανειστήκατε
Τα πράγματα εδώ είναι ψιλοαστεία. Νομίζω η συγγραφέας απλά σκαρφίστηκε ένα twist-turn κι άρχισε να γράφει 500 σελίδες με τα ίδια και τα ίδια ανακυκλωμένα της τεχνάσματα μέχρι να τελειώσει το βιβλίο. Μέχρι και η αφηγηματική τεχνική της, με την πρωταγωνίστρια να ζει μια εξωσωματική εμπειρία στο κρεβάτι του νοσοκομείου και να περιφέρεται ως άλλο πνεύμα μέχρι να βρεθεί ο ένοχος, από προχώ κατέληξε σαχλή. Δεν βοηθάει ίσως και η μετάφ ...more
Although this was a very readable book, in terms of being a page turner with an intriguing whodunnit mystery...I found myself quite irritated most of the time.
Overall I found the whole plot too contrived, the twists and turns were not particularly believable - not because the situations were outrageous or because of the lovely bones-style conceit - but because they didn't seem true to characters. The characterisation seemed to twist out of shape to fit plot contrivances. When the villain is fina ...more
Overall I found the whole plot too contrived, the twists and turns were not particularly believable - not because the situations were outrageous or because of the lovely bones-style conceit - but because they didn't seem true to characters. The characterisation seemed to twist out of shape to fit plot contrivances. When the villain is fina ...more
This was a very involving book and it drew me in from the very start. On the surface, it seems like a very tragic but simple story, but Rosamund Lupton does a wonderful job moving beyond that. She tells the story through the voice of the mother in spirit form as she goes back and forth in time and memory to discover the truth and understand why what happened happened.
It is difficult to assign this book to a specific genre. It encompasses so many areas, and still really is a story about family. ...more
It is difficult to assign this book to a specific genre. It encompasses so many areas, and still really is a story about family. ...more
‘What is there afterwards?’ an existential question Rosamund Lupton has obviously thought about when she chose the title of her new book. Grace is at sports day on a bright and warm summer day. Suddenly, the lovely afternoon turns into a nightmare: the school is on fire, and she knows that her daughter is inside. She runs to rescue her. The police soon find out that it is arson. Who committed that terrible crime? The culprit must be arrested as soon as possible, because Grace’s family is in dang
...more
I think if you're a fan of Lovely Bones but want something less inspirational in tone, then this might be your book. Unfortunately, despite my love of the woo-woo and supernatural/paranormal/just-plain-odd, I really didn't click with this book's conceit or the narrator. I made it about one hundred pages and quit, daunted by the remaining 300.
There are a few reasons why this didn't work for me, starting with the heroine, Grace. Or maybe it was the writing style first, and then Grace. Told by Grac ...more
There are a few reasons why this didn't work for me, starting with the heroine, Grace. Or maybe it was the writing style first, and then Grace. Told by Grac ...more
Jun 06, 2011
Brenda
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Grace Covey is at Adam, her 8 year old son's school for their sports day. Jenny, her 17 year old daughter, is inside, operating as the medical officer for the day. Everyone is having fun, it is hot, when suddenly the fire alarm goes off. The school is on fire, high up, smoke coming from the widely opened windows. Grace races toward the school, then sees Adam outside, being cared for by the daughter of a friend. But Jenny is still inside. She runs flat-out toward the building, then inside and up
...more
“The last of the senses to go is love.”
I was blown away by Lupton’s “Afterwards”. It’s incredibly inventive and though it’s on the romance side of the mystery genre it wasn’t cloying. Likewise the fantasy or paranormal elements feel believable. The story is told in almost omniscient, first person, present tense by a mother who is a fulltime homemaker. Grace has a son, Adam who’s just turned eight and a beautiful seventeen year old daughter, Jenny. On Adam’s school sports day Jenny is working as ...more
I was blown away by Lupton’s “Afterwards”. It’s incredibly inventive and though it’s on the romance side of the mystery genre it wasn’t cloying. Likewise the fantasy or paranormal elements feel believable. The story is told in almost omniscient, first person, present tense by a mother who is a fulltime homemaker. Grace has a son, Adam who’s just turned eight and a beautiful seventeen year old daughter, Jenny. On Adam’s school sports day Jenny is working as ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Who is this suitable for? | 8 | 66 | Oct 07, 2013 11:12PM | |
Typos | 5 | 59 | Aug 04, 2013 06:37AM | |
Read It Forward: * AFTERWARDS by Rosamund Lupton | 1 | 40 | Feb 27, 2012 01:51PM |
Rosamund Lupton is the author of Sister, a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and a bestseller in Europe.
Published in the UK by Little, Brown Book Group, Sister has been translated into over thirty languages and has international sales of over 1.5 million copies. It was the fastest-selling debut of 2010 by a British author, a BBC Radio 4, Book at Bedtime and was winner of the Richard and ...more
More about Rosamund Lupton...
Published in the UK by Little, Brown Book Group, Sister has been translated into over thirty languages and has international sales of over 1.5 million copies. It was the fastest-selling debut of 2010 by a British author, a BBC Radio 4, Book at Bedtime and was winner of the Richard and ...more
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“I'm a sliver-thin light, diamond sharp, that can slip through gaps in the world we know. I will come into your dreams and speak soft words when you think of me. There is no happy ever after - but there is an afterwards.
This isn't our ending.”
—
15 likes
This isn't our ending.”
“You told me once that the last of the senses to go is hearing. But you're wrong. The last of the senses to go is love.”
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9 likes
More quotes…