INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“A captivating family saga.”—New York Times Book Review
“This literary family saga is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Donna Tartt.”—People Magazine (Book of the Week)
“A sprawling, enchanting family saga.”—Entertainment Weekly (The Must List)
A dazzling family love story reminiscent of Everything I Never Told You from a novelist heralded by Lorrie Moore as a “great new talent.”
If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?
It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—sneak out to hear their fortunes.
The prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in '80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality.
A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds.
“A captivating family saga.”—New York Times Book Review
“This literary family saga is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Donna Tartt.”—People Magazine (Book of the Week)
“A sprawling, enchanting family saga.”—Entertainment Weekly (The Must List)
A dazzling family love story reminiscent of Everything I Never Told You from a novelist heralded by Lorrie Moore as a “great new talent.”
If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?
It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—sneak out to hear their fortunes.
The prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in '80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality.
A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds.
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3
SniffaCat
(Grade: A–) A beautiful book reminiscent of Donna Tart or Hanya Yanagihara. The central premise is intriguing (four children learn the dates of their deaths; how would this go on to shape their lives?), but the book builds on that masterfully as we journey with each of them through the critical stage of their lives, each sibling's story told in their own unique voice.
(Grade: A–) A beautiful book reminiscent of Donna Tart or Hanya Yanagihara. The central premise is intriguing (four children learn the dates of their deaths; how would this go on to shape their lives?), but the book builds on that masterfully as we journey with each of them through the critical stage of their lives, each sibling's story told in their own unique voice. (Rated on Mar 1, 2018)
2
HeathersCorner
(Grade: C–) This book left me questioning the author’s writing skills more than it left me questioning free will & determinism. The character’s choices seemed more plot motivated than anything else & the final 2 sections made less sense than a soap opera plot. The author did not succeed in executing her idea & I struggled to get through this book. The final plot twists seemed a desperate attempt to make the long story worthwhile, but I no longer cared about the remaining characters’ journeys by that point.
(Grade: C–) This book left me questioning the author’s writing skills more than it left me questioning free will & determinism. The character’s choices seemed more plot motivated than anything else & the final 2 sections made less sense than a soap opera plot. The author did not succeed in executing her idea & I struggled to get through this book. The final plot twists seemed a desperate attempt to make the long story worthwhile, but I no longer cared about the remaining characters’ journeys by that point. (Rated on Feb 24, 2019)
1
IljaRianca (Grade: C) The concept of the book sounded so awesome, but it fell a bit flat. Maybe it was because I started with an expectation what this book would be, but it just felt a bit down to me. The happy moments didn't really feel happy. The narrator started in the middle of their life and that felt really weird, like I missed something. I think, after all, we didn't see enough of the characters to really understand what is going on.
(Rated on Oct 27, 2018)
0
Macybird (Grade: B) I have to give this book 4 stars because it was hard to put down, but I didn’t love all of it. I enjoyed reading Simon and Klara’s story best, Daniel and Varya we’re not as interesting to me. The entire family seems a bit bland, but the storyline was compelling enough to have me staying up to finish it.
(Rated on Jul 13, 2020)
0
kalchainein
(Grade: C) 2.5 stars rounded to 3. Fascinating premise, uneven execution.
(Grade: C) 2.5 stars rounded to 3. Fascinating premise, uneven execution. (Rated on Apr 18, 2021)
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