At the heart of this novel is the question, if you knew the day that you would die, how would that affect the way you live? As children in 1969, the four Gold siblings meet an elderly woman who tells each of them the date of their death. The experience haunts all of them. Youngest child Simon is told that he will die at twenty and so runs away from home while still young and flings himself into the pre-Aids gay scene in San Francisco. Klara is told that she will die at thirty-two and becomes fascinated by magic and develops a stage act in Las Vegas. Middle child Daniel embraces respectability and stability, his passing foretold at forty-eight. It is the eldest, Varya, who is promised a long life but yet becomes fixated by research on primates on extending longevity. Benjamin concentrates on each sibling in turn, making it a story told in four acts. Simon and Klara are by far the most engaging characters and the second half of the novel lagged without them, moving from the glittering nightclubs and stage scene to drab suburbia. Which in itself is a commentary on how each of the siblings responded to their impending mortality. Benjamin has put a lot of eggs in this particular basket and the reader does rather feel the weight of her research for each new setting. The intriguing question would surely have been how far this foreknowledge led the Gold siblings down their respective paths or whether the prophecies were ever genuine but that is never truly explored. Ultimately, the Golds' struggle is not so very different to the rest of us. We know that death awaits us all. We hope to keep it at a distance for as long as we can but there are no guarantees. Perhaps there is an absurdity in the way that most of us choose to ignore this fact. The most affecting part for me though was the clear sibling bond even after long periods of estrangement and separation and the grief at the staggering family bereavements. More than anything, the Golds just seemed like a sad, loss-worn family and the unhappiness made this a tricky novel for me to bear.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I appear to have a ‘type’ of books that I’m drawn to. Wistful, exploration of the Bigger Questions (what is life? How flexible is time?) and character driven rather than plot.

The Immortalists is one of those books, gratefully received from Netgalley. It follows the paths of four siblings from their New York family home to…. Well, you’ll just have to see, won’t you?

In the early pages of the book, the Golds track down a supposed fortune teller, a woman who will tell you the day you are going to die. They’re all young, younger than eleven or twelve, and the impact of this information is wide and deep on the rest of their lives, however short or long it may be.

Varya, Daniel, Klara and Simon are all very different, and react differently, to the news of their death days. Understandably so, given the impact it has and their ages. I don’t want to spoil the book so I won’t say if the old lady is right or wrong…

I will say that the themes explored in this book are interesting. As the siblings scatter apart, each pursuing their own dreams or running from their fears, their stories are told in turn. Underlying narratives of love and loss, of the familial ties that bind no matter how far away you are geographically, or emotionally.

It also examines free will versus destiny. If you know the date you’re going to die (or think you do), how do you act? Does it matter if you’re slated to die old or young? More generally, isn’t it true that we all die, so no matter if we know the date or not, we should live each day like it’s our last? I thought that part was really thought provoking, not surprising as a Philosophy graduate, maybe!

I also thought that it was quite obvious that the book was written over a period of time, and the stories written separately. Elements do tie them together, thematically, and the characters do cross over, but I do remember thinking at one point that it’s an easy way to write a book – four novellas and a couple of chapters at the beginning to tie them together. I do not mean to belittle or insult Chloe Benjamin – I liked the writing and appreciate the effort she’s taken, of course, but I didn’t think the pieces gelled enough into one cohesive novel. Perhaps formatted as a collection would be better.

I thought this book was closest in style to “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern, perhaps due to the circus elements and the fortune teller.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tinder Press for the copy.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I devoured this book over two nights. It's so well researched and thought out, conjuring up times gone by and bringing them to live through the pages in the book as if they were yesterday. Focusing on difficult issues with such warmth and transporting you into the mind of each of the four main characters with such ease. It's a must read and one I'll be recommending again and again.

What a great book this is! I love it when you read a book that doesn't conform with what you expected, but in the best possible way. This tells the story of the Gold siblings who go to see a fortune teller one night in 1969 and find out the date they will die. The book then follows each Gold through their life from that point. The character portraits here are exquisite and you really get a vivid sense of each sibling (and their friends and significant others) in a relatively short space of time. The prose is accessible and the story being told here, while very moving and emotionally wrought in places, is ultimately hopeful and speaks to the indomitable power of the human spirit and the importance of family. I was quite simply blown away by this book and will recommend it to any and everyone in future.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is one of those rare beasts. A literary novel that isn't an unnecessary 300 pages too long. Instead it's a tightly told tale of The four Gold children's fateful decision to see a fortune teller who is purported to be able to tell someone when they die. What follows is a story in four parts following each of them as that predicted time approaches. Is it fate or does her prophecy subliminally push them to fulfil her words?

This is beautifully written, and the plotting and characterization is spot on. This is not a book to be rushed and for me it's one that I will definitely reread in the future, something else that is a rarity. Simply wonderful.

Set in late 1960s New York, the four Gold children visit a travelling 'psychic' to be told the dates on which they will each die. What starts as a bit of childish fun has the potential for devastating consequences and we follow each Gold's life story into adulthood, with trepidation. They are flawed, relatable, fascinating and frustrating and I loved spending time with each of them.

The Immortalists is a heartbreaking, beautiful story of four siblings and how they live their lives after they believe, to varying degrees, that they know when they might die.

As always, the more I like a book the harder it is to write a review that does it justice. Even though I finished reading this a month ago it is still fresh in my mind, a truly immersive book where the characters are so well-crafted and the story so captivating it took me a good few days after finishing it to get my head out of their world and able to start on a new book.

If you knew the date of your death how would it affect you? Firstly, would you choose to believe it and would you tell anyone? Can you then live your life as you would have done before hearing the prediction?

It’s such a great premise and the author skilfully draws out the suspense – making the reader question whether the fortune teller’s predictions are correct and if or how each character will die.

“Maybe the prophecy did plant inside him like a germ. Maybe it incited him to be rash – to live dangerously.”

The Immortalists is epic in every way, from the 50 year time scale it covers, the settings which are spread across the USA from New York to San Francisco to Las Vegas and the important issues its characters deal with including the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, animal testing and the Iraq war.

This book has some distressing, shocking and highly emotive parts, particularly Klara and Varya’s stories and many unexpected twists and turns. It questions how we should live our lives, to play it safe or to take risks.

“It sounds like you’re saying we can choose to live. Or we can choose to survive.”

The strength of the novel lies in the author’s nuanced characters, not only the four siblings but also the secondary characters who play important roles and help add depth and credibility to the storyline. Through these characters Chloe Benjamin helps us explore our own thoughts on life and death as we try to understand the reasons why they take the decisions they do.

This is a 5 star beauty of a book which I highly recommend and now need to get hold of a print copy asap so it can take pride of place on my bookshelf. It’s definitely one of those books you could happily re-read again and again.

Really loved the writing in this but felt I came to it at the wrong time. Have not yet finished but have strong plans to revisit in the near future when my mood is right.

Unusual, impeccably researched and compelling, particularly the San Fransisco section. I really enjoyed this book and am interested to see where the author goes next

1969: four young siblings sneak out of their house in New York and go to visit a mysterious fortune-teller, who tells each of them in turn the date of their future death. Consciously or subconsciously, this act shapes and determines the future of each of the four Gold children in Chloe Benjamin’s intriguing book.

In four parts, the book spans decades as we focus on each child in turn; but as the narratives emerge and intertwine, Benjamin builds a complex story of love and loss. The book is not afraid to cover big issues: from the rise of the AIDS epidemic in early 1980s San Francisco to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, taking in animal rights along the way. But at its heart, the core of the book, are stories of family, relationships, grief and absence, as the four individual stories unfold. And central to it all is the question: if you know (or believe that you know) the date of your own death, how do you live your life?

I felt that the book was a little slow to get going, but it soon had me hooked and it certainly bears sticking with. I felt that some of the ‘message’ was a little over-played – there is quite a lot about magic and wonder, and about prolonging life versus living life – but the main focus of the book is the Gold family, and the relationships between the four siblings and those close to them. I found myself caring about these characters, and as the book nears its conclusion you want and hope for a sense of resolution, of understanding, of reconciliation.

This is a well-written, sweeping family drama, played out against a backdrop of a changing nation, and it should certainly make you think long after you have finished it. I recommend it - a definite 4 stars!