What if you could find out the date you were going to die? Would it help you live your life, enjoy every day to fullest? Or would it be a literal death sentence, waiting for the day to come? How much would knowing affect your life choices? What if knowing you were going to die made you make some risky decisions? What if everything you did to avoid your fate was what led you to your death?

These were some of the questions I was pondering whilst reading this book. It was a thought-provoking read, but I felt the stories became less interesting with each subsequent sibling, and I really didn't care for the final story about the poor monkeys in the research facility. There are also some rather graphic sexual situations in the book. These are not an issue for me but some people prefer to be warned ahead of time. Overall, this one goes in the "OK, but I wouldn't reread" pile.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers, Headline/Tinder Press, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

The four young Gold siblings know that there is way to find out the day they're going to die, so they go together to ask the fortune teller and they all get their answer. How does knowing your future affect how you live your present? The Golds are about to find out.

I did like the premise of this book and I did really like the characters very much - having children with very disparate personalities myself it was interesting to see how the Golds related to each other and what effect their relationships had on how they dealt with their "death dates". I thought the relationships in the book were very interesting and very well written and this was definitely a real strength.

The structure of the book was also good - I like the way that the author focussed on the characters individually and this allowed us to get to know them well as their date of death approached.

Unfortunately, I do think the beginning of the book is spoiled by the graphic sexual descriptions. I have no problem with the characters having sex or talking about sex but I don't think the detail was necessary and I think it detracted from the story. I found this particularly to be the case because it was almost exclusively focussed on Simon's story and did not appear later in the book, which made it appear gratuitous and detracting from the important details of Simon's life and why he might well be expectedto die young at that time.

All in all, I liked this book but I didn't love it and I wouldn't recommend it in case other readers are more easily offended than me. I think that's a real shame as there is definitely a lot to commend the idea and the story but not enough to overcome this issue, I'm afraid.

I started this book thinking it was going to go down a particular plot path, and was surprised to find it didn't. In fact, I found the whole book surprising. Clever, thought provoking, funny and sad in turn, it was a really fresh and original read. I loved all the characters, and was gripped as their lives played out before me. I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone so I shall merely say that it's very readable and rather unusual and deserves its bestseller status.

Rarely does a book come along that leaves you reeling and thinking so much about life that your brain feels like it will explode. This is a book on many levels: some may just enjoy it as a story of our time with evocative descriptions of 60s New York, late 70s San Fransisco, 80s Vegas etc but for me this book transcended that and has left me re-evaluating my previously held beliefs.
If you know you’re going to have a short life, do you cram so much in that it actually endangers that life - therefore becoming self prophecy; equally if you know you’re going to live a very long life, do you alter your behaviour so you stay as healthy as possible. Then the BIG question is what would I do?
Thank you Chloe Benjamin for this incredible book. I have been telling everyone I meet about it, urging them to read it so we can engage in a conversation about the issues.

Unfortunately I really struggled with this book. I had really high expectations but found myself disappointed at the way the story unfolded, despite the interesting premise. I made myself finish as I loathe to abandon a book but it was a real labour to make it to the end.

This was one of those books that I thought about the whole time I was reading it: when I was walking home from uni; in lectures; in the shower. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And yet, strangely, I kept putting it down when I was reading it (or stopping myself from picking it up again) because I knew that the quicker I read it the quicker I would finish it and then it would be over! And I wanted to stay with the characters for longer; particularly Simon and Klara, who I became very attached to.
I spent the whole book wondering how the ending would be dealt with, wondering what would happen – and I loved it. It wasn’t what I expected, but in the best way. What constitutes a life? What decisions do we really have? Is everything just planned out for us – or do we make our own choices? These (and many more) are questions and issues that Benjamin opened up without trying to answer for us. I’m still considering them now, days after coming to the end of it. One of the things I really appreciated was that although the focus was on family and life and death, Benjamin didn’t shy away from social and political issues of the times – in fact, these were major points and constituted important parts of the plot.
Overall: heartbreaking. Heartwarming. Would absolutely recommend – I can see why this book is going to be such a big one in 2018.

Chloe Benjamin's epic The Immortalists has us considering some of the most fundamental and complex questions about life and how we live it. It is thought provoking as it asks does knowledge of our mortality make us live our life to the utmost or makes us fearful, guilty, and seek to outwit death? It is 1969 and in Manhattan, New York, the 4 Jewish Gold children seek a light hearted encounter with a gypsy psychic, who tells each of them their prophecies and their date of death. They cannot break free of this knowledge which shapes their futures for the following five decades. This is a story of family, loss, secrets, regrets, sibling relationships, death and above all else, about life.

The lives of each of the children is followed to the last moments in their lives. Klara and Simon are close as siblings, Simon cannot wait to leave home, this culminates in the two of them escaping to San Francisco. The prophecies determine that they live life to the max and at the edge. The gay Simon embarks on a search for love, plunging into life with abandon, displaying a reckless disregard for his own safety in his actions, ignoring all warnings. Klara pursues her obsession for magic, ignited by her grandmother, as she becomes a magician, The Immortalist, playing with ideas of reality. Daniel and Varya are resentful at how they have been left behind with their mother. Daniel becomes a miitary medic whilst Varya seeks the answers to living longer as a researcher. Their lives are considerably more stable but more strewn with guilt and fear.

Benjamin writes in beautiful vibrant prose, creating a compelling and philosophical narrative that draws in the reader effortlessly. The debate as to whether our lives can be foretold, our destiny written in the stars, or can we be architects of our future, determining the paths we choose to take, is the raison d'etre for this novel. Do we burn brightly in the lives we live in the full knowledge we are going to die, or do we allow ourselves to fall prey to our insecurities, guilt, and fear as the consequent possibilities that life offers shrink? There are the inevitable questions of how this has an impact on how religion and country can come to be viewed. This is a profoundly moving book, although uneven on occasion, with disturbed and complicated characters pushed into confronting their mortality from a young age. I much preferred Simon and Klara to Daniel and Varya as they exuded a greater hold on my imagination. This is a perfect read for those wanting to explore ideas and concepts through a fascinating and memorable collection of siblings living through a significant and turbulent period of history. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Headline for an ARC.

Oh dear. I really wanted to love this book but I really couldn’t. It started off badly with the describing of a teenage girls body which I didn’t think was necessary and that started and finished it for me. I carried on for another couple of chapters but the describing of every minute detail of the story went on and on and on, to the point of “oh come on get one with it”! It could have a been a brilliant book but not for me sadly.

The Immortalists is the story of four siblings who decide as children to seek out a fortune teller who claims she can tell you the date you will die. It then follows their very different paths through life - studious Varya, dancer Simon, doctor Daniel and magician Klara - as this “knowledge” affects them in different ways. ⠀
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I enjoyed Varya’s story at the end the most, which surprised me, as on paper she is the most mundane. Yet this is where Benjamin reveals herself to be the master of the believable twist. The believable twist is my favourite kind, the sort that surprises you completely without requiring you to suspend rationality. The twist that makes sense, but you can’t predict it. The Immortalists is full of these twists, particularly in the second half of the book, which makes it all the more enjoyable.⠀
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Despite repeated tragedy throughout the novel, the warmth between the characters prevents this from becoming a sad story. Instead, it’s a story that encourages you to live fully and love deeply, however long you’re here for. Aside from the occasional slow point in the plot (Klara’s story dragged a little for me) it’s a wonderful book. ⠀

The Immortalists touches upon a profound dilemma – if you could find out in advance the date upon which you were going to die, would you? And in finding out, would you then try to avoid that fate? Such is the question posed by Benjamin in this brilliant debut novel, and it creates a thought-provoking read that I found difficult to put down. Of course, there’s the question of self-fulfilling prophecy here – if they hadn’t been given their dates, would they have done things differently? And would it have made any difference? Like I said, there’s lots to think about here.

The structure is straightforward – the novel is split into four sections, with each section following a different character. It progresses chronologically – where one ends, the next one starts – and in this way the reader comes to know each of the siblings in detail, whilst also catching glimpses of the others through their siblings’ eyes. I liked how different each section was. Whilst related, the four Gold children lead diverse lives that bear little resemblance to each other – they have their own hopes and aspirations and they follow their own dreams. Because of the chronological nature, it also means that we see the different characters at different stages of their lives – the final section’s character is in their forties / fifties when we get to them. (I’m trying desperately not to use gender specific pronouns to discuss this novel, as I don’t want to give any hints that might spoil it by revealing any kind of order, or dates etc.) For me, this kept the novel completely fresh, with none of the repetition that you might see in a cast of characters growing up.

Whilst being very different, I become extremely attached to each of the characters, and I was torn between wanting to know whether their prophecies were true and how they might come about, but also wanting them all to go on to lead long lives. Each of them faces ups and downs throughout their lives, and this is at least partly what made them so realistic and endearing. I also feel that Gertie – the Gold matriarch – deserves a special mention. Whilst not one of the points of view in the novel, she is present throughout, and she is a wonderful character seen only through the somewhat biased eyes of her children. I didn’t fully appreciate her role until later in the novel, and whilst she is a secondary character, she is definitely noteworthy.

Whilst the novel might seem predictable given its nature, there were some surprises thrown in along the way and it didn’t end as I expected it to, and I liked the way in which Benjamin chose to finish the novel. It may sound gloomy with its preoccupation of death, but I didn’t find this to be the case at all, and I felt that there was much within the pages that was hopeful and uplifting, and I think that there is a message of living life to the full.

The Immortalists is published by Tinder Press, and is available now in eBook, and will be released in hardback on 8 March. Many thanks to the publisher for allowing me to review and review this title in advance of its publication via Netgalley.

Four siblings, all under 13, visit a fortune teller who tells them the date of their death. Each of them reacts in a different way to this knowledge and seeing how the prediction changes their lives is enthralling. Benjamin cleverly weaves the story of America, immigrants and the family together to create a real page turner.

During the summer of 1969 four siblings visit a fortune teller/psychic and are each told the date on which they will supposedly die. What follows is the story of how the prophecies shape the lives and experiences of each of the four.

A bittersweet story about family and life and death. A good read.

The Immortalists is a sweeping novel about four siblings and their lives with and without each other. In New York City in the late 1960s, the four Gold children visit a woman who it is promised will tell them each the date of their death. The siblings—aged seven to thirteen—must then deal with what they’ve each been told. They’re all very different and they choose to live their lives in different ways, but everything seems irrevocably changed by what they found out from that fortune teller.

The narrative follows each sibling through a chunk of time, whilst filling in details about the others: Simon, the youngest, who leaves home for San Francisco to find love and acceptance; Klara, the unstable magician; Daniel, who becomes an army doctor; and Varya, the oldest, who shields herself with science. In many ways—its setting, cast of related characters, depiction of major time periods such as the AIDS crisis and post-9/11 America—it is very typical of an American novel with an epic yet personal scope, and it isn’t difficult to see connections to many other books. However, there is something about the conceit of being told as a child when you will die along with the varied and sometimes unsteady relationships between the siblings that makes The Immortalists better than another rehashing of a similar theme.

It is easy to say that The Immortalists is a book about living rather than a book about dying. However, maybe, as the title suggests, it is also a book about both knowing you aren’t immortal, and wondering if you could be. This is a novel for those who like getting deeply involved with characters, whilst also knowing that their time with them has to come to an end.

There is nothing greater in reading than reading a book you never want to end. This will most certainly feature in my top books of 2018.
The story of four siblings who as children visit a fortune teller / palm reader who tells them each the exact day they will die.

This day shapes the rest of their lives. Does having this information alter the way you live your life, is there any truth to it? What does it do to the relationships with each other?

Told from each of the 4children as they live their lives across the years it is truly an epic tale.

Will be recommending far and wide

2 1/2 stars. To be honest, while reading the book, I had a lot of mixed feelings. It sometimes grabbed my attention better, made me curious, feel for characters more. Other times, I was a bit bored, detached and couldn't followthe story so well. Overall, I think the feeling of being underwhelmed is dominant as opposed to recommending this book heavily to a friend.

It is a literary fiction that is told from the lenses of 4 siblings in different sections. I must also say I expected a bit of fantastical elements in the book from the description, and that's not the case. So, I wanted to let you know. The book starts with 4 siblings (Varya, Klara, Daniel and Simon) going to a fortuneteller and learning the dates of their deaths in 1960s New York City. Then we move to rest of the lives of each sibling from their narration and see how this experience affects their lives and what they choose to do. I thought the book started really interesting and I was really attracted with the synopsis. But, the plot continued as a character and psychology driven, rather than including elements of this prophecies or anything related to magic.
After I understood the content of the book, I was also OK, because I like character driven books and getting deep into their worlds and perspectives. There's also a lot of family dynamics going on. So, it hooked me back thinking I will learn more about these 4 siblings and how this prophecy affected the direction of their lives.

However, the issue continued when characters still didn't grab me strongly. You know sometimes when you read a book, you feel the same things, move with the character you're reading and share their lives. This strong connection didn't happen. It didn't move me a lot. I was not feeling much for any of the characters.
My favourite story was Daniel's, it was the one that made me more curious and I liked the fact that it got connected to others somehow. And I found Varya's story mind opening to some interesting research world. The writing was not mind blowing, but it was OK. I also want to say, I didn't fee the sexual descriptions were needed at the respective times in the plot. It felt like it was thrown there to create interest. Especially the one at the very beginning with Varya. I really didn't see it coming and why was it there, I will never know.
Last thing I want to say is, the synopsis was quite interesting. But, the real story didn't live up to that standard. It wasn't a perfect flow, and the characters were not very memorable.

4 - 4.5 stars

This book is going straight onto my top reads of 2017 shelf, even though it technically isn't due to be released until next month.

Chloe Benjamin's sophomore novel is a sweeping story of ambition and depth, all encompassing and rich, engaging and brave. The four Gold children, all in the awkward years of preadolescence, visit a fortune teller on Hester Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side who predicts the date of their individual deaths. The novel then spans five decades, visiting each of the siblings as they live with the threat of the date of their extinction, battling over how they should live their lives.

Simon, the youngest and a closeted homosexual, moves to San Francisco, where he can finally be his true self. Klara, initially accompanying Simon to San Francisco, becomes a magician in Las Vegas. Daniel becomes a military doctor, struggling for answers and security in a post-9/11 America, and Varya, the eldest Gold sibling, grapples with anxiety as she lives a life of solitude while also working with primates on a longevity study.

The characters in this book are certainly fully fledged and real. Their internal struggles are painted perfectly and we come to empathise with them completely. There are a string of minor characters here too, but it is the Golds who capture our attention.

Benjamin has written an excellent second novel. A book that is both ambitious yet simple in its story, it is about choice and destiny; fate and faith; reality and illusion. It challenges us to question the line between life and death and urges us to value what is truly real in life. At its heart, The Immortalists is about family and the ties that bind us. A consuming and satisfying read.

What would you live if you knew the exact date when you are going to die? This is the premise of the story of The Immortalists. The four Gold Children goes to visit a fortune teller, where they are told individually the exact date of their deaths. The story then continues individually of each of their lives and how they spend it knowing the inevitable and only when each of them die it goes on to the next child.
I read other people reviews of this book and there have been some mixed reviews. For me personally, I found this book very tough going. I thought the premise of this book was interesting but, it wasn’t the kind of story I thought it would be. I didn’t care for any of the characters and I found the book quite boring in places. 2.5 stars for me.

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin is about four young siblings who go to visit a fortune teller and are given the dates of their death. The story then follows each one of the siblings to see how this prophecy affects how they live their lives. I really liked the beginning of this book but later on found some of it very hard to read as it took me out of my comfort zone. I would like to thank NetGalley and Headline Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

2 1/2 stars. I have a lot of mixed feelings about The Immortalists. Though there were parts I enjoyed, I was left feeling underwhelmed and like I'd recommend many other similar books before recommending this one.

You should be aware that this is literary fiction and focuses in depth on the lives of four siblings. The enchanting premise that seems to promise elements of magical realism and the fantastical is a little misleading, as there is very little about prophecies and destiny. Though, personally, this didn't bother me so much. I really enjoy reading about families and the dynamics between them, especially when spread over many years, and I found it interesting to explore how each sibling deals with knowing the date of their death.

It begins with the four siblings visiting a psychic as children, near their home in 1960s New York City. This woman tells them - Simon, Klara, Daniel and Varya - the exact date of their deaths. The book then goes on to consider how this information will affect their lives and the way they live them. The sci-fi/fantasy aspects are waved aside quickly. While there are some brief mentions of fate vs. self-fulfilling prophecy, the author never attempts to offer answers.

This is not a problem. My problem is that there are so many books about families with more memorable characters, fewer predictable plot points, and less trite messages. The classic stuff - East of Eden, Roots, Gone with the Wind, The Thorn Birds and The House of the Spirits, and the more recent stuff - Little Fires Everywhere, This is How It Always Is, Sing, Unburied, Sing and Pachinko.

The characters here didn't quite grab me like so many did in the aforementioned books. Some moments that should have been fraught with emotion seemed obvious and manipulative - (view spoiler) The first two stories - that of Simon and Klara - have very little in the way of family dynamics, as Simon's story mostly consists of dancing in a San Francisco gay bar and meeting his new beau, and Klara's takes her to Vegas to be a magician. Secondary characters roam into these first two perspectives, but none of them make much of an impact.

The second two stories are better. Daniel becomes a doctor in the military and his job leads him to discover something about the psychic who predicted the siblings' deaths. Though my favourite was the last - Varya's. She is now a longevity scientist doing experiments on monkeys. I thought her perspective was well-researched and thought-provoking, and it was easy to imagine someone becoming obsessed with aging when they know their own expiration date.

The writing is just okay, which maybe contributes to making the characters less memorable. Benjamin also occasionally falls prey to the - increasingly more common in modern fiction - random sexual references. This is something that always baffles me and it's not easy to explain because it's not about sex, exactly. It's like there'll be a scene where a character is washing the dishes and the author will suddenly mention his penis hanging limp between his legs. His penis has nothing to do with anything in that scene - the poor dude is just washing some dishes! - and yet, there it is. Here, the author introduces thirteen-year-old Varya by the "dark patch of fur between her legs" in the second sentence of the book. I just... why?

Overall, though, this is a mixed bag of interesting ideas, steps in the right direction that halt too quickly, and a somewhat pedestrian account of the characters' lives. I felt like The Immortalists struggled to live up to its premise.

Where do you start with this book ? It wasn't as I expected it to be in that the somewhat unusual idea of the 4 children finding out their death dates at the start of the book led us into a family drama told through the eyes of each child as they grow up and head towards their destiny.I thought it might be more spooky dooky , I think I just made that word up but in reality it was a fairly straight forward story, and not my usual genre.it made a change from the usual thrillers Sci Fi etc that I read but maybe lacked excitement.I liked the way the book was divided into 4 stories and we followed each persons life I wish they had interacted more really as the stories seemed quite separate in one way.It was well written but lacked punch and I think it was over long I wanted to like it more than I did.I need to read something that grabs me now in a way that this book sadly didn't. I wouldn't actually put anyone off from reading it, I just felt it lacked some thing and that is a shame.Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for an ARC.I would give this book 3 and a half stars if I could.