Eternal Life: A Novel

Rachel is a woman with a problem: she can't die. Her recent troubles--widowhood, a failing business, an unemployed middle-aged son--are only the latest in a litany spanning dozens of countries, scores of marriages, and hundreds of children. In the 2,000 years since she made a spiritual bargain to save the life of her first son back in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, she's tried everything to free herself, and only one other person in the world understands: a man she once loved passionately, who has been stalking her through the centuries, convinced they belong together forever.

But as the twenty-first century begins and her children and grandchildren--consumed with immortality in their own ways, from the frontiers of digital currency to genetic engineering--develop new technologies that could change her fate and theirs, Rachel knows she must find a way out.

Gripping, hilarious, and profoundly moving, Eternal Life celebrates the bonds between generations, the power of faith, the purpose of death, and the reasons for being alive.

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Published Jan 23, 2018

256 pages

Average rating: 6.44

9 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

SharonLooksAtBooks
Dec 09, 2024
6/10 stars
What I liked: An intriguing premise where two characters (immortal since ancient Roman/biblical times) repeatedly reincarnate and now deal with the ethics of modern science and technology. What I disliked: The writing is very dry and the story drags. Also, “present day” Rachel lacked the knowledge and wisdom expected of someone who had lived so many lives over the span of 2000 years.
LiziB
Feb 23, 2023
8/10 stars
This expert writer took big topics including the meaning of life and rather than just explaining, showed them to us through the tiny but important details of a woman's too-long life. A very moving hymn to both life and death.

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