The premise for this book made it quite an interesting read. Four siblings, Varya, Daniel, Klara & Simon, at a young age go to a fortune teller who tells each of them separately the date in which they will die. What does one do with that information? Live life to its fullest whether you believe it or not? The kids grow up never really talking about that day or revealing to each other the dates they were told they would die. The story is then told in sections, each section focusing on one of the siblings. In some parts it did slow down a bit for me, but there were some heartbreaking and shocking moments that I didn't see coming. Overall, I felt the writing was very well done.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

And if there’s magic in the world, there’s magic beyond it.”

Chloe Benjamin’s novel, The Immortalists begins in 1969 with the four Gold children Varya, 13, Daniel, 11, Klara, 9, Simon, 7 who head out, pressured by Daniel to have their fortunes told by a travelling psychic. Daniel has heard that the fortune-teller can predict death dates.

The practical minded Varya asks “What is it’s bad news? What if she says you’ll die before you’re even a grown-up?”

“Then it would better to know, ” said Daniel. “So you could get everything done before.”

But would the knowledge of the date of your death ‘help’ or hinder you? You won’t know if the date is correct or not until it arrives. I was intrigued by the premise of the novel as many years ago I had a friend who had a similar experience. He refused to tell me the date he was given, but it haunted him. After seeing how traumatized he was by this experience, I would rather not know. Of course, we all come with a hidden expiration date, and the novel asks whether or not knowing (or thinking you know) the day of your death makes a difference as to how you choose to live your life. What if the date is wrong? How does this knowledge, true or false, impact behaviour?

In a tatty apartment building, the children are each, separately, told the day of their deaths. Although they keep the information initially secret, it impacts their behavior in the years to come.

the immortalists

Simon Gold as a teenager who is facing joining the family’s “Tailor and Dressmaking” business, instead opts to run off to the heady freedom of San Francisco in the late 70s-early 80s. There, underage Simon finds work as a dancer in a gay bar, and he meets an older man. Meanwhile his sister Klara who runs off to San Francisco with Simon gets a job as temp. while dreaming of becoming an illusionist. Klara turns to magic in a dangerous and obsessive attempt to cross the barriers between the living and the dead.

The second brother Daniel, quiet, steady and serious becomes an army doctor post 9-11 and Varya becomes a scientist whose area of expertise/interest is longevity research. (This involves Rhesus monkeys, so reader beware). In her longevity research, quantity becomes more important than quality.

The Immortalists, beginning with Simon, follows the siblings on their life paths. Each sibling keeps the death date in his/her head, always conscious of it, even if they disbelieve it. Simon, who is told that he will die young, certainly takes this information and runs with it. Hurls himself towards it might even be a better description.

What if the woman on Hester Street is right, and the next few years are his last? The mere thought turns his life a different color; it makes everything feel urgent, glittering, precious.

I liked the novel’s premise and the mystical elements, and I loved Klara and Varya’s stories, possibly because they tried to understand life in alternate ways. Daniel’s section stretched credulity, and readers should be aware that in Simon’s story, there’s a considerable amount of sex. This is described rather clinically, not salaciously, but still, anyone intending to read this should know what they are in for. IMO, it added nothing to the book. That’s not meant in a puritanical way, but these scenes did nothing for me whatsoever, and seemed, frankly, rather gratuitous.

The Immortalists asks how much we really control our lives. Would the Gold children have acted differently if they’d never met the fortune-teller? If you were told you were going to die young, would you dive right into life and to hell with the consequences or would you try to avoid disaster? Character is fate, right? Can you escape fate? We see each of the Gold children tackle those questions differently.

If you like The Immortalists, you will probably also like Daniel Kehlmann’s F (or vice versa)

Review copy

My Review: 4.5 stars

The Immortalists is a literary fiction family drama that balances the premise of living by fate or free will. Do we live our lives by circumstance or intention? After four children visit a nomadic gypsy to find out the date of their deaths, this knowing forever torments their lives, a whisper in the recesses of their minds of how much time they have left. Whether it’s true or not, they can’t know, but they wonder if their lives will become self fulfilling prophecies or led by chance alone.

Broken into four distinct parts for each of the four kids, we learn how their lives play out. Some parts were very predictable while others were more surprising. Each character went in vastly different directions both figuratively and literally. I enjoyed Simon’s character even though it was the most predictable. I’ve never read a book that offered such a focused glimpse into the gay scene of the 1960s. Watching him come alive, out of his long hidden sexuality, was well done. Each of the parts were impeccably researched. It must have been quite taxing on the author.

The writing in this book switched from literary, to poetic, to simple, which worked for me. However one thing that turned me off was the random sexual reference that was completely unnecessary. For example: describing Varya by having a “patch of fur” between her legs seemed gratuitous in my opinion. How does that help me know the character? Again, I was slightly jarred during the pointless imagery of penises when Simon was in San Francisco. I’m no prude; these just felt out of place with the tone of the book.

The final part to the book and also the one in which much of the story converges belongs to Varya. Her path and ultimate outcome came with a few twists and a great understanding of why she chose her profession. Most readers will like this part the best I believe.

The book promises an underlying of magical realism and mystical moments, which I didn’t get much of. It by no means hindered my reading experience, it just didn’t fit the PR the novel has been getting. Magic practiced as an art form is present and important, but not as an otherworldly force that I thought would be present.

Kudos to Chloe Benjamin for creating a thought provoking book that will leave book clubs divided as they battle the question of how live is lived…free will or fate?

I’m definitely in the minority in not loving this debut novel. It’s getting lots of attention from the bookish media and love from some bloggers I normally agree with (Ann Marie at Lit Wit Wine Dine and Renee at It’s Book Talk). The beginning felt like The Rules of Magic: 1960’s/70’s NYC, a bit of magic, and young siblings trying to slide things by their parents. From that point on, the story is told in sections, one focusing on each of the four Gold children’s lives. These were hit and miss…I was engrossed in some parts (Simon’s and parts of Daniel’s) and kept tuning out during others (Klara’s and Varya’s). I didn’t care much about the sibling in the final section because he/she had been virtually absent for much of the book. That being said, the writing was great, so I would consider reading whatever Chloe Benjamin does next.

A beautifully braided story of the lives of four siblings after they each learn their death date from a fortune teller. The impact this knowledge has on each of their lives, and the overarching relationships between the siblings leaves the reader much fodder for thought. I will be thinking of this book for a long time to come, and will confidently recommend it often.

I reviewed this book here: http://www.bethfishreads.com/2018/01/stacked-up-book-thoughts-6-books-to.html

I became so attached to the characters in this story that I needed to take breaks in reading to mourn each one. Benjamin wraps the reader up in the emotional drama of the Gold family. I know I will be thinking about this one for a long while.

Benjamin's novel blew me away. Told in five parts, Benjamin's story is the tale of the Gold's, a modern Jewish family. Four siblings, Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon, take a trip to visit the town psychic to discover their death dates. What the four siblings don't realize is how much the answer will affect them for the rest of their lives. This book begins in 1969 and unfolds over the next five decades to reveal how each sibling chooses to live their life. Benjamin writes from each sibling's perspective, and each consecutive sibling picks up where the story of the other ends. This style was striking and mesmerizing.

I found connection with each character, although I'm not sure I would have been friends with many of them in life. Each sibling was compulsive in a different way. I didn't feel a deep emotional bond, but rather I was enthralled to discover what tragedy each sibling had in store for them. And this truly is a tragedy, not light-hearted in the slightest. Even the humor felt dark much of the time. However, the whole book was not without hope, but rather decidedly hopeful.

I would recommend this book for anyone who likes family history that spans decades, and for those interested in dark almost existential tales.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The four young Gold siblings live in the Lower East Side of New York in the summer of 1969, and they hear of a woman who is telling people what date they will die. They figure it should be interesting to find out their own death dates, so they pool their savings and meet with the woman, one by one. What they are told rattles each of them, and while they either pretend they don’t believe or what they heard doesn’t bother them, what they hear informs the rest of their lives.

Simon, who realizes he’s gay as a teen, takes off to San Francisco with his little sister, Klara. He is intent on living the life he’s heard about in this homosexual mecca. Klara herself decides to pursue her dreams of being a magician. Their older siblings, Varya and Daniel, go to college and into more scientific careers.

I couldn’t read past a quarter into this book. The stories of the four siblings come one after the other, beginning with Simon’s tale, and it is all about the hedonistic gay lifestyle in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s of San Francisco. I couldn’t read anymore after two explicit gay sex scenes, one that was an encounter between Simon and a total stranger. It may be that the rest of the book isn’t as rough, but I just couldn’t proceed after that.

Rated: DIRT. I really rarely have to give this rating to books I read, but this book, 25 percent of the way in, had probably 10 uses of strong language and then two very, very detailed and lurid sex scenes between two males, and I wished I could have been warned ahead of time myself.

We all want to get the most out of the lives we live. But how might your life’s path change if someone told you the day on which it would end?

That’s what happens to four children living in New York City in the late 1960s in Chloe Benjamin’s novel “The Immortalists.” What follows is a steady journey across the decades, following each of these young people as their choices are impacted by the ever-closing distance between them and their predicted fates.

The Gold children live on the Lower East Side with their parents Saul and Gertie. It’s 1969; Saul owns a reasonably successful small business, but he works incredibly hard for that success. One sweltering summer day, the four young Golds decide to go on an adventure. Daniel has heard rumors of a traveling psychic, a mysterious woman whose mystical powers are whispered about with awe. After collecting their pennies and pooling their meager funds, the adolescent quartet makes their way to the purported fortune teller.

One at a time, they enter the woman’s tiny apartment. And one at a time, they are told the date on which they can expect to die.

As you might expect, the experience leaves the Gold children shaken. Instead of a bit of light-hearted fun, these kids are forced to confront the concept of their own mortality. Yet despite the shadowy nature of the prophecies – or perhaps because of it – they choose not to share their new secrets with one another. Instead, they struggle with their fates alone.

Their methods of coping vary wildly. Simon, the youngest, makes his way to the West Coast in an effort to find himself on his own terms; he seeks love and passion in the San Francisco of the early 1980s. His sister Klara makes that move with him, but her path leads her in a very different direction – her childhood love of magic blossoms. Her work with illusion moves from avocation to vocation as she builds an act that captures the spirit of what she wants to say.

The other two move down much more staid, stolid paths. Daniel studies medicine and becomes a military doctor, one whose duties include determining the fitness of potential recruits even as those requirements shift during the first decade of the 21st century. And Varya delves even deeper into her own life of the mind, devoting her considerable gifts to the study of longevity; she works as a research scientist devoted to increasing the lifespans of primates in an effort to slow and/or extend the aging process in humans.

And through it all, all four seek the human connections that – they hope – will make them happy. Meanwhile, each of them carry within them the knowledge of that singular date, a day over which a sword of Damocles perpetually dangles … and there’s no way for them to know if, when the time comes, it will actually drop.

“The Immortalists” is a decades-spanning family epic, one that follows each of the Gold children as they move through the world. They grow and change and even thrive, but never manage to escape the lengthy shadow cast by that fateful day back in 1969. It seems like a simple conceit – and it is – but there’s nothing simple about the vivid richness of the resulting narrative.

Benjamin throws up the blinds and opens wide the windows on the respective worlds of the Gold children; each of them is brought into sharp focus as the years roll by. All four get their time in the spotlight, but perhaps most compelling are the moments of overlap – some extensive, some incredibly brief – that illustrate the shifting swirl of sibling relationships. There’s an ebb and flow to the dynamic that captures the attention, a tidal force that is familiar and familial. That tug is present on every page – indicative of the author’s keen sense of storytelling and characterization.

All four of the Golds – Simon, Klara, Daniel and Varya – have unique stories to tell, each of them existing as a distinct narrative while also serving as a segment of a larger whole. It’s a compelling and carefully-wrought piece of literary craftsmanship, assembled smoothly and seamlessly by Benjamin, whose prose bubbles throughout with notes of humor and heartbreak.

“The Immortalists” is a story about stories and the power that belief can hold over us. It is a story about the meaning of family and the many faces of love. It is beautifully written, sharp and tender in ways that ring loud with thought and truth. Chloe Benjamin is a dynamic and gifted literary voice, one we should look forward to hearing again and again.

The Immortalists strikes a perfect balance of can't-put-it-down readability and can't-stop-thinking-about-it philosophical concepts. It begins when four siblings visit a traveling psychic who predicts the dates of each of their deaths, and then follows the siblings through the consequences of those predictions. It's cleverly structured in a way that is engaging and fast paced. It also deals with weighty issues like life vs. survival, purpose, family, relationships, and loneliness. I'm not generally much of a re-reader, but this is a book I'll find myself returning to.

I found this title depressing and pretentious. It is well written - I suffered through to the end, hoping that something would finally happen, but alas, nothing did. This is a book for folks who want to sit and debate how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, while congratulating themselves on how high-brow they are. I realize this has gotten many positive reviews, and is even on the cover of Book Pages, but I think there will be at least an equal number of readers who will reject it because it is just too, too pretentious. Ah, you might say, she just doesn't like novels that are not action driven. Nope, I love the psychological, character development novels. But this one doesn't develop. It's just depressing. Bleh!

I found the idea of this book fascinating. The three siblings find out when they are going to die and we follow each of their respective lives. I loved that there was such a focus on whether they died when they did because of the prophecy or because of their belief in the prophecy.

Interesting characters and themes running throughout the book. The idea of how we believe what someone says to us and it's long term impact. Could something as simple as say a horoscope direct our lives simply because it wiggled I to our brain and we then let it effect our lives? The second major theme is family in general, the ebb and flow of the difference between siblings and expectations. A third theme is illusion, magic and the ability we have to hide our true selves. This books will give its reader a lot to think about. Highly recommend.

This book follows the Gold siblings through their lives after visiting a Roma woman who told them the dates of their deaths when they were children. If you knew the time when you would die, would you live your life differently? All of the Golds were affected by the foretelling, each in a different way.

I enjoyed the different settings - both places and times - in this book. It brought alive the locations and added to the story. The characters also felt very real and made me think about how I would behave in the same situation. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

During a quiet summer day in 1969, the four bored Gold siblings make a trek through New York City’s Lower East Side, on an ill-fated mission that will forever change the course of their lives. Varya, thirteen; Daniel, eleven; Klara, nine; and Simon, seven, seek out a mysterious fortune-teller who is said to have the power to predict the date of an individual’s death. Each Gold sibling enters the woman’s apartment one at a time to hear the date they are destined to die. Afterwards, the Golds decide not to share their dates with one another, and try to shake off the entire unsettling experience.

Yet, this day will follow them for the rest of their lives; the woman’s prophecies creating countless ripple effects that will affect every decision they make from this afternoon onwards. Teenaged Simon runs away to San Francisco, finding an oasis in the flourishing gay community of The Castro neighborhood. The Magic-obsessed Klara is dedicated to fulfilling her dream of working as a magician; creating an act that will allow her audience to view the world in a new light. Daniel attends medical school and takes up a post as an army doctor after 9/11; a role in which he determines the fate and fitness of each potential soldier. And Varya builds her life around scientific research to extend the human lifespan; but what is the point of living a longer life if you’re not actively living?

The Immortalists is written in four parts, each narrated by one of the Gold siblings and covering a different period of time. In this way, we are able to follow Simon, Klara, Daniel, and Varya over roughly fifty years. We are given front row seats to the ways in which the knowledge of the date of their deaths impacts the ways in which they live.

This is an engrossing novel about family, fate, loss, belief, identity, and the choices we make. How much control do we have over our destinies? If you believe something enough does it make it true? Is it better to know or not to know the future? Chloe Benjamin has written an incredibly thought-provoking novel, full of more questions than answers. There’s much here for each reader to contemplate and from which to draw your own conclusions.

The Gold siblings are well-portrayed, yet I never felt as if I got to fully know them as individuals. That’s probably fitting for a novel all about secrets, isolation, and family estrangement however. Over time, the fortune-teller’s powerful words (as well as unimaginable losses) start to eat away at their familial bonds, eroding their sense of unity and leaving each sibling feeling adrift and alone. I did slightly prefer the first half of the novel and the perspectives of Simon and Klara to those of Daniel and Varya. I found the ending to be slightly disappointing, but I did appreciate that not everything is perfectly wrapped up.

The Immortalists is quietly heartbreaking and imbued with a sense of foreboding throughout. I felt a buildup of dread as each character’s perspective neared its end, and their “date” approached. The outcomes often felt unavoidable and yet I could also pinpoint the moments in which the siblings could have altered their fates. Benjamin has brilliantly constructed a novel which holds up to multiple interpretations. I think there is plenty of evidence to support both the theory that the fortune-teller accurately predicted the Gold siblings deaths, and that the knowledge of their deaths created self-fulfilling prophecies. My own interpretation tends towards the latter, but there were also moments throughout my reading in which I more readily believed in the fortune-teller’s claims.

This is a highly readable novel with a brilliant premise and interesting characters. Chloe Benjamin has crafted a vivid story that provokes a lot of reflection and leaves room for debate. The Immortalists explores family dynamics, themes of fate and the power of belief, and questions of how to live your best life. It’s a buzzed about book that is well-worth picking up; an enjoyable and enlightening read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

**A huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

What an interesting concept, drawn out perfectly. Truly unique and a wonderful read. I may have to buy a copy for my collection.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from netgalley.com.

This book deserves 10 stars! I thoroughly loved all the characters, the story & could not wait to read it every day! One of the best heartwarming & best books I’ve read in awhile.

THE IMMORTALISTS by Chloe Benjamin has a beautiful cover and an intriguing premise: if someone could foretell when you would die, how would you live your life differently? This new novel was chosen as the favorite for Library Reads January 2018 and has received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. Unfortunately, I found the content to be too mature for many of our students. Set in 1969, four siblings do in fact learn of their predicted death dates and the first section of the book recounts the experience of Simon, the youngest who runs away to San Francisco before finishing high school and embraces the gay culture there, becoming a dancer in a male only club. Older brother Daniel pursues a medical career; sisters Klara (a skilled magician) and Varya (a scientist) also explore their passions. The story takes place over several decades and the siblings deal with multiple issues (AIDS, alcoholism, mental health) and misunderstandings. Kirkus says "the spell doesn’t quite work" and I agree.