The Immortalists

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Benjamin, Chloe, Adult Book / Fiction / General / Benjamin, Chloe
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Traverwood Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Benjamin, Chloe	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Benjamin, Chloe	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Benjamin, Chloe	4-week checkout	Due 05-16-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Benjamin, Chloe	4-week checkout	Due 05-16-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Benjamin, Chloe	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Benjamin, Chloe	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Benjamin, Chloe	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Benjamin, Chloe	4-week checkout	Due 05-06-2024
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Benjamin, Chloe	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Benjamin, Chloe	4-week checkout	Due 05-10-2024

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. Their 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, hoping to control fate; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality. 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.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

A 2018 Favorite submitted by DBJC on June 16, 2018, 9:57am I dove into this book without really knowing what it was about. It was on my list since the beginning of the year so I was really happy to pick it up around the same time. I love Simon and Klara's stories the best, probably because I loved the way they lived their life so independently even though there were consequences to their lifestyles. Another thing I liked about this book was the different types of intimacy with each story and character. Also, Benjamin knows how to use exposition, which is great. She gives the reader the right amount of information at the right time, and doesn't forget about minor characters. In fact, the minor characters weave in and out of the book with a graceful ease. I definitely recommend this book for intimacy and magic.

Amazing submitted by kzheng on June 18, 2018, 10:54am One of the best books I have read in a long time. Perhaps our thoughts and feelings unconsciously affect our actions and behaviors. There is something almost glamorous and ethereal about living brightly and burning out fast like Simon and Kara. There is magic, but it could almost just be coincidences.

Amazing. submitted by MadMonkeyZ on June 23, 2018, 2:58pm In this ambitious and deeply moving novel, Chloe Benjamin imagines how the lives of four siblings might be warped by a fortuneteller’s prediction of the dates of their deaths. While recounting their stories, Benjamin poses intriguing questions about the value of longevity and whether we are victims, or perpetrators, of our own fates.

So so submitted by mandevil on July 8, 2018, 10:58am I did read it all the way through. Somehow it didn’t keep my interest. Like other reviewers i liked Simon and Klara’s stories best. But after that it just seemed contrived and flat

very enjoyable submitted by laurenalysse on July 30, 2019, 10:02am This book was very enjoyable. It is told in 4 parts -- one from each of the children. One siblings' story is significantly more contrived than the others, but overall I enjoyed the book!

Unique Framing Device submitted by selujules on August 6, 2019, 7:58pm Really unique framing device! I read a lot, and this book stands out for the way the plot is set up... unlike any other book I've read. Great characterization!

Four stars submitted by adimarzo on August 7, 2019, 10:17pm I was really intrigued by the premise of this book - how do each of four siblings deal with "knowing" the supposed date of their death? The stories are well written but I agree with some of the other reviewers that I didn't feel as connected to any of the characters as I had hoped. I would say it is worth a read but I didn't love it.

Interesting premise submitted by Cihendricks on August 12, 2019, 9:56pm The narrative frame for this book was fascinating. I really liked the premise of the book; it poses some really interesting and thought provoking questions. But as many others have said, while Simon's and Klara's stories were compelling and engaging, the second half of the book fell flat. The section about Daniel was felt contrived and unrealistic to me, and Varya's wasn't much better.

Not good submitted by cjbower on August 15, 2019, 6:11pm I read it all the way through with hopes that it would get interesting at some point, but it never picked up. There were 5 or 6 plot points where it seemed as if things would get interesting, but then those were dropped completely.

Pretty rough submitted by avandeusen on July 17, 2021, 10:53am Perhaps a good read for someone who is looking for a slightly more adult version of teen fiction, but I found the storytelling quite disappointing.

Got me back into reading! submitted by ilanamerm on June 18, 2022, 5:29pm After not having read for pleasure in a couple years, I read The Immortalists. I really enjoyed Chloe Benjamin's storytelling and themes about life, and I have been reading pretty avidly since finishing this book.