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    Elsewhere
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    Elsewhere
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    Elsewhere
    Audiobook7 hours

    Elsewhere

    Written by Gabrielle Zevin

    Narrated by Cassandra Morris

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Welcome to Elsewhere. It is usually warm with a breeze, the sun and the stars shine brightly, and the beaches are marvelous. It's quiet and peaceful here. And you can't get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere's museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe's psychiatric practice.

    Elsewhere.

    It's where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different from it. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth.

    But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen (again). She wants to get her driver's license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. She wants to fall in love. And now that she's dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn't want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well.

    How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 11, 2005
    ISBN9780307282415
    Unavailable
    Elsewhere
    Author

    Gabrielle Zevin

    Gabrielle Zevin is the bestselling author of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow as well as Elsewhere and the Birthright trilogy. In addition to writing fiction for adults and teenagers, she is also a screenwriter. Her books have been translated into eighteen languages. Gabrielle Zevin lives in New York.

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    Reviews for Elsewhere

    4/5

    1,238 ratings117 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Good book-Read in 5th grade
    • 5/5
      A highly underrated book, Elsewhere is a modern classic. The crafting of this novel is exquisite and should be read in schools everywhere. The ending gave a conclusion to a universal grieving.
    • 4/5
      It doesn't say anywhere on this book that it's meant for teens, but it so definitely is - the tone of it, the cover, even the typeface it uses. But something made me buy it anyway. And now I've read it I'd say its ideal reader would indeed be a teenager, but there was stuff in there for adults like me to think about too.It's narrated by a nearly-16 year old who has been killed in a road accident and finds herself in a 'heaven' that isn't too much different from here on earth, except that people age backwards and there's no death. This is the "elsewhere" of the book's title and it's sketchily drawn. It tells you the basics about how 'life' proceeds there, but doesn't have the scope to go into too much detail. Because of that, my head was full of questions. Like....how come all the inhabitants of Elsewhere seem to be from the Western world? Why are the only animals domestic pets? Shouldn't there be a massive influx of pigs every time an abattoir opens its doors? And wasn't it Milan Kundera in "The unbearable lightness of being" who pointed out that God, in pictures, always has a mouth, therefore he has an arsehole too. By the same measure these "dead" people are still going to need sewerage, right? And whose job (sorry...Avocation) is it to maintain them? It turns out there's no God (as a happy agnostic I cheered at that) but doesn't that mean.....erm.....nobody's in charge? At the very least, who's running the economy? There's money, but I'm not sure who's in charge of doling it out. And so on.Those questions didn't really affect my enjoyment of the book - I quite enjoyed puzzling over the issues they raised, and sometimes quite forgot that I was analysing a work of fiction. The only question that did vex me was that of the reverse ageing - which does seem to take people back to baby state, physically and mentally - and yet we witness "seven year olds" still being capable of captaining ships. At what "age" does mental development start to reverse? We never do find out. And the age-gap relationships that exist in the book....to be honest I found them harder to stomach than the ones in "Twilight" that have so many readers protesting in horror. Perhaps what I appreciated most about the book was the way it handled emotion - as Liz thinks of her lost life and family. It could have been a cheese-fest, but happily wasn't. Liz initially reacts to being dead in typical teenager fashion, descending into a pyjama clad strop, and later manages to have some contact with her family, something with was handled with elegant simplicity.If there's a theme running through the book it seemed to be one of acceptance - of the things that a dead 15 year old will never do (considering she won't get any older even on the 'other side'). The "Time Passes" chapter was a beautiful piece of writing in this regard, but I'm not sure I came out the other end as reconciled with it as I was meant to....after all being dead at 15 has got to suck whichever way you look at it.
    • 4/5
      This was a very interesting spin on what happens after a person dies. I enjoyed reading this book. It caused me to think about "life after death" in a different way. The ending, however, seemed rather abrupt.
    • 4/5
      A story about life after death.
    • 5/5
      Narrated by Cassandra Morris. Fifteen-year-old Liz dies in a hit-and-run accident and finds herself in Elsewhere where people don't get older, they get younger until they return to earth as babies. Liz finds it hard to accept that she'll never get a driver's license, go to college or fall in love. Plus she's living with her grandmother Betty whom she's never met. Regular trips to the observation deck to watch her family only worsen her longing for life on earth. She reluctantly settles into life on Elsewhere, getting a job at the Division of Domestic animals, adopting a dog, and meeting Owen who becomes her boyfriend. Eventually she realizes that a life in reverse can be as fulfilling as life in forward motion. Narrator does an excellent job portraying a young, confused girl and carries off the story with the light touch it requires.
    • 4/5
      This is a sweet thoughtful story about what it means to live. I appreciated the uniqueness of the premise. Elsewhere is a study of a life lived backwards. It is always refreshing to find a story line you have not read a hundred times before. Expect a light quick read in Elsewhere. Target audience is 'Young Adult' but all ages will enjoy this book.
    • 4/5
      How to tell a story about the death of a fifteen year old? This novel serves as a great example. Where do people go when they die? They go elsewhere, to Elsewhere. There are many touching and lightly humorous episodes in this book. Easily read, I hope it is not easily forgotten.
    • 5/5
      One of the books that I read while trying to deal with a friends suicide. Loved it.
    • 4/5
      Is it possible to grow up while getting younger?Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It's quiet and peaceful. You can't get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere's museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe's psychiatric practice. Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth.But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen (again). She wants to get her driver's license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she's dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn't want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well.How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward? This moving, often funny book about grief, death, and loss will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.
    • 5/5
      If you have to be dead, it is better to be somewhere, anywhere, than nowhere at all. Page 35Death came as a surprise and a shock to fifteen year old Lizzie. Just when she thought her life was about to begin, it abruptly ends, leaving her longing and yearning for all the things that she has lost and all the things that could have been. What she comes to discover is that dying is not the end. Sometimes, the end is merely just the beginning of a whole new adventure. Elsewhere is a shining example of how YA books can be done well, complete with a refreshing and intriguing storyline and executed with both empathy and thoughtfulness. I absolutely loved the twist that Zevin explores when it comes to the subject of death, the afterlife and the our notions of what living really looks like. If you have never given YA books a chance, Elsewhere is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended for its originality and readability.
    • 4/5
      This is a sweet thoughtful story about what it means to live. I appreciated the uniqueness of the premise. Elsewhere is a study of a life lived backwards. It is always refreshing to find a story line you have not read a hundred times before. Expect a light quick read in Elsewhere. Target audience is 'Young Adult' but all ages will enjoy this book.
    • 5/5
      Loved this book! Heavenly read,and enjoyable! The author has a creative imagination,I can only hope heaven is a bit like Elsewhere! I cried at the end. I couldn't beleive this was YA fiction.Every adult should read this one!Inccredible!
    • 4/5
      Elsewhere is a highly original story of death, grief and the afterlife. 16 year old Liz is hit by a cab and killed en route to the mall to go shopping with her best friend Zooey. The book deals with Liz's struggles to accept her own death and build new relationships. Fabulous book! I highly recommend it!
    • 4/5
      What a perfect summer book! I read this book in two days, but only because I started it late on one day. It was a breeze to read, and so enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters, felt compassion and pain with them. It was written like a YA book, but not pandering or sophomoric in the least. I can't wait to read more by this author.
    • 5/5
      One of our customers, Chris, likes to read books about the Great Depression, the French Revolution and plagues. My secret quirk is that I like to read books about life after death. In Elsewhere, after people die, they go 'elsewhere', where they age backwards until they return back to earth as an infant. Great story about life, death, loss, and overcoming grief.
    • 4/5
      It was an interesting idea to explore - what happens when we die and what if we aged backwards from our death to babyhood again before returning to earth. Still, it didn't fully capture my imagination. I do think Ms. Zevin did a good job capturing that difficulty we can have in letting go of our former life or former relationships - death isn't easy for the living and this book imagines that it is equally difficult for the dead.
    • 4/5
      I thought this book had a great plot. I just wish it hadn't ended so abruptly.
    • 4/5
      Teen Lizzie is hit by a car and dies. Lizzie wakes up in Elsewhere. A place where one can sort of regress and grow younger and have another start. Lizzie gets to meet her grandmother in Elsewhere. Lizzie has the opportunity to learn a few things in Elsewhere. A very nice, thoughtful YA read.
    • 2/5
      Teen fiction; afterlife romance. I thought I wasn't going to like this book (the first chapter is written from the perspective of the family dog, which seems unwarranted until you learn about Liz's avocation as a dog therapist in Elsewhere) but as the story progressed, I got attached to Liz and Betty and Owen. I skimmed over the ending, but it was pretty satisfactory.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this lovely story of how Elizabeth Hall (Lizzie) dies, and wakes up in a place called Elsewhere.Here she learns to live again, despite being dead, and meets people, including her long dead grandmother.I thought this was a very nice book, and gave me an insight into what could be. Lizzie was such a great character, and I enjoyed following how she overcame new challenges, each day. I must look into finding more books by this author.
    • 4/5
      A 15 year old girl dies and has a difficult time accepting this.
      "Elsewhere" isn't what she thought "heaven" would be like and she learns how to "live" in this new place.
      It's an emotional book, especially towards the end.
    • 5/5
      This was a well written, life affirming story. loved it!
    • 3/5
      Though I’d abandoned this book once before, I kept it on my shelf, and, through other books, developed a taste for this author. This is not my favorite of her works but i came away happy I read it. An interesting concept of afterlife and what makes a life s life.
    • 1/5
      interesting concept but just not that good of a book. other reviews notes the lead character was whiny and annoying. at first I thought well she's only fifteen so of course she's annoying! but shortly into the book I understood. she's really whiny and rude and unlikable. I wouldn't recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      What a beautiful little book. Read it. It's wonderful.

      Some of my favorite quotes.

      In the natural order of things, a dog isn't meant to outlive her human.

      What a waste...to spend one's dreams asleep. 

      I'm allergic to sad memories   

      Why do two people fall in love anyway? It's a mystery.






        
    • 4/5
      A very thought-provoking take on what happens after we die, I would recommend this to almost anyone willing to suspend disbelief about a religious afterlife.

      When fifteen-year-old Liz is killed in a hit and run accident, she finds out that the afterlife is just like life on Earth; you can have a job, get a driver’s license… even get married. Death really is just another stage of life, with one major hitch… you age backwards until you are a baby again.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of a 15 year old girl who dies and the place she goes to after death called Elsewhere. You age backwards until you are sent back to earth as a baby to be reborn and live a new life. Interesting concept to think about. You have a diffrent kind of life in this place.
    • 4/5
      4Q 4PElsewhere begins where most stories end: the death of the protagonist. After being killed in a hit and run, 15 year old Lizzie awakens on the SS Nile and becomes acquainted with a magical and surreal afterlife. The vastly imaginative vision of life after death offers many curiosities: all residents age backwards, dogs and humans can talk. And it is in this world that Lizzie grapples with what living really means. Gorgeous and heart-wrenching, Lizzie's experiences not only offer a compelling look into a bizarrely beautiful world but they also incite readers to reflect on life and death.
    • 3/5
      I liked the world. It's a very interesting view of the afterlife and reincarnation. And the enjoyed the story arc. But, and maybe part of this is I didn't care for the narrator, the main character is so whiny. Sure, if I had died when I was 15 I'm sure I'd be asking for cheese with my whine but still, it got grating.