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A neighbor of Ursula’s growing up. In some timelines, Ursula pines after him while he is relatively indifferent to her; in others, Ursula and Benjamin start a romance when they’re very young. Eventually Benjamin, who is Jewish, fights in World War II and then fights for the creation of the state of Israel.
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Benjamin Cole Character Timeline in Life After Life
The timeline below shows where the character Benjamin Cole appears in Life After Life. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
War (I), July 1914
...noted that the Coles are Jews, though Hugh had added that they do not practice.) Benjamin Cole, Ursula, and Pamela had found a blackbird’s nest with blue eggs in them, when...
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Like a Fox in a Hole, 11 February 1926 (I)
...is passing beneath the “triumphal arch that led to womanhood.” She wishes it had been Benjamin Cole who had kissed her.
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Like a Fox in a Hole, August 1926 (II)
...sixteen, which Sylvie denies as nonsense. Ursula, for her own part, is in love with Benjamin Cole. Izzie then says that she has become quite successful following her book series, but...
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A Lovely Day Tomorrow (III), August 1926
...the train station and encounters Nancy on the way back. They are then overtaken by Benjamin Cole on his bike, who escorts them to the Shawcrosses’ gate before cycling away. Ursula...
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On Saturday, the party is a disappointment. Ursula feels invisible most of the time, and Benjamin barely pays her any attention. She eats an assortment of desserts and returns home, dejected,...
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A Long Hard War, June 1967
...fire on Tel Aviv that morning, the reporter says, and now they are bombing Jerusalem. Benjamin Cole is a member of the Israeli parliament now; he had fought in the Jewish...
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Ursula and Benjamin had met up briefly for a drink during the war, but it had been awkward....
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The End of the Beginning
At Ursula’s sixteenth birthday, she walks Millie back to her house. On the return home, Benjamin Cole cycles past, then stops and walks her back to her house. He tells her...
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...going to meet Hugh at the train station, but really she is going to meet Benjamin Cole in secret. She knows Sylvie would not approve, as “things had started to get...
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Ursula tells Benjamin she should probably be getting back for dinner. On their return, they see a man...
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