I read a lot – as most of you know. Some say I read too much. And, I admit I read indiscriminately, but when I read an excellent book, I have the need to tell someone (make that everyone) about my exciting new find.
Last night I finished such a book.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab is magical in all the right ways. Is it a novel that explores the depths of the human spirit?. Or is it a fantasy? Or perhaps it’s a fairy tale or a retelling of Goethe’s Faust? I believe it is all of that and more.
The publisher advertised the book with the line – A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget – my attention was captured. The moment I read the blurb: France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. – I knew I needed to read it.
I was definitely intrigued and clicked right over to purchase the book. The day it arrived, I was reading something else, and I do like to finish one novel at a time, but I moved it right to the top of my TBR (To Be Read) pile.
When I started reading, I kept reading – skipping my own writing to spend the entire day reading – start to finish. The tale is a dazzling, crazy adventure that begins when Addie LaRue rejects marriage in favor of selling her soul to the devil – it felt like the lesser of two evils – and I could buy into that premise. (Not that I have anything against marriage.) Addie’s story plays out across continents and centuries, through real history and art as Addie tries to leave a mark – any mark – so that she will be remembered in some way by someone. No spoilers here, but Addie does find someone who remembers her, and the tale is enriched and continues to grow until the very satisfying ending.
I’ve never read anything else by V. E. Schwab. It was a pleasant surprise to find the writing so simple yet lyrical. Each word was carefully chosen to draw pictures in my mind. This is a book that feels like an old friend, a story I almost know. This is a book to read and reread. A book to savor over and over. Each read will be different. You can listen to the author read the first chapter of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue here. Addie’s story plays out across continents and centuries, through real history and art as Addie tries to leave a mark – any mark – so that she will be remembered in some way by someone. No spoilers here, but Addie does find someone who remembers her, and the tale is enriched and continues to grow until the very satisfying ending. I’ve never read anything else by V. E. Schwab. It was a pleasant surprise to find the writing so simple yet lyrical. Each word was carefully chosen to draw pictures in my mind. This is a book that feels like an old friend, a story I almost know. This is a book to read and reread. A book to savor over and over. Each read will be different. You can listen to the author read the first chapter of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue here.
