It is 1714 in France. A young woman named Adeline (Addie) LaRue is stuck living a life meant for women of this time. Eager to escape this reality, she makes a plea to the night god. But instead of a blessing, Adeline finds herself cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Traveling through time and across the world, Addie lives an extraordinary life. Every step she takes is an effort to leave her mark in a world destined to forget her.
But 300 years later everything changes when Addie meets a man in a bookstore and when their paths cross again, he remembers her …
•••
You know when you read a book and just have the feeling it will stick with you for a long time? That is precisely how I feel about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Enamored with her stories throughout history, I was captured with this book and read through it in just two days. We’re living in a strange time of history. One where we cannot travel, one where we can’t sit in a cafe, or peruse a bookstore; this book transported me. It put me into moments I’ve missed and brought me to places I want to go.
Each character in this book is so captivating. I found myself so entangled with each moment, each person and what they contributed to this story. I love that this book allows us to travel with Addie through time, alongside the present and her reality of finally being remembered. Initially, the idea of living with total freedom seems attractive, but along with Addie, readers learn the painful reality in which she lives. No one can ever remember Addie long enough to fall in love, and that is what she craves.
What an extraordinary concept; I love how this book comes to life. It is a story so well told and so captivating. Though there’s a lot of unrealistic elements of this story, V.E. Schwab manages to capture pain and depression so well within these pages. There are also great amounts of LGBTQ+ representation, which we love to see! Ultimately, I fell in love with this book and the characters within it. Without giving anything away, the ending is both satisfying and devastating. If you have read this one, I’d love to hear your thoughts!!
“Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives — or to find strength in a very long one.” (p35)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: Tor Books; October 6th, 2020; 9780765387561; Fiction/Fantasy
