NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER THE WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER Recommended by Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, NPR, Slate, and Oprah Magazine #1 Library Reads Pick–October 2020 #1 Indie Next Pick–October 2020 BOOK OF THE YEAR (2020) FINALIST–Book of The Month Club A “Best Of” Book From: Oprah Mag * CNN * Amazon * Amazon Editors * NPR * Goodreads * … 2020
BOOK OF THE YEAR (2020) FINALIST—Book of The Month Club
A “Best Of” Book From: Oprah Mag * CNN * Amazon * Amazon Editors * NPR * Goodreads * Bustle * PopSugar * BuzzFeed * Barnes & Noble * Kirkus Reviews * Lambda Literary * Nerdette * The Nerd Daily * Polygon * Library Reads * io9 * Smart Bitches Trashy Books * LiteraryHub * Medium * BookBub * The Mary Sue * Chicago Tribune * NY Daily News * SyFy Wire * Powells.com * Bookish * Book Riot * Library Reads Voter Favorite *
In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.
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.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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This is a wonderful Faustian Tale that is weaved beautifully. I enjoyed this story and the way the author told it. It took me a bit of time to get into the rhythm of it, but once it clicked it was difficult to put down.
It’s been a while since I read a book that I have placed on my I want to have babies with this book shelf. This book made my heart sing. Schwab’s writing is almost artistic and poetic. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is simplistic in it’s telling but Schwab has a way with words that makes this story much deeper and all-consuming. A part of me loves it so because of the Addie and her disturbing relationship with “Luc” the shadowman who gave her what she wanted, her deepest wish but with major consequences. Over the course of 300 years from present day- 2014 through flashbacks, we see how Addie survives, and how Luc watches and waits and is cruel and kind but he has a plan for Addie. Once she understand it and him, she tries to trick him. But there is a major wrench in her plans with Henry.
Each chapter is like unwrapping a piece of chocolate. Savor each word and action found on the page and your rewards are endless. This is the type of book you will go back and re-read again and again. This is the type of book you wanted adapted on the big screen. There are some twists and turns- mainly during the last 50 pages. The end may seem like THE END but if you look closer, it may not be the end of Addie and what she has planned for her future of endless immorality at the hands of something not of this world who may or may want something all humans want- love and to be remember by someone or something.
One of the best books I’ve read for 2020. I want more this. More.
One of my absolute favorite books of the year. Such an original story, absolutely brilliant. The writing is lush and gorgeous.
BUY THIS BOOK!
The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue is a symphony of the written word.
Addie La Rue is a story with such depths it is almost impossible to find the bottom.
Please read it. You won’t be sorry.
This book is everything I ever wanted in a book, but didn’t know it till I read it. Beautifully written and absolutely captivating, I couldn’t put it down. My words cannot give this story the credit it deserves and I can understand the length of time taken to write it. The result was worth the effort. I loved all of it and I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook and reread the physical book over and over. I’m sure I will notice more details and be just as enchanted every time. This book gets all the love and all the stars from me.
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this story.
I’m not sure how I feel about this book. There were parts I liked and others I didn’t. I was sad for Addie, who gets her wish but at what cost. Then one day she meets Henry and he remembers her. Now this book becomes a love story.
I thought it was well written and takes the reader on a journey with a surprise ending.
This book is so exquisite and so beautifully written by VE Schwab, that I hugged this book right after I finished reading. This book is a treasure of magical moments. I can’t stop talking about it and recommending this fantastic book to everyone.
Just as the title states, this story is about the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – a young woman who in desperation made a Faustian bargain with the devil in 1714 France.
This is a sweeping novel that spans 300 years, and yet still, you wouldn’t want this story to end. You will follow Addie’s story as she moves through centuries and continents, historical landmarks and artistic masterpieces living a life forgotten, leaving no trace, or memory. While in New York in 2014, a small used book store and its shopkeeper Henry, changes everything with three little words, “I remember you”.
This book is delightfully unforgettable. I read each line of this book carefully not skipping a single word Schwab constructed, to build this world that was enchanting and dazzling. It is a book so clever and witty, magical and fantastical, and romantic that defies time and fate.
I loved this story!
Wow! Just wow! This was an amazing read! It started out slow, the style of writing took a while to catch my interest, jumping from far in the past to the present day. I grew to love Addie, to fear for her life and feel her many changing emotions. It’s a book unlike any I have read before with a welcome twist near the middle that made me glad I had kept reading. I came to a point where I wanted to set it down, but only because I did not want it to end and then near the end I couldn’t read fast enough to see what would happen! Would I want to live Addie’s life? No, but I can understand the choice she made in the beginning. This was a truly interesting book! I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of their favorite genre. It’s just that good!
This novel is a masterpiece.
I recommend the audiobook version. The narrator is exceptional and in the hearing, you can hear Schwab’s mastery of English. Her prose is poetry in the best sense.
A really well-written, thought-provoking story, this grabbed my attention and kept me thinking, without being too heavy or complicated. It was a lovely distraction and the characters were completely memorable. My only complaint is that the ending seemed a little rushed.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the kind of book you encounter only once in a lifetime… A defiant, joyous rebellion against time, fate, and even death itself — and a powerful reminder that the only magic great enough to conquer all of it is love.
.5
Schwab has done it again and will not disappoint, as expected. Her writing lures you in like a trap, the scent of your favorite treat too enticing to resist, then you get trapped in the cage but this is a cage you will not want to escape. Exquisite character development, world building, and story telling along with a satisfying ending earned 4.5 stars from me. A few speed bumps with pacing, and some predictable events of the plot made me hesitant to give a full 5 star rating, but it was very, very close. I will recommend this book to everyone.
Addie Larue is a book perfectly suspended between darkness and light, myth and reality. [This novel] is — ironically — unforgettable.
On the day of her wedding in 1714 Addie LaRue makes a deal with the devil (literally and figuratively). Addie wants to be free. She wants to grow out of the small French village in which she was born. She wants to explore the world without constraints. Bartering her soul for her freedom, what Addie doesn’t realize is that every word has power.
Addie will come to know that the Darkness (later known as Luc) takes Addie’s choice of words “freedom without constraints” to make her near invisible to the world. She cannot speak her name or tell her story. If someone leaves a room or turns away from Addie, she is quickly forgotten, but she is free. Erased. Invisible.
Then, Addie meets Henry who works in a book store. While trying to exchange a book she lifted from the store the previous day, she’s shocked at realization that Henry remembers Addie, he sees her. For the first time in nearly three hundred years Addie has a voice.
I’m finding it a bit difficult to truly convey my feelings for this book, this story, without giving too much away. There’s so much I want to talk about. V.E. Schwab has constructed a beautiful story that’s full of heartbreak yet is, oddly, also very hopeful and speaks to the strength of the human spirit.
Centering on Addie as she recounts her past and current present, V.E. Schwab fully conveys this suffocating feeling of not being able to speak ones truth. Of being overlooked, or quite literally forgotten. Of any formed relationship being relegated to one-sided and having to be rebuilt day after day after day. It seems so exhausting and there were plenty of times when Addie echoes this sentiment.
The really shining thing about this book is Addie’s perseverance. Visited by Luc on nearly every anniversary of their deal, he repeatedly tries to get her to give over her soul to him, to call it quits. Ever stubborn, Addie will not give him the satisfaction and what begins as a battle of wills between the two, devolves into Addie learning that maybe she doesn’t need her voice, she just needs an idea and she needs time—which she has in abundance.
Seeing Addie thwart the Darkness’s rules in seemingly minute ways, witnessing those small instances having a larger overall impact was absolutely brilliant and beautiful. When Addie meets Henry, the only other being—besides Luc—who remembers her, I had tears of joy for Addie. But I couldn’t in good conscience call their relationship romantic. I think they were each other’s saving graces and while true love could possibly form from that, I don’t think we see such a thing within the pages of this book. Only deep regard and affection.
This contrasts nicely with her relationship with Luc—the only constant in her life for all these years. I think V.E. Schwab played his ambiguity quite nicely. He remains a mystery throughout, one that I really want to crack, but this is Addie’s story and she’s playing her own game where they’re concerned, and honestly I’m 100% Team Addie.
If you’ve read V.E. (Victoria) Schwab, you know to expect wonderful settings, writing, characters, etc. This doesn’t change with Addie LaRue. But having finished I can say with real honesty that Addie is no longer invisible to me. I see her. I hope you will too.
Would you make a deal with the devil in your most desperate moments? That’s exactly what Adeline LaRue begs for. A tale set in the 1700s and through the centuries to the present day. Addie is set free to live the life she always yearned for, but at the cost of everyone forgetting her the moment she leaves their sight. For 300 years she has lived in complete loneliness where only the devil knows her name, until one day she steps into a bookstore and is told, ‘I remember you.’
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a tale hauntingly woven with heart wrenching despair, pain, lonliness, love and hate. It is poetic, bittersweet and raw.
I had goosebumps whilst reading through Addie’s life and the irony is I won’t forget her as I can’t stop thinking about this book!
Towards the middle it became a little repetitive… I’m not sure those scenes added much to the story itself, but it did prolong the feeling of utter helplessness.
Characters:
Luc – for once, the bad guy wasn’t my favourite character. Sure he was dark, but he was as fickle as gods tend to be. There wasn’t any redeeming quality for us to latch on to and justify his actions.
Addie – fearless, resilient and a joy to read. A girl who wanted more than the hand she was dealt, and had the guts to go to any means to ensure it happened.
Henry – sweet, lovely Henry. He had a rawness about him that I’m sure many will resonate with.
For me this was a tale about finding yourself after you’ve lost your way, becoming the person you want to be. The romance is a sweet touch, but honestly the story could have been just as enthralling without it.
I thoroughly recommend this book!
If a person cannot leave a mark, do they exist?
Addie, a girl with seven freckles, is our main character, a girl with big dreams, wanting to one day leave her small town behind. Unfortunately, that’s not the life her family wants for her. Addie desperately wishes to have freedom. At one point in her life, she got told to never pray to the gods that answer after dark, something Addie kept reminding herself of until her freedom was about to be taken from her. She ends up praying and a god answers her. She’s so desperate for her freedom that she agrees to give her life to the god once she has lived it to its full capacity, not knowing that the god would have a trick up his sleeve.
I related a lot to Addie in terms of wanting to experience life and wanting to have that freedom to do so. It honestly broke my heart to see her struggling to try to live the life her family wanted for her and realizing that that life wasn’t for her.
They look at you and see whatever they want . . . Because they don’t see you at all.
Luc is our god in the story. I was beyond intrigued by him. I truly wanted to know more about him because his character is so alluring and enchanting. But he’s definitely a god you do not want to pray to, not even when you’re desperate. He will entrap you and he will be the only one with the upper hand. Even then, I wanted more about him! I have a thing for villains, apparently. But he just played the villain character so exquisitely well!
“[…] in every lifetime, you will be forgotten. […] Your life is meaningless. The years will be like weights around your ankles. They will crush you, bit by bit, and when you cannot stand it, you will beg me to put you from your misery.”
I’m still trying to process this magical story. VE Schwab, what have you done?
First of all, can we talk about the outstanding world-building? You can definitely tell this is a story Schwab poured years into. It is so fleshed out and extremely developed in the best way possible. Schwab’s writing truly is magnificent—chef’s kiss worthy! The fact that this was written by Schwab, an author I finally read this year and loved, plus the unique spin to immortality had me desperately wanting to devour this novel.
She has had three hundred years to study, and she will make a masterpiece of his regret.
As I mentioned earlier, the writing truly is marvelous, but the story at times did fall flat. I believe the story could have done without a lot of things that were very basic and wouldn’t contribute much to the story. I felt like it was dragged out, including way too many details that weren’t necessarily needed.
Addie’s character was one that while it was dynamic, it would also be flat. I know, how can that happen? Well, Addie took to heart being forgotten, to the point that instead of trying to have any type of interests to experience life to the max, she focused a lot on her immortality and being forgotten. Because of this, she wasn’t experiencing life as she should have. I also felt like she gave way too much focus to things and people that weren’t of importance. To sum it up, all you really know of Addie is that she has seven freckles, she’s forgotten by everyone she meets, she hopes to find someone who will remember her. Aside from that, there’s not much to Addie’s character, which is unfortunate.
I have to admit I expected more, but I’m pretty content with it. Despite the cons I experienced, I will continue to praise the writing and the story-telling. Schwab really lured me in and had me enjoying the story more than I would have. The ending was amazing! I couldn’t believe the spins and twists Schwab crafted for us. I read those last few pages various times because I was so shocked with the outcome! It’s truly an ending you do not want to miss out on. Yes, I’m still recommending this book!
Overall, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a unique story on immortality, with a fantasy twist you won’t want to miss out on. Schwab’s talent for crafting sentimental stories and story-telling made The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue stand out. Do give Addie a chance. You won’t regret it. I cannot wait to watch this story come to the big screen!
This book, which spans 300 years, is about a girl who, in 1714, is anxious to not be married and to see more and do more than living in a small town. She has been taught not to pray to the gods after dark because she may summon the dark gods, but she is so hopeless, so desperate that she does pray after dark and a god responds. She makes a bargain with Luc that in exchange for immortality, she will be forgotten by every person she meets seconds after meeting them.
This book is stunning – the writing superb, the characters memorable, and the story multi-faceted. It is character-driven and with every word deliberately chosen.
If you love outstanding writing, creative plot lines, and characters who come alive on each and every page, this book is for you.
My thanks to Tor Books and Edelweiss for an eARC.
To write this review, I need to take some time, metabolize everything I have just learned from this book.
I admit, it is not easy.
The invisible life of Addie LaRue was the right book at the right time!
The story of Addie LaRue is a strong story and emotionally, it leaves you with a broken heart and tears in your eyes.
The novel takes place between past and present, all written very smoothly! We know that Schwab writes so good, and we don’t fall for that.
Addie was born in a time that is close to her, the 1700s. A time when women had great ambitions and dreams, a time that screams loudly to pursue those dreams.
A hymn to the strength and independence of women!
Throughout the book, it was nice to embark on the journey with Addie. Every place visited by our protagonist was described in every little detail, it was like being there with her and living the story personally to fight the battles with Addie.
One of the worries that haunts Addie is that she wants to be remembered. Hers is a kind of curse… to be able to find someone to remember her.
And this is where Luc and Harry enter the field. Two people of great importance in Addie’s life. They will make the story even clearer.
I think this is the hardest review I’ve ever had to write. There would be so many things to write about, probably after I’ve metabolized it all, I’ll write something decent.
“I guess so,” she says, “but I don’t know; history is something you look back on, not something you really feel at the time. In the moment, you’re just… living. I didn’t want to live forever. I just wanted to live.”
For sure, The invisible life of Addie LaRue is one of those books you need in your life!
I would like to thank the publishing house infinitely for giving me the opportunity to review this book!
When I applied for the ARC, given my lack of follow up, I thought I was refused and instead… I was reading the email for a few minutes thinking I hadn’t read it well.
Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
ATTENTION PLEASE: Put this one on your list! Thank you @torbooks and @jorjorbiiinks for the prettiest book swag box I have EVER received.
I devoured this book over the weekend and LOVED it.
Three hundred years ago, Adeline LaRue made a deal with the darkness: a lifetime of freedom, in exchange for her soul when she tired of it. What she didn’t realize was that the bargain came with a catch, of course. Addie is free, yes, but no one remembers her. When she meets someone, as soon as she’s out of sight, they forget her. She has no friends or lasting relationships. She can’t say her own name, and she can’t write a word or leave any sort of mark behind. She’s destined to be forgotten…until one day, in 2014, she meets someone who says the words she hasn’t heard in three centuries: I remember you.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of those stories that defies genre. It’s ethereal and fantastic, but somehow also feels grounded in reality. It is emotional and romantic, but also darkly seductive, with a slow-burn that built into a riveting ending that kept me up way past my bedtime. I think this one is going to be BIG, folks, and it’s getting ALL the buzz. It reminded me of The Night Circus, with its beautiful writing and fantasy (but I have to admit that The Night Circus left me scratching my head and saying, “Now what exactly happened here?”) mixed with The Time Traveler’s Wife, plus some dark fantasy vibes and a villain you can’t help being drawn to.
I wholeheartedly recommend it! Please read so we can talk about it. Out Oct 6.