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.
I don’t possess the words to adequately describe this book and how it made me feel. Schwab states that over the nearly ten years she worked on it, she put her heart and soul, teeth and blood and bones into this one. And it shows. It’s a magnificent work of art.
Imagine if you were forgotten by everyone you meet. In your presence, they know and recognize you, but the second they leave the room or wake up beside you, you’re a stranger. Because of this, you can’t hold a job – no employer would know who you were. With no way to earn money, you have no home. No closet full of clothes, no belongings, no friends. No loved ones who remember you. It’s an incredibly lonely life, but over the three hundred year span of this story, Addie really lives and experiences all the world has to offer – beauty, pain, love, hate, heartbreak, suffering – everything you can imagine.
It’s difficult to review this without spoilers, but trust me when I say this book offers a profound and thought-provoking examination of life and what it means to live. A blend of survival story, love story, historical fiction, and magical realism, you’ll experience a wide spectrum of emotions. I actually teared up at one point, and trust me – that’s quite a feat.
With beautiful writing, quotes you’ll make a note of, and extraordinary character development, I can’t recommend this book enough. If I could give it more than five stars, I absolutely would. It will linger in your mind long after finishing the last page.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Books and Such 
this sounds interesting mix of historical fiction and magical realism. Amazing review!
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Thanks, Yesha! This book is amazing, but difficult to review without spoilers.
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To read a V.E. Schwab book is on my bookish bucket list. She has been such a great and prolific writer but I have never had the opportunity to read any of them. This sounds like the one I might want to start with ❤️ Great review!
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Thanks, Tessa! I’ve read most of her books, and this one isn’t her usual genre, but ties for my most favorite. It would be a fabulous starting place.
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I remember seeing this before on one of your WWW posts. It sounds highly intriguing. I’m a huge fan of magical realism. Toss in historical, too, and this really appeals to me.
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I think you’d enjoy this one, Mae. I was left speechless after finishing it. Just had to sit with it a while.
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Those are always the best kind of books. It’s on my radar for when it releases. I’ve already poked around Amazon 🙂
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I have never read a Schwab book I didn’t love, and this one sounds like it will not be an exception. With two of my cats, Kell and Rhy, named for a couple of my favorite Schwab characters, I’m predisposed to try everything she writes.. While this does sound like a completely different genre for her, I trust Schwab to deliver, and your take on the merits and quality of this one. Definitely heading to Amazon shortly. Thanks for a great review, Teri!
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Realized I’d already pre-ordered this. Sometimes I’m smarter than I think I am! 😀
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You’re in for such a treat, Marcia. It’s very different from anything she’s written. With her living just an hour away, I’m hoping to get a signed copy when some restrictions loosen up and book events come back.
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Good luck with that. I’ll have to send you a photo of my kitties so you can show her the kinds of things devoted fans do. 😀
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Sounds pretty interesting in that it differs from what’s popular right now.
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That’s a good point, Craig. An author with a lesser following might not be able to pull it off, but she has a huge fan base.
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Fabulous review, Teri. This sounds like the kind of book we would all love to write as well as read.
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I wish I had a book like this one in me, John. It’s something to aspire to!
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Sounds like it.
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Great review! I cannot wait to pick this one up!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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It’s a breathtaking read, Evelyn. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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What a freakishly terrifying premise! The only reason someone would want a long life is to enjoy friends and family, but if they can’t remember you . . . .
Thanks for posting your review. I think the book sounds awesome.
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Right? And the more I read, more things clicked – like owning a home, buying clothes, marrying, etc. But it’s fascinating how Addie makes her mark in the world.
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What a fascinating premise, Teri. I can’t imagine working on a book for 10 years… Wow! Thanks for the terrific review.
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I think after working on something for that length of time it would be terrifying to release it into the world. It’s terrifying with any book, but as she states, she put her soul into this one.
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You’re not kidding!
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Well Teri that’s a little bit depressing and honestly I would not like live like her at all! Great review!
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Thanks, Sophie! It wasn’t exactly what she’d planned, but you work with what you’ve got, lol.
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“I don’t possess the words to adequately describe this book and how it made me feel. ” – what an endorsement! This sounds like a brilliantly unique one, Teri. Off to add to my pile 🙂
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Such a difficult one to describe, Jessica – I didn’t do it justice. It’s a book that will make you think a lot about life and it’s a fabulous story. Hope you enjoy it just as much!
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Brilliant post – I love V.E Schwab, and am trying to read all their books this year. Maybe a little too optimistic? Also, I’ve nominated you for my book tag: https://hundredsandthousandsofbooks.blog/2020/07/26/summer-reading-challenge-2020-original/
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