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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

V.E. Schwab,

Victoria Schwab

Start date: October 1, 2021

Finish date: October 31, 2021

Discussion: ❃Book of the Month (BOTMs)❃

Why we're reading this: Because it was chosen as the October 2021 BOTM.
[close] Because it was chosen as the October 2021 BOTM.

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❃Book of the Month (BOTMs)❃

* January 2023 - One of Us is Lying
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December 2022 - Red, White & Royal Blue
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What Members Thought

Jun 07, 2025 Alec's Always Bored rated it it was amazing

V.E. Schward’s novel “The Immortal Life of Addie Lurie” is something of a historical novel with a modern twist. It’s a novel about the theme of time itself, and an unexpected novel. Twenty something Addie Lurie, in 1714, makes a deal with a God named Luc to escape a marriage she doesn’t want. However, there’s a catch to this deal . Not only will she never age and live forever, but she also will be forgotten by everyone she ever met or meets going forward. They’ll remember her maybe for one day, V.E. Schward’s novel “The Immortal Life of Addie Lurie” is something of a historical novel with a modern twist. It’s a novel about the theme of time itself, and an unexpected novel. Twenty something Addie Lurie, in 1714, makes a deal with a God named Luc to escape a marriage she doesn’t want. However, there’s a catch to this deal . Not only will she never age and live forever, but she also will be forgotten by everyone she ever met or meets going forward. They’ll remember her maybe for one day, and then forget she ever existed the next day. It’s a struggle to say the least. Her life becomes literally invisible. Even her parents deny her existence when she runs back to them, saying they never had kids. The novel jumps between many different time periods, from the 1700s to the 2000s. Though, this doesn’t stop Addie from living. She goes to different cities and countries and even has romances, though short lived ones that won’t be remembered the next day. She also inspires various pieces of artwork and literature, though while those pieces are left behind, her memory isn’t.

This is a well written book. Schward’s writing is lush yet precise, and the chapters are short. You get glimpses of various parts of Addie’s life, and while I sometimes wondered what this book would be like in the first person, instead of the third person, the twist at the end of this book makes this point of view this novel make sense. I really liked the twist at the end of the book. This book also works as something of a romance, because everything changes when Addie meets a guy named Henry. After she steals a book from a store in Brooklyn, she comes back the next day to return it. She wants to make a book exchange with Henry, but Henry tells her she’s banned from the store because he remembers her. The book then becomes something of a mystery as to why Addie is remembered by Henry, and something of a romance story too. Yet, it’s an unusual romance story, and it ties the two together through the character of the God, Luc.

Luc reminded me a bit of an Anne Rice character, as he is immortal, cruel and obsessive. He is also suave, sophisticated and attractive. Every couple years, he shows up to visit Addie, and while he did grant her immortal life, she refuses to give him the one thing he wanted in exchange, which was her soul.

Addie is a strong character and refuses to be what women where in the 1700s. She doesn’t want to be a simple wife, and feel she belongs to someone. She wants to be free, but by being free, she gives up being remembered by anyone. The idea of not being remembered by anyone is an interesting one. As Henry and her begin a romance, Henry’s family and friends must be constantly reintroduced to her.

However, Henry is an interesting character too. He was turned down by the women he wanted to marry, and he is a neurotic bookworm of a character. The book dives into his life a bit, outside of Addie, and early on I was wondering why we were spending time away from the main character. However, it ties his life to her very well as you go on reading the book. Like Addie, he is constantly trying to understand her place in the world, and even if he can do something special. Addie doesn’t have that luxury, besides being a muse for various artists and writers who will forget they ever met her beyond their work.

This book is a solid piece of magical realism, and an excellent and emotional journey that makes you think about time passing, and the people you meet along the way. Also, the ending is excellent and one of the best endings I have read in a long time. “The Invisible Life of Addie Lurie” is one of the best novels I read this year, and I know I won’t forget it any time soon.
...more

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Nov 29, 2020 lookmairead rated it really liked it

Here’s what I LOVED:
- This concept. It’s part mythical + part magical. And oddly enough, insanely relatable.
- The immense level of creativity to make this interesting.

Here’s what made me go HMMMMM:
- the poetry-like ramblings. It felt misplaced.
- It had some other repetitive wording aspects to it, that could have been edited out... but I realize it couldn’t have fully avoided in this concept.

So, 4ish/5: I know Hollywood has picked this up - and if they don’t use Blur’s song - Girls & Boys an ...more

17 likes · Like · see review

Jul 13, 2022 David Peck rated it it was amazing

Wow I’ve been reading nothing but amazing books this year! This has been on my radar for a LONG time and I’m so glad I got around to it. The writing is beautifully captivating and heartbreaking and even though it feels otherworldly, some aspects really ground it to reality. For example, Henry Strauss is an east coast New York City jew with odd relations with his family and his faith. Yet his whole life and at odds with his faith made it seem like someone real in my life and brining such depth to ...more

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Dec 16, 2020 Mandy (Bookishlove85) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult-fantasy, read-own

Oh this book....I can't think of the proper word to descibe it. Beautiful is pretty close. This is my first read by this author and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed her writing. So lyrical and whimsical. Her depiction of the charaters and their lives woven together. There is a lot of jumping around in time and in setting but its done so well you aren't lost or confused. Addie La Rue is a character that I don't feel anyone will ever forget once they've met her. Nor are Henry or Luc. That ending ...more

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Jan 29, 2021 Martha⭐(reading.our.books)⭐ rated it liked it

Update ||Agosto 2022|| 3⭐️/5
Quiero pedir perdón por lo deshonesta que sido desde que leí este libro.
Realmente creo que me deje llevar por el momento, porque si me destrozó y le llore mucho a Addie y Henry but... realmente no fue nada del otro mundo. Creo que el final fue realmente lo que más disfruté y uno que otro momento entre lo protas. Idk. Sé que lo acabe y días después sentí un decepción inmensa.
Y ahora cada vez que pienso en el libro me da un sentimiento nada grato. So yes...

||Enero 2021| ...more

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Nov 04, 2020 Alyssa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Every once in a while, I will find a book that truly captivates my soul and senses. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was definitely one of those books. This novel delves into the multi-layered depths of the human psyche, an evocative tale of the joys and sorrows of being human and the precious time we are given on this earth. Addie is an incredibly resilient protagonist whose Faustian bargain comes at a terrible price. Her desire to flee her family's expectations and break free of the confines ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 12, 2020 Julie In Wonderland rated it really liked it

Shelves: fascinating-characters, dysfunctional-personalities, lgbtqia, owned-ebooks, interesting-concept, deities, 2020-releases, 4-stars

This is my first V. E. Schwab book and I have to say I love the way she writes. Her words flow smoothly and I noticed that this book has a bittersweet nostalgic twinge to it. I don’t know why but I feel like I’ve read this before, like I’ve found pieces of this story long ago scattered across places I can’t recall.

The characters seem familiar, especially the darkness since he literally has the exact same looks and temperament as the antihero in the book I’m planning to write. (For legal purpose ...more

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Feb 15, 2021 Stacee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, favorite-books

This book is dark, painful, and beautiful. Addie was foolish...yet brilliant. She was weak, yet the most resilient character I have ever met. Addie's relationship with the devil (Luc) is probably the most interesting part of the story. The interaction between light and dark, life and death, mortals and gods, kept me hooked and are all the makings of a good story. This book is unlike anything I have ever read in the most perfect way possible. I could say so many things about this book but I don't ...more

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Dec 08, 2021 Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2-stars

Okay, let me break two things down. The authorship of this novel is genuinely beautiful, and it is the redeeming factor of this book. However, the novel itself was fairly boring, the relationships and drama a bit convoluted, and the honestly the plot points themselves were utterly frustrating half the time. However, I related to the fear of being forgotten and how that singular point was well written. I just felt it could have been cut in half.

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