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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
April 2021: Other Books
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - Schwab - 5 stars
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On second thought, I wouldn't tag this as gothic, but I thought I saw it on the list. Now it seems that no one else has tagged it Gothic either.
Glad you loved this too! I could write a dissertation from this book. I also found Hades and Persephone in the story of Addie and Luc. As for Beethoven...he has been treated worse in movies 🤣
This sounds so good. Your review sold me on it, Judith!
Theresa wrote: "Glad you loved this too! I could write a dissertation from this book. I also found Hades and Persephone in the story of Addie and Luc. As for Beethoven...he has been treated worse in movies 🤣"
I know what you mean. I could create an entire study syllabus from this book,
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue -Schwab
Audio performance by Julia Whelan
4.5 stars
“Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives—or to find strength in a very long one.”
So. This book allowed me to live the one life of Addie LaRue. Or, part of the life of Addie LaRue. It’s an interesting life and this was a wonderful book. I was interested from beginning to end.
It’s a split timeline book with the dominant plot set in 2014, New York City. I’ve been craving a trip to NYC for a long time. This book gave me a few hours of being there. The historical timeline begins in 1714, France. Much of the historical background stays in France, but as Addie’s life has an undetermined endpoint, the historical setting changes in time and place.
There are so many ways to enjoy this story. Addie’s curse is grounded in mythology and classic literature. A deal with the devil, Faustian of course. In the beginning Addie is illiterate, but she has centuries to learn in multiple languages. Grimm’s fairy tales and the Picture of Dorian Gray are mentioned in the first forty pages. A used copy of The Odyssey, in Greek, becomes pivotal to the contemporary plot. The book is a treasure trove of comparative literature. And the visual arts. And music. I didn’t envy Addie La Rue, but I liked to imagine having centuries of time to absorb so much beauty.
“And this is what she’s settled on: she can go without food (she will not wither). She can go without heat (the cold will not kill her). But a life without art, without beautiful things -- she would go mad.”
Mostly, I enjoyed this book as a survival story. I liked that it flipped the amnesia trope on its head. Imagine that you can remember everything, but no one can remember you. I felt the frustration and the challenge. I loved the underhanded way that Addie circumvents the restrictions of the curse.
I’m feeling stingy about giving the full five stars (although I rounded up). I just can’t quite forgive the author for her depiction of Beethoven.