The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

I cannot believe I listened to 324 yrs of sky daddy stories for that ending.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is my 50th book for this year!! I may sneak in one more before the new year, but I sort of want to leave it here because 50 is a great number and this was a great book! E read it a while ago and recommended it to me, and I’m so glad he did.

In mid 1700s France, Adeline LaRue makes a deal with the devil. She wants to experience more of life and in exchange for her soul she is able to live as long as she wants…but there is a catch. She is unable to leave a mark in the world. People will interact with her, but once she leaves their sight she is forgotten. Until one day, nearly 300 years later….someone remembers her.

This is a really sweet story about love and loss and what makes life worth living. Highly recommend! (And, for those following at home, this fits for prompt 35 for the Popsugar reading challenge - a book centering LGBTQ characters that is not about coming out.)

5

Fue como ver el cielo duran horas, tranquilo e intrigante. En ninguna momento hubo algo que pensara que sobraba, es tan buena la escritura.

Addie es un personaje tan bueno, cada persona quería lo mismo, recordarla; Henry es tan entendible y Luc tan bueno con las palabras.

Wow what a book. It was incredibly well written and captivating and I've never read anything like it. I had a hard time really WANTING to read it, especially for the first third of the book. However, the ending was perfect.

feeling..insane

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I'd hope to. And I don't believe that it lived up to the hype.

The constant back and forth in time just seemed redundant and at times, hard to keep track of the story. Maybe it could've been written in a chronological order and retain the same feeling and nuance of the story???... tell Addie's backstory first and then the rest of what happens? The way it is feels drug out till the very end. My reason for 3 stars.

DNF @17% Didn't really grab me. Prose was interesting in the way that it went back forth between flowery and normal descriptive style. I had hard time connecting with it. May try later again.

Man I hope I forget this story. Way too much prose for not enough story, and ended in such a weird way. It tells way more than it shows, and only mentions cool things that Addie has gone through that we don't get to see. Henry comes in way too late but then is not really important for the actual plot, which is Addie and her emotionally abusive relationship with the devil. It's giving reading It Ends with Us in a New York art museum surrounded by white women.

3.5⭐️

This book is truly one of the most beautiful pieces of fiction that i've read to date. While the premise of the story is not completely revolutionary Girl makes a deal with the devil and gains immortality it's the way the story is written that is truly captivating. V.E. Schwab is such a descriptive author, every sentence and every scene description is like eating a perfect little taco of metaphor that somehow perfectly describes the situation or adds the perfect amount of emphasis needed to make the scene dramatic and suspenseful. The only reason why I won't read this book again is because it won't live up to the same outstanding experience of reading it for the first time. Absolutely amazing. Will recommend to anyone who might be remotely interested.

I think it's a masterpiece.

4.5

Really enjoyed how unique this was. I loved the touches of real life and art throughout. There were times where I wanted more about Addie's historical events but overall, I just really liked this. Something dreamlike about the whole thing, but not one you are sure of. A nice parallel to how Addie moves through the world.

ngl kinda boring? like nothing really happens in this book. i mean things happen but ... idk
ending was extremely predictable and disappointing
i was bored by luc ending up loving her. give me people that fucking hate each other please 
i was bored by the ending, i really wish henry died. we need more bad endings hot take ig
and overall, i was just bored by the book. its like a walking simulator in book form. boring. extremely interesting idea but ehhh addie just               doesnt DO anything i feeel like. very passive

It's nicely written, but does require you to not really think too hard about anything.

This world appears to forget that, sometimes, people need to go to the bathroom.

Also, if I had a magic invisibility power and 300 years, I'd probably do something more interesting than sleep with some people and steal a few clothes.

3.5*

I loved the writing and the sense of place. There was sadness and poignancy and I liked those feelings. I'm not sold on the ending, but I don't hate it. I didn't like that friendship wasn't portrayed. I also wanted more of the in between years. So I liked it, but there were some things missing.

I liked it but some of the parts were repetitive. Also, really, what was so special about Henry? I would choose Luc all the way and just accept the darkness, but then again he tricked Addie, but hey, were Luc and Addie so stubborn, they probably deserve each other. I wonder, still, who wins in the end.

FR/En review

J'ai adoré!! The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue est un chef-d'œuvre envoûtant qui transcende les frontières du temps et de l'immortalité. V.E. Schwab tisse une toile complexe de magie et de destinée, nous transportant à travers les siècles aux côtés de l'inoubliable Addie LaRue. J'ai été enchantée par cette histoire différente de ce qu'on peut lire habituellement, captivée par l'intrigue fascinante et les personnages inoubliables, recherchant depuis longtemps une lecture aussi captivante que “Le Portrait de Dorian Gray.
Schwab maîtrise brillamment l'art du récit, jonglant habilement entre les époques et les perspectives pour créer une toile narrative riche et immersive. En tant que femme, j'ai été profondément touchée par le voyage émotionnel d'Addie et par sa quête de liberté son desir feroce d'independance et de reconnaissance. “La Vie Invisible d'Addie LaRue” est bien plus qu'un simple roman; c'est une exploration profonde de la nature de l'identité, de la mémoire et du pouvoir de l'amour et de l'art face à l'oubli

I loved it!! The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a captivating masterpiece that transcends the boundaries of time and immortality. V.E. Schwab weaves a complex tapestry of magic and destiny, transporting us through the centuries alongside the unforgettable Addie LaRue. I was enchanted by this story, different from what one usually reads, captivated by the fascinating plot and unforgettable characters, long seeking a read as captivating as “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
Schwab brilliantly masters the art of storytelling, skillfully juggling between eras and perspectives to create a rich and immersive narrative canvas. As a woman, I was deeply touched by Addie's emotional journey and her fierce desire for freedom and recognition. “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” is much more than a simple novel; it's a profound exploration of the nature of identity, memory, and the power of love and art in the face of oblivion.

I started this as an ebook, but then my hold expired and I started it over as an audiobook. I didn't mind hearing what I'd already read because it's that good.

I'm not normally one for romance, so instead I'll think of it as a love story.

This hit so many of my favorite things I can't help but wonder if the algorithm works. I mean I purposely sought some of it out, such as goodreads choice nominee.

More review to come, probably.

3.75
So beautifully written, once you start reading this it was so easy to just get lost in the pages. And I felt so relaxed while reading this, so cozy.

not long enough.
I want more of this stunning writing, more of this perfection.
this book will stay with me for a while, a year, as long as i'm alive ;)

you know what? yeah.

What an absolute TREAT this book was. Incredibly written, in-depth, expansive, worldly, kaleidescope of a novel. I am so happy that my book club is reading this and I cant wait to discuss. There was just so much to unpack in this novel. Love, adventure, independence, survival, history, ARTTTTTTT, longing, sadness, sacrifice, revenge. This novel follows a girl named Addie Larue who ends up selling her soul to the devil to live a life different from the one she has at the moment the deal was made. She lives over 300 years and in that time span, she touches so many artists, their lives and their art and minds, although there are circumstances to her ‘marks'. The intricacy and delicacy in which VE Schwab weaves her story is painstakingly beautiful. I cried several times throughout this novel because of its wholesomeness. It was one of those books where I wish that there was more, but at the same time I'm glad there wasn't because it was all wrapped up so well. I would highly recommend diving into this book and shutting yourself away from the world to submerge yourself in Addie's world. 5/5 stars.

A pesar de las 500 páginas, la lectura no es pesada ni aburre. Sin embargo, creo que se puede descartar algunas partes que no suman a la trama.

Es una historia sobre el amor y la interioridad frente al tiempo, con un tinte de fantasía. Los personajes son casi predecibles y el final tiene un cambio muy común como sucede en las películas.

There was so much that I loved about this book. The concept is so good, and handled so well. It's tragic, poetic, funny, fantastic, and relatable all at once. The thing I enjoyed most is how the main character's curse is used to explore some familiar human experiences in the extreme. I won't spoil any details of the curse/curses here but they work as great allegories for how some people genuinely experience the world and posed some excellent philosophical questions throughout the book that I'm still thinking about.

It's very much folklore/fable and the story feels fresh and new while also possessing a timeless quality that makes it feel like it's always existed. It reminded me of A Picture of Dorian Gray meets the Story of the Magic Thread/The Boy and The Golden Thread.

If this book could have been a bit shorter I would have given it 5 stars... there are some great reveals and twists but once I got the gist of where it was going, I was ready for it to be over about 80 pages before the end. Not that those 80 pages were bad! This book is beautifully written and highly quotable all the way through... but with a story that feels so clear and simple at its core, and characters that are so well defined from the moment you meet them, the excess was more noticeable. I also felt like the ending pulled some punches, that ultimately diluted the experience for me.

I'd still highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an imaginative, fantasy fuelled, introspection inducing character study.