The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

JP De Oliveira Estêvão

Amazing book, I highly recommend it!

"The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue starts in a quiet, almost gentle way, and before you know it you are completely invested in a woman who has made the worst deal in history: immortality… with the tiny side effect that nobody remembers her five minutes after she leaves the room. Imagine spending centuries meeting people who immediately forget you. It is basically the ultimate social ghosting experience. The story itself is original and wonderfully imagined. The premise is fascinating, but what really carries the book is the writing. The prose is beautiful without being annoying about it. Some books try very hard to sound poetic and end up sounding like a scented candle description. This one actually earns it. Addie is a fantastic character. She is stubborn, clever, lonely, resilient, and occasionally makes decisions that make you want to gently shake the book and say, “Addie, please.” The supporting characters are also strong, especially the dark, charming antagonist who shows up throughout the story like a well-dressed cosmic problem. What I loved most is how emotionally moving the story becomes. It unfolds slowly, but in a good way. The narrative takes its time, building the weight of centuries, loss, identity, memory, and what it means to leave a mark on the world. By the time the emotional punches arrive, they land hard. I did not cry, but I did stare dramatically at the ceiling for a while thinking about life choices. The pacing is definitely slow and atmospheric, so if you are looking for nonstop action you might get impatient. But if you enjoy thoughtful storytelling, beautiful writing, and characters that feel real even when they are making deals with supernatural entities, this book is absolutely worth the time. ["

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March 4, 2026 Verified Purchase

Kenneth D. Schultz

A Unique and Enchanting Read

"The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is a favorite of my more recent reads. Its premise has an original aspect, the protagonist Addie Larue is sympathetic, there are intriguing twists to the story, and the prose is excellent. The basic premise of this magical realism book is an old one. Addie Larue sells her soul to the Devil, or a devil, or an old god, or maybe simply a magical being. It never is clear. From this initial start, the story is all original. Addie is a uniquely independent French girl, born 1691 in the provincial town of Villon-sur-Sarthe. She yearns for more than a life of bearing children and married subservience. She eludes that fate for some years, until it is decided she must be wed. On the wedding day she runs. About to be caught she meets a man, or an old god. She pleads with him, “I want a chance to live. I want to be free…I want more time.” He asks “How long?” She doesn’t know. He becomes frustrated, and explains that he deals in souls. He will wait for her soul, but not forever. She tells him, “…take my life when I am done with it. You can have my soul when I don’t want it anymore.” This is a deal the old god will do. Addie accepts, not realizing the old god has rigged the game in his favor. No one will ever remember Addie. She can knock on a door and have a conversation, but when the door closes and reopens, the person has no recollection of her. Even her mother and father don’t remember her being their daughter. This would make life impossible for most people, but Addie persists and finds a way to manage over the years without going insane. She seems to be immortal. I found it fascinating how she forges a life for herself. Periodically the old god visits her, hoping to take her soul. Their changing relationship over the centuries is an interesting subplot of the book. Finally, in New York in the present, she meets a man who remembers her. That leads to the climax of the book, although not necessarily the end of Addie’s story. Or maybe it is the end of her story. I don’t want to spoil the finale for you. Once I always finished a book once I started it. Now, I finish a minority of the books I start. I am a tough grader of books, but on a scale of one to five, I give this book a six. ["

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August 1, 2024 Verified Purchase

M. Phillips

I will remember you

"V.E. Schwab’s *The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue* is a poignant and haunting exploration of immortality, identity, and the need to be remembered. This intricately woven narrative transports readers across centuries and continents, following the life of Adeline “Addie” LaRue, a young woman who makes a fateful deal with a dark God. With breathtaking prose and a story that lingers long after the final page, Schwab delivers a masterpiece that is as heartfelt as it is heart-wrenching. Set in 18th century France, Addie LaRue is a dreamer trapped in a world that offers little freedom for women. In a moment of desperation, faced with a marriage of convenience that threatens to snuff out her spirit, she prays to the gods for escape. But as warned by her mentor, Estele, one must never pray to the gods after dark. Ignoring this advice, Addie strikes a deal with a shadowy figure, granting her immortality but cursing her to a life where no one remembers her. She leaves no mark on the world—no written words, no artistic creations, no lasting connections. She is forgotten the moment she slips from a person’s sight. What follows is a journey of resilience and determination as Addie navigates the centuries, finding ways to leave an imprint on the world despite her curse. Her story takes an intriguing turn when, after 300 years of anonymity, she meets Henry Strauss, a man who, to her astonishment, remembers her. Their connection becomes a cornerstone of the novel, unraveling layers of emotion, mystery, and existential inquiry. The enigmatic antagonist, referred to as Luc or “the darkness,” is both Addie’s tormentor and her reluctant companion. He grants her wish with a sardonic cruelty, reveling in her struggles as he waits for her to surrender. Yet, there is a strange intimacy between the two. Luc is not a one-dimensional villain; he is charming, seductive, and occasionally vulnerable. He challenges Addie, pushing her to confront her fears and desires, making their dynamic one of the most compelling aspects of the novel. Henry is a character whose presence turns Addie’s world upside down. The first person to remember her in centuries, Henry carries his own burdens and secrets. His story interweaves with Addie’s, delving into themes of self-worth and the longing to be loved. Their relationship is tender and bittersweet, offering moments of solace and heartbreak as they navigate the complexities of their intertwined fates. The story is told in a multiple timeline narrative alternating between Addie and Henry’s pasts and the present. Schwab’s prose is lyrical and evocative, capturing the nuances of emotion and the passage of time with elegance. The descriptions of Addie’s experiences, from the bustling streets of 18th century Paris to the modern-day cafes of New York, are immersive and atmospheric. Schwab has a gift for crafting sentences that resonate, lingering in the reader’s mind long after the book is closed. This is a novel that will stay with you, its echoes reverberating in your thoughts long after the final page. It is heartfelt, heart-wrenching, and, above all, unforgettable. Schwab has crafted a story that is as timeless as Addie herself, a testament to the enduring power of love, art, and the human desire to be seen. "I remember you" Addie LaRue. ["

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May 30, 2025 Verified Purchase

Joyce Pryor

Interesting take on “The Gods” and time travel

"Another in “tweener” book - a book I read in between my book club reads - interesting, well written, yet, not totally sold. Addie sells her soul to the darkness, in return, an immortal life without memory. No one remembers her if they are not within sight of her, they forget her as soon as she leaves. She is allowed to have no possessions, save a wooden ring from her past and a leather jacket, a gift from the darkness named Luc. It’s a daunting thought, but Addie endures for over 300 years in a duel with death. Schwab’s book reminds me of slightly of Neil Gaimon’s Sandman where the Gods have a presence in human lives. It is supposed to be haunting as we traverse the years with our protagonist and her enemy, frenemy, lover, and challenger. In the book, humans don’t sell their souls so much as the darkness shows up as a trickster, preying on human emotion, fear, depravity and intense sadness. I found this to be incredibly cruel. And so we are witness to this awful metaphoric dance between Addie and Luc, and something about the whole storyline creeped me out, but I’m sure this is supposed to be a romance, and it was, I guess. I’m glad I’m moving on, as I’m on the fence about this one. I can see how someone might love this book, but instead of a romance, I thought it a book of horror, but it is worthy of a read. ["

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December 31, 2024 Verified Purchase