December 7, 2021

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

 

Fiction/Fantasy
2020 Macmillan Audio
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Finished on December 1, 2021
Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

France, 1714: In a moment of desperation, a young woman named Adeline meets a dangerous stranger and makes a terrible mistake.

As she realizes the limitations of her Faustian bargain--being able to live forever, without being able to be remembered by anyone she sees--Addie chooses to flee her small village, as everything she once held dear is torn away.

But there are still dreams to be had, and a life to live, and she is determined to find excitement and satisfaction in the wide, beckoning world--even if she will be doomed to be alone forever.

Or not quite alone--as every year, on her birthday, the alluring Luc comes to visit, checking to see if she is ready to give up her soul. Their darkly thrilling game stretches through the ages, seeing Addie witness history and fight to regain herself as she crosses oceans and tries on various lives. 

It will be three hundred years before she stumbles into a hidden bookstore [... spoiler removed] and suddenly everything changes again.

In the vein of The Time Traveler's Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab's genre-defying tour de force.

After reading several glowing reviews for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I took a gamble and recommended it to my book group before I had a chance to read it myself. I listened to the audio, which is narrated by Julia Whelan (a favorite audio reader), who does an outstanding job with each character's voice. Unfortunately, the book fell short of my expectations. I liked it, but after the initial plot is revealed, the dialogue and situations involving Addie's encounters with Luc were repetitious and it wasn't until Henry makes his appearance that things pick up again. The constant back and forth dialogue between Addie and Luc is tiresome and as one friend mentioned, that relationship felt like something out of Fifty Shades of Grey (a book I have not, nor do I plan to, read). I also grew weary of the constant reminders of the main characters' features; black curls, seven freckles, emerald eyes, etc. I liked Addie and Henry's storyline, which is what kept me interested (and able to listen to all 17 hours of narration), but certain aspects were too predictable and I was sorry I figured things out so early in the narrative. Maybe I've read too many mysteries this year and expected a big twist or two before the grand finale.

I'm a little bit nervous, but also curious, to see what the others in my book group think of this novel. I went into it blind, as is my usual habit, but something about the cover art and the blog reviews I scanned brought to mind The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which I loved. (Click on the link for my review.) Schwab's novel does not compare to Morgenstern's magical story, which is peopled with likeable characters and beautiful prose. Other than Addie, Luc and Henry, Morgenstern's characters are flat and unremarkable. I'm afraid that with the passage of time, I too will come to forget Addie LaRue. 

14 comments:

  1. Sorry to read you did not like this more. Guess what? it is on our 2022 book club list as well.LOL - Is it easy to keep the characters and timelines straight on audio? I do like Julia Whelan.

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    1. Diane, when I finished the book, I was going to give it a 4/5 rating, but as time went by and I started composing my review I dropped it down to 3.5/5. I did enjoy the narration by Whelan, but the story dragged on too long. It wasn't at all difficult to keep track of the characters (there aren't that many) and the timelines. I remember it was for The Night Circus, but this was much easier in that regard. Funny that your group is reading it, too!

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    2. Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it. I will probably do the audio. These days about 50% of my books read are audios. I love to multitask and at night my eyes are tired so it's great to set it for an hour in bed some nights as well.

      BTW - I want to wish you a happy birthday in advance, I know it's soon and near mine which is next week.

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    3. Diane, my audio numbers are about 40%, I think. I listen while on my walks and running errands and read print books at night. I tried to listen to audios while cooking meals, but was too easily distracted.

      Happy Birthday to you, too! Mine is on the 13th. It's a big one this year! (60!)

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  2. A new author for me. The genre is generally not my scene. I liked your post and review.

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    1. Mystica, I wish I could give it higher praise. I'm anxious to see what others in my book group have to say about it.

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  3. Oops. Emerald eyes always put me off. I tried one of Schwab's books, A Darker Shade of Magic, because I enjoy a good fantasy and it was getting great reviews at the time. It didn't work for me, so I didn't continue the series. I'll pass on this as well. Let us know how your book club reacts to it.

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    1. Hmmm, I thought I might try one of Schwab's earlier books, but I think I'll move on. Thanks, Jenclair. I'll keep you posted.

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  4. Darn, this is on my hold list at the library but now I'm not quite so enthused. (I'm not interested in Fifty Shades of Grey, either.) Not that you need anything else to read, but I just finished "The House in the Cerulean Sea"...it was a lovely read. "The Night Circus" is also on my hold list. :-)

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    1. Laurel, you might enjoy it more than I did, especially if you read the print edition instead of listening to the audio. Hearing some of the dialogue reminded me of a YA book (like Twilight, for instance). Just a little too much angst.

      Thanks for the recommendation for The House in the Cerulean Sea. I've seen a lot of bloggers posting about it, so it's on my list!

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  5. I'd decided this probably wasn't for me, then started seeing some glowing reviews and wondered if I'd been too hasty. The audio version is supposed to be good, but I still haven't been motivated enough to pick it up...

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    1. JoAnn, I enjoyed listening to the audio simply because Julia Whelan is the reader. It's not a bad story, but it wasn't nearly as great as I thought it would be after reading so many glowing reviews.

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  6. I will lower my expectations on this one .... I had it on my list since a few bloggers raved about it ... but I'm not typically a fantasy kind of reader so I haven't picked it up yet. Thanks for the scoop on this one. I'm a bit on the fence as there's too much else to read.

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    1. Susan, my book club meets on Thursday, so I'll try to remember to come back and share how the group felt about it the book. I think it's probably safe to say that you can skip this one, especially if you aren't into fantasy. It's not the dragons and wizards type of fantasy, but you do have to suspend disbelief quite a bit!

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