The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

 

Amy   

Lynnie

fantasy, historical fiction

In order to avoid an unwanted marriage in the year 1714, Addie LaRue makes a deal with the darkness which leaves her unable to be remembered by anyone once she is out of their sight. Stubbornly, Addie will not let the darkness take her soul and it is now 300 years later. Addie struggles every day to influence the world around her and make the best of her strange life.

I loved The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue! It was very charming, creative, and well written. It cleverly included brief references to some of the novels which undoubtedly influenced V. E. Schwab in this fantasy about a woman trying out many different “lives”. While Addie wasn’t strictly a time traveler, the fact that she lived so long gives the novel the feel of a time travel novel.  The narrative jumps around the timeline in order to keep everything interesting. The characters were diverse and likable. The story’s inclusion of art and music were wonderful.

This novel illustrates how connecting with other people and having an impact in the world are important aspects of life. And it shows that there can be light, even after the darkest times. Love and hope are worth the persistence it takes to achieve. I was glad that Schwab did not focus on many significant historical events but, rather, kept them in the periphery and focused on Addie’s life. I really enjoyed the ride with these characters and kept looking for every opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

The audiobook narrator was Julia Whelan who always does a good job. I’ll give her an A for her voice acting on this one.

Lynnie's Review

I really enjoyed everything about this book.

Spanning 300 years, Addie LaRue makes a deal with the darkness in order to avoid marrying against her will. The deal means that no matter how long she lives, no one will ever remember her. Spending the centuries either alone, or living a Groundhog Day-esque existence where even if she’s known someone for years, the other person believes they are meeting for the first time.

Addie’s perseverance, her refusal to give up & give in to her circumstances or loneliness as she continues to push against the boundaries of her deal was a joy to read. When she finally meets someone who remembers her, the story becomes even more fascinating.

I loved all of the characters in this story, and even though I found much of back half of the book predictable, it’s a testament to V.E. Schwab’s writing that I still savored every moment. I sometimes felt like I read more slowly than usual just to be able to spend a bit more time with the characters.