“But a life without art, without wonder, without beautiful things—she would go mad. She has gone mad.”

Adeline LaRue lived in a small village in France at the beginning of the 1700s. She has never wanted to die as she lived, buried ten feet away from where she was born. A flower that is cut in its prime and then wilted. The night of her wedding in 1714, she runs into the woods in a moment of desperation and makes a bargain with a god to live freely as long as she likes. What she doesn’t know is that she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets and never able to leave a mark. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue. Over the next three hundred years Addie travels across the world through history, beauty, pain, and art. She learns how far she’ll go to work around her curse and leave a mark on the world. Everything changes when after nearly three centuries, in a small bookstore in New York, she finally meets someone who remembers.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of the most extraordinary and beautiful books I’ve ever read. Everyone needs to read this book. It’s beautifully written and will keep you captivated the whole time. The way Schwab is able to wind in the present day with Addie and Henry's pasts is incredible. Most of the story takes place in the present day and follows Addie’s life chronologically from her childhood. I loved how we get to see Addie live through history and meet famous artists. She inspires writers, musicians, sculptures, painters, and everything in between even though they can’t remember them. This book is also very sad. Reading about Addie being forgotten is heartbreaking, especially as soon as she made the deal and doesn’t know that she’ll be forgotten yet but it’s not the kind of book where you’ll feel sad afterwards; it’s more of a bittersweet and beautiful sadness. If you like history and art you’ll love this book. Addie meets many famous artists throughout her life and lives through some of the biggest historical events of the past three centuries. This book will appeal to fans of all genres and will definitely be one of your new favourites. 

If you enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue try How to Stop Time by Matt Haig or Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell