Scan barcode
A review by just_an_avocado
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
5.0
”’Ideas are so much wilder than memories, so much faster to take root.’
It will be fifty years before she realizes he is right.
Ideas are wilder than memories.
And she can plant them, too.”
This is a book I will recommend to anyone and everyone. It is deep and profound, stunning and unique. Ironically unforgettable. The constant jumping of time periods was strange at first, but I adjusted quickly. The various timelines and flashbacks became one of the aspects of the book that made it even more different and original to me.
Addie LaRue is a character that will live in my mind rent-free for a long time, I know it. Her grief and pain, but also her joy and whimsy, will forever burn in my heart. She loves life so much, and even her foolish choices have a reason behind them. I can understand her perspective, which is often full of desperation.
Luc is the perfect devil. The best villains, after all, are the ones who charm you into orchestrating your own condemnation. He comes dressed as everything you’ve ever wished for, exploits your anguish, and gives you what you think want, only to reveal it was a curse all along.
The ending seems to be the source of much conflict and controversy among reviewers. I’ve seen some describe it as underwhelming or unsatisfying. Not enough closure, doesn’t feel like an end, left me thinking “is that it?” etc. I, on the other hand, think it was perfect in every way. It was certainly ambitious and different, but I have no doubt that to end it any other way would have been an injustice.
Addie has gone her whole life being forgotten, unable to leave a mark or legacy of her having existed. She is invisible. All she longs for, after her long life of three hundred and twenty-three years, is to love and be loved. For someone to know her story, to know that she lived. She wants to be remembered. This is why the moment when Henry says “I remember you” is such an important one. When she is able to tell him her real name. Share her story with him.
For this book to end with Addie having finally established a legacy, shared her story with the world, and experienced real human love and connection is the only way to truly offer resolution.
It will be fifty years before she realizes he is right.
Ideas are wilder than memories.
And she can plant them, too.”
This is a book I will recommend to anyone and everyone. It is deep and profound, stunning and unique. Ironically unforgettable. The constant jumping of time periods was strange at first, but I adjusted quickly. The various timelines and flashbacks became one of the aspects of the book that made it even more different and original to me.
Addie LaRue is a character that will live in my mind rent-free for a long time, I know it. Her grief and pain, but also her joy and whimsy, will forever burn in my heart. She loves life so much, and even her foolish choices have a reason behind them. I can understand her perspective, which is often full of desperation.
Luc is the perfect devil. The best villains, after all, are the ones who charm you into orchestrating your own condemnation. He comes dressed as everything you’ve ever wished for, exploits your anguish, and gives you what you think want, only to reveal it was a curse all along.
The ending seems to be the source of much conflict and controversy among reviewers. I’ve seen some describe it as underwhelming or unsatisfying. Not enough closure, doesn’t feel like an end, left me thinking “is that it?” etc. I, on the other hand, think it was perfect in every way. It was certainly ambitious and different, but I have no doubt that to end it any other way would have been an injustice.
Addie has gone her whole life being forgotten, unable to leave a mark or legacy of her having existed. She is invisible. All she longs for, after her long life of three hundred and twenty-three years, is to love and be loved. For someone to know her story, to know that she lived. She wants to be remembered. This is why the moment when Henry says “I remember you” is such an important one. When she is able to tell him her real name. Share her story with him.
For this book to end with Addie having finally established a legacy, shared her story with the world, and experienced real human love and connection is the only way to truly offer resolution.