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A review by gymnerdreader
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
5.0
Easy 5 star read for me. I do not often give books 5 star ratings, but this book was so beautiful that I could not bring myself to rate it less. The writing is beautiful, probably the most beautiful writing I have ever read. This book does have it flaws. I wish there was more minority characters, but I appreciate the addition of a pansexual character. This is something I have rarely read in books.
The Good:
-Characters are likeable and easy to relate to, especially Henry. He will pull at your heartstrings. Addie is a bit harder to relate to, but then again she was born in the 1600's and it is hard to relate to the issues women faced back then. She is strong and timeless though. All the characters are really. Just beautifully written.
-Have I mentioned that this writing is beautiful?? It literally could be a work of freaking art.
-The story is just perfect and so well executed. It will tug at your emotions like no other. You will laugh, cry (I cried 3 times total) and smile so hard throughout it.
-At the end of reading this I felt that this book destroyed me emotionally, but I also felt it give me life as well.
-Maybe it is the educator in me, but I would not be surprised if this book was taught in schools in the future. I really believe the themes in this book are so deep and full of depth that one could easily find ample things to discuss. A classic in the making for real.
The bad:
-Parts 2 and 3 were very slow for me. It took me a week at least to finish them. Do NOT give up. It gets so much better in the subsequent parts.
-Very limited minority rep and POC. If there are minority or POC they tend to fade in the background. I wish they were more front and center and I wish there was more representation, however the story and plot more than made up for this for me. There is what seems pansexuality representation, which I greatly appreciated. Never seen that represented in a book before. I just wish we had more POC characters. There were a total of like 2 characters and for a book that spans centuries that is a tad ridiculous.
-Not really a bad thing necessarily, but I was expecting more of a historical flair to this. Don't go in expecting that because is by no means historical and there is not much history discussed. Again, this was not a problem for me, but I was expecting it because Addie has lived 300 years and lived through numerous major historical events. Not much happens substantially in those 300 years...
-The past chapters are sometimes slow. That is because not much substantial really happens in Addie's past. I found myself zooming through those needing to read the present chapters.
Final Verdict:
There are some flaws, but there are in every book we read. I just felt the story, plot, characters and writing made up for all the issues above. Highly recommend reading this and taking it slow. This is a story that demands to be savored. I highly recommend reading this one. I always rate my top books on the level of Beartown because that was one of the best books I have read in a long time. This book is on the level of Beartown for me. They are incredibly different books, but both are beautiful. Please please read this one and do not give up if you find it hard to get into. It does get better.
It will emotionally destroy you, but it will give you life simultaneously.
Reread? in a heartbeat. I want to listen to the audiobook at the end of the year.
CAWPILE Rating: 9.59/10
The Good:
-Characters are likeable and easy to relate to, especially Henry. He will pull at your heartstrings. Addie is a bit harder to relate to, but then again she was born in the 1600's and it is hard to relate to the issues women faced back then. She is strong and timeless though. All the characters are really. Just beautifully written.
-Have I mentioned that this writing is beautiful?? It literally could be a work of freaking art.
-The story is just perfect and so well executed. It will tug at your emotions like no other. You will laugh, cry (I cried 3 times total) and smile so hard throughout it.
-At the end of reading this I felt that this book destroyed me emotionally, but I also felt it give me life as well.
-Maybe it is the educator in me, but I would not be surprised if this book was taught in schools in the future. I really believe the themes in this book are so deep and full of depth that one could easily find ample things to discuss. A classic in the making for real.
The bad:
-Parts 2 and 3 were very slow for me. It took me a week at least to finish them. Do NOT give up. It gets so much better in the subsequent parts.
-Very limited minority rep and POC. If there are minority or POC they tend to fade in the background. I wish they were more front and center and I wish there was more representation, however the story and plot more than made up for this for me. There is what seems pansexuality representation, which I greatly appreciated. Never seen that represented in a book before. I just wish we had more POC characters. There were a total of like 2 characters and for a book that spans centuries that is a tad ridiculous.
-Not really a bad thing necessarily, but I was expecting more of a historical flair to this. Don't go in expecting that because is by no means historical and there is not much history discussed. Again, this was not a problem for me, but I was expecting it because Addie has lived 300 years and lived through numerous major historical events. Not much happens substantially in those 300 years...
-The past chapters are sometimes slow. That is because not much substantial really happens in Addie's past. I found myself zooming through those needing to read the present chapters.
Final Verdict:
There are some flaws, but there are in every book we read. I just felt the story, plot, characters and writing made up for all the issues above. Highly recommend reading this and taking it slow. This is a story that demands to be savored. I highly recommend reading this one. I always rate my top books on the level of Beartown because that was one of the best books I have read in a long time. This book is on the level of Beartown for me. They are incredibly different books, but both are beautiful. Please please read this one and do not give up if you find it hard to get into. It does get better.
It will emotionally destroy you, but it will give you life simultaneously.
Reread? in a heartbeat. I want to listen to the audiobook at the end of the year.
CAWPILE Rating: 9.59/10