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Portrait of V.E. Schwab
Deep Dive · October 2024

V.E. Schwab

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue · Fantasy

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

Book summary

A 17th-century woman trades her soul for immortality — and is forgotten by everyone she meets. A club-favorite fantasy pick — our members spent a full month with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, unpacking its structure, its heart, and the questions it leaves behind.

Comments · 9,610

E
Elias Ogden4/1/2026

I came in skeptical and left completely won over. The prose does that trick where it's plain until suddenly it isn't. Five stars from me.

❤️ 160

P
Priya Ellery3/31/2026

Perfect winter read. Or summer. Or any month, apparently. Whoever flagged the recurring water imagery — thank you, I can't unsee it now. Already lent my copy out twice.

❤️ 120

C
Clara Linden3/30/2026

I came in skeptical and left completely won over. The pacing wobbles in the third quarter but the payoff earns it. Still thinking about that final line.

❤️ 120

E
Eleanor Calloway3/29/2026

The structure is the argument here, and I don't think I clocked that until the discussion. I loved how little it explains itself. Solid four stars, and a full five for the ending.

❤️ 130

L
Louis Ogden3/28/2026

I came in skeptical and left completely won over. The prose does that trick where it's plain until suddenly it isn't. Thanks to everyone who posted here — made the read twice as good.

❤️ 130

M
Maeve Vance3/28/2026

Read it out loud to my partner in the evenings — highly recommend that way. The dialogue is doing about four jobs at once. One of my favourites from the archive.

❤️ 170

Q
Quentin Linden3/27/2026

I came in skeptical and left completely won over. The pacing wobbles in the third quarter but the payoff earns it. Would happily do a re-read discussion next year.

❤️ 130

B
Bennett Kingsley3/25/2026

Read it out loud to my partner in the evenings — highly recommend that way. It's a quiet book with a very loud ending. Bumping the author's backlist to the top of my stack.

❤️ 160

E
Elias Fairweather3/25/2026

I annotated so heavily the margins ran out. The pacing wobbles in the third quarter but the payoff earns it. Five stars from me.

❤️ 120

J
Juniper Ellery3/25/2026

Perfect winter read. Or summer. Or any month, apparently. Whoever flagged the recurring water imagery — thank you, I can't unsee it now. Already lent my copy out twice.

❤️ 160

R
Rufus Nightingale3/16/2026

Second read for me, and it's a different book the second time. I loved how little it explains itself. Already lent my copy out twice.

❤️ 266

M
Miles Fairweather3/14/2026

I annotated so heavily the margins ran out. The pacing wobbles in the third quarter but the payoff earns it. Five stars from me.

❤️ 305

D
Delphine Ashcroft3/13/2026

Second read for me, and it's a different book the second time. Whoever flagged the recurring water imagery — thank you, I can't unsee it now. Solid four stars, and a full five for the ending.

❤️ 276

J
Jonah Sterling3/12/2026

I had to pause halfway through and just sit with it. The prose does that trick where it's plain until suddenly it isn't. Still thinking about that final line.

❤️ 266

H
Harriet Marsh3/11/2026

Our little side-thread on the middle section was the best part of the month. It's a quiet book with a very loud ending. One of my favourites from the archive.

❤️ 315

S
Simon Prewitt3/9/2026

I had to pause halfway through and just sit with it. Every scene has a door in it. Someone in chat pointed that out and I lost my mind. Thanks to everyone who posted here — made the read twice as good.

❤️ 276

H
Hazel Sinclair3/6/2026

Our little side-thread on the middle section was the best part of the month. Structurally it reminded me of last spring's pick, but warmer. Bumping the author's backlist to the top of my stack.

❤️ 306

O
Oscar Hartley3/5/2026

I annotated so heavily the margins ran out. There's a generosity in how the author treats even the awful characters. Would happily do a re-read discussion next year.

❤️ 276

R
Rosalind Vance3/5/2026

Read it out loud to my partner in the evenings — highly recommend that way. The dialogue is doing about four jobs at once. Already lent my copy out twice.

❤️ 305

C
Callum Pemberton3/3/2026

Finished this one in two sittings and I'm still turning the last chapter over. There's a generosity in how the author treats even the awful characters. Five stars from me.

❤️ 266