“That time always ends a second before you’re ready.
That life is the minutes you want minus one.”
“Small places make for small lives. And some people are fine with that. They like knowing where to put their feet. But if you only walk in other people’s steps, you cannot make your own way. You cannot leave a mark.”
“‘I think there are many ways to matter.’ He plucks the book from his pocket. ‘These are the words of a man – Voltaire. But they are also the hands that set the type. The ink that made it readable, the tree that made the paper. All of them matter, though the credit goes only to the name on the cover.'”
What is there to say about Addie LaRue that hasn’t already been said? I enjoyed this beautifully written story about a cursed woman dealing with the everlasting impact of a rash decision made on fleeting emotions. To escape a life as someone’s wife and possession in the early 1700’s Addie wishes her future away and begs for freedom, when a dark figure answers her call and gives her what she wants, she realizes what a horrible mistake she has made. Like any fairy tale with a genie in a bottle or a fairy godmother, her wish comes at a great cost. In this case, she has lost her soul and the price of freedom is an eternity where no one will ever remember her.
We follow Addie through the ages and see where her “freedom” takes her and how hard she works to leave a mark on the world. I found these parts of the book interesting but what I really relished in was her desire to make that dark figure pay for having made such a deal with her. Her efforts to best the god and make him regret cursing her the way he has was the real meat of the story for me.
I definitely think this one deserves all of the positive praise it is given, although for me it was slightly long in some areas and short on detail in other areas where I wanted to sink in. It was my first read by Schwab but has me looking forward to trying another!
How important is it to you to be remembered or make your mark in this world?
~ Dana
openmypages 