This book was recommended by a worker at Barnes and Noble. It was written so well with unexpected twists and turns. I highly recommend!

Different from anything your book club is reading: We are still talking about the surprise ending

Loved it

An interesting blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Addie sells her soul to the devil. She has immortality but is always forgotten. Memory of her survives only through art. Very thought provoking.

We all fade and eventually are forgotten (unless you are a fiend or can afford to buy a college building in perpetuity). What happens when you are forgotten in the moment, repeatedly, rather than a decade after your death? Make a deal with the dark Gods and you can find out every time you meet someone for 300 years. Loneliness. And joy in daily experiences.

I've listened to this audio book 3 times now. 3 times in as many months. I absolutely love it and will probably listen to it again. So many good themes in this book for discussion.

I enjoyed this book immensely, the story is written crossing many eras and countries and I felt like I was living the story. It really makes you question the phrase "be careful what you ask for" in the grandest sense. It lead to great discussions on good vs evil, and and the need to be remembered, or have a place in history. Great read, great discussion. Highly recommend for a book club.

Excellent.

Favorite book of 2020! A must-read for all…mixed-genre historical fiction/fantasy/romance/mystery.

Fantastic read!

Interesting topic, could have been shortened by half. Did not understand Authors true meaning behind the book until hearing her explanation on it.

I liked the original storyline and plot. I have not read a book where the heroine makes a deal with the devil. I also liked the main characters. I felt Addie got in her own way a lot, and parts were a little slow, but overall a very fun read.

Excellent book!! Loved it.

The writing style was extremely verbose - mainly the author showing off her use of a thesaurus. It could have been improved by more action and dialogue and much less rambling introspection.

A wonderful tale of perseverance and choice through the lands of time!

Hi Gals,





Iâ??m almost two months behind on book club reports. Hereâ??s what happened at our August and September meetings.





On August we discussed The Emperor of Gladness in my backyard. The book received an unimpressive 3.38, but we then went on to have a great discussion about it. The biggest complaints initially centered on a lack of focus. The author seemed to want to cover a lot of topicsâ??LGBTQ themes, the loneliness of the elderly, the drug use, disabled, homelessnessâ??which left a lack of focus. But, as the discussion went on, I think we came to a better understanding that the disparate topics all connected this band of misfits. They each represented a different status that can leave a person feeling outcast. The story brings together these misfits into a family of their own. Other interesting ideas explored were the question of truth vs. lies, reality vs. fantasy, the search for roots and belonging. Sony was admired for his sweetness. A big question remained: did he commit suicide in the end? Also a good discussion of the bookâ??s title. Lots of emperorâ??The Emperor of Ice Cream (poem cited at the beginning), the emperor of Russia, the emperor pigsâ?¦Was Hai the Emperor of Gladness in how he gives beauty to the town?





On September 4 we discussed The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. A small but mighty seven people attended. The book scored a 3.67, yet we had another really good discussion. While many of us professed a hatred of fantastical elements in books, we had to agree this drew us in. I must have been engrossed by the discussion, because I didnâ??t write a lot of notes, but I know we spent a lot of time on addie's relationship with Luc. Did he genuinely love her? Did she love him? Some felt thereâ??s no way Addie would fall for a loser like Henry, but others defended it as genuine. Someone didnâ??t like the suggestion that every great person sold his soul for fame and success, which led to some talk of the trade-offs we make for fame/success even if itâ??s not an all-out selling of the soul.





We meet this Thursday at 7:00 at Doreenâ??s to discuss The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Donâ??t forget to check your app for book choices etc. (unless Doreen emails them!)





Jackie

I thought the writing was beautiful.