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The Life of Elves (Life of the Elves) Kindle Edition

by Muriel Barbery (Author), Alison Anderson (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
3.3 3.3 out of 5 stars 194 ratings
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A “beguiling fairy tale” by the bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog (The New York Times).

The villagers had never seen anything like it: dense white curtains of snow that instantly transformed the landscape. Not in autumn, not here in Burgundy. And on the same night a baby was discovered, dark-eyed little Maria, who would transform all their lives.

Hundreds of miles away in the mountains of Abruzzo, another foundling, Clara, astonishes everyone with her extraordinary talent for piano playing. But her gifts go far beyond simple musicianship.

As a time of great danger looms, though the girls know nothing of each other, it is the bond that unites them and others like them which will ultimately offer the only chance for good to prevail in the world.

“Vivid imagery and a thread of mystery draw readers into the timeless and ethereal world of these young girls with a destiny to fulfill.” —Booklist

“The novel is essentially a parable about the power both of art, which abolishes the ‘border between earth and mind,’ and of women.” —The New Yorker

“Fans of both Barbery and fantasy from writers like Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen will be enchanted.” —Library Journal
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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Life of the Elves
  2. Print length
    273 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Europa Editions
  6. Publication date
    February 9, 2016
  7. File size
    4639 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

‘Vivid imagery and a thread of mystery draw readers into the timeless and ethereal world of these young girls with a destiny to fulfill.’ Booklist ‘This is a truly enchanting story, beautifully told and rich in meaning. (…) this book truly deserves to be read by story lovers of all ages.’ The Irish Times ‘An emotional, entertaining examination of magic in the modern world’ France Today ‘A hymn to music, art, nature, love, land (“terroir”), the dignity of work, simplicity and the yearning for peace.’The Australian ‘A beguiling fairy tale.’ The New York Times ‘This novel glows with finely crafted prose.’ Los Angeles Review of Books ‘A beautifully written fantasy.’ Breakaway Reviewers ‘Fans of both Barbery and fantasy from writers like Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen will be enchanted.’Library Journal ‘…this fervent, idiosyncratic fable is undeniable evidence of a richly lyrical imagination.’ Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Muriel Barbery is a former lecturer in philosophy and the bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, which has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and been described by Le Figaro as ‘the publishing phenomenon of the decade’.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B079MFB2H8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Europa Editions (February 9, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 9, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4639 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 273 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.3 3.3 out of 5 stars 194 ratings

Customer reviews

3.3 out of 5 stars
3.3 out of 5
194 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

buckwriter
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical book!
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2016
I live in a a countryside, in Italy, and so when I picked up this book I knew what I would have met and I haven't been disappointed. The book is written wonderfully well and the plot to me similar, although distant at the same time for style from the one written by Joanne Harris: Chocolat.

Yes because the arrival of two outsiders in these two remote portion of lands, Spain and Abruzzo, and in two countrysides very well "captured" by the author, changed the course of the events for these simple people and lands...

The description of the italian countryside is perfect.

These kids had two gifts, the one of the vision of the past the first one in Spain and the one of music, the second one living in Italy.

It's an emotional trip and a magical trip of sensations and rural lands where people have a big heart and where people believes at the power of certain people and at the enchantment that they can bring with...themselves

Scenarios also big cities as Rome, where for example the musician teenager will discover all the eccentricities of her Maestro. I recognized in that treats the ones I met in old and so-called important people when I was little as well and their desire of telling who they were sharing their opinions about various topics .

I was enchanted by the writing-style of Barbey. I didn't read her first book and I decided I will do that as soon as possible. To me a privilege to read her second book thanks to Netgalley.com.

I recommend this book to all that spirits in search for something magical, abstract, different, to all that people in love for discovering rural places but at the same time at all that human being in love for magic.
4 people found this helpful
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Bibliophile without Borders
3.0 out of 5 stars extraordinarily beautifully written book brought down by the plot and characters
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2016
Verified Purchase
When I saw this title and who had written the book, I immediately ordered it and sat down on a rainy winter day to enjoy it. But I was sadly disappointed.
Ms Barbery is an absolutely amazing and gifted writer. Her descriptions in this book are like walking through a richly coloured and infinitely beautiful dream world of words. I am unsure if there is anything else out there that can compare with it. It is unique and beautiful, and each page has some new way of describing the natural world.
And yet... The problem with this book is not with the writing style but with the characters and plot, which, one could argue, IS the writing. To me, it seemed as if the author was concentrating so deeply on the descriptions that the plot suffered. It moved very, very slowly, and I found I could not empathize with a single character in the book -- no layering of plot, no developed characters, no suspense even in the build-up to the denouement. It almost seemed to me as if the book were an assignment for an advanced writing class in which the students were told to write vivid descriptions but not to worry about plot.
I wanted to love this book so much, not only for the subject matter but because the author deserves to be appreciated, but this was sadly a disappointment.
I would give the writing style a 10 if I could but the characterization and plot brought the book down.
8 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
She just writes so well!
One person found this helpful
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Karen H.
2.0 out of 5 stars Not so much.
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
The premise was sort of a classical good vs evil, but the story was disjointed and inconclusive.It was never clear who or what was doing things and how or why. Most characters were poorly developed.
4 people found this helpful
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S. C.
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
The Elegance of the Hedgehog is one of my favorite books because of the beautiful writing. In this book the writing is overwrought and
obfuscating. A disappointment indeed.
5 people found this helpful
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Zippergirl
5.0 out of 5 stars We are only half the world . . .
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2016
Warning: Your tolerance level for airy-fairy prose must be:

THIS TALL ----->>

. . . to enjoy The Life of Elves.*

I loved this book. I never read the "Hedgehog" book, which makes me one of a small minority on Goodreads. I chose this book because, well, I've always been an Elvish fan.

I also loved John Crowley's Little Big and Mark Helprin's Winter's Tale. I was mesmerized by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, another French to English translation. They all have that dreamy, sunny afternoon lazing in a hammock feel to them. Like endless summer.

There are others, there always are, who dismissed this book as all violets and snowflakes. It is that, too. You need to be patient with this tale, and let the dreamscapes and alpine plainsongs build its bridge to the other world.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

*You should probably also carry a small pouch of twinkling fairy dust.
4 people found this helpful
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Chris LaHatte
3.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy with noble peasants
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
After reading her previous novels, this was a departure from her previous style and very different in use of language and characters. At times it is almost dreamlike, and curiously the most effective writing was about their food. The premise of a war between an elven faction and the world of humans was interesting, but left largely unexplained, which I found left me wondering why and what this was about. I think it may suffer from translation,but perhaps the sequel will explain the mysteries.
2 people found this helpful
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JMR
4.0 out of 5 stars The English translation is so beautiful, I can't imagine how much better the French ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2016
I wish I could read this in the original French. The English translation is so beautiful, I can't imagine how much better the French must be.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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RiverR
5.0 out of 5 stars Deep Culture Experience
Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2018
Verified Purchase
This seems like a brilliant English translation from it's original. The depth of the culture and story setting is marvelous! Loved it. Immersion in a whole other world--exactly what I was wanting. :)
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Heidi Sheppard
5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Gem
Reviewed in Australia on April 29, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book is a real gem, filled with mysticism, surprise, richness and dreams. I would recommend this book to anyone that believes in the unseen world. I choose 5 stars as this book is one of a kind. Bravo!
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Valter Benedetti
3.0 out of 5 stars Una bravissima scrittrice
Reviewed in Italy on July 31, 2016
Verified Purchase
Volevo leggere un altro libro della scritrice, dopo il successo de L'eleganza del riccio, prezzo conveniente e tempi di consegna rapidi. Mi aspettavo un libro più interessante.
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A. M. Hulshof
5.0 out of 5 stars Mythical
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2016
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Pulls you in as well as creating a continuous state of wonder and curiosity. Trying to grasp many layers and symbols and probably needs reading again. Completely different than the Hedgehog book, but again beautifully written and translated.
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Two worlds, two girls.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2016
Verified Purchase
I choose three stars as I felt even at the end of the book there
We're things that I did not understand fully. I liked the two worlds and there connections. I liked positive emotions and thoughts changed things, for the better. The relationship between the two girls was interesting as was the book as a whole. There would seem a must for a sequel!
One person found this helpful
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