Join us

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Newsletter

Muriel Barbery

The Life of Elves

Cover: The Life of Elves - Muriel Barbery

Muriel Barbery

The Life of Elves

2016, pp. 272, Paperback
ISBN: 9781609453152
Translated by: Alison Anderson
Region: France
Available as ebook Available as ebook Available as ebook
$ 17.00
READ NOW READ NOW READ NOW

The book

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

The author

Muriel Barbery
Muriel Barbery’s novels include the New York Times bestseller, The Elegance of the Hedgehog (Europa, 2008), and Gourmet Rhapsody (Europa, 2009). She is also the author of The Writer’s Cats, illustrated by Maria Guitart, a short tale about esthetics, inspiration, the writing life, and cats. Barbery has lived in Kyōto, Amsterdam, and Paris, and now lives in the French countryside.

Press

From the same country

  • Cover: Dogs and Wolves - Hervé Le Corre

    Hervé Le Corre

    Dogs and Wolves

    2024, pp. 304, $ 18.00
    From the master of French noir and winner of the French Voices Prize, a gripping mystery about the blossoming of poisonous passions set in the brooding...
  • Cover: Paradises Lost - Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

    Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

    Paradises Lost

    2024, pp. 480, $ 27.00
    The beginning of a unique adventure, the tremendous challenge of recounting the history of humanity.
  • Cover: Kids Run the Show - Delphine de Vigan

    Delphine de Vigan

    Kids Run the Show

    2024, pp. 304, $ 18.95
    A cautionary tale for a world in which social media has shattered the boundaries of intimacy.
  • Cover: The Ogre’s Daughter - Catherine Bardon

    Catherine Bardon

    The Ogre’s Daughter

    2024, pp. 384, $ 28.00
    The turbulent life story of Flor de Oro Trujillo, the eldest child of one of the world’s most brutal dictators.
  • Cover: Here, and Only Here - Christelle Dabos

    Christelle Dabos

    Here, and Only Here

    2024, pp. 224, $ 14.95
    The new novel from the million-copy bestselling author of The Mirror Visitor Quartet
  • Cover: Forgotten on Sunday - Valérie Perrin

    Valérie Perrin

    Forgotten on Sunday

    2024, pp. 304, $ 28.00
    An unforgettable story about an unlikely friendship and about healing the wounds of a broken past from the million-copy bestselling author of Fresh...

More suggestions

  • Cover: The Mortal and Immortal Life of the Girl from Milan - Domenico Starnone

    Domenico Starnone

    The Mortal and Immortal Life of the Girl from Milan

    2024, pp. 144, $ 18.00
    Children can be cruel, and children can love as passionately as adults, more so at times. When these two facts combine and ignite the imagination...
  • Cover: Kids Run the Show - Delphine de Vigan

    Delphine de Vigan

    Kids Run the Show

    2024, pp. 304, $ 18.95
    A cautionary tale for a world in which social media has shattered the boundaries of intimacy.
  • Cover: Fathers and Fugitives - SJ Naudé

    SJ Naudé

    Fathers and Fugitives

    2024, pp. 224, $ 27.00
    An inventive and emotionally charged novel about fatherhood and family, loyalty and betrayal, inheritance and belonging.
  • Cover: Where the Forest Meets the River - Shannon Bowring

    Shannon Bowring

    Where the Forest Meets the River

    2024, pp. 336, $ 18.00
    Return to Dalton as Shannon Bowring draws another stunningly human portrait of small town America.
  • Cover: The Hour of the Wolf - Valery Panyushkin

    Valery Panyushkin

    The Hour of the Wolf

    2024, pp. 240, $ 18.00
    A Russian journalist’s first-hand account of the heartbreak and resilience of ordinary Ukrainians faced with Putin’s aggression
  • Cover: The Axeman's Carnival - Catherine Chidgey

    Catherine Chidgey

    The Axeman's Carnival

    2024, pp. 336, $ 18.00
    A dazzling portrayal of humanity and the natural world that perfectly balances violence and humor

Join Our Newsletter and receive a FREE eBook!

Stay updated on Europa’s forthcoming releases, author tours and major news.

Are you a bookseller? Click here!

Are you a librarian? Click here!

X