A Top Ten Indie Next List Pick
A Chapters Indigo 2025 Heather’s Pick
“Art historian Schlesser’s vibrant English-language debut frames a survey of classical Western art with the story of a Parisian man supporting his 10-year-old granddaughter after her sudden bout of temporary blindness... Schlesser seamlessly interweaves the art lessons with Mona’s story, which concludes with an explanation for the cause of her blindness. Readers of Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World will love this.”—Publishers Weekly
“No surprise that the novel’s author is a professor of art history at the École Polytechnique in Paris; his characters channel his dazzling command of the greats.”—Hyperallergic
“A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art... Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.”—Kirkus Reviews
“[A] life-affirming narrative.”—Booklist Online
“Every week for a year, 10-year-old Mona and her grandfather Dade visit a work of art at a Paris museum... Their rendezvous over Klimt, Kahlo, Cézanne and other greats deepen their relationship to one another and the world around them in a thoughtful tribute to the power of art as a guide to self-reflection (doubling as a delightful art history session, which the author teaches in Paris).”—Zed: The Zoomer Book Club
“Mona’s Eyes is a feast for art lovers, art curious, Francophiles and those who appreciate a well-crafted, elevated, yet approachable narrative that will leave you both grounded and inspired at the same time by the end of the novel.”—The Simply Luxurious Life
“It’s an earthquake. A seismic shift in the world of publishing. A Sophie’s World set in the art world. Thomas Schlesser. Remember the name.”—Alice Develey, Le Figaro
“An ode to beauty and wisdom.”—Le Parisien
“Mona’s Eyes is not only an introductory novel about art; it is also a universal tale.”—La Croix
“The phenomenal novel that makes you want to run to the museum... Better than Emily in Paris.”—Télerama
“Fabulous!”—France Inter
“Thomas Schlesser is the world champion of dissemination. A brilliant book.”—Télématin
“A tender and absolutely captivating book.”—La grande librairie
“A wonderful and poignant story.”—Courrier Picard
“Telling the story of a little girl who is introduced to beauty and life, Mona’s Eyes as sparked an exceptional level of enthusiasm.”—RTL
“This incredibly buzzy debut is something like if an acclaimed art historian had written All the Light We Cannot See… It feels passionate and engaging and really captures the freshness and wonder of understanding art, the world, growing up, through the eyes of a child.”—Miriam Gordis, Albertine Bookstore, New York, NY
