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A Good Life
- Author
- Virginie Grimaldi
- Narrator
- Liz Fodor
- Publisher
- Europa Editions
- Publish Date
- 4 March 2026
- Run Time
- 7 hours 1 minute
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
AN EMOTIONAL AND UPLIFTING NOVEL FROM THE FRENCH MARIAN KEYES FOR FANS OF RUTH HOGAN, VERONICA HENRY AND SARAH MORGAN
Emma and Agathe are sisters. They grew up together yet are very different. Agathe, the youngest, messy, and ardent, has always taken up all the space in the bath, in the bedroom, and in Emma's heart.
After five years of unexplained silence, Emma arranges to meet Agathe in the family's holiday home. After their beloved grandmother passed away, the place must be emptied, and the memories revisited.
The two sisters have a week to tell each other everything and make up for the time they spent apart. Will they be able to fix the past in the beauty of the summer in the Basque Country, where their childhood is knocking at the door?
READER REVIEWS
"Wonderful. Sat in bed reading 'til two o'clock last night or rather this morning!!!" ―Jane (Books on the Hill)
"Grab this book for your next summer read!" ―Dame Twich (Amazon)
"Love love love books about sisters, and this one looks brilliant." ―Laura (Instagram)
"An excellent read." ―MG Girl (Amazon)
"This book cannot be recommended enough." ―Suzy (Instagram)
Critics Review
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"A beautiful story, so elegantly written."
Nicola Cornick, author of The Last Daughter
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"Grimaldi's concise prose, translated by Hildegarde Serle, is striking and vivid, painting a sympathetic portrait of the enduring bond of sisterhood. Readers will fall under the spell of a compassionately revealed story that blends poignancy and humor in depicting the transcendental nature of familial love and forgiveness."
Shelf Awareness
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"Chapters rock back and forth like the waves of the ocean...Lovers of Europa Editions' other titles My Brilliant Friend and Fresh Water for Flowers will fall hard for this beautiful, heartbreaking, and healing story. Grab a box of tissues!"
Electric Lit
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"Grimaldi's account of two sisters taking stock of what's brought them this far is affecting but smile producing as well. A bittersweet slice of life."
Kirkus Reviews
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"Virginie Grimaldi delivers her most accomplished, strongest novel. Her best."
Le Parisien
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"A story of life, bursts of happiness, scars of misfortune, in which many readers should find themselves."
France Inter
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"In Grimaldi's sensitive hands, the novel is a life-affirming look at how love and dedication can overcome pain and heal scars."
The Washington Post
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"A delicate and compelling story of sisterhood and healing. Charming and emotional, the story blends poignancy and humor as it asks universal questions about meaning and family."
Paste Magazine
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"Grimaldi's bittersweet English-language debut is sure to tug at the heartstrings of readers who appreciate moving novels which explore the complexities of sisterly love and mental illness, such as All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews, or Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee
LitHub
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"Siblings, family, roommates–relationships ain't easy. In A Good Life, the complicated relationship between two French sisters gets its due. Agathe (messy, chaotic) and Emma (responsible, mature) generally stay out of each other's lives. But the death of their grandmother brings the two back together to settle the estate. Writer Virginie Grimaldi–a bestseller in France–brings to life their entire story."
Parade
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"In Grimaldi's universe, it seems to be about the difficulties and messiness of love and what we must be willing to do to keep it forever."
World Literature Today
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"Heartwarming."
Good Housekeeping (on How To Find Love in the Little Things)
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"The famous 'Grimaldi touch' is a lightness of tone and style that takes your breath away."
ELLE France (on Chasing the Stars)
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"Authentic, well-realised characters, wise insights, and liberal doses of humour. A book that makes you laugh and cry, a book whose characters you'll miss after the final page is turned."
Fictionophile
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Virginie Grimaldi
- Narrator
- Liz Fodor
- Duration
- 7 hours 1 minute
- Release Date
- 4 March 2026
- ISBN
- 9781787707016
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Europa Editions
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general
Synopsis
AN EMOTIONAL AND UPLIFTING NOVEL FROM THE FRENCH MARIAN KEYES FOR FANS OF RUTH HOGAN, VERONICA HENRY AND SARAH MORGAN Emma and Agathe are sisters. They grew up together yet are very different. Agathe, the youngest, messy, and ardent, has always taken up all the space in the bath, in the bedroom, and in Emma's heart. After five years of unexplained silence, Emma arranges to meet Agathe in the family's holiday home. After their beloved grandmother passed away, the place must be emptied, and the memories revisited. The two sisters have a week to tell each other everything and make up for the time they spent apart. Will they be able to fix the past in the beauty of the summer in the Basque Country, where their childhood is knocking at the door? READER REVIEWS "Wonderful. Sat in bed reading 'til two o'clock last night or rather this morning!!!" ―Jane (Books on the Hill) "Grab this book for your next summer read!" ―Dame Twich (Amazon) "Love love love books about sisters, and this one looks brilliant." ―Laura (Instagram) "An excellent read." ―MG Girl (Amazon) "This book cannot be recommended enough." ―Suzy (Instagram)
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