A Good Life

Reviews / Votes

"A beautiful story, so elegantly written." * Nicola Cornick, author of The Last Daughter * "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 * "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 * "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 * "Virginie Grimaldi delivers her most accomplished, strongest novel. Her best." * Le Parisien * "A story of life, bursts of happiness, scars of misfortune, in which many readers should find themselves." * France Inter * "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 * "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 * "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 * "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 * "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 * "Heartwarming." * Good Housekeeping (on How To Find Love in the Little Things) * "The famous 'Grimaldi touch' is a lightness of tone and style that takes your breath away." * ELLE France (on Chasing the Stars) * "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 *