Briefly, A Delicious Life A Novel
Briefly, A Delicious Life A Novel by Nell Stevens is a debut work published by Simon and Schuster on July 25, 2023. This 320-page novel presents a playful and daring tale set in two distinct time periods, following the story of a teenage ghost named Blanca who falls in love with the writer George Sand. After dying in a hilltop monastery in Mallorca in 1473, Blanca remains a spirited presence, observing the lives of the living nearly four centuries later as George Sand, her children, and Frederic Chopin arrive in the village.
Readers will find an exploration of unrequited longing as Blanca watches George, who is unaware of her existence, navigate the challenges posed by provincial villagers. The narrative intertwines themes of artistry, desire, and the complexities of life after death, creating a unique backdrop for the unconventional love triangle involving George, Chopin, and Blanca. This novel delves into the emotional depths of its characters while maintaining a charming and original tone, making it a notable addition to the genres of historical and LGBTQ+ fiction.
Official synopsis Publisher
*A Cosmopolitan Best Book of Summer * One of BuzzFeed’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books*
An “exquisite…too lovely to bear” (The New York Times Book Review) debut novel from an award-winning writer: a playful and daring tale about a teenage ghost who falls in love with the writer George Sand.
In 1473, fourteen-year-old Blanca dies in a hilltop monastery in Mallorca. Nearly four hundred years later, when George Sand, her two children, and her lover Frederic Chopin arrive in the village, Blanca is still there: a spirited, funny, righteous ghost, she’s been hanging around the monastery since her accidental death, spying on the monks and the townspeople and keeping track of her descendants.
Blanca is enchanted the moment she sees George, and the magical novel unfolds as a story of deeply felt, unrequited longing—a teenage ghost pining for a woman who can’t see her and doesn’t know she exists. As George and Chopin, who wear their unconventionality, in George’s case, literally on their sleeves, find themselves in deepening trouble with the provincial, 19th-century villagers, Blanca watches helplessly and reflects on the circumstances of her own death (which involved an ill-advised love affair with a monk-in-training).
Charming, original, and emotionally moving, this “deeply wild debut follows the unconventional love triangle” (Cosmopolitan) between George, Chopin, and Blanca—a gorgeous and surprising exploration of artistry, desire, and life after death.
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