Deborah Levy

The mesmerising new novel from the twice Booker-shortlisted author of Hot Milk and Swimming Home

'If she was my double and I was hers, was it true that she was knowing, I was unknowing, she was sane, I was crazy, she was wise, I was foolish? That summer, the air was electric between us as we transmitted our feelings to each other across three countries.'

Elsa M. Anderson is a classical piano virtuoso. In a flea market in Athens, she watches an enigmatic woman buy two mechanical dancing horses. Is it possible that the woman who is so enchanted with the horses is her living double? Is she also looking for reasons to live?

Chasing their doubles across Europe, the two women grapple with their conceptions of the world and each other, culminating in a final encounter in a fateful summer rainstorm.

A vivid portrait of a long-held identity coming apart, August Blue expands our understanding of the ways in which we seek to find ourselves in others and create ourselves anew.

August Blue

Maybe life in our 30s is more fun than in our 20s

I cannot wait to read more of Levy. August Blue is a beautiful example of the contemporary novel done well. The narrative voice was exceptional; both thick and poetic, I felt like Levy was dripping honey into my ear while the saddest music played in the background.

Lily Cooper

Eva Ströberg

Deborah Levy - August Blue
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⭐️
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To be honest, I never read Levy’s work before so I couldn’t tell if this is her style or not, but upon finishing this book, I felt like she had stolen the time I used to read this book from me, and I still don’t get the meaning of it all. Was it just grief about someone close to you passing, was it insecurity abour your own talent? It’s a mixed signal for me that I couldn’t decipher.
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Elsa is a famous pianist who was in Greece for tutoring a rich American (?) teenager. She practically ran away with the tail between her legs after her fiasco in Vienna. While in Athens, she saw a woman very similar to her, purchased two mechanical horses in a shop, and thus began her chase for the doppelgangger to London and Paris. She had also very complicated relationship with her adoptive father, who was also her piano teacher, her maestro.
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I’m not even sure half of the time what is it that I’m supposed to “get” from this book, so it’s a one star from me
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#deborahlevy #augustblue #2023readingchallenge #2023reads #currentlyreading #bookstagram

Rochelle Butcher

August Blue is a story about a prodigy, a concert pianist named Elsa. After a failed concert performance and an encounter with her “double” on the street of Athens, Elsa’s life starts to unravel as she seeks to find answers about her life before she was adopted by her mentor and teacher, Arthur. 

This book is set during the COVID-19 pandemic and is a flashback to earlier times. Themes of acceptance, grief and identity are explored through the narrative. 

This story has many layers to it while initially seeming simple on the surface because of Levy’s tight and concise prose. It is quite a complex novel in terms of figuring out the significance and symbolism of Elsa’s doppelganger or mirrored self. Much literary analysis could be applied here. I’m also still wrapping my head around the ending!

August Blue

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