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A Novel
by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Book Reviewed by:Two young women meet in Paris one sultry summer in a decades-spanning tour de force about the enduring power of young love and the poignant heartbreak of missed chances—perfect for fans of One Day and Normal People.
Erica and Laure meet on the steps of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris, 1978. Erica is a student, relishing her first summer abroad before beginning university at home in England. Laure is studying for her PhD at the Sorbonne, drinking and smoking far too much, and sleeping with a married woman. The moment the two women meet, the spark is undeniable, but their encounter turns into far more than a summer of love. It is the beginning of a relationship that will define their lives and every decision they have yet to make…
Erica and Laure's love story spans decades, marriage, children, secret trysts, and the agonizing changes—both personal and political—that might mean they can be together, after all. But when life brings them within touching distance again, will they be brave enough to seize a future together?
Beautifully capturing young love and all its complexities, Almost Life is a story of longing for the paths not taken, and the almost lives we live.
Part One
1978-1979
Chapter One
They met on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur beneath a sky of the most fierce and unerring blue, so without variation or hesitation it was as though a painter had brushed cerulean across the horizon, no shade or blight anywhere, yet undeniably a cover up. Or perhaps it was only so blue by contrast to the dome and cupolas of the Sacré-Cœur, which too seemed arranged, virgin white paper cut out and laid across the perfect wash of the sky.
Laure was reading and smoking on the left staircase, her long legs thrust out before her, her prematurely greying hair flipped over and hanging across her narrow face. Erica approached, sweating from the ascent through Montmartre's cobbles in her polyester skirt printed with great bunching florals, rippling and sticking to her thighs. She swears it was the right staircase, remembers turning to her left to look up at the dome pinned against the sky. Smoke in her eyes, an instinctive irritation that did not serve...
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (4/09/2026)
I'm reading 'The News from Dublin' by Colm Tóibín (because I have to read ALL the Irish books I can get my hands on). Last week was 'Almost Life' by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (mainly set in Paris). I wanted to like it more than I did, alas a 3 star for me.
-Evonne_Benedict
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (4/02/2026)
I'm reading 'Almost Life' by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. It's quite an emotional roller coaster! Next up is 'The Enchanted April' by Elizabeth von Armin for my book club. It was my pick and when I described it as 'lovely' everyone agreed! Some who've finished now plan to watch the movie (also lovely).
-Evonne_Benedict
Erica is eighteen, fresh out of school and spending a summer in Paris before starting university back in England. She longs for a stereotypical Parisian summer, filled with red wine and French friends, students at the Sorbonne, perhaps, with whom she can converse about art and literature, and she fantasizes about having a fling with a French man. Laure, a bohemian, communist art history student at the Sorbonne, seems like the gateway to everything Erica has dreamt about, but when she kisses Erica, Erica is surprised by how right it feels. Almost Life is a testament to the strength of love, but also a sobering reminder of the consequences of letting that love stagnate and fester like a wound. The obstacles to their relationship are real and convincing, driven by factors both internal and external, as Hargrave expertly swerves the sort of avoidable and inane roadblocks that can easily frustrate readers. Almost Life is a tender and romantic book, but also a deeply sad one, that quietly explores the inherent tragedy of a life almost lived...continued
Full Review
(659 words)
(Reviewed by Rachel Hullett).
Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain
A heart-rending tale of missed chances. Millwood Hargrave is a wonderful writer and what a pleasure it is to be in the company of such a deft, enchanting storyteller. Erin O. White, author of Like Family
Almost Life reads like a dream of young desire, but Hargrave is brilliantly awake to the heartbreaks and constraints of enduring passion. Sexy, tender, piercing, and oh so true, Almost Life is a lyrical accounting of love's offerings and its toll. I loved every word.Born in Paris in 1840, Claude Monet grew up in the town of Le Havre in Normandy. He was interested in art from a young age, studying at a Le Havre arts school under masters Jacques-François Ochard and Eugène Boudin, the latter of whom became his mentor and introduced him to "en plein air," or outdoor painting techniques. After relocating back to Paris as a young man, Monet fell into a social circle of fellow artists, including Édouard Manet, alongside whom he painted and developed his style, before fleeing to England in 1870 after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. It was here that he studied the works of John Constable and Joseph Mallord William Turner, whose innovative landscapes would come to ...
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