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Almost Life

A Novel

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Almost Life

Written by: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Narrated by: Patricia Allison
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People “Best Sapphic Historical Romances” • Harper’s Bazaar “Most Anticipated Books Coming Out This Spring” • Autostraddle “Most Anticipated Queer Books for March 2026” • Time “New Books You Should Read in March”

“Hargrave has a great eye and ear for close-focus, intimate scenes. Conversations, sexual encounters, and meals are vividly alive...Laure and Erica are richly drawn, in both heart and mind.” —The New York Times

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.
Historical Fiction LGBTQIA2S+ Creators Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt

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What the critics say

"A strong, perceptive performance enriches poignant reflections on identity and relationships."
"1978. Erica, a young Brit newly abroad, is drawn to the effortlessly cool French university student Laure, and the two embark on a heady romance. Narrator Patricia Allison excels at drawing out a range of emotions in both everyday interactions and crucial moments throughout the ensuing years. As Laure and Erica grapple with substance abuse, experience profound loss, explore burgeoning careers, and develop new relationships, Allison clearly delineates their social circles in France and England with distinct accents and unites their worlds with an engaging narrative voice."
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