Mona's Eyes - by Thomas Schlesser (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

THE SENSATIONAL #1 FRENCH BESTSELLER THAT HAS TAKEN THE WORLD BY STORM

An inspiring journey across five centuries of art in the company of ten-year-old Mona and her grandfather, Henry. They have only fifty-two Wednesdays to visit fifty-two masterpieces and commit to memory what is most beautiful in the world before Mona loses her sight forever.

A novel of initiation that does for art what Jostein Gaarder's novel Sophie's World did for philosophy, with the emotional impact of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, and the readability of Zafón's The Shadow of the Wind or The Little Paris Bookshop, Thomas Schlesser's sensational debut novel Mona's Eyes is at once a moving book about the fullness of life and a deeply touching story about the special relationship between a girl and her grandfather.

The doctors can find no explanation for ten-year-old Mona's sudden, brief episode of blindness, but they all agree that it might return, and that permanent blindness cannot be ruled out. Mona's grandfather Henry may not be able to stop his granddaughter from losing her sight, but he can fill the encroaching darkness with beauty. Every Wednesday, for an entire year, they abscond together and go to visit a masterpiece, each week a new one. On these visits, Mona and her grandfather will experience a full range of emotions; their enchantment as well as their melancholy will be complete, and their lives will never be the same. From Botticelli to Basquiat, Mona will discover not only the power of art but also the meaning of generosity, doubt, melancholy, loss, love, memory, revolt, and so much more.

With the brio of a novelist, the erudition of an art historian, and the exuberance of one who is alive to life's wonders, Thomas Schlesser has written a highly accessible, heartfelt novel that will delight and inspire readers of all ages.

Review Quotes

An instant #1 bestseller in France

Winner of the RTL-Lire Literary Magazine Grand Prix 2024

Debuted at #2 in Italy

"It's an earthquake. A seismic shift in the world of publishing. A Sophie's World set in the art world. Thomas Schlesser. Remember the name."--Alice Develey, Le Figaro

"An ode to beauty and wisdom."--Le Parisien

"Mona's Eyes is not only an introductory novel about art; it is also a universal tale."--La Croix

"The phenomenal novel that makes you want to run to the museum... Better than Emily in Paris."--Télerama

"Fabulous!"--France Inter

"Thomas Schlesser is the world champion of dissemination. A brilliant book."--Télématin

"A tender and absolutely captivating book."--La grande librairie

"A wonderful and poignant story."--Courrier Picard

"Telling the story of a little girl who is introduced to beauty and life, Mona's Eyes as sparked an exceptional level of enthusiasm."--RTL

"This incredibly buzzy debut is something like if an acclaimed art historian had written All the Light We Cannot See... It feels passionate and engaging and really captures the freshness and wonder of understanding art, the world, growing up, through the eyes of a child."--Miriam Gordis, Albertine Bookstore, New York, NY