One of my reading goals has been to read more translated books and I haven’t been disappointed by the ones I’ve read so far. An Astronomer in Love is another one of those books. It is a delight.

Translated from French by Louise Lalaurie Rogers, the book tells the story of Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de La Galaisiere (Guillaume from here on), an astronomer who set sail for India to see the transit of Venus in the 1760s, and Xavier Lemercier, a present-day real estate agent in Paris who is still hurting from his divorce. Both men are focused on being the best at what they do: Guillaume observing and tracking the transit of Venus and Xavier being an interesting and present father to his son, Olivier. But Fate, that mischievous scamp, has a way of messing up even the best laid plans. Guillaume’s and Xavier’s lives become linked in more ways than one.

I adore this book for so many reasons. But the main one is because this is a book about love and how it comes when you least expect it. I can attest to this because every time I’ve been in love (real love), it happened because of a chance encounter. I won’t say how it happens in this book because I don’t want to spoil it. Just know it is very satisfying and left me smiling once I was done.

I found Guillaume and Xavier so interesting because both of them are willing to learn new things. Guillaume is ever curious about different cultures and surrounding nature during his travels and treated the people he encountered as equals and with respect, something MANY during that time did not, or would not do. Xavier, in wanting to spend quality time with his son, is willing to do something new and cool with Olivier instead of sticking him in front of a television or tablet when he visits. Their curiosity is so relatable.

The book itself is short (a little over 200 pages) and the chapters are super short. If you have time, you can definitely finish it in one sitting. Just know that you’ll feel so much lighter and hopeful when you get to the end.

Thank you so much to Gallic for providing me with an advance copy.

Where to buy: The Lit. Bar Loyalty Bookstores Amazon