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LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2024
SHORLISTED FOR THE EDWARD STANFORD VIKING AWARD FOR FICTION 2024
'Perfect for the poolside or sitting outside a café with a pastis and olives' The Times
Part swashbuckling adventure on the high seas and part modern-day love story set in the heart of Paris, An Astronomer in Love is an enchanting tale of destiny and the power of love from bestselling author Antoine Laurain.
In 1760, Guillaume le Gentil, real-life astronomer to King Louis XV, sets out for the oceans of India to document the transit of Venus. The weather is turbulent, the seas are rough and his quest may be more complicated than initially thought.
250 years later, estate agent Xavier Lemercier chances upon Guillaume's telescope in a property he's sold. As he looks out across the rooftops of Paris, he discovers an intriguing woman with a zebra in her apartment.
Then the woman walks through the doors of his office, and his life changes forever . . .
About the author
Antoine Laurain is the award-winning author of nine novels including The Red Notebook (Indie Next, MIBA bestseller) and The President’s Hat (Waterstones Book Club, Indies Introduce). His books have been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 200,000 copies in English. He lives in Paris, France.
Summary
LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2024
SHORLISTED FOR THE EDWARD STANFORD VIKING AWARD FOR FICTION 2024
‘Perfect for the poolside or sitting outside a café with a pastis and olives’ The Times
Part swashbuckling adventure on the high seas and part modern-day love story set in the heart of Paris, An Astronomer in Love is an enchanting tale of destiny and the power of love from bestselling author Antoine Laurain.
In 1760, Guillaume le Gentil, real-life astronomer to King Louis XV, sets out for the oceans of India to document the transit of Venus. The weather is turbulent, the seas are rough and his quest may be more complicated than initially thought.
250 years later, estate agent Xavier Lemercier chances upon Guillaume’s telescope in a property he's sold. As he looks out across the rooftops of Paris, he discovers an intriguing woman with a zebra in her apartment.
Then the woman walks through the doors of his office, and his life changes forever . . .
Foreword
ADVERTISING: boosted social ads around publication
ONLINE: social media campaign, Instagram giveaway of backlist to drive paid booktokers
DIRECT OUTREACH: newsletters to influencers, booksellers, and subscribers to Gallic Books updates pre-orders
INFLUENCERS: outreach to podcasters, bloggers, bookstagrammers, as well as author-specific updates
PROMOTION: DRC to be made available through Edelweiss, alongside physical ARCs; online promotion via author's social media (1.7k followers on Instagram); giveaways on Storygraph and Goodreads
Report
Praise for An Astronomer in Love
Longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award 2024
Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Viking Award for Fiction 2024
'Cinematic and enchanting' Foreword Reviews (starred)
'Perfect for the poolside or sitting outside a café with a pastis and olives - and bound to give you just the same cheering lift' The Times
'A brilliant love story . . . The supporting cast, including a not-quite-dead dodo and a zebra, will have readers laughing and crying in equal measure' The Lady
'Simply beautiful. An enchanting dual-timeline story of a love written in the stars' Fiona Valpy, author of The Dressmaker's Gift
'A perfect treasure waiting to be discovered by adventurous readers. An Astronomer in Love is a witty, lovely, surprising triumph' William Ryan, author of A House of Ghosts
Praise for Antoine Laurain
'Parisian perfection' HM The Queen Consort
'The very quintessence of French romance' The Times
'A hymn to la vie Parisienne' The Guardian
'Like finding a gem among the bric-a-brac in a local brocante' The Telegraph
'A master storyteller' Huffington Post
'Soaked in Parisian atmosphere . . . will have you rushing to the Eurostar post-haste' Daily Mail
'J'adore Antoine and his contemporary French comedies' Wendy Holden
'Like fine wine, Laurain's novels get better with each one he writes' Phaedra Patrick, author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
'The Parisian tableaus are so descriptive that you can almost smell the croissants' Washington Post
'Witty and perceptive' Publishers Weekly
'The novels of Antoine Laurain [are] straightforward and ingenious' New York Journal of Books
