An Astronomer in Love

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 adventure and the power of love from best-selling 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 . . .

Vorwort
• Galleys available for booksellers, press, media and influencers – both digital and physical. 

• Early samplers of first chapters distributed to press and booksellers to prime them for proofs. 

• Broad campaign or coverage in newspaper and magazines in the UK and USA such as The Express, The Lady Magazine, Strong Words Magazine, Washington Post and Elle. 

• Targeted promotion in the Midwest of the USA where Antoine is very popular and supported by booksellers. 

• Entry to relevant awards such as the International Booker and the French-American translation prize. 

• Campaign across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and blogs. Working with influencers to share reviews and host giveaways. 

• Paid social media on Amazon and Facebook to encourage preorders. 

• Audiobook and eBook released alongside physical publication.

Autorentext

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.

Klappentext

"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..."--

Zusammenfassung

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 adventure, destiny and the power of love from best-selling author Antoine Laurain.

‘Perfect for the poolside or sitting outside a café with a pastis and olives’ The Times

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 . . . 

Leseprobe

‘I’m sorry for disturbing you, Monsieur Lemercier,’
said the woman, who didn’t seem at all sorry, but rather convinced of her right
to demand the immediate clearing out of the cupboard in question. As Xavier had
suspected, the apartment had since been refurbished; the office had been
transformed into an open-plan kitchen living room, the old-fashioned ceiling
mouldings had disappeared, and from what he could tell the kitchen at the end
of the corridor had been converted into a children’s bedroom. An aluminium
scooter stood in the hallway. You saw it more and more in the city. Adults had
appropriated this child’s toy with an obviousness that often unsettled Xavier. They
praised, with the greatest sincerity, the lightness and fluidity of moving
around the city, the ridiculousness of such a mode of transport never crossing
their minds. Céline herself had dreamed of buying one for commuting to work.

‘Here it is,’ said Madame Carmillon, opening the
much-vaunted cupboard door with a flourish. The cupboard was hidden in the
panelling of the wall and had a small key in guise of a handle. Xavier had
simply not seen it. It wasn’t even on the apartment inventory. It contained
three ancient rolls of fabric, a vase, a broken barometer, and a varnished,
rectangular wooden chest, which must have been about five feet tall and a foot
wide. It had leather straps held in place by large upholstery nails. Three old
iron padlocks, opened with numbered codes, held it closed.

‘It’s mostly that,’ said the owner, pointing
to the chest. ‘It weighs a ton,’ she added. ‘My husband has a trapped sciatic
nerve from running. There’s no way he could lift it, and neither can I.’

‘I understand,’ said Xavier, and he took the
chest out of the cupboard. A ton was an exaggeration, but it weighed at least sixty
pounds.

‘I’ll deal with the fabric and the old barometer,’
Madame Carmillon conceded, appeased by having the estate agent at hand to deal
with the matter immediately. ‘But get rid of that chest, Monsieur Lemercier.’

The leather straps were carefully positioned to
allow you to carry the trunk on your back, diagonally, like a hunter’s rifle.
Its weight was therefore spread over two shoulders, making the load much more
manageable. Strapped in like this, Xavier bade his old client goodbye and made
his way back through the streets to the agency. At a crossroads, he passed a
cellist who was carrying his instrument case on his back in the same way. The
man glanced at him, then did a double-take, no doubt wondering which instrument
Xavier played.

‘W-w-we don’t have the code,’ said Frédéric.

‘No, Frédéric, we don’t have the code,’ Xavier
agreed.

‘Wh-wh-what could it be?’

The two men stood each side of the chest, which
was standing on the ground. ‘We won’t know until we get the padlocks open,
Frédéric.’

‘We need an a-a-a-angle grinder to saw it
open,’ said the trainee.

‘We don’t have an angle grinder, and we’re not
going to buy one just for this.’

Frédéric’s face lit up. ‘We need a locksmith,’
he said.

‘Yes…’ sighed Xavier. ‘There used to be one
around here, but he’s gone.’ They stood in silence for a minute. ‘I’m going to
go and see Claude,’ Xavier decided. ‘He might have an idea.’

The antiques dealer down the road from the
agency had been there long before Xavier’s arrival on the street. Contrary to
what the name of his shop suggested – Smiles of the Past – its owner never
smiled anymore. His sales figures were in freefall; no one was interested …