The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: Part 3, Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Paris, France. July 29, 1724. It’s nearly nighttime. Addie walks through the streets holding a stolen basket. She’s wearing men’s clothing, so nobody bothers her. Luc claimed he’d given her freedom, but in this world, only men have true freedom. It’s now been four years since Luc has visited her, and tonight, Addie wants to celebrate her freedom. She has decided to climb to the top of Notre Dame to have a picnic. She’s assembled a basket of luxuries for the occasion, including a jar of honey.

Just then, a young man walking with his friends runs into Addie. The collision sends Addie’s precious jar of honey flying, and it shatters when it lands. “You fool,” she snaps at the apologetic man—then she realizes that her high voice has blown her cover. The man isn’t mad at being fooled, though, and he motions for his friends to continue without him as he stays behind with Addie. He leads Addie to a café.

In the café, the man orders coffees, and then he and Addie sit down at a corner seat. The man introduces himself as Remy Laurent. Addie decides to call herself Thomas. Then, Remy becomes distracted by a man seated across the room, Monsieur Voltaire, who is very well-known. Addie hasn’t heard of Voltaire, so Remy produces a booklet from his coat. Addie admits she can’t read well. Remy calls it “a crime” that society doesn’t teach women as it teaches men. How can a person go through life without poetry, novels, or philosophy? Addie hasn’t heard of novels before; Remy explains that a novel is a long fictional story about love or adventure.

Remy tells Addie that he comes from a family of printmakers. His father sent him to school, though, and now all Remy wants to do is live in Paris among the thinkers and dreamers. Addie observes aloud how ideal and easy life seems to be for men. Remy admits that this is true. Addie’s stomach grumbles just then. She remembers her picnic and asks Remy to join her.