An Astronomer in Love

An Astronomer in Love is a tale about Guillaume Le Gentil, an astronomer to King Louis XV, who set out from France in 1760 to see the transit of Venus across the world in Pondicherry, India. It’s interwoven with the story of Xavier Lemercier, a real estate agent who discovers the telescope that once belonged to Le Gentil in 2012. Lemercier intends to use the telescope to watch the stars with his young son but inadvertently spies on a woman in an apartment a few buildings away. It isn’t long before he has a chance encounter with her and finds himself infatuated. So it’s at once a tale of adventure on the high seas and a search for love in the heart of Paris.

Laurain has an eye for detail and a way of making the reader feel like they are part of each character’s journey. His works are a pure joy to read, and he’s a master storyteller able to transport us to other times and places with his enchanting and mesmerizing atmospheric scenes. He always seems to be so in touch with human nature, expressing so well what so many are able to feel. He is a writer who never lets me down, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.