The Life of Elves

Author: Muriel Barbery

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published on 26 February 2026 by Pushkin Press in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 256 pages
196 x 129 x 23 | 226g

'A beguiling fairy tale' New York Times

'A truly enchanting story, beautifully told and rich in meaning' Irish Times

The villagers had never seen anything like it: dense white curtains of snow transforming the landscape in an instant. Not in autumn, not in Burgundy. And on that same night, a baby was found - dark-eyed little Maria, who would go on to transform all their lives.

Hundreds of miles away, in the mountains of Abruzzo, another foundling, Clara, astonishes everyone with her extraordinary talent for piano-playing. But her gifts reach far beyond mere musicianship.

As a time of great danger looms, the girls, though unaware of each other's existence, are bound by a hidden connection. And it is this bond, shared with others like them, that may offer the only chance for good to prevail in the world.