THE LIFE YOU HAD IMAGINED

« Ambitious, subtle, engrossing » (Les Echos)« An unforgettable novel » (Paris Match)In October 1930, a young actress named Elissa Landi, touted by Fox Studios as the next Greta Garbo, sets foot in Hollywood. She has talent, striking looks and a mysterious background : her mother, Karoline Zanardi Landi, has always claimed to be the hidden daughter of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Fantasy or reality ? Fascinated by the mystery surrounding the two women, Nelly Alard investigates the case. Did the famously free-spirited, eccentric Empress Sisi really go as far as raising a child in secret, away from the stuffy Viennese court? If not, why on earth did Karoline make up this outlandish story, years before the collapse of the Austrian Empire, exposing herself to retaliation from the emperor’s police ?As she tries to answer these questions, Alard takes us through the ups and downs of her own career as an actress, from her childhood dreams of glory to her first literary efforts, all related to the empress in one way or another. As we follow her search, we become aware of an intricate web of coincidences and echoes between her own existence and those of her three heroines—Elisabeth, Karoline, and Elissa…In this third novel, award-winning author Nelly Alard thrusts us into the lives of three glamourous, fiercely independent women, intertwining epochs and characters with such fluidity that they all come to life, vivid and authentic. Full of surprising twists and wittypersonal insights, it is as brilliant in its formal aspects as it is thought-provoking and surprising in content. Published in France by Gallimard, it was enthusiastically received by both audience and press.Les Echos Top 7 Books of the Year « A gripping investigation shot through with cheerful humor » (Elle Magazine)« An enthralling quest that is also a superb self-portrait in which the personal lives and destinies of the heroines mirror one another. » (Le Figaro)« A fascinating investigation where fiction merges with reality. Surprising – different from anything you’ve read before » (L’Obs)« A subtle storyline worthy of the most exciting thrillers » (Biba Magazine)About the author Before becoming a writer, Nelly Alard was trained as an actress. She has acted in France in numerous plays and TV movies, and in two American films by Henry Jaglom, Eating and Venice/Venice. Her first novel, Le crieur de nuit, published in 2010 by Gallimard, was awarded the Roger Nimier Prize and the Lions National Prize of Literature. It was followed in 2013 by Moment d’un Couple, which won the prestigious Interallié Prize and became a bestseller, translated into several languages. Alard, who lives in Paris, is also a screenwriter and works regularly for French television. Read more