The Danish Girl

By: David Ebershoff

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

National Bestseller * A New York Times Notable Book * Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction * Winner of the Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters * Finalist for the New York Public Library Young Lions Award * Finalist for the American Library Association Stonewall Book Award

Now an Academy Award-winning major motion picture, starring Academy Award-winners Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander and directed by Academy Award-winner Tom Hooper

Loosely inspired by a true story, this tender portrait of marriage asks: What do you do when the person you love has to change? It starts with a question, a simple favor asked by a wife of her husband while both are painting in their studio, setting off a transformation neither can anticipate. Uniting fact and fiction into an original romantic vision, The Danish Girl eloquently portrays the unique intimacy that defines every marriage and the remarkable story of Lili Elbe, a pioneer in transgender history, and the woman torn between loyalty to her marriage and her own ambitions and desires. The Danish Girl’s lush prose and generous emotional insight make it, after the last page is turned, a deeply moving first novel about one of the most passionate and unusual love stories of the 20th century.

Critic reviews

In 2017 the New York Times Named The Danish Girl One of the 25 Books that Have Shaped LGBTQ Literature Over the Past 20 Years

A New York Times Notable Book
Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction
Winner of the Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters Finalist for the New York Public Library Young Lions Award
Finalist for the American Library Association Stonewall Book Award


Praise for The Danish Girl

“The Danish Girl is an extraordinary story about extraordinary people.” — Eddie Redmayne

“Heartbreaking and unforgettable . . . a complete triumph.”—The Boston Globe

“An unusual and affecting love story.”—The New York Times

“A sophisticated and searching meditation on the nature of identity.”—Esquire

“It is nearly impossible not to be moved.”—The Baltimore Sun

“A fascinating novel, beautiful for its strange and delicate flavor and its characters’ depth of heart.” –San Francisco Chronicle

Wanted more

I was really more interested in Greta’s life I wanted to know more about her. The ending was not great, I would have like more information and conclusion. Greta seemed to have a more interesting life and was really the hero of the story. I would like to read a bio on her. I love her artwork! I thought it maybe should have been narrated by a woman for some reason. I loved the movie and really liked the book.

Read and Enjoy this tragic but spirit lifting true

I watched The Danish Girl first in Netflix and knew I had to read the book. The narrator is brilliant, giving the dignity deserved by the main characters. I will read this again. and I've already watched the movie twice.