Watching Over Her

A Novel

By: Jean-Baptiste Andrea

Narrated by: Matthew Brenher

From French literary talent and Prix Goncourt winner Jean-Baptiste Andrea, a “sprawling fresco and star-crossed love story” (The New York Times) following a dwarf and skilled sculptor as he recounts the moments in his life that inspired his mysteriously powerful masterpiece—perfect for readers of Martyr! and The Covenant of Water.

In an Italian monastery, a sculptor named Mimo lays on his deathbed. For decades, he has lived among the monks who watch over his masterpiece, an arresting statue that haunts all who see it.

During his final hours, he reveals his life story: his impoverished childhood, brutal apprenticeship, and, most important, his meeting with Viola Orsini, the only daughter of a powerful and dangerous aristocratic family. Mimo and Viola are instantly drawn to one another, viewing themselves as outsiders—Mimo, for his dwarfism, Viola for her ability to remember everything she has ever read or experienced. Together, they traverse the unrest of the twentieth century, from the rise of fascism to the violence of the world wars. While Mimo becomes a celebrated artist, Viola chases her own dreams of becoming an emancipated woman. Over the decades, they will lose and find each other time and again, but never will they give up on the love they share.

Immersive and full of heart, Mimo’s adventures are ribald and hilarious, challenging conventions of his day. Jean-Baptiste Andrea’s Prix Goncourt–winning novel has captivated audiences around the globe and is available to readers in English for the first time thanks to Frank Wynne’s wonderfully vivid translation.

Personal, cultural, political transformation pre and post WWs in northern Italy

The writer has captured his characters so well. Their development mirrors the historical facts that surround them and one grasps how they age and Italy has aged in the context of the European wars of the 20 th century. My only negative is about the narration. The narrator gives everyone a stereotypical english-italian accent, but then he misprounces all the Italian words horribly. It is grating to listen to.

The characters - all so vividly sculpted!

I loved it all! A superb story filled with great characters and deep meanings. Beautiful writing and well translated !

Great story and characters. Narrator’s Italian distractingly bad.

I enjoyed the story and its historical and artistic plot. Interestingly set between world wars, a period not as often used as a setting for historical fiction these days. What made me cringe while listening is the narrator’s inability to pronounce Italian. A strange choice of talent since the book is set in Italy. Where is the production’s editor? Or an Italian speaking dialect coach? Seems like a simple fix: practice pronouncing the vocabulary before starting the recording.