The international bestselling French novel about love and beauty that has taken the world by storm, "A Sophie's World set in the art world." Le Figaro

Ten-year-old Mona and her beloved grandfather have only fifty-two Wednesdays to visit fifty-two works of art and commit to memory "all that is beautiful in the world" before Mona loses her sight forever.


While the doctors can find no explanation for Mona's brief episode of blindness, they agree that the threat of permanent vision loss cannot be ruled out. The girl's grandfather, Henry, may not be able to stop his granddaughter from losing her sight, but he can fill the encroaching darkness with beauty. Every Wednesday for a year, the pair abscond together and visit a single masterpiece in one of Paris's renowned museums. From Botticelli to Basquiat, Mona learns how each artist's work shaped the world around them. In turn, the young girl's world is changed forever by the power of their art. Under the kind and careful tutelage of her grandfather, Mona learns the true meaning of generosity, melancholy, love, loss, and revolution. Her perspective will never be the same-nor will the reader's.




READER REVIEWS

"This is a novel that will touch many."

"Hypnotic."

"This beautiful, well-researched book is captivating."

"A pleasure read!"

"I loved every page."

"Heartwarming and refreshing."

Details

ISBN13: 9781787706583
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 448
Edition:
Publication Date: 15 Sep 2026
Publisher: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 19.8(H)x12.9(L)
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

Thomas Schlesser is an art historian, professor at École Polytechnique, and Director of the Hartung-Bergman Foundation in Antibes. He’s the author of some fifteen books, and is particularly interested in the relations between art and politics in the 19th and 20th centuries. Hildegarde Serle graduated in French from Oxford University and then worked as an editor on magazines and newspapers before turning to translation. For Europa she has translated, among others, Christelle Dabos's The Mirror Visitor series, all of Valérie Perrin's novels, and Thomas Schlesser's Mona's Eyes (Barnes & Noble Book of the Year).

Reviews

Barnes & Noble Book of the Year 2025

“This is a novel for everyone, a gentle, moving tale about family, beauty, and the fleeting moments that make lasting memories."—James Daunt