. is a sexual and romantic saga told with a master storyteller’s feel for character and plot and a philosopher’s abiding preoccupation with what makes life truly worthwhile. With tenderness and infectious delight, Schmitt tells an exuberant tale about class and community and about the vastness of human experience. Schmitt’s love of coincidence and serendipity is surpassed only by his affection for his flawed, all-too-human characters: Zachary Bidermann, the powerful European Union commissioner; Faustina, the fashionable book publicist; François-Maxime de Couvigny, the happily married banker with more than a few secrets; Marcelle, enamored with a handsome illegal immigrant; Mademoiselle Beauvert, who makes love with her parrot, Copernicus. These and many more unforgettable characters animate this story of simmering desire and the antics of the mischievous and playful god Eros. Schmitt’s inclusive, affirming vision of human sexuality is refreshingly free of moral judgment, yet enriched by an understanding of the complex ethics of human relationships and the redemptive power of love. “A narrative tour de force. Liberated, libertine, libertarian. A brilliant celebration of sexual and moral tolerance.”— “A terrific encyclopedia of love and desire. A beautiful novel, at once light, funny, and somber.”— “One of Mr. Schmitt’s chief strengths is the ability to precisely chronicle the shifts in his characters’ mental and emotional states, a skill he employs to illuminate the changeable nature of the mind and heart.”—