Watching Over Her

Watching Over Her is a 2023 novel by French author Jean-Baptiste Andrea. It was published on 17 August 2023, by the French independent publisher L'Iconoclaste. It received the Prix Goncourt on 7 November 2023. It has sold over 700,000 copies, making it one of the best-selling Goncourt winners. Watching Over Her was also recipient of the Prix du roman Fnac and the Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle.
The book has been translated into 34 different languages. The English translation by Frank Wynne was published by Atlantic Books on 28 August 2025.

Synopsis

Spanning several decades in 20th-century Italy, the novel focuses on a poor sculptor named Michelangelo "Mimo" Vitaliani, and his tumultuous relationship with Viola Orsini, the daughter of an aristocratic family.

Film adaptation

In June 2024, it was announced that former Pathé executives Muriel Sauzay and François Ivernel secured the screen rights to the novel for an adaptation produced by their company Montebello.