Elizabeth Ross (1)Reseñas

Satisfying and very well crafted historical mystery. Clara/Klara fled Nazi Germany with her parents in 1938. Now that the war is over, she's about to be promoted at the movie studio where she works when her parents announce they're about to return to Germany so her dad can take a professorship. Clara is devastated and angry at their obliviousness to her newly established life, complete with a budding friendship, and maybe more with Gil, a recently returned war veteran who is employed as a screen writer at the studio.
When Clara stays late one evening and sees blonde hair caught in a film vault door, it's the beginning of an intricate murder mystery that involves plenty of historical detail, many red herrings and a dandy climax at the end. It's a great choice for libraries where teens, and adults enjoy history and mystery blended together.

This was a wonderful scenario and character set that never quite came together with the intricacy it promised, but that was nevertheless a very enjoyable read. I was absolutely delighted with the first half, where our narrator gets mired in all sorts of trouble through a mix of all-too-understandable motivations and wonderfully outrageous situations. The resolutions of those troubles were a little too glib and underbaked for my tastes, but it's still a pretty charming look at modernity, at the self-image of girls, at expectations and dreams. Good fun.

How would you like to be considered ugly? If you were poor, single, in a Huge City & in need a good paying job; would you accept employment based on what others perceive based on your looks?

That is the basis of this book: working in Paris as a Repoussoir, a plain companion that makes the woman who has employed her appear by comparison much fairer than she actually is.

Maude Pinchon has run away from a small town, where her father was planning to marry her to the local butcher.

As a Repoussoir to Isabelle, a local heiress whose mother is planning for Isabelle's marriage; Maude turns out to be more of a friend to Isabelle, who as it turns out has no intention of getting married, but plans instead to study science at the Sorbonne.

When it all comes crashing down around both women, both Isabelle & Maude team up to show the aristocracy for what it is....

I liked the story, I liked the characters... The women were strong, the men, meh, not-so-much! I liked that beauty bloomed no matter the looks of the girls and there was heart underneath the dejection.

What made this book make more of an impression on me was Maude's interest in photography & her thoughts, which mirror my own: "Using the camera as my tool, I hope to find that elusive inner light in the subjects that I photograph, both people & places, and to really see - see the truth and beauty of an instant.... With photography, as with any art, you are given the gift of connection, when you can say to a stranger: 'Look! I have something to tell you, I have something to say.'"½

When Maude leaves her home in the countryside of France, she heads to Paris. The only work she is able to find is to work as a “repoussoir”, or as a sort of “foil” to a pretty girl. That is, Maude is the ugly or plain girl who is hired to accompany a debutante to one or more events in order to make the debutante look better by comparison. Maude is hired by the Isabelle’s mother, but Isabelle doesn’t know that that’s why Maude is there. They become friends and Maude wants to help Isabelle in the things she wants, but she is forced to help Isabelle’s mother encourage Isabelle to marry, as that is her job.

I really liked this. I was wondering if it was based on a real agency that hired out girls for this purpose, so I was looking forward to the author’s note at the end (it was based on a fictional agency in a short story). It was also set during the time the Eiffel Tower was being built, which is interesting. The book has some strong girl characters.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book, it was a great read.

Unwilling to submit to an arranged marriage to a 40-year-old man, sixteen-year-old Maude Pichon runs away from her small, seaside village. Adrift in the large city of Paris and with her limited money running out, she seeks work at the Durandeau Agency where she reluctantly becomes a repoussoir – a person who is so ugly she repels others to makes her client look beautiful.

The Agency is filled with poor women and girls who have no money, but who Durandeau deems ugly enough to earn him a few francs. Maude becomes the repoussoir for Isabelle, a Countess’ rich daughter she plans to marry off during her upcoming debutante season. The only catch to her job is Maude must gain Isabelle’s confidence and report back to the Countess, but not let Isabelle know her true role. As months go by and the Countess transforms Maude’s life, she finds herself drifting into fantasies where she has become the debutante and finds herself a rich husband.

As she begins to befriend Isabelle, she looks down on her former life and friends at the Agency in favor of a new, imagined life with the Countess. However, the more time she spends with them, the more she will have to come to terms with her true self and decide if the rich life is really where she’s meant to be.

I enjoyed reading “Belle Epoque,” and learning about life in 1800’s France. Though based on a fictional story about repoussoirs written in 1866, it’s a shame that we still judge others by appearances rather than by what they offer society.

Recommended for ages 16 and older, including Adults.

Book review link: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2017/04/02/belle-epoque-elizabeth-ross/

Weird concept at first but has a happy ending... hard to get through but only because i had other things going on and no real time to sit down and read... but a decent story. Nothing amazing, nothing horrible. :)

I loved this book, and it was the perfect location for the story to take place

[Sunday, ‎November ‎17, ‎2013] Sixteen-year-old Maude Pichon, a plain, impoverished girl in Belle Epoque Paris, is hired by Countess Dubern to make her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, look more beautiful by comparison but soon Maude is enmeshed in a tangle of love, friendship, and deception.

[Sunday, ‎November ‎17, ‎2013] Sixteen-year-old Maude Pichon, a plain, impoverished girl in Belle Epoque Paris, is hired by Countess Dubern to make her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, look more beautiful by comparison but soon Maude is enmeshed in a tangle of love, friendship, and deception.

Which was a likable book. The story was interesting. The historical setting was interesting and well researched. The lead characters Maude and Isabelle are likable, strong headed young women. I don't know why I didn't fall in love with the story. It felt kinda flat, it only had one real antagonistic character, Isabelle's mother, and we didn't really get to know her. The owner of the agency that rents plain women as accessories is also not really develop and paper thin. I think it's because there wasn't any real tension in the storyline that I didn't love it. For the historical settings, the brilliant idea to write a story about The Repoussoirs short story by Zola, because both Maude and Isabelle are worth knowing....

Society does a number on people. In every era, though fashions change from culture to historical period, certain people are considered attractive and others ugly. For those with beautiful faces, be they rubenesque, sharply skinny, dimpled, butt-chinned, freckled, pale as snow, or dark as obsidian, life always is just that little bit easier. Odds of marrying into wealth or more wealth, of finding people to admire you, of obtaining a position go up because of that face.

In young adult fiction, the current standards of beauty are generally held up and shown to be the ideal. The heroes and heroines are perfection: wealthy, if at all possible, but in almost all cases beautiful by the standards of that time. The average YA character is often described as looking like a model. In such a world, the average cease to stand out and a plain face like Maude Pichon’s can come to the forefront. In a sea of perfectly symmetrical face, the strange and unique are immediately more compelling.

Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.

Five- Stars- This was a unique story that held my interest until the very end. I would recommend to adults and teens- This is a fantastic book to recommend- (Clean Read) I have passed this book on to my oldest daughter- She is loving it so far- I can't wait to read more from this author- Read in two days, hard to put down. Worth the time and money- I won a free copy in a giveaway and I'm so happy to have read this book. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end~ I HOPE THIS AUTHOR WRITES MORE (HOPEFULLY TO GO ALONG WITH THIS BOOK) I WILL PURCHASE BOOK TWO IN AN INSTANT ;) http://reesasbookblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/review-belle-epoque-by-elizabeth-ross...

Maude Pichon ran away from her village to avoid a marriage. She robbed her father's store's till and ran off to Paris, city of lights and romance, where the Eiffel Tower is rising taller every day. However, survival in a large city is much less romantic than Maude's daydreams, and she is becoming desperate to survive. In order to support herself, she answers an unusual ad for the Durandeau Agency, where ugly women are hired to set off more attractive ladies of substance. Maude is hired to be the foil to Isabelle, a young lady making her debut, only Isabelle doesn't know Maude was hired by her mother. Maude is trapped between her own survival at the agency and her budding friendship with Isabelle, and she doesn't even know which world she lives in, the poor or the rich . . .

Maude Pichon has run away from her home in the French province of Brittany to escape an arranged marriage. But life in Paris is far harder, and much more expensive, than she ever dreamed. Desperate for work, she takes a job with an agency that offers an unusual service. The company hires plain, unattractive young women to act as foils for high society women. The idea is that the comparison of being next to someone ugly will make the client appear more attractive.

Maude is selected by the Countess Dubern to be a companion for her daughter, Isabelle, during her debutante season. The catch – Isabelle doesn’t know that Maude is hired help. Soon Maude is thrown into the whirl and intrigue of a Parisian aristocratic social season. But as her friendship with Isabelle grows, Maude faces increasing pressure from the Countess to go beyond the role of beauty foil to spy on Isabelle and influence her actions.

The first thing I loved about this this book is the setting, 1880′s Paris. I enjoyed the glimpses of the bohemian lifestyle of artists and musicians and cafes in contrast to the glittering aristocratic society all against the backdrop of the building of the Eiffel Tower. The second thing that appealed to me was that this enjoyable story really does a great job of exploring the concept of beauty. Does being seen next to someone who is less beautiful really enhance someone’s appearance? Plus, the toll the job takes on the employees’ self-esteem is appalling. They are constantly being judged only by, and openly reminded of, those traits that others perceive as faults.

Then there is the economic pressure on the girls, forcing them to put up with the humiliation of the position. What other options do they really have? The desire to maintain both the illusion of a place in aristocratic society and maintain a decent standard of living influence Maude’s decisions regarding her friendship with Isabelle and others. She may not agree with what the Countess is doing, but what choice does she have if she doesn’t want to be fired and end up destitute?

I have a few small quibbles with the story. Maude, the country grocer’s daughter with the provincial accent and manners is able to fit in with the aristocrats too easily. The end also seems to wrap up a bit too neatly. But overall, this was a very good book that I really enjoyed reading. It would make an excellent choice for a book discussion group, exploring as it does the ideas of beauty and social class. Those looking for a good story won’t be disappointed while those who appreciate a bit more social commentary will definitely enjoy Belle Epoque.

I read Belle Epoque as part of The Hub’s 2014 Morris Award Challenge.

An unexplored topic atlast! It took a couple chapters to get into the story and characters, but once in it was an enjoyable ride.
I enjoyed the authors use of comparisons and the thought evoked.
Very enjoyable easy read.

Facing a dismal future at home, Maude runs away to Paris with big dreams. Soon, she finds that it's harder to make it there than she thought. Faced with losing her barely liveable apartment, she puts her pride aside and takes a job as a companion for wealthy women. The catch? She's only hired because her plain looks will amp up her companion's beauty. She's soon thrust into the world of wealthy socialites and finds herself lying to nearly everyone she cares about.

I really enjoyed this book at first. Maude is such a strong character and it was easy to overlook her foolish desires for the wealthy life, knowing what her circumstances were. However, I had a hard time feeling for when she lost sight of who she really was and turned on the few people who cared about her. She does redeem herself in the end, but it left a bad taste in my mouth that she even went down that road.

Interesting plot and well-developed characters made this an enjoyable read.½

Belle Epoque is based on Emile Zola's 1866 short story "Les Repoussoirs" about the fictional agency of Durandeau. Ross launches off from this story to write the compelling tale of Maude Pichon, a girl struggling to write the story of her own life by moving to Paris in the late 1880s in the midst of the changes to society brought by France's Industrial Revolution and Belle Epoque.

Maude is one of the most candid and realistic heroines I have encountered in a while. There's romantic interest, but it doesn't override the main story, and Maude's slight attraction to multiple boys before one begins to stand out seems much more true to real life than the usual insta-love. While she gets caught up in the opulence of her feigned fashionable life with the Duberns more than would be thought prudent, it fits with Maude's characterization as a provincial girl with overly-romanticized and cheery notions of what her life in Paris will be like. There is no fairy-tale, rather historically-anachronistic instant rise to fame, fortune, or love; the plot seems to take its natural course and suit both the characterizations of the book's key figures and what is realistic for the time period. At the same time, the issues with self-image and self-worth faced by Maude are things that any girl of today's time can easily identify with, making Belle Epoque an engrossing read for both fans of historical fiction and those who prefer more connections to contemporary life.

Though not an infallible rule, I can often tell if I'll love a book by the time I finish the first page. It's something that goes beyond a snappy first sentence or an interesting hook. I don't know if it's just the quality writing or what, but immersing myself in that first page feels like slipping into a cool pool on a hot summer day. It's effortless.

Belle Epoque gave me that feeling, and it was magical.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW AT: http://shelversanon.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-belle-epoque-by-elizabeth-ross.h...