Linda UrbachReseñas

From the moment I started reading this, I knew it was going to be wonderful. I did not need to have prior knowledge of the original Madame Bovary to grasp what the characters were about. Filled with humor, pathos, intrigue, and luxurious descriptions of the burgeoning fashion industry in Paris, this novel is a quick and easy read. I found myself rooting for Mme. Bovary throughout, as she tries to shake off her mother's reputation and make her own way in the world.

Urbach mixes historical and fictional characters seamlessly; as Mme. Bovary has interactions with Charles Frederick Worth, Jean-Francois Millet, and even Levi Strauss. Her descriptions of 1800's fashion, sweatshops, and society's attitudes towards women are spot on. I really enjoy being able to read a book and feel that I'm immersed in that time period; and this novel did not disappoint. I read it in a few hours because I was so entranced. Kudos to Urbach for introducing new readers to the Bovary name.

To read my review, please go to http://www.myshelf.com/literary/11/madamebovarydaughter.htm

What happens to Berthe Bovary after her parent’s death? Would she follow in her mother’s footsteps or carve out her own destiny?

At twelve years old Berthe is now alone and is forced to live on her grandmother’s farm where life will be a lot different than she is accustomed. Her one reprieve from her many chores is becoming a model for a painter, a painter of peasants at work, a painter by the name of Jean-Francois Millet. She learns quickly that things are not always as they seem and she must rely on herself to make it in the world. Her determination leads her to the cotton mills, where she learns she must be strong on order to make it in the world. She eventually finds her way to Paris but she has a long way to go before she finds her dream job and the love she seeks, but does that life include a career in fashion as well as finding true love.

The novel was an interesting idea-- covering “what happens after” the demise of Madame Bovary and her husband. While it kept my interest throughout there were some interesting characters- both real and imagined- that I had a hard time connecting with in the book. The book also ended much too quickly for my liking, it seemed to be wrapped up rather abruptly when there was more story there. Even with a couple questionable plot twists, I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction, art and/or literature.½

Urbach's premise is fantastic: what became of little Berthe Bovary after her parents' death? She starts off well by having Berthe meet the famous painter Millet and from there weaves fiction and reality. The descriptions of the living and working conditions are lively and precise, both in the country and the city. Berthe's exposure to couture and fashion is likely with delightful details on styles, innovations and fabrics. The story is told with a lot of panache and the characters are often multifaceted and intriguing.

There are, however, many weaknesses: the villanous Rodolphe Boulanger is a laughable caricature of his counterpart in the original novel, Berthe's ascension requires much suspended disbelief, not to mention her unquestioned status as a single mother under the Restauration and some of the intrusions of history into the plot, particularly Levi Strauss's apparition, are sometimes stretched.

A summer read full of passion and generally solid entertainment, but completely without the original's touching emotivity.

Poor Berthe Bovary. Selfish, suicidal mother, spineless father, and a name that makes her sound like a prize cow. Giving a voice to the neglected child from Flaubert's novel is a good idea, but I'm not sure that Linda Urbach was entirely successful. From the author's notes, I can understand what the author was trying to achieve - exploring the flipside of Emma Bovary's personality by creating a stronger woman in her daughter, as well as celebrating the cultural achievements of 1850s France - but all I found was yet another bland, quasi-historical romance novel, where the heroine gets to make mistakes but ultimately flouts the social values of her time. The first few chapters were promising, suggesting the tone if not the language and nuances of Flaubert's writing, but when Berthe's story parted company from Madame Bovary's, and Berthe left Yonville to stay with her grandmother, a very familiar formula of characters and events started to slowly starve the novel of any initial charm and insight.

In the final chapters of Madame Bovary, Emma's young daughter is left to care for her heartbroken father until he follows his wife to an early grave, and Berthe is left an orphan. Linda Urbach describes how Charles Bovary is buried in a plain coffin at the feet of his wife's more ornamental and expensive tomb, which I thought was a very expressive image. Berthe is then sent to stay with her paternal grandmother, a very bitter and hard old woman who understandably blames Berthe's dead mother for killing her son. The grandmother treats Berthe like a servant in the house and on the farm, but the young girl works hard, at first looking for approval and respect, and then merely for the satisfaction of earning her keep and doing a job well. (Urbach is less than subtle about Berthe's personal motivation.) Two discoveries occur during Berthe's stay on the family farm, and both are handled in a hackneyed fashion - Berthe is educated about sex by a young farm hand, and Jean-Francois Millet is struck by Berthe's paysanne beauty and pays her to be his 'model'.

The fictitious representation of the artist is sympathetically sketched, and I don't object to historical cameos in novels, but he is merely the first of many - Berthe also goes to work for couturier Charles Frederick Worth, where she designs gowns for Cora Pearl the courtesan, and then suggests a new material called denim to travelling businessman Levi Strauss. Urbach states she was keen to avoid writing a history book, and so creatively advanced the careers of Millet, Worth and Strauss, but Berthe's 'kisses with history' are piled on thick and fast, and become more and more improbable.

Back to Berthe, who poses naked for Millet and learns a new definition of 'farmhand'. If I were making a critical study of Urbach's novel, I would quickly infer that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, however much Berthe insists that she will not make the same mistakes as her mother. There are numerous incidences throughout the novel where Berthe's hormones are stronger than her intelligence, and the inevitable comparison with Emma Bovary is well played. Berthe wants to be loved, but hates to feel dependent on any man. She constantly struggles with her pride, but usually gives in, which can be frustrating. From the farm to the mill, Berthe makes a friend with a streetwise thief called Helene, and eventually catches the eye of the millowner. Two of the only skills that Berthe inherited from her mother, apart from creamy skin and a voluptuous body, are dressmaking and literacy, so naturally she is 'rescued' from the drudgery of manual labour. Appalled by the dreadful conditions and long working hours at the mill (no health and safety in the 1850s, folks), Berthe vows to make her name in the fashion world and return to save other children from being abused, maltreated and mangled in the machinery. And she does, after first living with the kinky millowner and his wife, falling in love with an impoverished artist, paying her dues as a suffering romance heroine, and working a sideline in shoplifting with Helene. Honestly, I know that modern sequels to classic novels have to pack in more drama and emotional turmoil than the originals, but by the end of Berthe's story, I thought that Linda Urbach was merely ticking boxes. Moralising on social conditions? Check. Proto-feminism? Check. Rape? Check. Lesbian/'other' sexuality? Check. And the historical background, though well researched, is clumsily applied - the history of Bon Marche, the Paris department store, reads like a Wikipedia entry.

Madame Bovary's Daughter is a light, fast-paced sequel to Flaubert's novel, addressing Berthe's issues with her mother and the impact of being orphaned at a young age. Reading the original first is not required, and not even recommended, because Linda Urbach tells a wholly different story in a very modern style, but also refers liberally to the events of Madame Bovary. Anyone who enjoys 'historical romances' or continuations of classics that set the past to rights in plain English will probably enjoy Berthe's story, but borrow don't buy.

What a fabulous idea for a book! What happened to the ignored, orphaned daughter after her adulterous mother, Madame Bovary, committed suicide? Madame Bovary's Daughter: A Novel of Fashion and Fortune is the story of a daughter determined to distance herself from her infamous mother. Berthe remembers every rosette and bow on her mother's gowns, but no kind words or affection. She carries a photograph of her mother in a gorgeous white tulle gown from place to place, noticing how the seams are placed, how the crystals are attached--a harbinger of better times. Her journey from peasantry to grand society ensues by turns of good luck and her own pluck.

After her father's death, Berthe lives with her reticent grandmother. She milks the cow, forklifts hay and is made to replace the maid. Berthe yearns to put the peasant life behind. She dreams of owning a beautiful home with marble staircases, satin cushions, dancing guests and rooms filled with gorgeous gowns. Her mother had instilled in her a love of fine fashion, romantic stories, and luxury. Most importantly, she desires "what her mother never had: the love of someone she loved in return." Berthe's grandmother dies when she is thirteen. With no resources or family to turn to, she finds work in a cotton mill.

Beautiful Berthe's fortune is changed when she is hired as a lady's maid in a Paris home. She manages to survive in a home where consenting and non-consenting sex abounds. The household is passionate about couture. Despite her lack of experience, she perfects her sewing skills and studies the latest fashions. So begins her training for what ultimately will bring her the most joy.

Urbach writes a complex heroine who vows to transcend the mistakes her mother made and claim a happy life. Berthe is deceptive along the way and makes some decisions that will make you cringe. She bears much unfairness and misfortune. Although a complex and fascinating character, she is certainly not a squeaky-clean heroine. Urbach tends to overuse the technique of telling us about Berthe by comments from other characters. Assumptions of Berthe's expertise flow frequently from people she encounters. We are left to wonder if she knows her own strengths or merely deduces them from their opinions. Finally, Berthe finds herself and seizes her passion. She takes the reins of her journey and discovers that a passionate life can be a life well lived.

Established author and screenplay writer Linda Urbach Howard founded Momoirs, writing workshops for and about mothers. Madame Bovary's Daughter is her third novel. She is currently working on a new book, Sarah's Hair, the story of Sarah Bernhardt's hairdresser.

The author uses much period detail about weaving factories. Interlaced with the plot are vivid descriptions of Victorian women's apparel. Each gown is easily pictured from the details the author deftly provides. The information about fashion design and the beginnings of retail clothing stores is fascinating.

Madame Bovary's Daughter is great fodder for books groups whose interest in the classics is surging. Urbach weaves memories of Berthe's childhood into the book so a reading of Madame Bovary is not necessary. Reading the French classic, however, will enhance your appreciation of the new release. Comparisons of the two will percolate discussion. An author's interview and questions for book groups are provided.

Random House graciously supplied the review copy. All opinions expressed are unbiased and wholly those of the reviewer.

Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont

Whatever description of this book's plot that you read, it's probably oversimplified. Madame Bovary's Daughter consists of four parts, each spanning about two years: Berthe's stay at her grandmother's farm, her time spent working at a cotton mill, her tenure as an upstairs housemaid in a wealthy Parisian home, and her fashion career as it begins at Worth's. Covering a wide array of settings and social positions, Urbach packs a ton of information into less than 500 pages. She occasionally takes some creative license with dates and famous personages but helpfully explains all historical inaccuracies in her postscript. While the plot moves slowly, it is not uninteresting, and Urbach successfully maintains her novel's connection to Madame Bovary while simultaneously allowing Berthe to forge her own story. She also provides excellent historical details on art, fashion, and Victorian culture without making these details become overbearing and dry. I felt like the last 50 or so pages of the novel were a bit rushed, but again, Urbach has packed a lot into one novel. While Madame Bovary's Daughter can be read without prior knowledge of Flaubert's Madame Bovary, I found that this continuation of the story provided some insights into Flaubert's original characters and increased my understanding of the 1856 novel.