Belle Epoque [Sep 05, 2013] Ross, Elizabeth - Softcover

Elizabeth Ross

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1471402088 ISBN 13: 9781471402081

Publisher: Jones and Bartlett Publishers,

Synopsis

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About this title

About the Author:

Elizabeth Ross grew up in Scotland where she studied French and Film Studies at the University of Glasgow. After graduation she worked in the film industry in Montreal for several years, becoming a film editor. That career path eventually led to Los Angeles where she now lives with her husband. BELLE EPOQUE is Elizabeth's debut novel, and she is currently at work on a new novel set in 1940s Los Angeles. Follow Elizabeth at: www.elizabethrossbooks.com or on Twitter: @RossElizabeth

From School Library Journal:

Gr 6-8-Inspired by Emile Zola's short story Les Repoussoirs, this debut novel takes place during the late 1800s. Maude Pichon, a runaway, discovers life in Paris to be crueler and much less romantic than she imagined from her country home in provincial Brittany. To get by, she takes a job as a repoussoir, a young woman hired for her ugliness and used to highlight the beauty of her patroness. Maude's first client is a challenge: a headstrong young woman named Isabel, who is unaware that Maude has been hired by her mother to act as Isabel's beauty foil. But as the lines of friendship are blurred by her responsibilities, what will Maude choose? Should she stay true to her friend at the expense of her career or continue to be the mother's puppet, potentially sacrificing Isabel's happiness? This is a compelling story about friendship, the complexity of beauty, and self-discovery. It is full of strong female characters driven by the pursuit of their dreams rather than pursuit of a husband, thus defying their societal roles. Maude's evolution and development are believable, and are the driving force of the plot. Her journey from the proletariat to the elite and back again gives readers a comprehensive picture of Parisian life during the Belle Epoque.-Tiffany O'Leary, Mount Saint Mary College, NYα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jones and Bartlett Publishers,
• ISBN 10: 1471402088
• ISBN 13: 9781471402081
• Binding: Paperback