Their business is hiring out plain or ugly women to be “beauty foils” to the wealthy. Unwittingly, Maude answers a job advertisement for a repoussoir agency. She can barely afford basic needs, much less little luxuries. The reality of Paris, however, is much different.

She heads to Paris, where she believes she can immerse herself in the beauty and luxury of European wealth. Maude runs away from her rural Breton village to escape a life of monotony and an arranged marriage. The book features Maude Pichon at the heart of the story. As the characters watch the construction of the Eiffel tower and ponder its relative beauty in contrast with the city, they consider their own value and inner beauty. This juxtaposition of setting with theme is what makes Belle Epoque so effective as a story. It’s jarring to think of this iconic structure, which is now synonymous with Paris, as something that people wanted to get rid of. Many in Paris saw this tower as a hideous imposition on the skyline and hoped that it would be torn down after the World’s Fair. Meanwhile, the Eiffel tower was under construction. The wealthy classes, shaken by the social change happening around them, clung to everything beautiful and extravagant as a reminder of their place in the hierarchy.

Paris in the late 1800s had just been through serious upheaval, and was easing into a time of increased creativity and innovation. How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True wouldn’t have the same charm if it wasn’t set in a quirky, slightly maniacal theme park. The Diviners by Libba Bray is captivating not only because it has a fascinating cast of characters, but also because it is set during a time when occultism fascinated the wealthy and intellectual. Review: While reading Belle Epoque, something occurred to me that should have already been totally obvious: setting is important. The details of the era are carefully researched and lusciously described. Who would we give it to? Historical fiction lovers are bound to fall head-over-heels for this book. Readers are challenged to think about how beauty evolves and changes along with society. Belle Epoque deftly examines the relative values of external and internal beauty, as well as the concept that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ross developed male and female characters that show the best and worst of beauty. This book examines notions of beauty at a time when wealth and artifice reigned supreme. The vulnerability of the cover model’s pose is in stark contrast to the strong wills of the female characters we meet throughout the book.ĭoes it break the slate? Smashed, shattered, busted. The rumpled sheets and bodice askew make it feel a tad bit like a romance novel, though. It has the feel of a historical painting. Currently Available.įace Value: It’s pretty and dreamy, just like the setting of the book.

Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross