Емилиен

by Pamela Binnings Ewen, Памела Бинингс Юън, Надя Баева (Translator)

Завладяваща история от авторката на „Коко Шанел, кралицата на Париж“

В бляскавия Париж по времето на периода бел епок, или „изгубеният рай“, актрисата и танцьорка Емилиен д’Алансон владее както голямата сцена, така и мъжките сърца. Някога бедно момиче от покрайнините, тя извървява дългия път до светлините на прожекторите, а изключителната ѝ красота я превръща в най-желаната куртизанка, за която се съревновават дори кралски особи. Но когато звездата ѝ неминуемо започва да залязва, тя ще преживее предателство и загуба, които ще преобърнат съдбата ѝ.

Докато мрачните облаци на Първата световна война надвисват над Европа, Емилиен ще трябва да последва примера на своята близка приятелка Коко Шанел, която знае как се оцелява в мъжки свят. Но ще съумее ли да започне нов живот, в който красотата вече не е най-голямата ѝ сила, и да отвори сърцето си за любовта, за която толкова е копняла?

Умело улавяйки духа на епохата, авторката Памела Бинингс Юън разказва пленителната и вдъхновяваща история на една жена, осмелила се да следва собствения си път. Дори с цената на това да рискува всичко…

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, France

344 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2023

About the author

After practicing law for many in Houston, Texas, Pamela Binnings Ewen turned to writing. She lives in Mandeville, Louisiana near New Orleans. She is the author of The Moon in the Mango Tree, and five other books. Based on a true story, The Moon in the Mango tree was awarded the 2012 Eudora Welty Memorial Award by the National League of American Pen Women.

Pamela's newest novel, The Queen of Paris, will be released April 7, 2020 by Blackstone Publications. This electrifying story, based on the real life of Coco Chanel during WWII as the Nazi's occupied Paris, reveals the underside of the celebrated icon, as has never before been fully told. The Queen of Paris is available for Pre-order now.

Pamela's other novels are Dancing on Glass (a Single Titles Reviewer's Choice award), Chasing the Wind (a Top Pick for RT Reviewers), An Accidental Life, and Secret of the Shroud. She also wrote the non-fiction best-seller Faith on Trial, now in second edition.

Pamela has served on the board of directors of Inprint (Houston, Texas), The Tennessee Williams Festival (New Orleans, Louisiana) and on the advisory board of the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society (New Orleans). She is President of the Northshore Literary Society located in St. Tammany Paris, Louisiana. In 2009 Pamela received the President’s Arts Award from the Cultural Commission of St. Tammany Parish as Literary Artist of the Year.

Reviews

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emilienne is based on the true story of Emilienne Andre who was born to poverty and had risen to be the most sought-after woman in Paris in the 19th century.

Paris, 1889: Emilienne, at almost eighteen, learns quickly the value of her beauty. Dancing comes naturally to her and that’s what she sees as her way out of poverty. Her grit takes her from one dancing club to traveling troop. With her heart shaped face and friendly personality, she steels the show wherever she goes. Then, an act at cirque opens up as rabbit dresser. It’s not a dancing position she craves, but she recognizes an opportunity for yet another spotlight. And with her new act she becomes a rising star over Paris.

Emilienne with her honest voice pulls the reader into her story from the first pages. She is a quick learner, and she also understands that dancing lasts as long as her beauty does. There comes a time when she must make a choice of man’s security and his choice for her life or her free will of being free spirited.

The story also involves Coco Chanel as two women were good friends. At the beginning, they both depend on men, but later they choose two different paths. Both stories are fascinating.

This richly imagined story evokes human emotions and brings to light this captivating woman who was thought to be one of the most beautiful and intelligent courtesans of the Belle Époque. She was someone who defied the norms, and stayed true to her spirit. She did what she loved the most, and remained true to it.

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emilienne D'Alencon was a famous French dancer, actress, and courtesan in the late 19th Century - better known as the Belle Epoque era in France. She was one of the infamous 'Three Graces', 'the last and the greatest of the courtesans, the most beautiful and scandalous.' 'Emilienne' is based on her rags-to-riches rise to acclaim, followed by the diminishing twilight of her career.

Born into poverty by an alcoholic, single mother, Emilienne has no future to look forward to; only the threat of being sold by her mother for money. Armed with her beauty and natural affinity for dance, she runs away and tries her luck auditioning for roles in many of the surrounding cafes and theatres. Slowly, through a combination of luck and talent, she climbs the ranks and increasingly becomes noticed. Soon, crowds come to chant her name, take her to dinner and bestow gifts of priceless jewels. Sadly though, when beauty is your best friend, age becomes your worst enemy.

Told in three parts, the story covers Emilienne's years as a young adult, through to middle age, and the onset of WWI. Initially, I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this simply told story but it quickly developed into a page-turner as I wondered where her career, love life, and friendships would go next. I also enjoyed reading about an era of reckless frivolity and joie de vivre. A great, easy-to-read piece of historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[ABCme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderful read that also left me confused throughout.
The main theme of Emilienne is her exciting yet emotional life story. It pulls you in from the start, written in fast paced easy accessible language. From the moment she leaves the Paris' slums and its violence behind we follow her life in the fast lane. Realising her dream of becoming a dancer is an exciting journey. She progresses from clubs to troupes in a speed faster than my brain can handle.
This continues in parts two and three, where we see her grow up, be a partner and go through life.
My confusion lies with the fact that throughout the book the writer informs us that Emilienne is a courtesan, yet nothing apart from the wealth she acquires tells us about the life lived on a deeper level. The book jumps from event to event in a fast pace, spending a proper amount of time in two steady relationships, but leaving out the parts that would make her a courtesan. She might as well have been a successful ballet dancer and the perfect wife. Emilienne and her female friends are a positive and independant bunch despite the heartache they apperently suffer.
I enjoyed this story as a cosy read set in Paris' Belle Epoque, not the deep emotional read I was expecting.
The excellent addendum provided the true life history I missed in this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC.

[Whitney Bak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of Emilienne from the publisher . . . and it was one of my favorite books of the year. If Moulin Rouge and Memoirs of a Geisha had a love child, it might be Emilienne. I highly recommend this incredible historical fiction novel.

[Iola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Émilienne is the fictionalised biography of Émilienne d’Alencon, circus performer, dancer, darling of the Paris stage in the late Victorian period … and courtesan.

The story is told in first person and present tense, which is an unusual choice for historical fiction. It gave Émilienne a strong character voice which I think was necessary to enable the reader to understand a woman whose birth, upbringing, and life were so different to mine. It meant I didn’t question many of her most questionable life choices—and there were many—because they were the only choices she could see.

The story starts with teenage Émilienne Montmatre. She’s the daughter of a prostitute and knows that’s her future if she stays in Montmatre. So she runs away and leverages her beauty, dancing talent, and sheer ambition to land a role as a rabbit trainer in a circus, then propel herself through various roles and lovers to become one of the most famous (and rich) dancers in Paris.

She had more than a few setbacks along the way, and I almost felt sorry for her at some points. She was ambitious but not mean or cruel, and made her fortune without abusing others, which is more than can be said for many men of the time.

The story took us through around twenty years of Émilienne ‘s life. It feels authentic to the time, the place, and what little is known about Émilienne. It’s a story well told, although it has the inevitable issue of any story about a real-life person: it ends, and real-life endings don’t have the sense of happy completion of (say) a Christian romance.

Pamela Binnings Ewen is also the author of The Queen of Paris: a Novel of Coco Chanel. Given the relationship between Coco and Émilienne, it’s not surprising Pamela Binnings Ewen has chosen to write about Émilienne. Her previous books include the Amalise Catoir series, about a woman lawyer in the 1970s, which was definitely written from a Christian point of view. She’s also the author of Faith on Trial: Analyze the Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which I haven’t read.

Émilienne is not Christian fiction (which is what I typically review). While there are no on-the-page sex scenes, it’s perfectly clear that Émilienne had intimate relationships with a lot of men she wasn’t married to. She never even considers matters of faith. While that was consistent with the historic Émilienne, it was a departure from the previous Pamela Binnings Ewen novels I’ve read.

There were a handful of typos (although they were at least consistently wrong) e.g. troop instead of troupe, discrete instead of discreet, and (inexplicably) Queen without the Q. While these didn’t detract from my enjoyment, they were odd errors in an otherwise excellent story with impeccable research.

If you’re looking for Christian fiction, this is not the book for you. If you’re looking for a fascinating insight into a unique historical figure, you may enjoy Émilienne .

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

[Lori Sinsel Harris]

This was an interesting story that takes us back to a forgotten time in history and into the lives of the Belle Epoque courtesans. These women were talented, beautiful, and totally unacceptable in polite society. They lived glamorous lives, possessed all the luxuries one could dream of, but it came with a high cost. They were totally dependent on the men they chose to be mistress to.
Emilienne was once the most beautiful woman in Europe, climbing her way out of the slums of Paris, dancing in the biggest theatres in Paris, lavished with-ex expensive gifts from dukes and princes. But as time goes by and Emilienne begins to age, she is shocked to discover that fame, like her youth is very fleeting and growing older, she is no longer the star, no longer the most wanted woman in Paris.
I had no idea who Emilienne was when I read the description of the book, but I did know of the Belle Epoque, the glamorous time when elegant courtesans abounded in Paris and they set the stage for beauty and fashion, they determined the trends. Knowing this I looked forward to reading her story. I must admit it was not the story I expected to read! I don't mean the book is terrible, it isn't, it is well written and holds a reader's interest, it is just not filled with a scandalous story of a kept woman that I was expecting to read. For a courtesan Emilienne led a fairly tame life, according to this story at least. She does not encounter much hardship as far as I could see, and the negative aspects of her lifestyle were very few if non-existent. The most awful thing that she did or encountered was her addiction to gambling, to betting on horse races, losing most of her precious gifts of jewels. But even with that she bounded right back and went on to live out her life with her last love.
Overall a good, solid read, getting a glimpse of what the life in the Belle Epoque was like. I give 4 stars and recommend for a entertaining, fast break. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

[Catherine A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emilienne

by bestselling author Pamela Binnings Ewen

"From the first night until the last, at curtain call, the crowd shouts for Emilienne."

Emilienne D'Alencon, the most popular actress and stage dancer during the Belle Epoque era in 19th century France, was also once known as the most beautiful woman in Paris. In Pamela Ewen's newest historical novel is based on the true story of Emilienne Andre of Montmartre.

Ewen's story opens in the hills of Montmartre, France, in 1889. Here we meet 18-year-old Emilienne. But Emilienne must leave Montmartre. She must run to save herself. Be prepared for stardom, glamour, suspense, and even heartbreak in the life of an extraordinary woman who defies convention and risks it all.

This tale will blissfully carry you away to Paris when the Eiffel Tower is just being built, to Brussles with a dancing troop, and back to Paris again.

Ewen brilliantly reveals the age-old, and often overlooked price paid by women who perform successfully on stage. As a star of the notorious Folies Bergere, Emilienne received unexpected gifts and attentions of admirers from the princely classes that could be lavish and often help supplement a show girl's income. But these attentions were just as often unwanted, to become their mistress was not a sure proposition.

One of many unexpected treats in this read is a close-up of Emilienne's long-term friendship with another strong-willed career woman of the era, Coco Chanel.

Would she leave behind the village life and poverty to become the property of a wealthy aristocrat?

Read this spellbinding novel and find out for yourself!

Emilienne is a book you don't want to put down; it's a book you'll pick up and hug after you've finished reading it. A jewel! Pamela Ewen has done it again! Bravo!

[Jill Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emilienne d'Alençon escapes her cruel mother and poverty in Montmarte as an 18-yr old to pursue her dream of becoming a dancer. With no money, she must give away her body to have a roof over her head until she gets her first job at a circus as a rabbit trainer. Eventually, she makes her way up to the Folies Bergeré and Moulin Rouge. Part of the Three Graces (Liane de Pougy & Caroline Otero), she was in high demand. Getting older and jobs getting less, she spends time at Etienne Balsan’s country chateau as his courtesan and gets hooked on the horse races. Here she meets Coco Chanel and is influential in getting her started as a hat designer. She misses Paris and moves back where she begins a relationship with Alec Carter, a very successful jockey. He gets drafted to the small town Lúneville and she agrees to move there and become his wife after she loses everything including her house from horse betting. Emilienne’s life is interesting, but this was very loosely based on her life. I wasn’t crazy about the style of writing, and it read more like a romance novel. Goodreads didn’t describe it as such. Maybe it was just the time, but Emilienne proved to be strong and resilient on one hand but couldn’t seem to survive without a man supporting her.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review

This historical fiction novel features the life of Émilienne d'Alençon, a french dancer and . At one time, she was the most beautiful, sought-after woman in Paris during the Belle Époque, the era of peaceful years just before World War I. She starred in the Folies Bergère, was friends with Coco Chanel just before her rise to fame, but as Emilienne's beauty began to fade, so did her career. As she was no longer able to attract men who could support her in the means she was used to living, she became heavily in debt. She had a somewhat rags-to riches-to rags sort of story.

I had never heard of Émilienne d'Alençon before, so I was interested in learning more about her. It was definitely interesting and if you are a fan of historical fiction, then I think you will definitely want to check this one out.

[Laura Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was. . . an interesting book. I wasn’t a fan of the use of present tense at all, but that aside, I did enjoy it for the most part. It read more like a narrative nonfiction than actual fiction. I know it’s based off of a true story, but there’s no actual character or plot development. It’s just a list of things happening to Émilienne and she sort of reacts to them. I swear every man she met is “the most handsome” and in the first half, a lot of things seem to just get handed to her. Yes, her lover dies and her child is taken away from her but then before the reader can figure out how to react, it’s years later. The novel jumps around a lot in time, never settling long enough to feel like an actual story. It’s very heavy on the exposition. Aside from the tense, there was nothing I actually disliked, but it certainly was an odd book.

[Maureen Holloway · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is history”light” because we read about a real woman of tremendous strength and determination, but we aren’t allowed real depth. Perhaps she didn’t have true depth. Her gambling and refusal to face financial facts may be symbolic of her shallowness.
There is too much description of clothes, hats, and how people react to her beauty. And really, how many times can you use the word “Why,” to introduce a thought or observation. The writing and character development should have been better.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most interesting historical read about the courtesans of France, especially Emmeline, star of the Follies. Her rags to riches story details how girls of poverty became the loveliest women of their day.
Her heartbreaking rise to fame and fall, search for and finding true love is captured in this novel by Ewen. A very, very good read.

[Norma Lundstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the story of Emilienne and her early life with her maman. She wants to go to Paris and dance. She does succeed and becomes one of the famous women in Paris. She meets many important men and the famous courtesans. During this time, she meets young Coco Chanel. This was a lovely historical novel.

[Gregory Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historic novel is a good read about a little known courtesan of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Well written and captures period characters and attitude well. However, I would have preferred that the relationship between Coco Chanel and Emilienne was more pronounced. I think that would have enhanced Emilienne's profile!

[Andi Fabrizio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not think much of the vapid main character. She was self-absorbed and narcissistic. But so many phrases and events/memories were repeated over and over and over… if I had to hear that “she looked at him from under her eyelashes” one more time on the audio version, I was going to lose my mind.

[Tink · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book until about 3/4 in - I only finished because I thought it would get better like the first part . Then I was bored and a bit disappointed in the ending. But totally willing to try another book by this author sometime

[Sharon Banitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emilienne started life poor. She was beautiful and a dancer. She became a courtesan who at that time had both wealth, respect and notoriety. As she aged, things changed. She gambled on horses and lost her fortune. A tragic story.

[Yoana Mladenov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Брилятно разказана история, обхващаща романтичен период от историята на френската столица. Българското издание заслужава да му се обърне внимание – оформлението, преводът, редакцията и корицата са страхотни! :)

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice storyline

I didn’t know about the Three Graces. I enjoyed Emilienne’s story as told by Pamela Binnings Ewen.
I would definitely recommend this as an easy but fun read.

[GRAESPACE · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Based on real events makes it more interesting.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Emilienne, Pamela Binnings Ewan brings the lives of Parisian courtesans to the front of the narrative of the Belle Epoque. Following Emilienne, a young woman who works her way to the top of courtesan society in the last years of the nineteenth century, Ewan brings this woman’s true story into the light. Ewan’s prose is strong and vivid, highlighting both the beauty and challenges of the Belle Epoque and the courtesan lifestyle. She successfully brings Emilienne, her friends, her lovers, and these relationships to life, bringing in other historical figures into her beautiful historical fiction novel. Both the settings and characters are vibrant and lifelike, described in great detail through Ewan’s strong prose and diction. She successfully integrates other contemporaneous historical figures into the text without them feeling forcefully inserted, and her plot is strong, compelling, and fascinating. Ewan brings a new section of nineteenth- and twentieth-century France to life in her latest book, and she highlights both the highs and lows of Emilienne’s life as one of Paris’s courtesans. Overall, Emilienne is a fascinating narrative of a Parisian courtesan, her triumphs, her struggles, and the changing world around her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advance copy.

[Rebecca Gernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

life of the rich and famous courtesans

The book set in France in the 1880-1914 era is a detailed story of how an impoverished young girl becomes one of the Three Graces, three well known courtesans of this era. A glittering look at the life of the rich and famous. The story weaves together actual facts with some imagined events. Like the celebrities of today, it is often difficult to determine fact from fiction.
The book is well written, has a great sense of place and the reader can easily feel they are experiencing the finest Paris has to offer in this time.
I was a bit surprised and even disappointed that Emilienne’s mother did not reappear at some time. I can’t imagine this impoverished woman would let her daughter become so rich and famous and not try to cash in on it.
The story seems a bit long, but held my interest.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo Pamela Binnings Ewen!