My Double Life: The Memoirs of Sarah Bernhardt

by Sarah Bernhardt

My Double Life is the autobiography of the French actress Sarah Bernhardt, who was internationally famed during her lifetime and afterwards as one of the classical theater's all-time greatest stars. Bernhardt's memoirs are composed with a novelist's (or actress's) sense of artistry and suspense that leaves no doubt of the charisma for which she was famed in her "double life, " both on- and offstage. Yet at the same time as this book very consciously contributes to the crafting of her image, it also illuminates a whole era: not only the world of theater, but also the worlds of women, politics, society, Europe and America, and, indeed, of history making itself.

Genres: Memoir, Autobiography, History, Nonfiction, France, Biography, Biography Memoir

345 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Sarah Bernhardt (October 22, 1844 – March 26, 1923) was a legendary French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of Europe in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas. She developed a reputation as a serious dramatic actress, earning the nickname "The Divine Sarah."

* Books about Sarah Bernhardt

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars for My Double Life: The Autobiography of Sarah Bernhardt (audiobook) by Sarah Bernhardt publisher Freshwater Seas Audio, Robert Bethune.

This was a really interesting memoir. All that I knew about Sarah Bernhardt was that she was a early stage actress and that she was famous. I’ve heard her referred to as the first modern celebrity. She was born in Paris France in 1844 and after her father died when she was young, she ended up in a acting school. This was her second choice as she really wanted to become a nun but the family didn’t have the means to make that happen. And she really didn’t want to get married like she was supposed to do. The author goes into a lot of detail about her early life and becoming an actress. It goes through her adult life as she becomes a star and gets to travel around Europe and eventually to America. The story seems to end in the middle of her career as an actress. I’ll have to see if there’s a book about her later life.

My only gripe about this audiobook is that the wonderful narrator is not given her credit. It appears that the producer is taking the narration credit and it looks like he has done this on other books too.

[Gabrielle Dubois · Rating 5 out of 5]

These memoirs which I read in its original French version, lucky me! could have been entitled:
"It is worth entering life seriously, but cheerfully."
But Sarah Bernhardt, French actress (1844-1923), who liked this maxim by Mr. Auber, her director at the Conservatoire, decided otherwise ... because that is precisely what characterized her: to decide otherwise, to follow her own path; not to go against others, not to run over others, but only to live life to the full and in her own way. Maybe because her fragile health made her think that her life would be short, which finally was not, certainly because she had a strong personality, too strong for some.

Sarah's motto was: "Anyway" ("Quand même")
"It was not a coincidence, but the result of a deliberate desire. At the age of nine, I had chosen this motto, after a formidable leap over a ditch that no one could jump at and which my young cousin had challenged me to; I had ruined my face, broken a wrist, ached the body. And while I was being transported, I cried, angrily: "Yes, yes, I'll do it again, if I'm still challenged! And I will do all my life what I want to do!”

Sarah is hardworking but does not let anyone bother her if she decides to sleep for an hour; she is willing to the point of stubbornness; she is stubborn but knows how to listen to sensible or intelligent persons; she is selfish and generous: she lives for herself, but she is also very concerned about the world she lives in; she likes a life full of pleasures, and surrounds herself with beautiful things, but is able to travel in a cattle wagon to find her son; she likes to be adulated by the public, but organizes a hospital in her theater during the Franco-Prussian war of the terrible winter of 1870 where she nurses and feeds hundreds of wounded soldiers. Sarah becomes an actress famous for her talent and her golden voice, and when she makes her life an adventure, the thirty-two people (maid, butler, impresario, actresses and actors) that she takes with her in his American tour, enjoy like her an unforgettable experience in ups and downs, disappointments and wonders.

Sarah is a complex woman, intelligent, inspiring, strong, admirable in my opinion.

What Sarah does not like:

War: she thinks it is a great and macabre stupidity of men.
Death penalty: although she is strong, she fought against her family and her entourage to make herself the place she chose, she is indulgent towards those who have made a mistake and end up on the scaffold: who knows if they were not worth saving?
Meat: she will do, however, in Chicago, a surprising visit ...!
Immobility: she does not visit churches or museums. She rides horseback, drives her own carriage, sails by boat to England or America, travels Europe by train, and even ... surprise!
She does not like that her hair is combed, unceremoniously: her hair is curly, even frizzy, and as indomitable as she is!

Sarah does not like submission neither right-thinking nor politically correct: In a men’s world, a woman free of mind and body must be incredibly strong to keep what she loves above all else: her independence.

We learn a lot about this woman apart. But this text does not boil down to that. There are many interesting thoughts and well-turned quotes:

"Hospitality is made of primitive flavor and antique grandeur."

"Life is short, even for those who live long. It is necessary to live for some who know you, appreciate you, judge you and absolve you, and for whom one has tenderness and indulgence. The rest is only the crowd, joyous or sad, loyal or perverse, from which one has nothing to expect except passing emotions, good or bad, but leaving no trace. We must hate very little, because it is very tiring. We must despise a lot, forgive often and never forget. Forgiveness cannot lead to forgetfulness, at least for me."

"... we house in ourselves our most terrible enemy: "thought", which is constantly in contradiction with our actions; which sometimes stands up, terrible, treacherous, nasty, and that we try to hunt without success. We do not always obey it, thanks to God! But it pursues us, insults us, makes us suffer. How often do the worst thoughts attack us! And what a fight must be fought against these girls of our brains! Anger, ambition, vengeance, give birth to the most detestable thoughts, of which we blush like a blemish, which are not ours, because we have not called them, but which defile anyway, and which leave us desperate not to be the sole masters of our soul, our heart, our body and our brain."

It’s frank, Sarah Bernhardt is realistic about herself; she knows her qualities; she also knows her faults, does not hide from them, but does not always try to correct them because they made her what she was: an unforgettable and strong woman.
I read it in French and the writing is sometimes surprising, very personal, like if she was telling her story and not writing it, which is very fresh and pleasant; and she often invent her own words, it's fun!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Memoirs of Sarah Bernhardt is more engaging than I had expected--likewise Bernhardt herself--despite the exaggerations, omissions, and questionable allegiance to fact which may be partly attributable to Bernhardt's status as perhaps the world's first "celebrity." By that I mean, from early in life through the 30+ years this memoir covers, Bernhardt sought and ultimately achieved possession of an audience, and the audience, in turn, achieved possession of her, requiring embellishments, melodrama, and stylizations that served their common identity and needs.

Bernhardt overlooks large unpleasant truths that were very hard on her as a child and adolescent and she spends next to no time on her amatory life, from adolescence on. Others have done their best to fill in those gaps, both of which ultimately are repositories of sadness. She does, however, exhibit an extraordinary quality of personality that set her apart. This quality is a mixture of boldness, curiosity, empathy, and possibly self-abuse. Throughout her life, if there was anything interesting to see or do or risk, Sarah wanted to do it. She just had to, whether it was finding her footing on an ice floe, the back of a dead whale, or the bottom of an untethered balloon basket sailing off into the night. If she was asked if she wanted to shoot a new Colt cannon, why, of course, she did. If she couldn't get the lions she wanted for her private menagerie, okay, what about a cheetah? She knew she wasn't as good a sculptress as an actress, but she put what talent she had on public display. The energy that evidently radiated across the stage and out into the darkness did the same in the private theater of her life. It made her faint, it made her sick, it made her master role after role, offer performance after performance.

All this and much more is well-rendered in this little book. If she was making up details about the look of a certain train station early in the morning or the throngs blocking her way to the theater, she did it well. Most writers would envy her gifts of description, most readers would enjoy them.

[Kim]

After finding out that Sarah (probably?) was a routine imbiber of cocaine-containing drinks (normal for that day & age, given that people didn't realize the dangers) I'm starting to think that she was not only a bit of a coke-head, but also probably one of the most selfish and self involved people. So I'm not finishing this one. But it was mildly interesting, if only to be amazed at the bad behavior that was so tolerated by her family. Exploits like flying at her little sister and attempting to kill her and/or beat her up were taken as par for the course. Bet she was amazing on the stage, but I'm glad she's not my friend. ;)

[Elise V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sarah Bernhardt, et la femme créa la star", le titre de l'exposition qui se tient en ce moment au Petit Palais à Paris à l'occasion des 100 ans de la mort de la Divine peut également s'appliquer à ses mémoires, écrites quinze ans avant son trépas. On connaît l'artiste dramatique adulée, on découvre ici ses 1000 autres talents, de sculptrice, de peintre... et de conteuse. Sa vie est un véritable roman, et elle en relate les épisodes marquants avec beaucoup de verve, d'esprit et d'honnêteté intellectuelle. On sort de cette lecture plus Bernhardtiste que jamais et on se demande bien pourquoi cette Grande Dame, véritable role model d'hier et d'aujourd'hui, ne repose pas au Panthéon. Elle le mériterait pourtant 1000 fois. Star internationale incontestée de son vivant, faisant rayonner la culture française jusqu'en Amérique, alors qu'il fallait 12 jours de steamer pour s'y rendre, elle était également une patriote qui n'avait pas froid aux yeux: elle s'impliqua auprès des soldats dans les deux guerres qu'elle vécut (1870-1871 et 1914-1918, alors même qu'elle venait, cette fringante septuagénaire, d'être amputée d'une jambe!!!). On aurait tellement aimé pouvoir lire le deuxième volume de ses mémoires! Mais on comprend aisément que Mme Bernhardt ait été plus occupée à vivre pleinement les dernières années de sa vie qu'à achever de la raconter.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarah Bernhardt was a remarkable actress and this autobiography provides a glimpse into both the remarkable woman that she was and 19th century France. It is a short and selective account of her life, including everything from her failures to Hugo's reverent gratitude for her depiction of his work. I had hoped to hear more detail about what she felt on stage and her participation in Cyrano de Bergerac, desires that were partially sated.

The work contains only four, half-hour chapters, so it passes quickly. I listened to it on Audible and the skilled narrator struck an appropriate tone and rhythm to capture the Sarah one imagines.

Bernhardt représente pour moi une femme libérée qui poursuit ses rêves sans trop de contraintes. Elle a mené sa vie comme elle souhaitait et à découverte qu'elle se nourrissait en donnant tout son coeur dans ces pieces de théâtre et ses tableaux.

J'aurais bien aimé voir Bernhardt dans le rôle de Roxanne, mais puisque ce n'est pas possible, je vais me l'imaginer et me rappeler qu'il y a des génie en toutes ages, y comprit le présent.

[Arwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute ICON 🤩

[Devon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros:

-I get to learn more about Sarah Bernhardt, in her own words! (Well...of a sort. Translations, eh?)
-The book offers a slight (very slight) insight into what went into being an actor in the 19th century
-It’s a historical primary source, which I love.

Cons:

-I REALLY hate flipping to the back of the book for notations/footnotes/whatever you call them. It breaks me out of the immersion of the book, and this had SO many.
-Many of the footnotes weren’t even fleshed out. Toward the end a chapter had a slew of plays as footnotes. Some things would just say “refer to _____”. Alas, I cannot, so I remain as mystified as before.
-I also get not being able to include everything, but I was still pretty riled up about huge sections being completely excised, only to be replaced with a brief summary. I wanted to read through it ALL; I didn’t want to be allowed to read things that were picked here and there at whim.
-Sarah lies a lot and exaggerated most of the remaining things she says, so it’s good to have back up knowledge from a biography when reading this or to just take what she’s written with a massive grain of salt. I’m used to it by now; Victorian actors seemed to have a real distaste for sticking to the truth.

At any rate, I love Sarah. She was a strong, fiercely independent woman who wanted to make something of herself on her OWN terms and did it, even while being a woman AND Jewish—two things that hardly helped her in just such a venture.

[Celia Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to read an authoritative biography of Ms. Bernhardt before I can completely review this book. According to Wikipedia, Sarah was a notorious embellisher of the truth. She leaves out critical facts in her memoir (for instance: the identity of the father of her child). However, the stories that are left are all fascinating. Ms. Bernhard spent her childhood in a French convent and her teen years with the Comedie Francaise. Her descriptions of both these institutions are gossipy, intelligent and alive. In her twenties, she organized a hospital to care for wounded soldiers during the Franco Prussian war. Ms. Bernhardt paints a picture of herself as a slightly histrionic, well-intentioned but never dull adventurer. She seems to contract life threatening illnesses every year or two, and when she isn't on death's door, she is escaping from housefires or traveling behind enemy lines. She frequently finds herself at the center of lawsuits. The great climax of the book comes on her tour of America. She traveled around 19th Century America in a private rail car, giving performances in places like Buffalo and St. Louis. Her impressions of the country and its citizens are unique and vivid. You need not be interested in theatre to find this book interesting.

[Jessica López-Barkl · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was an instructor at Walla Walla Community College books that were in the arts section were being discarded by the library. They would put them on a cart outside the library and many of my students would grab them and give them to me, thinking I would like them. I kept them, but I haven't read many of them, yet. I started on one, when I needed a break from Thomas More's UTOPIA (I'm almost done with it, but...it was too much at the end of the day to read, sometimes, and an autobiography sounded fun).

Anyway, this is a very interesting book because it is very similar to the autobiography that I read about Laurence Olivier; where the famous actor says nothing about how they do what they do, but...they, did, indeed, live a full life. My only context to Sarah Bernhardt before this has been in theater history books and an abandoned theater in Cerillos, NM, that mentions on a sign outside of it, that she performed there.

The book chronicles her life from birth to her first American tour. It never mentions any love affairs or even her pregnancy of her only son. It has many names redacted in the text, leading me to believe that she was censored either in this English edition or in her own country, but other than that, it was a very entertaining read. I dog-eared many pages with fun quotes to give the interested reader a feel for this book. I guess this book is out-of-print, but...maybe an inter-library loan would be in order for anyone who has had their interest piqued.

Sarah Bernhardt on Theater Entitlement Bullying:
"I felt, without exactly defining it, a slight contempt for these pitiless judges. Since then I have very often thought of that trial of mine, and I have come to the conclusion that individuals who are kind, intelligent, and compassionate become less estimable when they are together. The feeling of personal irresponsibility encourages their evil instincts, and the fear of ridicule chase away the good ones."(70)

Sarah Bernhardt on the importance of good hair, makeup, and physical specificity on stage:
"All these thoughts shaped themselves later on in my brain, and this first lesson, which was so painful at the time, was a great service to me in my career. I never forgot Marie Lloyd's prize, and every time that I had to create a role, the physical body of the character always appeared before me dressed, with her hair done, walking, bowing, sitting down, getting up. But this was only a vision which lasted a second, for my mind always thought of the soul governing this personage. When listening to an author reading his work, I tried to devine the intention of his idea, endeavoring to identify myself with that intention. I have never played an author false with regard to his idea, and I have always tried to represent the personage according to history, whenever it is a historical personage, and when it is an invention, according to the author." (89)

Sarah Bernhardt on the importance of the work on stage and not off:
"I used to think of my few months at the Comedie Francaise. The little world I had known there had been stiff, scandal-mongering, and jealous. I recalled my few months at the Gymnase. Hats and dresses were always discussed there, and everyone chattered about a hundred things that had nothing to with art. At the Odeon I was very happy. We thought of nothing but putting on plays, and we rehearsed morning, afternoon, and at all hours, and I liked that very much." (133)

On the unknown:
"When events occur which disturb my life, I always have a movement of recoil toward the past. I cling for a second to what is, and then I fling myself headlong into what is, and then I fling myself headlong into what is to be. It is like a gymnast who clings first to his trapeze bar in order to fling himself afterwards with full force into space. In one second the "now" becomes for me the "has been," and I love it with tender emotion as something dead. But I adore what is to be without seeking even to know about it, for what is the unknown, the mysterious attraction. I always fancy that it will be something unheard of, and I shudder from head to foot in delicious uneasiness." (243)

Sarah Bernhardt on the English:
"Hospitality is a quality made up of primitive taste and antique grandeur. The English are, in my opinion, the most hospitable people on earth, and they are hospitable simply and munificently. When an Englishman has opened his door to you he never closes it again. He excuses your faults and accepts your peculiarities. It is thanks to this broadness of ideas that I have been for twenty-five years the beloved and pampered artiste." (315)

Sarah Bernhardt on fearing stardom:
"'What's the matter with you, my dear?" she asked./ "It's all over with me, grandmother," I said, "they want to make a 'star' of me, and I haven't talent enough for that. You'll see they'll drag me down and finish me off with all their bravos."/ My grandmother took my head in her hands and I met the vacant look in her large, light eyes fixed on me. "You told me, my child, that you wanted to be the first in your profession, and when the opportunity comes to you, why, you are frightened. It seems to me that you are a very bad soldier." (318)

Sarah Bernhardt's appeal and the gossip that surrounded her:
One day I was complaining of this to Madeleine Brohan, whom I loved dearly. That adorable artiste took my face in her hands, and looking into my eyes, said: "My poor dear, you can't do anything to prevent it. You are original without trying to be so. You have a dreadful head of hair that is naturally curly and rebellious, your slenderness is exaggerated, you have a natural harp in your throat, and all this makes of you a creature apart, which is a crime of high treason against all that is commonplace. That is what is the matter with you physically. Now for your moral defects. You cannot hide your thoughts, you cannot stoop to anything, you never accept any compromise, you will not lend yourself to any hypocrisy, and all that is a crime of high treason against society. How can you expect under these conditions not to arouse jealousy, not to wound people's susceptibilities, and not to make them spiteful? If you are discouraged because of these attacks, it will be all over with you, as you will have no strength left to withstand them. In that case I advise you to brush your hair, to put oil on it, and so make it lie as sleek as that of the famous Corsican, but even that would never do. For Napoleon had such sleek hair that it was quite original. Well, you might try to brush your hair as smooth as Prudhon's then there would be no risk for you. I would advise you," she continued, "to get a little stouter and to let your voice break occasionally, then you would not annoy anyone. But if you wish to remain yourself, my dear, prepare to mount on a little pedestal made truths. When you are once upon it, though, do the right thing, and cement it by your talent, your work, and your kindness. All the spiteful people who have unintentionally provided the first materials for the edifice will kick it, then, in hopes of destroying it. They will be powerless to do this, though, if you my dear Sarah, as you have an ambitious thirst for glory. I cannot understand that, myself, as I like only rest and shade." (332-333)

Sarah Bernhardt on the femininity of theater:
"The public so beloved and so loving, was intoxicated with joy. That was certainly one of the finest triumphs of my whole career. Some of the artistes were very delighted, especially the women, for there is one thing to remark with regard to our art, the men are more jealous of the women than the women are among themselves. I have met with many enemies among the men comedians and with very few among the women. I think that the dramatic art is essentially feminine. To paint one's face, to hide one's real feelings, to try to please and to endeavor to attract attention, these are all fault for which we blame women and for which great indulgence is shown. These same defects seem odious in a man. And yet the actor must endeavor to be as attractive as possible, even if he is obliged to have recourse to paint and to false beard and hair. He may be a Republican and he must uphold with warmth and conviction royalist theories. He may be a Conservative and must maintain anarchist principles, if such be the good pleasure of the author." (342)

Sarah Bernhardt on forgetfulness and death:
"Is it forgetfulness or death which has caused the artist to discontinue this graceful little token of gratitude? I have no idea, but the sight of the box always give me a vague felling of sadness as forgetfulness and death are the most faithful companions of the human being. Forgetfulness takes up its abode in our mind, in our heart, while Death is always here laying traps for us, watching all we do, and jeering gayly when sleep closes our eyes, for we give him then the illusion of what he knows will some day be a reality." (450-451)

[Hermine]

J’ai eu beaucoup de mal à terminer cette "première partie" des mémoires de Sarah Bernhardt (la deuxième partie n’a en réalité jamais été écrite). Pas à cause du style, parce que j’ai plutôt aimé, mais je trouve qu’elle détaille beaucoup trop certains événements et passe bien trop rapidement sur d’autres, c’est très inégal. Je suis aussi un peu déçue par la personne et son niveau de dissonance cognitive sur plusieurs sujets (due plus à de l’ignorance cependant qu’à des idées douteuses).


Plusieurs extraits m’ont quand même bien plu :

"je me suis rendu compte que des êtres bons, intelligents, pitoyables, deviennent inférieurs lorsqu'ils sont groupés. Le sentiment de l'irresponsabilité personnelle éveille les mauvais instincts. La crainte du ridicule chasse les bons."

"Nous ne voulons pas que Jeanne d'Arc soit la fruste et gaillarde paysanne repoussant violemment le soudard qui veut badiner, enfourchant comme un homme le large percheron, riant volontiers des gaudrioles des soldats, et, soumise aux promiscuités impudiques de son époque encore barbare, n'en ayant que plus de mérite à rester vierge héroïque. Mais nous ne voulons pas de ces vérités inutiles. Elle reste, dans la légende, un être frêle, conduit par une âme divine. Son bras de jeune fille qui tient le lourd étendard est soutenu par un ange invisible. C'est de l'au-delà qu'elle a dans ses yeux d'enfant, dans lesquels tous ces guerriers puisent force et courage. C'est ainsi que nous la
voulons.
Et la légende reste encore triomphante."

"Je visitai Canghnanwaga et n'y pris aucun plaisir. Le même enserrement du gosier, la même angoisse rétrospective me laissaient révoltée contre la lâcheté des hommes, qui cachent sous le nom de civilisation le plus injuste et le plus protégé des crimes."

[Nicole C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read of Sarah Bernhardt before, and know that she was one of the celebrated actresses of her day, so I thought it might be interesting to learn a bit more about her, in her own words (well, run through a translator).

Bernhardt is headstrong, a bit exasperating, but also kind of charming, in a way. One gets a glimpse of what the French stage was like during this time period; I also enjoyed her impressions of the U.S., when she finally agreed to an American tour.

However, this edition seems to be lacking in footnotes, which annoyed me, as some of the personages important to her life would have benefitted from a note or two. Also, no translations of the French were to be had in this volume. Finally, there are some ellipses at the end of paragraphs, and I wondered if those were Bernhardt's own or if, like certain editions of Pepys' diaries, bits are missing, and if so, what?

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dubla mea viață" are (cel puțin...) un dublu merit. Pe lângă faptul că dezvăluie, cu umor și eleganță, povestea vieții sale, Sarah, o actriță uriașă, o femeie frumoasă și înțeleaptă (în ciuda unor întâmplări a căror protagonistă a fost) ne povestește câte ceva și despre contemporanii săi.
Iar personaje precum Victor Hugo, Giacomo Rossini, Oscar Wilde, Thomas Alva Edison sunt, la rândul lor, parte din istoria noastră, a tuturor...

[Del de la Mare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this book after visiting the Sarah Bernhardt museum on Belle-Ile en Mer.

It deals with Sarah's life from her early days as a youngster, living in convents, through her burgeoning acting career, and concluding with her successful tours of England and America.

The book gives a fascinating insight into the life of a middle/upper class actress. I enjoyed reading of the ups and downs of what must have been quite a tumultuous life. One tale I found amusing was from when she visited Chicago.
The archbishop of Chicago had railed against actors and actresses, but instead of keeping people away it had quite the opposite effect and people flocked to see Sarah and her entourage play.

This quote from the book,

I did not even bear any ill-will towards the Bishop, who also, as had happened in other cities, had denounced my art and French literature. By the violence of his sermons he had, as a matter of fact, advertised us so well that Mr. Abbey, the manager, wrote the following letter to him: "Your Grace ——, Whenever I visit your city, I am accustomed to spend four hundred dollars in advertising. But as you have done the advertising for me, I send you two hundred dollars for your poor. "HENRY ABBEY."
Bernhardt, Sarah (2012-05-17). My Double Life The Memoirs of Sarah Bernhardt (Kindle Locations 5814-5817). . Kindle Edition.



The more annoying aspect of the book is that many things are glossed over, especially the fact that her mother was a courtesan, and so was she. In fact her son is introduced into the book at about 4 years of age with no warning of pregnancy and with no indication of who the father is, A short search on the internet would indicate that he was a Belgian Prince.
Also many of the songs and poetry are not translated so unless you speak French well you will have to use an online translator which obviously do not translate meaning.

All in all an interesting book, worth reading, but do not expect a literary masterpiece.

[Paulo O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having recently read "Unsuspecting Souls", a philosophical history of the 19th century, I was intrigued by a reference there to Sarah Bernhard, the most famous stage actress of the time, and her autobiography. So, just for fun, I downloaded it to my Kindle app on my iPhone for those times in a waiting room, on a subway, etc. where I wouldn't have my larger Kindle device.

I would not call it a great book, but it is a fascinating look into a life of glamour and fame in a century gone by. For instance, I was fascinated by the fact that when she came to America (via steamer from France), which took many weeks, she came with 42 trunks of clothing. In America, for her grand tour, she was provided her own 3-car train to get around the country (well, at least as west as the Mississippi River) from New York and Boston to New Orleans, and points in between.

Her story, undoubtedly embellished (by herself), gives a fascinating peak into the consciousness of a natural prima donna who is entirely unashamed to be one. I wish she had been willing to reveal kiss-and-tell details of her personal life (it is written elsewhere that she was bi-sexual), but even given that great omission, it is a fascinating read for a) anyone interested in 19th century history and mores and b) anyone interested in the lives of the glamour stars the public spawns.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-translated, touching, and frequently bombastic autobiography that I couldn't put down. Sarah Bernhardt self-aggrandizes with the kind of panache that one would expect from the great stage actress, but always does so with a sense of self-parody and never at the expense of others.

As an actress, I found myself identifying with Sarah a lot throughout the book, particularly in her formative years. I particularly found interesting her equation of religion with theatre, and how one started where the other ended. Like Bernhardt, I would have gone into a convent if it weren't for acting. It's an odd coincidence that just further endeared me to her.

She also manages to dish about all the famous people she met, shared a cab with, nursed wounded soldiers back to health with, etc. It's a really fascinating autobiography, that in this edition is truncated greatly with little summaries informing what was missed. I don't think this is too much of a loss; Bernhardt is also extremely flowery and wordy, almost to a fault.

Still, interesting for theatre and history buffs alike.

[Janette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I originally bought this book because I thought Sarah Bernhardt must have been a spy or some other thing that caused her to live a double life. Nope. This is just a memoir of an actress. Granted, she lived through a war and that part was really interesting. I also thought her personality was interesting to read about. Now I know where all of those prima donna actress stereotypes came from. It was also interesting to see the distinction people made back then between the classes, and other things that are quite different now. Her mother was married when she was sixteen (or maybe younger) and they try to marry Sarah off at an equally young age.

I wish there had been less about the plays she starred in and more about, say, her son. He just sort of appears in the book but she never mentions whether she got married and if so what happened to her husband. She just suddenly mentions a young son every so often.

[reveurdart · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Le public belge - j'entends par là le public bruxellois - est celui qui se rapproche le plus de notre public. En Belgique, je ne me sens jamais à l'étranger. Notre langue est la langue courante; les attelages sont toujours d'un goût parfait; les femmes du vrai monde ressemblent à nos femmes du vrai monde; les cocottes abondent; les hôtels ne sont pas meilleurs à Bruxelles qu'à Paris; les chevaux de fiacre sont aussi malheureux; les journaux aussi méchants. Bruxelles est un tout petit Paris potinier."


Sarah Bernhardt hard at work sculpting, her other passion.

"Rien n'est impossible, il faut le risquer."

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il y a des longueurs moins intéressant et plusieurs fautes d'orthographes (sûrement quand le livre a été transformé en format électronique) mais j'ai beaucoup aimé lire de son enfance (elle avait un très mauvais caractère - pendant sa jeunesse mais aussi quand elle était adulte). Le livre raconte sa vie jusqu'à sa tournée de 7 mois aux États-Unis avec un arrêt à Montréal. Ella a écrit un 2ieme tome que j'aimerais lire un jour…il est moins longs.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

While La Bernhardt's inability to stick to the truth is legendery, these memoirs are a fascinating look into a world long gone - and a Paris that continues to fascinate generation after generation. There are more...literal...biographies available, but The Divine Sarah's imagination and over-the-top descriptions make this a valuable and entertaining read.

[Andre Satie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. The writing is good, the story interesting; I've read, though, that she had a tendency to exaggerate, amplify, and even lie, ao I took it with a grain of salt. She never mentions that she never knew who her father was, her mother was a courtesan, and she was as well. She speaks of wanting only to be a nun, and being forced to the stage by the family's lack of funds.

[Isolde Feron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Passionnante autobiographie pleine d'humour et d'intelligence de la "grande Sarah". Sans doute décevant pour les cartésiens (la vérité ! Que la vérité !), mais un régal d'humour quand on accepte que Sarah Bernhardt joue avec nous.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun read, she definitely had no qualms about exaggerating, stretching the truth or just skipping over pertinent facts but that somehow made the whole thing even more enjoyable.

[Samantha Glasser]

Read this book for free through Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/9100/9...