Belle Epoque

Maude Pichon has high hopes when she runs away from her small village for the dazzling lights of Bohemian Paris.  But she’s in for a rude awakening when she runs out of money much faster than she anticipated and begins looking for work.  She is answers an advertisement in the newspaper and is soon employed for a company that hires “plain” girls to make socialite ladies look more beautiful.  Maude catches the eye of Countess Dubern for her daughter’s coming out season and is thrust into the aristocratic way of life during the late 1800s.  The story alternates between Maude’s life working with her client and her life on the other side of the river bank as a employee of the Durandeau Agency.  Will all her wishes come true or will the glittering lights again deceive her?

I truly enjoyed this, at times, heartbreaking story of a young girl’s search for a world in which she fits in, only to find herself as a puppet for the elite.  But at the same time, her friends on both sides of the River Seine show her how life can be as each is searching themselves for something more.  Maude’s story is written with beautiful details of the time period, portrays the differences in classes during this time, and shows how important friendship can be wherever you are in life.

For more information about debut author, Elizabeth Ross, check out her website!

Title: Belle Epoque
Author: Elizabeth Ross
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: 2013
Page Number: 327 pgs.