Émilienne

This novel from Ewen (The Queen of Paris) dramatizes the real life story of Émilienne d’Alençon, a famous Parisian actress during the late 1800s. Determined to escape her abusive mother and a life of certain poverty, young Émilienne eventually becomes a huge star of the Folies Bergère and a legendary courtesan, dubbed “the most beautiful woman in Paris.” After a string of hopeless affairs, and when her career opportunities being to dry up, she finally settles down with the wealthy but married industrialist Étienne. From her life experiences, Émilienne offers a young Coco Chanel (a possible rival for Étienne’s affections) the benefit of her wisdom. But Coco absorbs this advice in a way Émilienne could not have predicted. Émilienne ultimately suffers a spectacular fall from grace, along with a changing of the guard, forcing her to watch from the sidelines as her friend Coco emerges from the wings to usher in a new era. Ewen chronicles Émilienne’s meteoric rise to fame and her grand affairs during a time when courtesans could earn both respect and notoriety.