The First Actress: A Novel of Sarah Bernhardt by C. W. Gortner 432 pages
You’ve heard me say it before: One of the reasons that I love historical fiction so much is that it introduces me to people and events I don’t know much about, or have no knowledge whatsoever. The former is the category that this historical, biographical fiction work falls into for me.
I knew that she was an infamous late 19th and early 20th centuries French stage actress whose talents glowed in plays by Alexandre Dumas (the father and the son), Victor Hugo and Victorien Sardou…to name only a few. I knew that she had been dubbed the “Divine Sarah” for acting talents and made several tours of the United States. She was hit each and every time.
This book takes place before Sarah became a sensation in America. She was the illegitimate daughter of one of Paris’ most sought after courtesans, Julie Bernhardt. While her father did not recognize her as his daughter, he did provide for her education---a rarity in those days. She attended a boarding school and a convent school.
Although encouraged by her mother, Sarah had no desire to follow in her mother’s footsteps. She had a long string of lovers, but she was a woman who took care of herself. Even when she, herself, became an unwed mother and the father didn’t help, she raised her son alone, with some help from family and friends.
Sarah also took control of her career. Sometimes she made mistakes in the parts she accepted. It was amazing to watch her encounter obstacles and overcame the majority of them,
Sarah had a few surprises in her that I found quite eccentric. She had a full-sized dead bat that she wore as a lapel pin or as an adornment for her hat. And she was rumored to sleep in a coffin, and traveled with it.
Told for Sarah’s point of view, this highly researched and well written novel is a must read for those who enjoy reading about strong women. “The First Actress: A Novel of Sarah Bernhardt” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
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