Mademoiselle Victorine

By Debra Finerman

Book Overview

When Victorine Laurent joins the chorus of the grand Paris Opera ballet, she expects to become the mistress of a wealthy man; this is how young women without family survive in the decadent City of Light. Yet when the artist Degas introduces her to Edouard Manet, her life changes dramatically. She agrees to pose for him, and the result is a painting that shocks Paris. Overnight, Victorine becomes the city's most sought after courtesan. When she becomes the favorite of the Duke de Lyon, the power behind the shaky government of Emperor Louis-Napol on, her continued attraction to Manet becomes dangerous for them both. And when an astonishing secret from Victorine's past comes to light, her carefully constructed world may come crashing down around her. Mademoiselle Victorine transports readers back to nineteenth-century Paris, a time when art, love, and commerce blended seamlessly together.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307352838
• ISBN13: 9780307352835
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Lovely Historical Fiction

This book was a charming romp through Paris of the 1860's. It took my mind off my problems and let me escape to another time and place.

Fascinating read with the Paris art and literary world of the late 19th century as the backdrop

Mademoiselle Victorine is a delight to read; one of those books that is over too soon. Ms.Finerman has crafted a novel which entertains, educates and leaves the reader wanting to know more about that most fascinating period in history. Romance and intrigue weave through historical events in France, with artists and writers taking center stage in this story of a young woman's determined struggle to survive and succeed, despite the hand she has been dealt. The details of daily life, dress and etiquette have been meticulously researched and lend authenticity to this story, whose main character was inspired by Manet's model Victorine Meurent, and the Countess of Castiglione. A must read for anyone who loves Paris, is interested in French history and art or just wants a great read.

"Love fades away. Only one thing survives. That's money."

Victorine Laurent falls into a particular class of Parisian women, at least at the beginning of her association with Impressionist Edouard Manet in 1862, who make their living from the generosity of gentlemen protectors. Of a superior class than streetwalker, but not as elevated as a courtesan, Victorine is a lorette, her training ground the corps de ballet, where women are chosen for their beauty and suitability as paramours, rather than dancing skills. Penuriously raised by cruel and indifferent aunts, Victorine learns early that beauty is her only weapon; she has a limited time to take advantage of her physical gifts. Drawn to the inherent elegance of well-appointed gentlemen, ever on the lookout for a suitable protector, Victorine first meets the artist Degas, then Manet, for whom she agrees to pose. As Manet's nude model for "Olympia", Victorine will make her fortune, the doors of society thrown open for her, but at the beginning of her quest for security, she is guided by pragmatism, self-interest and the obvious rewards offered by gentlemen of means. Manet and his disciples are the new face of Parisian art, upsetting the status quo with their vision; as the artist's protégé, Victorine attains cache, and with it, unexpected opportunity. At first, genteel society is shocked by Manet's depictions of his muse, but soon Victorine is the object of much speculation, including offers for patronage. Keeping her distance from Manet, Victorine refuses to be his lover, although she has no such qualms with those who would woo her, accepting finally a grand home from Baron Rothschild. Eventually, Victorine meets the one man who will refuse to tolerate her relationship as Manet's model; Philippe de Lyon, close advisor to Emperor Louis Napoleon, nephew of Napoleon I and vice-president of the legislative body, Philippe demands exclusivity, nurturing grand schemes with Victorine as his unwitting pawn. Her notoriety grows, as does Philippe's influence, Victorine introduced to court and seduced by men of great repute, basking in "ambition and rivalry, the blood sport of imperial Paris". Yet Victorine fails to find comfort in financial security or the glamour of her position, the court rife with intrigue and the whispers of war with Prussia. Drawn to Manet as butterfly to flame, Victorine cannot deny the attraction they have so skillfully avoided, each pursuing their goals as the country turns against the monarchy once again. By 1870, Paris is caught in the onslaught of Prussian might and superior arms. France, defeated, sues for peace. Betrayed and unjustly imprisoned, Victorine learns the harsh lessons of power and greed, surviving only by her wits and Manet's assistance. Creating her heroine from a combination of historical characters during the era, Finerman recreates a believable Paris, displaying the beauty that so captured the imagination of Parisians, the elegant salons, the extravagance and decadence of the court of Louis Napoleon and his empress

This is an interesting historical fiction

In 1858, her two aunts who fed her dumped their fourteen year old niece Victorine Laurent; leaving her to fend for herself. She vowed to make it, not realizing how difficult that will prove for a penniless waif with no family as only one avenue exists in Paris for those who are nothing. Four years later Victorine joins the chorus of the Paris Opera with her intention to become the mistress of a wealthy man for that is the sole escape from the street. Degas introduces Victorine to Edouard Manet, who paints her portrait to the shock of Parisians. Duke de Lyon, Emperor Louis-Napoleon's prime advisor, asks Victorine to be his exclusive mistress, but that means giving up totally on Manet even as her past surfaces in such a way that she might soon be back on the streets. This is an interesting historical fiction talethat brings to life the conjoining of art, business, and government at a critical point in both fields as Napoleon III tries to widen his influence and the Impressionists are becoming the prime school. The use of real events and genuine characters help anchor the sense of being in Paris in the late 1860s. However, Victorine adapts too easily to any circumstance she comes across by changing her wardrobe; still readers will enjoy her dalliances to be all that she is allowed to be. Harriet Klausner