When it all comes crashing down around both women, both Isabelle & Maude team up to show the aristocracy for what it is.I liked the story, I liked the characters. How would you like to be considered ugly? If you were poor, single, in a Huge City & in need a good paying job would you accept employment based on what others perceive based on your looks?That is the basis of this book: working in Paris as a Repoussoir, a plain companion that makes the woman who has employed her appear by comparison much fairer than she actually is.Maude Pinchon has run away from a small town, where her father was planning to marry her to the local butcher.As a Repoussoir to Isabelle, a local heiress whose mother is planning for Isabelle's marriage Maude turns out to be more of a friend to Isabelle, who as it turns out has no intention of getting married, but plans instead to study science at the Sorbonne. J'adore Belle Epoque!"-Sonya Sones, author of What My Mother Doesn't Know and To Be Perfectly Honest Read more "This delectable Parisian tale left me sighting with sweet satisfaction. “Much to offer a contemporary YA audience…flirtation and match-making to tantalize romance fans…prime book-club fare.”- The Bulletin “With resonant period detail, elegant narration, and a layered exploration of class and friendship, this provocative novel is rife with satisfaction.”- Booklist “A compelling story about friendship, the complexity of beauty, and self-discovery…full of strong female characters.”- School Library Journal “A refreshingly relevant and inspiring historical venture.”- Kirkus Reviews
“Both touching and fun, this is a story about many things-true friendship, real beauty, being caught between two worlds-and it will delight fans of historical fiction.”- Publishers Weekly Inspired by a short story written by Emile Zola, Belle Epoque is set at the height of bohemian Paris, when the city was at the peak of decadence, men and women were at their most beautiful, and morality was at its most depraved. And the longer her deception continues, the more she has to lose. Yet the more she learns about Isabelle, the more her loyalty is tested. Isabelle has no idea her new "friend" is the hired help, and Maude's very existence among the aristocracy hinges on her keeping the truth a secret. Monsieur Durandeau has made a fortune from wealthy socialites, and when the Countess Dubern needs a companion for her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, Maude is deemed the perfect adornment of plainness. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive. The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service-the beauty foil. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad. When Maude Pichon runs away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings.
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