Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross

What is it about the French that makes them so fascinating? Perhaps it’s their language, which guarantees a classy accent. It could be their country’s vivid history. Or maybe it’s just their croissants. Whatever the reason, author Elizabeth Ross capitalizes on the French appeal in her novel Belle Epoque, a finalist for the William C. Morris Debut Award, creating a tale of determination, desperation, imagination, and the Eiffel Tower.

Runaway Maude Pinchon is finding it more difficult to survive in glamorous Paris than she had originally thought. With her savings dwindling and an angry landlady to satisfy, she snatches at Monsieur Durandeau’s unusual job offer despite the ignominious duties it requires. The Durandeau Agency services the cream of Paris society by supplying wealthy ladies with repoussoirs – plain young women meant to make their employers more attractive by comparison. Maude is instantly hired by the calculating Countess Dubern for her prickly daughter Isabelle and assigned the daunting task of befriending the girl while keeping her hired status a secret. Enthralled by the glamor of her life as Isabelle’s companion, Maude is nonetheless faced with the contradictions of her employment, her new friend’s startling opinion on the possibilities of women scholars, and the worker, and the artistic philosophies of her new friend Paul Villette. Caught in a web of deception and betrayal – her own and others’ – Maude is forced to question how much of her dignity she is willing to trade for pay.

          Ross’s novel provides a unique discussion of the snowball effect of compromising one’s values. Maude is brought to see the stark difference that a lack of self-respect creates between the role she plays and the person whom she wants to be; in this regard, her shortcomings as well as her internal dilemmas make her a relatable character. However, much of the book’s characters and action have a highly manipulated feel, which often detracts from its interesting central theme. Maude and several other main characters often come across as one-dimensional, performing predictable actions and speaking words that sound highly scripted or downright implausible. A striking example of this can particularly be seen in Isabelle’s large-scale scientific hobby, which she has somehow managed to keep hidden from her domineering mother in her family’s fashionable town house. Fortunately, the glamorous plot and historical setting do help to compensate for these problems. Readers willing to devote extra effort to suspending disbelief will find Belle Epoque to be an enjoyable read.