June 20, 2011
Urbach's third novel, the first under her own name, skillfully continues Flaubert's story with 12-year-old Berthe at her father's funeral. Charles Bovary, destroyed by his wife Emma's death, has left Berthe a penniless orphan. Unlike her narcissistic mother and weak-willed father, Berthe is determined to succeed. Taken inâreluctantlyâby her petulant Bovary grandmother, Berthe learns to cook, clean house and tend livestock, hoping for some approval. Instead, her grandmother dies, and Berthe is reduced to working long hours in a textile mill until her beauty catches the eye of Monsieur Rappelais, the mill owner. She refuses the order to join his household staff in Paris, but forced to accept, the position of lady's maid to Madame Rappelais becomes Berthe's salvation. She's praised for her fine needlework and careful attention, and the painful memories of her mother's silliness and destructive affairs keep her focused on her ambitions and her reputation as she rejects her mistress's invitation to sexual games. Flaubert disapproved of the romanticism of the bourgeois; Urbach follows his lead with a moral fable and coming-of-age tale in which hard work and fine workmanship are valued and rewarded. An entertaining romance for readers of historical fiction; if it drives them back to Flaubert, all the better.
March 15, 2011
Building from the closing paragraphs of Flaubert's classic Madame Bovary, Urbach follows orphaned Berthe Bovary as she grows into a young woman. Country life with her strict grandmother involves hard work but brings her to the attention of artist Jean-Francois Millet, who includes her in several paintings of peasant life. After her grandmother's death, Berthe works in a cotton mill, where she meets Helene, whose talent for theft boosts her income but has serious consequences for them both as their paths cross many times. Berthe's beauty draws the notice of the mill owner, Rappelais, who offers her a position in his Paris home. Although she fears his motive might be seduction, she never suspects that his wife would be the seducer. Berthe shares her mother's penchant for romantic speculations, but she also works hard. Thanks to her fashion sense, knowledge of fabrics, and creativity, Berthe becomes indispensable to Rappelais and his designer friend, Charles Worth. VERDICT Urbach, author of two pseudonymous novels, includes lots of details for reading groups to discuss about social class, women's roles, and fashion, while never forgetting to tell a good story. Berthe's success might be improbable, but readers will cheer her all the way. [Library marketing.]--Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ., Mankato
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 15, 2011
Picking up where Flaubert left off, Urbach spins a worthy follow-up to Madame Bovary. Stigmatized by her late mothers tragic notoriety, Berthe Bovary is determined to imprint her own unique mark on the world. Of course, as are? all women blessed and cursed with uncommon beauty, she must overcome preconceived notions about her intelligence and her talents. Though desired by men and women alike, Berthe works hard to carve out a place for herself in the heady world of fashion design. Still, she wouldnt be worthy of the Bovary moniker and legacy if she didnt incite and indulge in a few erotic passions of her own. With more and more readers and book clubs revisiting the classics, there should be built-in interest in this lavishly textured sequel to a timeless literary masterpiece.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)