Review by New York Times Review
If you haven't read "Nana" - or, even more so, if you have and are hungering for a less censorious, more deeply researched and respectful biography of the 19th-century French courtesan on whom that novel by Zola is partly based - this book is for you. In it, Hewitt conducts us up the ladder from grisette to grande horizontale climbed by the self-styled "Comtesse" Valtesse de la Bigne, born Louise Delabigne, illegitimate and impoverished, in 1848. Hewitt's occasionally colorless prose is counterbalanced by her social commentary - on, for example, the pay for different levels of mid-19th-century prostitutes and the "embourgeoisement" of French theater in that era - and by her protagonist's labor-intensive irrepressibility. A gorgeous, smart, ambitious, hard-working, steely autodidact and businesswoman whose product was herself, Valtesse would be totally at home in our self-branding society. She loved, as 21st-century America does, things: "Louis XIV armchairs in cherry-colored silk, luxurious velvet-upholstered seats from the time of Philippe II," and of course her "throne," "that famous bed which cost . . . just over half a million pounds in modern currency." We are taken on exhaustive tours of her "palaces" in Paris, Ville-d'Avray and Monte Carlo, where she displayed the art she so voraciously collected. She collected men too, and women. Her consumerism, her profession, her politics - Bonapartist, anti-Dreyfusard, devoutly colonialist - and the sheer size of her wealth, make her, alas, a woman for our time.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [January 1, 2017]
Review by Booklist Review
Hewitt takes readers behind the scenes of the shadowy demimonde with this intimate glimpse into the life of a glamorous nineteenth-century Parisian courtesan. Born illegitimate in 1848, Louise Delabigne gradually transformed herself into the Comtesse Valtesse de la Bigne as she leveraged her charm and stunning looks to escape poverty and to climb the complex social hierarchy of Parisian prostitutes. Rising from the lower ranks of grisettes to the upper echelons of grandes horizontales, she took her professional opportunities seriously, educating herself along the way and charming a wide circle of wealthy and cultured clients and admirers, including Émile Zola and Édouard Manet. Hewitt's fascinating biography reads like a novel and paints a vivid portrait of a woman who reinvented herself and carved out a successful and lucrative career in one of the only realms available to women in her time, place, and circumstances.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Debut author Hewitt chronicles the life of Valtesse de la Bigne (1848-1910), one of the most famous courtesans in 19th-century Paris. Born Louise Delabigne and often using the pseudonym Valtesse, the eventual countess grew up in a meager household, her mother often moonlighting as a prostitute. Disillusioned, Valtesse found her way onto the stage, where her beauty delighted far more than her performance. After catching the eye of German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach, she became his mistress and redirected her energies toward climbing the ranks of society. Valtesse became one of the most prominent courtesans of her time, serving as the influence for a novel by Emile Zola and appearing in the artwork of several painters. Hewitt has created an engaging and richly narrated biography exploring not only this figure's life but also the inner workings of Paris at the time Valtesse's star began to rise. Reading like a novel with enticing cliff-hangers, Hewitt's work marries the life of Valtesse with the fascinating history of Paris, imbuing both with vivacity. VERDICT An entertaining read, this book will likely appeal to history buffs as well as those who enjoy a well-written biography.-Stacy Shaw, Orange, CA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A biographer debuts with the astonishing story of Comtesse Valtesse de la Bigne (1848-1910), who rose from poverty and prostitution to enormous wealth, influence, and controversy.Hewittwho studied French literature and art, pursuits that led her to the woman she calls Valtesse through much of the talebegins with the serendipitous discovery in 1933 of some of Valtesse's vast art collection. The author then retreats to the 1840s and tells us the compelling story of Valtesse's mother, a woman who returns much later on to threaten her daughter's hard-won status. Born as "Louise," Valtesse was fortunate with her stunning good looks (lustrous red hair her most striking feature), and although she began as a street prostitute, her looks, good fortune, and insatiable desires to read and learn transformed her quickly into a highly desirable companion for powerful men. She eventually amassed a fortune, educated herself broadly, collected priceless works of art, associated with some of the great artists of her time, including Manet and douard Detaille, lived in great opulence, and became a glittering celebrity. Hewitt's work is nonjudgmental and even, at times, drop-jawed admiring. Every new twist in Valtesse's life brings surprises. She published books that sold well, created works of art for popular shows (one attended by Buffalo Bill), dazzled the south of France, and survived some potentially damning court cases (two involving her mother). Hewitt shows us Valtesse's circumspection, as well: her great care to avoid scandal (one episode, sex on a train, threatened and then diminished) and her preparation for retirement. The author's diction is at times a little conventional and even clichd. She writes, for example, that Valtesse "had won the heart of Paris." But her intriguing portrait shines through. A thoroughly researched and clearly written account of a determined and talented woman and of an era. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
