Becoming Belle (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780735214408)

A witty and inherently feminist novel about passion and marriage, based on a true story of an unstoppable woman ahead of her time in Victorian London.

In 1887, Isabel Bilton is the eldest of three daughters of a middle-class military family, growing up in a small garrison town. By 1891 she is the Countess of Clancarty, dubbed "the peasant countess" by the press, and a member of the Irish aristocracy. Becoming Belle is the story of the four years in between, of Belle's rapid ascent and the people that tried to tear her down.

With only her talent, charm, and determination, Isabel moves to London alone at age nineteen, changes her name to Belle, and takes the city by storm, facing unthinkable hardships as she rises to fame. A true bohemian and the star of a dancing double act she performs with her sister, she reigns over The Empire Theatre and The Corinthian Club, where only select society entertains. It is there she falls passionately in love with William, Viscount Dunlo, a young aristocrat. For Belle, her marriage to William is a dream come true, but his ruthless father makes clear he'll stop at nothing to keep her in her place.

Reimagined by a novelist at the height of her powers, Belle is an unforgettable woman. Set against an absorbing portrait of Victorian London, hers is a timeless rags-to-riches story a la Becky Sharpe.

Author: Nuala O'Connor
ISBN-10: 0735214409
ISBN-13: 9780735214408
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Language: English
Published: 08/07/2018
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.10h x 5.90w x 1.40d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/15/2018 pg. 64
Library Journal Prepub Alert 03/15/2018 pg. 74
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2018
Publishers Weekly 06/18/2018