The Beautiful American by Jeanne Mackin
10/2/2015
 About the Book As recovery from World War II begins, expat American Nora Tours travels from her home in southern France to London in search of her missing sixteen-year-old daughter. There, she unexpectedly meets up with an old acquaintance, famous model-turned-photographer Lee Miller. Neither has emerged from the war unscathed. Nora is racked with the fear that her efforts to survive under the Vichy regime may have cost her daughter’s life. Lee suffers from what she witnessed as a war correspondent photographing the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. Nora and Lee knew each other in the heady days of late 1920’s Paris, when Nora was giddy with love for her childhood sweetheart, Lee became the celebrated mistress of the artist Man Ray, and Lee’s magnetic beauty drew them all into the glamorous lives of famous artists and their wealthy patrons. But Lee fails to realize that her friendship with Nora is even older, that it goes back to their days as children in Poughkeepsie, New York, when a devastating trauma marked Lee forever. Will Nora’s reunion with Lee give them a chance to forgive past betrayals, and break years of silence? A novel of freedom and frailty, desire and daring, The Beautiful American portrays the extraordinary relationship between two passionate, unconventional woman. Praise“Will transport you to expat Paris.” – Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist “A brilliant, beautifully written literary masterpiece” – Sandra Dallas, author of Fallen Women “Leaves its essence of love, loss, regret and hope long after the novel concludes.” – Erika Robuck, author of Fallen Beauty “Achingly beautiful and utterly mesmerizing…her vividly drawn characters…come heartbreakingly alive in their obsessions, tragedies and triumphs” – Jennifer Robson, author of Somewhere in France “From Poughkeepsie to Paris, from the razzmatazz of the twenties to the turmoil of World War Two and the perfume factories of Grasse, Mackin draws you into the world of expatriate artists and photographers and tells a story of love, betrayal, survival and friendship…an engaging and unforgettable novel” – Renee Rosen, author Doll Face About the Author Jeanne Mackin’s novel, The Beautiful American (New American Library), based on the life of photographer and war correspondent Lee Miller, received the 2014 CNY award for fiction. Her other novels include A Lady of Good Family, about gilded age personality Beatrix Farrand, The Sweet By and By, about nineteenth century spiritualist Maggie Fox, Dreams of Empire set in Napoleonic Egypt, The Queen’s War, about Eleanor of Aquitaine, and The Frenchwoman, set in revolutionary France and the Pennsylvania wilderness. Jeanne Mackin is also the author of the Cornell Book of Herbs and Edible Flowers (Cornell University publications) and co-editor of The Book of Love (W.W. Norton.) She was the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society and a keynote speaker for The Dickens Fellowship. Her work in journalism won awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, in Washington, D.C. She has taught or conducted workshops in Pennsylvania, Hawaii and at Goddard College in Vermont. Author Interview with Jeanne MackinReviewThe story of The Beautiful American by Jeanne Mackin is heart wrenching. Taking place in both America and France, this tragic story tells of the ambitions of a woman, Nora, and her love as they travel together France. Here Nora experiences both love and heartache. This story, although a bit depressing, depicts the time period and tragedies of relationships and the terrors of the German’s during World War II. I would recommend this novel to readers that have a deep love of history and would love to read a story that reaches to a deep level of reality of what life was like in the years leading up to Word War II. Genre: historical fiction; France; World War II; Art; European Literature; Women’s fiction Publisher: NAL Publication date: June 3, 2014 Number of pages: 384 Note: There is minimal swearing, as well as references to making love, but no explicit scenes. GiveawayRules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 2nd. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to US residents only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. Enter the giveaway HERE. Blog Tour ScheduleMonday, September 21 Spotlight at Let Them Read Books Tuesday, September 22 Interview at Please Pass the Books Wednesday, Spetember 23 Review at A Bookish Affair Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective Spotlight at What Is That Book About Thursday, September 24 Review at History Undressed Review & Interview at Jorie Loves a Story Friday, September 25 Guest Post at A Bookish Affair Interview at History Undressed Spotlight at Book Nerd Sunday, September 27 Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book Monday, September 28 Review at I’m Shelf-ish Guest Post at To Read, or Not to Read Tuesday, September 29 Review at Build a Bookshelf Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes Wednesday, September 30 Review at Queen of All She Reads Spotlight at View From the Birdhouse Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews Thursday, October 1 Review at Dive Under the Cover Interview at The Old Shelter Guest Post at Books and Benches Spotlight at The Lit Bitch Friday, October 2 Review at A Fold in the Spine Review & Interview at Singing Librarian Books Spotlight & Excerpt at A Literary Vacation A review copy of this novel was provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. 
Joyful
10/2/2015 08:35:10 pm
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