It was an interesting study of yet another woman caught between having to marry, become a courtesan like her mother or find a career that she could do on her own. I found her mother's total indifference hard to handle and didn't see Sarah succeeding as a nun.

Soooo interesting!

Historical fiction is my favorite genre. It speaks to me like no other genre can. I guess I like how it transports me to another place and time completely foreign than the time I am in presently. It's a great way to travel in your mind.. and this book was no exception!

This story tells the rise of Sarah Bernhardt, a French actress. The time period is the 1800s. Her life was so interesting and had major ups and downs. A very tempestuous life. In one instance, Sarah's mother took her out of school so she could become an escort.

I loved the development of Sarah's character. I knew next to nothing of the history that was Sarah Bernhardt. This was an enlightening and educational read and it completely enveloped me. Highly recommended.

Such an amazing tale. I was aware of Sarah Bernhardt's existence as one of the first "famous" actresses, but I knew nothing beyond that. This story follows her inception as an actress through her entire career and does an absolutely stunning and compelling job at that. Gortner brings her to life in a way that I think many would struggle with. The writing is flowery and descriptive and very well researched.
We learn of the story of Sarah Bernhardt, actress of Jewish descent and daughter of a courtesan, who finds herself unaware of how to proceed with her life from a very young age. She becomes an actress but like many women of the time, she has a hard time making her way as a single woman, alone. This is a story that will remind us all that women are capable of breaking out of any mold set for them and that they can do anything they put their mind to.
Run, DONT WALK, to read this when it is released, I adored it.

This ebook was provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

You are probably already familiar with the name Sarah Bernhardt and could connect her name to the theater. However, if you are like me, that is where your knowledge of Sarah Bernhardt ends. C.W. Gortner has painted a fascinating and riveting portrayal of Sarah Bernhardt in The First Actress. Gortner will take readers from a rough cottage in Brittany to the lush drawing rooms of the most influential leaders and characters of the late nineteenth century. Sarah's life was full of tumult, fame, controversy, passion, art, and love. Gortner does an outstanding job of bringing the life of Sarah Bernhardt into full living color. You absolutely will not want to miss this one!!

Everything Gortner touches is gold! He has a remarkable talent in finding unique characters that are complex, deliciously fascinating, and enigmas in their own time. I knew nothing about Sarah Bernhardt prior to reading this book. Her wants, needs, and desires are relatable to most women throughout history. She was a formidable force and Gortner embodies her essence with ease. A superb account of one who has been largely forgotten.

"The First Actress" is full of information about Sarah Bernhardt, a woman very much ahead of her time and someone I only had vague knowledge of. This book was very informative and well written. She was certainly an interesting person.

This was a very enjoyable novel about Sarah Bernhardt. I don't know how much was factual but it all seemed very plausible. I loved reading about her times and Paris. I think any fan of historical fiction would love this book.

Any book by C.W. Gortner is a wonderful treat and a joy to read and The First Actress is no exception as Gortner's pen and prose make reading this book an absolute delight. It's not often, any more, where an author uses language as a paint brush to write a story. Gortner as usual has used his paint brush to create a historical novel about actress Sarah Bernhardt.

Highly recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

Taking the middle ground I can only give this book 3 stars. If you are looking to be entertained or find out what the life of an actress might have been like during the 1800s, this is a 4 star book. Engaging, interesting, and worth your time. If you are looking for facts, and the truth about the indomitable Sarah Bernhardt, this is a 2 star effort at best. While I recognize that many of the facts surrounding her life are either hazy or non existent, Gortner himself admits he has created a fictional portrait of Ms. Bernhardt. It is only my humble opinion, but I feel she deserved a more true accounting, and there were things that were fictionalized that didn't need to be bothered with. However, I assume this was done to create a better story. That is why I felt the need to differentiate my rating depending on what you, the reader are looking for from this book. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest review of #TheFirstActress.

I love C.W. Gortner. Love his writing style. Love his choice of subjects. EACH and EVERY BOOK is better than the previous book. This book is no exception.

I will be honest. I had absolutely no knowledge, or interest, in Sarah Bernhardt. At least until I started reading this book. WOW. What a woman. I could actually hear her voice, I could see her facial expressions, and read her thoughts while reading the pages of this novel.

***SPOILER:*** There is one scene in the book that made me laugh out loud for over a minute. It perfectly describes the Sarah's personality.. The Franco-Prussian war has begun. Sarah believes her mother has taken the family (minus Sarah, who was away) to Holland. Sarah is understandably quite angry, her maid asks, "There's no war in Holland, is there?" Sarah replies, "Not until I get there!!!" And this is Mr. Gortner's Bernhardt. A spitfire with a social conscious. An amazing, incredible woman who did what was necessary to not only survive, but excel.

I can only say, WOW. . Read this book. If you've never read any of Mr. Gortner's biographies, start with this one, and work your way backwards. If you have read other books he's written, this is the best so far.

Highly Recommended!!!

This was my first book by C. W. Gortner, but it won't be the last. I was captivated by this fictional account of Sarah Bernhardt, the famous French actress from the late nineteenth century. This novel begins during her childhood and follows her through the first few decades of her controversial life. I knew very little about Bernhardt, but the actress really came alive for me while I read this novel. Bernhardt was born to a well-known Jewish courtesan with an upper-class clientele. Her mother, Julie, was a difficult woman with unorthodox views that influenced much of Bernhardt's approach to life.

One of the most interesting sections of the book dealt with the Franco-Prussian War. (With all the WWII fiction flooding the market, it was a relief to find a book that dealt with a different war.) Bernhardt was an innovative fighter with unflagging energy, and she helped to convert her company's theatre into an ad hoc hospital for the war's wounded victims.

I enjoyed the cameos from various historical figures--Dumas, Napoleon III, Bertie the Prince of Wales, Oscar Wilde, et al. After reading this novel, I want to learn more about French history during the late nineteenth century because it's so drastically different from the culture that ran contemporaneously in Great Britain. It's interesting that Victorian London would embrace an actress like Bernhardt, who was a single mother with a colorful lifestyle; anyone Brit who lived this kind of life would probably have been ostracized. But the English apparently loved Bernhardt--probably because she was so different from the norm. Bernhardt was an eccentric woman. She often slept in a coffin and owned several wild animals, like cheetahs and pumas, living in her French apartment. It's easy to see how she set the standard for modern celebrities.

If you have any interest in historical novels, I would suggest giving this book a try. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The First Actress is a fascinating look at the life of actress Sarah Bernhardt. I have enjoyed C.W. Gortner's previous books and loved this one too. I especially found the early theater details interesting! Recommended for fans of historical fiction.

This is a historical fiction book about the life of Sarah Bernhardt. As a child she grew up with a nanny. She always knew she was an unwanted child by her mother. She never knew her father.
When she finally went to live with her mother, she was readily sent off to Catholic boarding school. Even though she was Jewish and she never hid the fact, she did grow up with nuns.
This book is very intriguing. We are given raw details of Sarah's life, her relationship with her mother, her aunt and her sister's.
She loved animals. She had a menagerie of them including, birds, dogs, cats, a cheetah and other "wild" animals.
What Sarah is most know for is being an actress. She could also sculpt and paint.
She was multitalented.
This book tells of her struggles to become to best actress ever.
This is an enjoyable story. Well written. You become entirely invested in the characters. Excellent!

I don't have very much interest in Sarah Bernhardt, but that is not necessary here. This is a well written story of a very interesting, complicated woman. She had a fascinating life with lots of drive and attitude. Recommended for historical fiction fans.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

Sarah Bernhardt is a real (and legendary) figure, but this is a fictionalized version of her life and story. I was fascinated by the story, and although I did feel like this book was a tad longer than it needed to be, the author has such a fantastic way with words and really captivates the reader.

I found this to be a fascinating look at the tumultuous life of actors in the French theater in the late 19th century and of Sarah Bernhardt in particular. Prior all I knew about her off stage life was "the casket." The writing is wonderful and the author's research about this very interesting woman is commendable.

5 stars

This book is another home run for C.W. Gortner!

Disruptive, outrageous and competitive this is the story of Sarah Bernhardt the French acting sensation of the mid- to late 19th Century.

She was born to a seemingly uncaring and volatile courtesan and was farmed out to a foster situation for her first eight years. Sarah never got along with her mother who cared only for appearances and for her favorite of her three daughters.

Sent to a convent boarding school, Sarah was to flourish under the care of a kind hearted nun. She converted to Catholicism and decided to become a nun herself.

Sarah always had a flair for drama. At first, she was to see becoming an actress the same as her mother's profession – selling oneself. She was a very talented singer and artist, but when she did become interested in acting, she went wholeheartedly into it. She graduated from a prestigious acting school and landed a position acting. Always believing that she knew better than even the director, her quick temper and dramatic gestures got her into trouble.

She ran a small hospital during the Prussian siege of Paris for which she won acclaim. She loved animals and her son Maurice. Her very close friends were friends for life. Her enemies – well...She toured North and South America later in her life. She went to London to perform in front of the Prince of Wales. She had tempestuous affairs. Her life was certainly colorful. She went her own way. She was an early defender of women's rights – even if she wasn't aware of it. Sarah was a strong and determined woman. Sarah’s life was punctuated with personal dramas and displays of unthinking action. She was her own worst enemy in that way. But, ultimately, she was divine.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Ballantine/Ballantine for forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable book for me to read, enjoy and review.

C.W. Gortner has written a well-balanced book detailing the life of Sarah Bernhardt. Sarah's life was not easy. She was abandoned in her early years to be raised by a farmer's wife. Her mother was a "demimondaine" who lived in an apartment paid for by rich patrons. This was the life that her mother intended for her but Sarah had other ideas. She wanted to become an actress. Her willfulness and temper get her into more than a few difficult situations but she manages to rise above those. Through perseverance Sara Bernhardt becomes famous and one of the first actresses to perform in motion pictures.
This book is very well written and doesn't shy away from sensitive subjects. Sarah lived through war and its aftermath. She supported her family with her acting and she was an unmarried mother. All of the ups and downs of her career are related without judgment. Much of Sarah's life was a struggle and this story covers all of it. It is an amazing journey and illustrates the difficulties of the times quite clearly.
You may have heard about Sarah Bernhardt before but I guarantee you did not know all of the details of her life. This is a fascinating story that offers a rare look at the history of theater in France. Pick this book up. It is illuminating!

Daughter of a French courtesan, Sarah Bernhardt is determined to make her own way in life. Educated in a convent, her life is turned upside down when her mother sets her up as mistress to an elderly gentleman. But Sarah never loses sight of her dream: to be a celebrated actress.

This was an interesting read. I can't say that I approve of everything Sarah did to achieve her dream. She wanted nothing to do with being a courtesan/companion/mistress but did so to prove her independence. From the start, whenever she needed something, whether it be influence or money, she found the man in a position to grant her what she needed.

Still, even though this was a fiction, it was fascinating to read about an actress I've heard about but didn't know that much about. She had loyalty to family, despite her own mother's cold demeanor.

I would have rated this higher, but the sex scenes, though not overly detailed, were frequent enough to put me off. For readers looking for a fictional telling of a remarkable woman's life, I would recommend this.

I fell in love with C.W. Gortner’s writing when I read her book, The Romanov Empress. The First Actress was just as enthralling. I grew up hearing about Sarah Bernhardt and her drama on the stage and in life. It was wonderful reading this book about her. What a difficult time she had with her mother, the courtesan. She grew up in drama, no wonder she turned to acting. I loved this book. It was entertaining and interesting. Thank you to C. W. Gortner for her eloquent authorship and to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the egalley.