Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Aimie Runyan for the opportunity to read Mademoiselle Eiffel. It was an excellent novel about overcoming the difficulties faced as a female in nineteenth century Paris.

The story revolved around Claire Eiffel, the daughter of the famous architect (Eiffel Tower) Gustave Eiffel. When Claire was just a child Gustave allowed Claire to study and help him with his architect endeavors.
Gustave relied greatly on Claire's expertise as she grew older. Unfortunately, Mrs. Eiffel became quite ill and died when Claire was only 14 years of age. She quickly had to take on the role of the eldest female in the Eiffel household which forced her dreams as an architect to be placed on the back burner.

Eventually, her father started relying on a male architect, Adolphe Salles, and prepping him to become his second in command. Normally, the eldest son would be given this job, but the eldest Eiffel son was only interested in partying and frequenting the clubs, such as the Moulin Rouge, in the most seediest parts of Paris. Claire soon realized she not only had to run the household, but she needed to care for her other siblings and this meant also keeping her partying brother in line.

Claire's animosity towards Adolphe continued to grow as her father began to give him more opportunities to succeed at work. Claire decided to befriend him in order to watch him closely, but instead she ended up falling in love with him. They eventually married and she was able to still find a way to help with her siblings. She somehow also managed to lend her thoughts and expertise to her father's architecture company.

Claire's intelligence and determination helped to keep her involved in the work force, which was a rarity for females in nineteenth century Paris. This novel is a wonderful story of how one woman continually pushed the envelope and strived to have an important role in a male dominated world.

I love all of Amy’s books and this was no expection. She does so much research and the books jut tell their own stories! Love love love everything she writes. Highly highly recommend .

I enjoyed this book as it was a light way to introduce the history of the Eiffel Tower and the Eiffel family to readers. The story was simply told without a lot of details, but in a way that made you look up the details to learn more. In addition to entertaining those of us who love historical fiction, the book could also be assigned to students who are in French class or as an assignment for high school history as an introduction to this time in history. It would be a perfect tool for teachers as it tells a basic story, but inspires further research..

Mademoiselle Eiffel took on her role as surrogate mother when she lost her mother at age 14. She cared for her Dad's household and engineering business and raised her younger siblings. She has sort of an arranged marriage, but her husband was supportive of her intelligence and independence and considered her a full partner in life and business. Her personal story as well as the historic significance of the Eiffel Tower makes this a very touching book.

I learned so many facts about the Eiffel Tower - had no clue before that it had an elevator, restaurants and an apartment within the tower. I also didn't know that it had been very controversial.

For a light and inspiring historical novel, I highly recommend Mademoiselle Eiffel and am grateful to have received an advanced reader's copy of this book.

Aimie K. Runyan did it again because this book is another historical fiction at its finest. If the other book of hers convinced me to become interested in Paris. This book sealed the deal, and the plane tickets were booked. Because I need to see the Eiffel tower and be captivated with its charm in real time like many others.
MADEMOISELLE EIFFEL by Aimie K. Runyan is about the story of Claire Eiffel, she is eldest daughter to the famous civil engineer, Gustave Eiffel. Her mother passed away when she was fourteen and Clare has to step into her shoes to be the woman of the house at the time that her father's career and business were taking off. With its challenges, Claire matured by giving the support that her family needs. I love Claire and the entirety of her character. This is a very inspiring tell and made me want to see Paris even more. The family drama was the icing on the cake for this plot and it made it even more realistic and beautiful. I learned so much about Paris, its history, culture, and I could not get enough. The good and ugly baggage that came along the creation of the Eiffel Tower. It was remarkable and I highly recommend this book.

A seamless blend of historical facts with transportive writing that takes us on the remarkable and challenging coming of age journey of Claire Eiffel, the eldest daughter of Gustav Eiffel, the architect of The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Historical Fiction at its finest!

This book was interesting to see behind the scenes of the Eiffel family. While fiction, there was much that could be learned. Definitely read the author's note at the end!

I learned a lot about the construction of the Eiffel Tower. Runyan's research is evident in the writing of this book as she weaves the story of Eiffel and his family. His wife dies at a young age leaving their oldest daughter to fill her shoes for her younger siblings.

Although she happily does it, she would also like a life of her own, but wouldn't dream of disappointing her father. Through all of the familial relationship turmoil, there is all of the delays to deal with s well.

This is not as exciting as few of her other books, but I would rate it as a 3.5 if that was possible here.

As a fan of historical fiction this book was appealing to me. I didn't know anything about the Eiffel Tower other than it was built for the World's Fair and built by someone with the last name of Eiffel. I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.

Claire's story is a sad one. She, like many women before and after her, gave up her dreams when duty called. I could feel her disappointment at not being able to live the dreams she had dreamt for years. Sometimes the sadness and disappointment was too much.

I think while the story was enjoyable enough, I'm just not a fan of this author's writing. I found myself getting a little bored and having to go back and reread sentences as my mind had drifted. I found myself constantly checking to see how much more I had to go to be finished with the book, too.

All in all this was an ok read and I learned about the family behind the Eiffel Tower. Not sure this is a book I would recommend though I'm sure others will enjoy it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given.

Gustave Eiffel, having lost his wife, asks his oldest daughter Claire, to accompany him on a work trip and start taking notes. Claire, at the age of 14, just wanted to be an artist and instead is thrown into managing a household, being a mother figure for her younger siblings and assisting her father at his business. Gustave is a brilliant engineer having been hired to do the Eiffel tower for the Worlds Fair in Paris. She offers opinions and ideas that men can't seem to think outside of the box and win over the general public of Paris with the Eiffel tower we've all come to know and love.

Another perfectly written historical fiction book that had me googling the Eiffel family.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Mademoiselle Eiffel is an intriguing story about a fascinating strong woman who became her father's right hand "man" when her mother dies. She raises her siblings, runs the household, as well as being an assistant to her father in his construction and architecture business. Claire develops into an amazing, strong woman along the way. This book was well researched and it shows. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the publisher William Morrow and Netgalley for a copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions in my review are entirely my own.

I knew nothing about Claire Eiffel before I starting reading this story. It is pretty remarkable that a girl of fourteen took on the responsibilities that she did and was quite successful. In another time, Claire might have become an engineer and helped with the design of the Eiffel Tower and eventually led the company. As it was, she put away her desire to become an artist and used her drawing skills to help her father. It is an interesting story of a talented, dedicated, strong woman in another time.

The Eiffel Tower is known throughout the world, standing tall in Paris, but what do we know about its beginnings and the man behind it? What about the people behind the man? Aimie K. Runyan takes us into the life of Claire Eiffel, a woman who put her dreams aside when her mother dies, stepping up to take care of her father and younger siblings from the tender age of 14. She becomes deeply involved in her father’s business, learning all aspects except the actual engineering, transforming herself into his right hand.
I enjoyed this fictional account of what Claire’s life could have been. Runyan takes us through as she sacrifices to preserve her family and her father’s legacy; despite initially feeling she’s losing her place when her father finds a new engineer to groom as his replacement, finally accepting that her father intends she marry him and make him a part of the family as well as the business.
MADEMOISELLE EIFFEL is a novel that will keep you interested as you read more about the family behind the Eiffel Tower and Claire’s triumphs and the family’s tragedies. The characters are well-written with a depth that brings them alive on the page. Runyan continues to find interesting parts of history to base her novels on and I always look forward to exploring the places and times with her characters as a guide.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.

I had no previous knowledge of the Eiffel Tower pre reading this book. I knew where it is and what it looks like. However, I felt this book did a wonderful job telling a story while including facts; a true historical fiction novel. Runyan's writing is beautiful; the dialogue flows wonderfully and makes the pages turn themselves. I was captivated from the get go.

When I first heard about Mademoiselle Eiffel, I was instantly intrigued to read about the Eiffel family. I knew almost nothing about the Eiffel Tower in Paris except that I’d love to see it one day. The cover of this book is exquisite and really drew me in.

I ended up being absolutely fascinated with the Paris of those days and especially about Gustave Eiffel and his eldest daughter, Claire.

The historical aspects of this story were amazing. I had no idea that Gustave Eiffel was also involved in the building of our own Statue of Liberty.

I really loved how the author portrayed Claire as a strong, intelligent, independent woman of her day.

I’ll definitely be looking into more from this author.

*Thank you so much to the author, to William Morrow books, and to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the gifted copy.*

I loved learning more about the history behind the Eiffel Tower and the family that made it happen. Like every project it came with its set of challenges and I loved the role/influence that Claire had. Once again this author brings the Paris setting to life. The sights and sounds were so beautifully written it felt like I was there. I never knew the role the family had with the Panama Canal and the scandal that came with it. I love the emotion and depth mixed in with the historical events.

Thank you @bookishaimie @suzyapprovedbooktours and the publisher for the gifted copy.

This heartwarming book about growing up Mademoiselle Eiffel, has an easy to follow timeline and likable characters. I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction based in Paris.
This is Claire’s journey from age 14 on. The story of the Eiffel family’s journey together after their mother passes away. The grieving. The adventures. The mishaps. Marriages. Children. The accomplishments, but most importantly, the Eiffel Tower.

Thank you @netgalley

I enjoyed this book more than the only other one I’ve read by this author, which was The School for German Brides. I thought the writing was better, the dialogue was organic & witty, & such an intriguing topic that I knew nothing about beforehand. The Paris scenery really came alive in these pages for me, loved it! I admired Claire as a character & all of her contributions to Gustav’s career, while sacrificing her own. It does take its time to get to the actual building of the tower, so I did enjoy the second half a bit more. Overall, it’s very worth the read!

Take note, historical fiction fans! Boy, do I ever have a book recommendation for you today. MADEMOISELLE EIFFEL by Aimie K. Runyan tells the story of Claire Eiffel, the eldest daughter to the famous civil engineer, Gustave Eiffel. At the tender age of fourteen, Claire became the woman of the house after her mother passed away. This novel highlights her maturity level, devotion, and the sacrifices made while supporting her father’s business and caring for her younger siblings. It’s quite evident that Claire took her familial obligations very seriously. I couldn’t get enough of Claire’s story, and quickly became entranced by her strength, determination, and loyalty to her family.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Paris setting
- Historical fiction
- Father-daughter relationships
- Reflections on loss and grief
- Family drama and dynamics
- Motherhood and marriage
- Character-driven novels
- Architecture and engineering

I learned so much about Paris, its history, culture, and also the profound backlash surrounding the creation of the Eiffel Tower. I found it all so fascinating, and now visiting Paris has moved up very high on my bucket list. I can’t recommend this remarkable story enough!

Overall I was happy to read this book. It was interesting getting to know more about Gustav Eiffel's family and the end of his career through the eyes of his daughter, Claire. The personal view of Claire is fiction so this is very much a fictionalized story that has been outlined with facts about her father's career, most of which I knew nothing about. I enjoyed the last release by this author, The Memory of Lavender and Sage, more than this one, probably because it was all fiction and not as... sad, as Claire gives up what she wants out of life to take care of her father's household.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for this free ARC in return for my honest review

Author Aimie Runyan's the newest book, Mademoiselle Eiffel, is another solid entry into a growing body of works by this talented author. This book takes in look into the life of Claire Eiffel, the oldest daughter of world, renowned architect/engineer, Gustav Eiffel. Seamlessly blending historical events with her gift of creative fiction, we get to see a portrait of a young lady who was thrust into the role of mother and sister, when her own mother died at the age of 14, she also was asked to take on the responsibilities of being the assistant for Gustav Eiffel. It was a job that never ended. Eiffel was one of the most prolific engineer/architects of the time and addition to his namesake Eiffel Tower, he also designed the Statue of Liberty, as well as taking part in the failed French effort to build the Panama Canal. In between all of these are numerous buildings and bridges that he designed, with us first following Gustav and Claire, just a few months after Claire's mother had died, to Portugal. It was there that she was put in charge of many aspects of the bridge project as well as lending a keen eye and valuable input into the project, which is something that continued for the rest of their collaboration. The world knows much about Gustav Eiffel, but not nearly so much about Claire, but she was a huge part of his success. How much so? Well, if you go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, you will see a small apartment that Gustav kept there, and it was there that he entertained Thomas Edison. That apartment today contains three statues, one of Gustav, one of Edison and one of Claire Eiffel! She was with him during the difficult times when he was charged with crimes due to the disastrous Panama Canal fiasco, even though he was never in charge of that project, and was called in at the last moment to try to help salvage the project, nonetheless he was one of a few whipping boys at the French decided to prosecute. The newspapers which had previously cheered Gustav now turned their back on him, and it affected both himself as well as Claire. Even though eiffel's conviction was eventually overturned, it was sufficient to make him give up his career as an engineer/architect. While he was busy with his business, Claire was busy, trying to keep the family together and play mother to all her siblings, including her reprobate, brother Edouard. This book is, as usual, filled with wonderful characters and dialogue, which is the trademark of the author. For those longtime fans of hers, you will miss French recipes, which are not part of this book, as she concentrates exclusively on the Eiffel family. Nonetheless, this will be a popular book club read, and there's a lot to discuss about a woman who gave up her career and her own path in life, to dedicate life to her father and his business.