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.

Mademoiselle Eiffel tells the story of Gustavo Eiffel’s eldest daughter, Claire. At the young age of fourteen, Claire loses her mother. She has to help her father with household duties and to take care of her siblings. This makes her father rely on Claire even more, and she becomes his assistant. But when Gustave relies on his young student, Adolphe Salles, Claire becomes resentful. Eventually, resentment turns to romance. Claire and Adolphe work together to help establish Gustave Eiffel’s most infamous architectural landmark, the Eiffel Tower!

I had never heard of Claire Eiffel before reading Mademoiselle Eiffel. I found Claire to be a very fascinating protagonist. Claire was very mature, caring, and intelligent. I adored her relationship with her father, Gustave. I love how this novel portrays her love for him and helping him to establish his legacy. I also like Claire’s budding romance with Adolphe Salles, which was my favorite part of the novel. I love how it started as a rivalry and blossomed into romance! Therefore, Claire was a very enagaing character, and I wanted to know her ending!

Overall, this novel is about family, loyalty, and ambition. I thought that all of the characters were very realistic and complex. I like how the portrays all aspects of love. I also thought that the Mademoiselle Eiffel was very well-written and meticulously researched! I like how it focused on the building of Gustave Eiffel’s most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower! However, I did dislike that it tended to get bogged down with many details! I also found the novel to be very repetitive, especially when it mostly focused on Claire’s everyday life. Nevertheless, it was fascinating reading about Gustave Eiffel’s family! It made me want to read more about Claire Eiffel and discover her true story! I recommend this novel for fans of Stephanie Marie Thornton, Marie Benedict, and Heather Webb!

I really enjoyed Aimie K. Runyan’s latest work of historical fiction about Claire Eiffel, the eldest daughter of Gustave Eiffel. The book was both enjoyable and informative, and I appreciated that unlike other similar books I’ve read lately about wives and siblings of technical geniuses, this author chose to keep the technical details to a minimum. I sympathized with Claire’s devotion to her father and siblings, but sometimes found it hard not to insert my more modern sensibilities into her life story.

Lovely and a little heartbreaking, I loved this and highly recommend it!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I’m fascinated by stories of the women whose work allows men to be ‘great’.

Coretta Scott King, Eleanor Roosevelt, Winnifred Madikizela, and now, Claire Eiffel.

At the age of fourteen, Claire, daughter of civil engineer, Gustave Eiffel, is given the monumental task of running her father’s household. She is his personal secretary, parent to her younger siblings, and hostess to his many business contacts.

I enjoyed so much about this story. I loved the richness of the setting (Paris, for goodness’ sake) as well as the decadent age of Belle Epoque, particularly from the privileged vantage point of the neuveau riche. The dresses! and hats! and corsets! Oh, my! As well as all the history surrounding the construction of the 1889’s World’s Fair Iron Lady.

I wish we’d got to spend more time with some of the more colourful side characters (I’m looking at you, bonne-maman) but I very much look forward to tracking down this author’s pervious works.

Historical fiction fans and especially those who love Paris will love this “behind the story” of the Eiffel Tower. I had no idea that Gustave Eiffel did anything other than the Eiffel Tower so this was quite enlightening. He had numerous bridges to his credit, along with the insides structure of the Statue of Liberty prior to tackling his most enormous structure - the Eiffel Tower. And as the saying goes, behind every good man is a strong woman, and that’s the case here as well. Losing her mother at age 14, Claire Eiffel is forced to grow up in a hurry, and become a mother to her siblings, run the household, as well as continue to be a sounding board for her father and his company’s buildings. Her dreams of being an accomplished artist are put to the side, as she always puts the family and her father’s business first. The author referenced many letters from the family in her research, and where she used her imagination it’s very plausible and believable. Out now -I throughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend! Thanks to Netgalley, William Morris and Harper Collins for an ARC of this book; all opinions are my own.

Aimie has done it again by writing another interesting historical fiction read! This book is based on the life of Claire Eiffel, who was the oldest child of Gustave Eiffel. (You know the Eiffel Tower guy.)

I learned some fascinating information about the building of the Eiffel Tower as well as Gustav Eiffel’s involvement in the Panama Canal scandal.

At the heart of this book is Claire Eiffel. She was given the matriarchal responsibilities at 14 years old as she cared for her father, her siblings and her home after the death of her mother.

The book does a beautiful job digging into the heart of Claire’s obligation to family vs pursuing her dream of art.

Aimie also finishes the book with an informative author’s note of fact vs fiction in this read.

A captivating glimpse at the life of one of history’s most remarkable but lesser-known heroines, Claire Eiffel, eldest daughter of famed architect Gustave Eiffel.

Forced to take on the management of the Eiffel household at age fourteen, following her mother’s death, Claire finds her strength and purpose despite having to leave her dreams of becoming an artist behind. Runyan makes a brilliant case for Claire’s undersung contributions to her father’s legacy, and layers in rich historical detail that will have your senses fully engaged in this brilliant family saga. You’ll have a whole new appreciation—and perspective—for the story behind Eiffel’s eponymous tower after reading! The quieter contributions of women in history are often dismissed and disregarded. But in MADEMOISELLE EIFFEL, Aimie K. Runyan brings Claire her due respect.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am always a sucker for historical fiction based on biographical fact. And I love this trend of finding women who were previously lost to history because of the famous men in their orbit. That’s what drew me to Mademoiselle Eiffel, the story of Claire Eiffel, daughter to the famed architect of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The attention to detail in the story, the sights, the sounds, the foods, all added to the story, but at the same time I kept wanting the story to hurry up, if that makes any sense. I’m not going to rehash the plot, but this depiction of Claire and the sacrifices she made to keep her father’s company in the family are to be commended, and yes, the world needs to know that! Gone are the days where men are lauded for their accomplishments, because it’s well-known that behind every successful man is a woman doing ALL the things to help make that happen

I loved every part of this book. It was definitely made more enjoyable after being in Paris less than a month ago. The research done to write this book was incredible. The history behind the Eiffel tower and those involved in its construction were painted so clearly in this book. I was transported to the streets of Paris and felt as if the Eiffel family lived next door. The details of Claire Eiffel's life, Gustave Eiffel's daughter, are amazing. She played a huge role in the support of her father, especially during the design and building of the Eiffel Tower. The sacrifices that she made as a child and women were heartbreaking and incredible. She may not be a household name, but her impact on the city of Paris has lasted long after her life. An incredibly well written historical fiction, featuring a famous building, family and city.
thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy