Rouge

I was lucky enough to be selected to receive an ARC of Rouge and oh my gosh, I loved this book and spent hours in my car refusing to stop reading for even a second!

Tbh, I read the prologue and felt intrigued, but not enough to continue on right away; I went back to the book I was already reading. And when I returned to this book, I was a little confused by chapter one because there was no mention of Bobby. But once I started reading, I couldn’t stop!

The fact that it mirrored real events was something I loved. And I really loved that these strong, amazing women, all came from different backgrounds and ethnicities.

This was so well written; witty, just the right amount of snark, and a tiny bit salacious. I cannot wait to read more from Kirshenbaum!

When you see the word "rouge" the first thing you think of is cosmetics. That is where this book takes you, into the world of beauty products and, of course, that is exactly where you are! The two female protagonists (or if you wish antagonists) in this book are Josephine Herz and Constance Gardiner. However, you can think of Helena Rubenstein and Estee Lauder, the world's two most arch rivals. Rounding out the list of characters there is Cee-Cee Lopez the bi-racial founder of the first African American hair relaxer product and Mickey Heron whose cosmetic business is founded in a Hollywood brothel. These characters are all competing in the world of beauty and cosmetics.

The story takes us into the 20's, 30's and 40's with the background set in different cities. We start with the funeral of Josephine Herz and go on from there, to the beginnings of these over the top egos of the cosmetic industry. In 1922, at the age of 22 Josephine Herz (nee Josiah Herzenstein) left her Polish town with its atrocities and pogroms, to go to Melbourne, Australia and live with her aunt and uncle. At the same time Constance Gardiner left Canada to live with her half-brother in New York City. These two women had different backgrounds, but both had the same drive, to be successful...and both in 1923 were getting involved in beauty aids such as skin creams and learning about busines.

In 1927 we meet CeeCee Jones a beautiful bi-racial woman who was dancing in the chorus line at the Cotton Club. Not happy with that profession, she answers an ad placed by Constance who is looking for a personal assistant. Hired on the spot after her interview, CeeCee had already made a product for a hair "relaxer"...it was just a matter of time before her product would take off.

Mickey Heron (nee Heronsky) was from the Lower East Side whose family had a fruit store. At sixteen, when Mickey's father died, he took over the business. It was 1929 when he met CeeCee when she came to buy fruit...she got more than fruit and for 3 years they had an affair. Let's just say you can take the boy out of the Lower East Side, but you can't take the Lower East Side out of the boy! However, it wasn't until 1936 that Mickey, fleeing New York City, made his way to Hollywood, where in a brothel he discovered a lipstick that didn't smear. Given a tube of it, he made his way into the cosmetic industry.

As the women became more successful, the hatred for each other was epic. Their claws were out, it was a war right down until the end, until the last breath! It wasn't enough to be successful, each in their own right, it had to be a duel...but who was the winner in this fierce competition? Was it the client/customer who sought their cosmetics? Was it the lawyers who represented them and collected huge amounts of fees? But more to the point, who was the loser and who the victor?

As if the sparks flying between Herz and Gardiner aren't enough, we have betrayal, we have dangerous and illegal liaisons, and murder...enough to keep the reader interested.

This book was amazing, powerful in the scope of a fictionalized account of real life people, this is one book not to miss. While reading this you could absolutely visualize the dynamics, the vitriol spewing between the two main characters. Filled with betrayal, the world of high society and business, it's a book you can't put down. The author did a fantastic job.

My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. A word to the wise, to all those who love cosmetics, who go to the salons, who buy these products, don't miss reading this book! So vhat you think? Give a look!