Book Review: The First Actress by C.W. Gortner

 

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Content Warning: violence, death, rape, sexual harassment, anti-Semitism, misogyny, racism, animal death, animal cruelty, war.

Born to a courtesan who wants nothing to do with her, Sarah Bernhardt starts her early years running wild on a farm in Brittany. When her mother comes to take her back to Paris, Sarah gets her first taste of the hardships that will plague her for the rest of her life. Forced to choose between a life on the stage, which she disdains as a little better than her mother's career, and marrying a man who she neither knows nor loves, she gambles on the theater -- and finds, unexpectedly, that she loves it. Sarah is ready to take on the world, but the question is: is the world prepared for her?

Sarah Bernhardt is someone I have known of for a long time. I've always admired her ambition, her bravery, and above all, the way that she stood up for herself and others. Despite the fact that she had quite the reputation for a temper, it's obvious now that she was fighting constantly against the odds -- she was a Jewish woman in a profession that, at the time, was considered improper. I think that this novel captures her spirit, and gives her a fresh voice in a generation that is no longer familiar with her or her accomplishments.

Gortner's prose immediately caught me. It's vivid, rather lush, with a dry humor that suits Sarah perfectly. It's crushing to read the neglect and abuse she experiences at the hands of her mother, the relationship she craves with an absent father, and the many obstacles she's forced to overcome even as a young girl. Sarah is written with complexity, and it's the duality of her character that makes her come to life with such clarity. Gortner does an excellent job of making her likable without ever sacrificing her occasionally difficult personality.

I loved reading about Sarah's life behind-the-scenes, and I also longed to be there in the wings, watching her perform. Despite the fact that this is a book, Gortner makes you feel as if you are there, listening to her so-called "golden voice," watching her rend the hearts of her audience. It's moving to go through her life as she fights not only for her own future, but for the future of acting as we now know it. 

I did expect there to be a portion that detailed her first and only marriage, and so I was a bit surprised that Gortner skipped over it. At first, I was a bit confused as to why, when he so fastidiously covers the rest of her life, but by the end, I actually found that it made sense. This, ultimately, is Sarah's story, and I liked that after seeing her struggle for so long, it is her eventual triumph that Gortner focuses on.

Highly recommended!