By C.W. Gortner
Sarah Bernhardt is an icon of theater. She was born to a “demimondaine” who left her in the country in the care of a farmer’s wife for the first years of her life. When reunited with her mother at the age of 8 she had no formal education and few social graces. Her mother took her to Paris and attempted to tame her.
Sarah’s mother, Julie, wanted to have Sarah be a servant as she entertained guests. Following rules was a problem and Sarah rebelled. Knowing that Sarah’s misbehavior could impede her entertaining, Julie enrolled Sarah into a convent school to receive her education. Sarah excelled at art and loved to read. Her years at school were happy. At graduation, she asks to be baptized into the Catholic faith. Her mother is Jewish but not actively practicing. Sarah also has decided that rather than embark on a career like her mother’s, she wants to “take the veil”. Her mother vehemently opposes this and orders Sarah back to her salon in Paris.
Julie has arranged for Sarah to marry a Dutch merchant with a thriving cloth business living in Lyon. Sarah is apoplectic. As she and her mother meet with a solicitor, she finds that her father left her a sum of money to be given only upon her marriage. Sarah’s mother wanted to marry her to the merchant and then keep the money. Rather than marry, Sarah declares that she wishes to become an actress. Her mother’s patron has connections with one of the theaters and so Sarah is given an audition. She will have two years of training, if accepted, and then once she earns a place in the company, she will earn a salary.
She works to become an actress learning all the correct mannerisms and gestures. Sarah chafes at the lack of originality. Her studies end and she auditions to join the acting company. She receives her first contract for six months. At the beginning of the new theater season, the company acts in an annual tribute to Moliere. Sarah brings her younger sister with her to watch offstage in the wings. The senior actress of the company shoves Sarah’s sister and in defense, Sarah slaps her. This shocking behavior causes Sarah to lose her job with the company. As news of her slap spreads, all acting companies refuse to hire her.
With no way to support herself, Sarah enters into the “demimondaine” world. She establishes relationships with several patrons. Her heart still belongs to the theater and after some time passes, she convinces the theater owner at a smaller theater to take a chance and hire her. Since this theater is less prominent, she begins to act in a less prescribed manner onstage. Critics notice her skill and she begins to receive acclaim. Life takes an unexpected turn when the Franco-Prussian War begins.
Sarah survives the war and her career begins to take off again. She is offered the opportunity to travel to England and perform before Prince Edward. Her acclaim continues to grow. This opportunity gives her the chance to expand her acting eventually into moving pictures.
This novel covers an amazing amount of time and really opens your eyes to the limited occupations that a young woman had at the time. This is not a look at Sarah Bernhardt’s life through rose-colored glasses. Sarah is not a saint and we see all of her behavior – good and bad. She has a horrible relationship with her mother and her youngest sister. She is self-absorbed. But she also has the talent to make a role her own and bring people to tears with her acting.
I enjoyed reading this book. It is long, after all it covers her whole life. There are several times that it is uncomfortable reading about the hardships she endured. I knew Sarah Bernhardt as a famous actress early in the history of film. I had no idea what her life entailed and how much she had to deal with along the way. C.W. Gortner has written a book that is interesting, informative and well balanced. I recommend this book.
My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
Additional Thoughts: Stepping back through history to a time where women had few options opens your eyes to the progress we’ve made. We aren’t perfect but we have come along way.