{"product_id":"9780349421261-becoming-belle","title":"Becoming Belle","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA new Historical fiction book by acclaimed Irish author Nuala O'Connor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Luminous' \u003c\/b\u003eSEBASTIAN BARRY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Incandescent characters and mellifluous prose' \u003c\/b\u003eLISA CAREY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Reminiscent of Edith Wharton at her very best' \u003c\/b\u003eLIZ NUGENT\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e_________\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe true story of a woman ahead of her time . \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1887, Isabel Bilton is the eldest of three daughters of a middle-class military family, growing up in a small garrison town. By 1891 she is the Countess of Clancarty, dubbed \"the peasant countess\" by the press, and a member of the Irish aristocracy. Becoming Belle is the story of the four years in between, of Belle's rapid ascent and the people that tried to tear her down. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReimagined by a novelist at the height of her powers, Belle is an unforgettable woman. Set against an absorbing portrait of Victorian London, hers is a timeless rags-to-riches story a la Becky Sharpe.\u003cbr\u003e_________\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for BECOMING BELLE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Nuala O'Connor has the thrilling ability to step back nimbly and enter the deep dance of time.\u003c\/b\u003e T\u003cb\u003ehis is a hidden history laid luminously before us of an exultant Anglo-Irish woman navigating the dark shoals and the bright fields of a life' \u003c\/b\u003eSEBASTIAN BARRY, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Scripture\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDays Without End\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eBecoming Belle\u003c\/i\u003e is so mesmerizing you will be distraught when it ends.O'Connor has resurrected a fiery, inexorable woman who rewrites the script on a stage supposedly ruled by men. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eSensual, witty, daring, and unapologetically forward.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e' \u003c\/b\u003eLisa Carey, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Stolen Child\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Belle's determination to live her life on her own terms and in defiance of her times makes her a fascinating subject\u003c\/b\u003e' \u003ci\u003eIrish Central\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Masterful storytelling!  I was putty in Nuala O'Connor's hands\u003c\/b\u003e.  She made the unsinkable Belle Bilton and her down-to-earth sister Flo real to me, and \u003cb\u003ebrought 1880's London to my living room.  Encore! Encore!' \u003c\/b\u003eLynn Cullen, bestselling author of Mrs. Poe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A glorious novel in which Belle Bilton and 19th century London are brought roaring to life with exquisite period detail' \u003c\/b\u003eHazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eA Memory of Violets\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Thoroughly engrossing and entertaining read' \u003c\/b\u003eLiz Nugent\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Thrillingly dramatic and achingly moving and profoundly resonant into this present era' \u003c\/b\u003eRobert Olen Butler, author of \u003ci\u003eA Good Scent from a Strange Mountain\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'O'Connor gently unfolds Belle's tale in a manner that is compelling and disarming. The ambience may be Victorian elegance but the sheer honesty of O'Connor's writing is sensual, authentic and earthy. A delight!'  \u003c\/b\u003eRose Servitova, author of The Longbourn Letters\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56449670250870,"sku":"9780349421261","price":4.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_29759651.jpg?v=1760446393","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780349421261-becoming-belle","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}