The memoires of a Beauty | Teen Ink

The memoires of a Beauty

March 19, 2011
By awayra BRONZE, Bucharest, Alabama
awayra BRONZE, Bucharest, Alabama
1 article 1 photo 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
"i am a woman who enjoys herself very much: sometimes i win, sometimes i loose."


Summary:

This is a memoire of vanity and beauty, richness and glamour, all gathered in a woman most fitted for the Belle Epoque -a goddess from bourgeois circles who was often called "Republican Venus". Amelie Gautreau, best known as J.S.Sargent's Madame X, opens the door to a lost era of elegance.

Tags: Self-esteem


Patricia B.

The memoires of a Beauty


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This book has 12 comments.


awayra BRONZE said...
on Jul. 7 2011 at 9:23 am
awayra BRONZE, Bucharest, Alabama
1 article 1 photo 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
"i am a woman who enjoys herself very much: sometimes i win, sometimes i loose."

thank you very much! when I'll publish the book I'll try to replace some of the French parts due to your comments of not understanding much of it:) i've almost finished the novel and your opinions really give me the faith I can publish it! thanks again! :)

(actually, I read the Scarlet Pimpernel, but I didn't like it so much- for those who love French books, I'd better recommend Dangerous Liaisons, Cheri or The Lady of the Camellias, which always inspired me)


tealbird said...
on Jul. 6 2011 at 8:59 pm
Its definitely acceptable, but I think I would just use simpler words so that more people could understand it.

on Jul. 6 2011 at 7:18 pm
Garnet77 PLATINUM, Sinagpore, Other
31 articles 6 photos 577 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everything's a triangle." ~ My mother

"Write what you love, write what you care about, because sometimes, it's the easiest way to be heard."

I absolutely LOVE the language you've used here. It flows really well, though I agree with some other comments about the French. I couldn't understand those lines where you used it. It's funny, because I just read a historical fiction novel that had to do with the French Revolution. But anyway, that's kind of off topic, except that I kind of wanted to praise your writing in that it kind of reminded me of the writing style of that book. Have you heard of The Scarlet Pimpernel?? Anyway, that's the one. I really love your word choice for the most part. Good job!!! :)

awayra BRONZE said...
on Jul. 6 2011 at 12:41 pm
awayra BRONZE, Bucharest, Alabama
1 article 1 photo 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
"i am a woman who enjoys herself very much: sometimes i win, sometimes i loose."

i'm aware it's confussing with the french parts but as they appear only at the begining of the whole novel (which i'm not going to post here) i think it's acceptable, right?

tealbird said...
on Jul. 6 2011 at 12:15 pm
It's really well written, but I often found myself getting lost in the narrative (I take Spanish, so I was LOST when they were speaking in French!). I also kind of got confused when the story started off, but I loved the writing style.

awayra BRONZE said...
on Jul. 6 2011 at 9:35 am
awayra BRONZE, Bucharest, Alabama
1 article 1 photo 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
"i am a woman who enjoys herself very much: sometimes i win, sometimes i loose."

i was thinking to make a last chapter in which to put pictures of the dresses and builindings present in the novel, followed by short historical description so that readers could imagine better the background!

anyway, thanks very much for the review!


on Jul. 5 2011 at 12:18 pm
AndRachelLovesyou SILVER, Stone Mountain, Georgia
5 articles 0 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.
-Winnie The Pooh

I think the language you use is beautiful. A couple critiques:

-I take french, so I could understand it, but for someone who has never taken it this would be very hard to read. I understand you wanting to incoperate french, but for the reader's sake I would stick to simple words, or make sure the reader can understand the exact meaning by the context.

-Since this is going to be a novel, I would put somekind of forword in the beginning just to explain, the time and place of the novel and signifigant events that happened at that time  that will contribute to the development of the story.

 


awayra BRONZE said...
on May. 3 2011 at 10:20 am
awayra BRONZE, Bucharest, Alabama
1 article 1 photo 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
"i am a woman who enjoys herself very much: sometimes i win, sometimes i loose."

could you please post more opinions about my novel- i'm making the next chapter and i'd use your indications

awayra BRONZE said...
on Apr. 1 2011 at 11:29 am
awayra BRONZE, Bucharest, Alabama
1 article 1 photo 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
"i am a woman who enjoys herself very much: sometimes i win, sometimes i loose."

I know teens seldom like historical fiction because they somehow think those times are dead- I want to show the soul of a vivid epoch where elegance and glamour were everything

on Mar. 31 2011 at 5:03 pm
Love.Hate.Passion., Spring Valley, Illinois
0 articles 0 photos 356 comments

Favorite Quote:
~Hope. Faith. Love~
~Be proud of who you are.You are all unique in a different way.~
~I WILL NOT fade into oblivion , and become less than
a distant memory.~

I love it !I usually am not interested in histrical ficion , but this is well done. I liked the little tidbits of French in there. God Job :)

awayra BRONZE said...
on Mar. 30 2011 at 3:06 pm
awayra BRONZE, Bucharest, Alabama
1 article 1 photo 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
"i am a woman who enjoys herself very much: sometimes i win, sometimes i loose."

I wanted to compete with Proust- you should read him to understand what confusing means :) thanks for the comment any way

p.s. just to make the book less confusing, i'll give a list of the characters :

christine- amelie's english friend

annie- amelie's adopted daughter

henri- amelie's lover

the other names are quite known between the fans of the belle epoque time and very easy to find on wikipedia for the rest of readers


on Mar. 30 2011 at 2:53 pm
DaughteroftheTrumpet BRONZE, East Aurora, New York
2 articles 2 photos 214 comments

Favorite Quote:
Washington Irving once said “There is sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They are messengers of overwhelming grief and of unspeakable love.”

its good, but the over prominet second language makes it very difficult to read, expecially with the immense number of names tht make it confusing to follow. otherwise, its good, but confusing. :)