The Courtesan's Daughter

This is definitely the best book that the author has written, in my opinion, and I have read many of her books, which includes 'Emilie's Voice' which was superb, but I think this is even better. Sylvie has a mother who hides secrets from her, indeed, from everyone. Her mother is French, but she came to New York. She wants her daughter to have a better life than she did. When the secrets start to unravel and Sylvie meets Paolo, the mother's carefully laid plans are at risk. I cannot say any more about the plot without spoiling it, but I would highly recommend this book to all readers of historical fiction. The plot is gripping and I could not put it down. I would give it ten stars if I could but, alas, I am limited to five.

Susanne Dunlap's The Courtesan's Daughter has it all—historical accuracy, intrigue, fully-developed characters with depth and humanity. The story flows swiftly with perfect timing and a compelling duel point of view. I thoroughly enjoyed diving into early 20th century New York and the lives of these women.

Thanks to #NetGalley for this ARC. The Courtesan’s Daughter is set in the early 1900s New York where a mother and daughter live in a tenement sewing for a living. The mother, whose trauma, choices and regrets we learn about, is a wonderfully complex character, but one who doesn’t realize her daughter wants so much more than what she has raised her to be. Sylvie, the courtesan’s daughter, is bright and usually a rule follower until she meets a handsome young man. Circumstances throw them together in a trajectory that changes both of their lives. The author set the place and time so well, I felt like I was in New York at the turn of the century. The story is interesting and it kept me interested all the way through. I loved the author’s description of dresses and fabrics as well as the world building around early films. A very satisfying book!

Interesting read. The big takeaway from this book: secrets always come out, and that often leads to trouble and heartache. It's also a tale of a young girl making her own way in the world. Finally, it's a cautionary tale: be careful who you trust. This applies to two of the men in this book. Thankfully, one redeems himself in the end, but the other...he's a jerk through and through! Dunlap draws you in, but at times, she can get a bit wordy and the characters can be a little too introspective. Ultimately, if one likes turn-of-the-century novels set in NYC, this is the book for you.
Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this advanced copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

Sylvie is a teenager with big dreams; her mom Justine escaped years before from France and a secret past that Sylvie knows nothing about, and wants more for her daughter than what she has had to escape. Of course Justine’s hopes and Sylvie’s wishes don’t match, and when Sylvie meets a boy from a shady family (in church no less!) she is drawn into something potentially dangerous and illegal. Fearing to be caught in something illegals, Sylvie runs away and hides at a local movie company. And the plot thickens from there.

Told between Sylvie’s and Justines point of view over the course of nearly a year, Dunlap builds a compelling story that is quite representative of its time period: the role and relative impotence of women in society, the excitement of the nascent movie industry, the hard lives of immigrants amidst discrimination and the brutality of industrialist, and surrounding it all, the resilience of the human spirit and the drive for a better life. The Courtesan’s Daughter has it all wrapped in a story that sucks you in and won’t let go. Definitely worth the read!

Seventeen-year-old Sylvie has been pushed all her life to do well at school and become a teacher. Her dream, however, is to be a star in the new moving pictures. A handsome Italian boy encourages her ambitions, and she begins living a double life, pursuing her dreams while keeping her mother in the dark. Will she understand her mother's desire to hide the past or will she find danger in the streets of New York?

I had to think about this one for a while. There were parts that I enjoyed. The details of what it was like behind the scenes of the early movies were fascinating. How each person played multiple parts, ie. seamstress and background actress, stagehand and actor, were my favorite scenes. The details of the time period were also interesting to read as I don’t know that much about it.

At the same time, I didn’t care much for the conflict between mother and daughter, which was the central part of the story. How could she immediately trust someone she just met? I didn’t quite understand why Sylvie just ran away. I was also put off by the scenes with Justine that involved rape. They were not detailed but enough to make my stomach turn.

Overall, it was well written. The narrative jumps between Sylvie and Justine, and I feel like I would have liked the story better if it had been just one focus. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy historical fiction.

Brilliant story which takes you to the early part of the 20th century when motion pictures were in their infancy.
The story surrounds a young women Sylvie and her mother Justine who came to New York from Paris to create a better life for them both.
Justine who was a courtesan in Paris prior to that training as a seamstress wants a better life for her daughter but Sylvie is draw to the glamour of the silent movies .
Both women have secrets that will inevitably come out.
Really good read.

This book is about a French immigrant Justine and her daughter Sylvie. The novel is set in early 20th century New York. Justine, had a secret past and arrived in NY because she fled, with her daughter to give her a better life. Sylvie has grown always being told that she would attend teachers college and make a better life for herself. Both mother and daughter support themselves by being seamstresses. But Sylvie has other ambitions to become an actress. As the novel proceeds Justine's past comes front and center and Sylvie becomes involved with a group that is on the wrong side of the law.
The book is interesting and kept my interest throughout. Thanks to Net Galley for an advance copy for my honest review.

I was totally rooting for Sylvie and Justine by the time I got to the halfway point of the book.
The novel is laced with lovely descriptions of early 20th century New York, life of the working classes and the early development of moving pictures. I love the sense of discovery in the industry within the book.
The story has mysteries that each character is trying to figure out, while we the reader know the story, bit also a mystery for the reader to try and untangle. I found the male violence awkward to read, but understood their place within the plot.
I enjoyed the pace of the story, although it did take me some time to get on board. I haven't read any historical fiction set in this era till now and I'm glad I picked this one up as I liked so much of what Susanne Dunlop did questioning women's position in society as well as drawing me into the plot's intruigue.

I have been craving a book like this for years - they just don't write teen historical fiction well anymore. Thank the stars for Susanne Dunlap! This book was everything I had been wanting and missing. Excellent dialogue, solid historical accuracy and details, an independent, likeable heroine, romance. I just savored each page and was very sorry when it ended. I will definitely be buying this book in print! TEN STARS!

Thank you for allowing me free access to this incredible novel for a review. I really enjoyed the unique storyline that The Courtesan's Daughter has. Set in New York in the early 1900s, Sylvie is a young woman on the cusp of adulthood and ready to be someone. She's been sheltered her entire life, but is still a loyal hardworking young woman. Caught up with a handsome young man, she makes several bad choices that land her exactly where she asks to be....but with a price. Sylvie has to learn the cruelties of the world without her caring mother, while her mother learns to relinquish control and to find genuine friendships. The mother daughter relationship brought so much joy and sorrow as I relate to it very much. Both a coming of age and a family saga! I also really enjoyed learning about the Vitagraph girls, mob-life, early filmaking and sewing! A seemingly simple story with very complex characters. As it seems to be with many novels like this, the ending always feels rushed...but maybe thats because I wanted more, in all the best ways! There was certainly enough here to satisfy the story, but I enjoyed it so much that I want a follow-up on their lives, haha.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The mother daughter relationship was compelling and travelling through the centuries was interesting. The secrets the mother is keeping is unbelievable and I realise she was just trying to protect her daughter but being upfront would have saved the relationship.

I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The dynamic between the mother and daughter was absolutely captivating, and the way the story weaved through time had me completely engrossed. The mother's hidden secrets were truly unbelievable, and I can't help but wonder if being honest from the start would have saved their relationship. Nonetheless, it was an incredibly fascinating journey and I couldn't put the book down.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a interesting historical fiction novel that felt well researched and believable.
Both characters were interesting, but I found Justine more relatable.
This was a compelling, intriguing story and I felt engaged the whole way through.

The only downside is that the ending felt a little rushed in comparison to the book - although I find this common within a lot of stories within this genre, and may just be indicative of my own interest.

4 stars!

This is a mother-daughter story set in the early days of the movie industry in New York. The balance between story and historical details was perfect as was the plot. Secrets, ambition, survival, and dreams are the main premise of The Courtesan's Daughter. Set in the early part of the 1900s, this book gives us a glimpse of Justine and Sylvie's story.