Becoming Belle

March 15, 2018

An award winner for her poetry and short stories, O'Connor (who also writes as Nuala Ní Chonchúir) offered a wonderful told-slant view of Emily Dickinson in Miss Emily, which was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award. Here she remakes another historical figure, Isabel Bilton, who started out middle class and ended up as the Countess of Clancarty in 1891. In between: adventures in Victorian London's music halls.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2018
A late-19th-century music hall artiste dares to assail class boundaries in a novel based on a sensational court case.Isabel "Belle" Bilton, daughter of a military officer and a frustrated actress, leaves the barracks town where she was raised to seek her fortune on the London stage. Theater buffs, hoping for an insider look at the antecedents of today's musicals, be advised: There is very little backstage drama and even less about Belle's day-to-day challenges as a singer, dancer, and actor. Billed as the Sisters Bilton, Belle and her sister Flo are an instantaneous hit--although O'Connor tells rather than shows readers that the sisters' talent is not just skin-deep. Flo quickly settles for a safe but dull marriage, but Belle frequents bohemian nightspots like the Corinthian Club, where she succumbs to the blandishments of Alden Weston, a self-proclaimed baron, who is later convicted of fraud and imprisoned. Pregnant by Weston, Belle is helped by her only true friend, wealthy antiques merchant Isidore Wertheimer, who, as a gay Jewish man, inhabits a demimonde of another sort. After farming her infant out to a wet nurse, Belle soldiers on with her career. Her romantic zeal is reignited by William, an Irish viscount who takes up with her in defiance of his father, the Earl of Clancarty, who threatens to disinherit him. They marry in secret, but the Earl sends his son to Australia almost immediately thereafter. Isidore again shelters Belle as she anxiously awaits William's return--only to hear that, despite the occasional fervid love letter, William has petitioned for divorce. The ensuing jury trial is the most compelling portion of the book, which has thus far languished without much of a plot. Belle's characterization is anemic: Is she naïve? An opportunist? A gold digger? A slave to love and/or lust? Her emotions, traits, and intentions are duly cataloged, but Belle's essence remains decorative and unknowable.Despite the novel's faults, the period setting comes alive thanks to O'Connor's lively prose and dialogue.

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June 18, 2018
In this lively novel from O'Connor (Miss Emily) the story of Isabel Bilton is tracked from a dull Hampshire upbringing under her mother's thumb to a giddy yet difficult life as a Victorian music hall entertainer and Irish countess. Isabel follows her dream to move to London, cajoling her sister Flo to join her. The two find success as a music hall sister act, and Isabel becomes entangled with a con artist claiming to be a baron from America; her subsequent pregnancy causes him to flee. A good friend, Mr. Wertheimer, sets her up in his country home, where her pregnancy progresses far from the scandal sheets, and helps her find a nursemaid to raise her son. After returning to the stage as âBelle Bilton,â she takes up with an Irish viscount. But after their marriage, his dismayed father forces him to leave the country and eventually sign divorce papers. Awkwardly written sexual encounters and the tedious back and forth between the lovers during their separation are a drawback, but O'Connor skillfully captures the mores of the time and tops it off with a wonderfully suspenseful court case. This is a transportive, enjoyable novel.

April 15, 2018

An award winner for her poetry and short stories, O'Connor (who also writes as Nuala N� Chonch�ir) offered a wonderful told-slant view of Emily Dickinson in Miss Emily, which was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award. Here she remakes another historical figure, Isabel Bilton, who started out middle class and ended up as the Countess of Clancarty in 1891. In between: adventures in Victorian London's music halls.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2018

In 1897, Isobel Bilton dreams of leaving her home at a Hampshire military base for London. The oldest daughter of a British officer and his formidable wife, Isobel struggles against the familial and social expectations that diminish her. At 19, she fulfills her ambition to go to the capital, where she becomes Belle Bilton, star of the London stage. Though she relishes the nontraditional artistic and social freedoms offered by city life, Belle still has to contend with people who seem compelled to control her. This remains a theme throughout her life, even after she marries the dashing Irish aristocrat William Trench, Viscount Dunlo. Their marriage scandalizes Trench's family and London society. Undeterred by malicious legal action and the threats of disinheritance, William and Belle relocate to the Trench family demesne in Ireland, their romance triumphant. VERDICT As with her debut, Miss Emily, O'Connor offers a stunning historical reimagining. Her eye for details, including Victorian dress, food, and technology, enhance her mastery of character and inner dialog. [See Prepub Alert, 2/26/18.]--John G. Matthews, Washington State Univ. Libs., Pullman

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2018
A late-19th-century music hall artiste dares to assail class boundaries in a novel based on a sensational court case.Isabel "Belle" Bilton, daughter of a military officer and a frustrated actress, leaves the barracks town where she was raised to seek her fortune on the London stage. Theater buffs, hoping for an insider look at the antecedents of today's musicals, be advised: There is very little backstage drama and even less about Belle's day-to-day challenges as a singer, dancer, and actor. Billed as the Sisters Bilton, Belle and her sister Flo are an instantaneous hit--although O'Connor tells rather than shows readers that the sisters' talent is not just skin-deep. Flo quickly settles for a safe but dull marriage, but Belle frequents bohemian nightspots like the Corinthian Club, where she succumbs to the blandishments of Alden Weston, a self-proclaimed baron, who is later convicted of fraud and imprisoned. Pregnant by Weston, Belle is helped by her only true friend, wealthy antiques merchant Isidore Wertheimer, who, as a gay Jewish man, inhabits a demimonde of another sort. After farming her infant out to a wet nurse, Belle soldiers on with her career. Her romantic zeal is reignited by William, an Irish viscount who takes up with her in defiance of his father, the Earl of Clancarty, who threatens to disinherit him. They marry in secret, but the Earl sends his son to Australia almost immediately thereafter. Isidore again shelters Belle as she anxiously awaits William's return--only to hear that, despite the occasional fervid love letter, William has petitioned for divorce. The ensuing jury trial is the most compelling portion of the book, which has thus far languished without much of a plot. Belle's characterization is anemic: Is she na�ve? An opportunist? A gold digger? A slave to love and/or lust? Her emotions, traits, and intentions are duly cataloged, but Belle's essence remains decorative and unknowable.Despite the novel's faults, the period setting comes alive thanks to O'Connor's lively prose and dialogue.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.