Review: Fallen Beauty by Erica Robuck

Fallen Beauty

by Erica Robuck

Publisher: NAL Trade

Pages: 384

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Upstate New York, 1928. Laura Kelley and the man she loves sneak away from their judgmental town to attend a performance of the scandalous Ziegfeld Follies. But the dark consequences of their night of daring and delight reach far into the future.…

That same evening, Bohemian poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and her indulgent husband hold a wild party in their remote mountain estate, hoping to inspire her muse. Millay declares her wish for a new lover who will take her to unparalleled heights of passion and poetry, but for the first time, the man who responds will not bend completely to her will.…

Two years later, Laura, an unwed seamstress struggling to support her daughter, and Millay, a woman fighting the passage of time, work together secretly to create costumes for Millay’s next grand tour. As their complex, often uneasy friendship develops amid growing local condemnation, each woman is forced to confront what it means to be a fallen woman…and to decide for herself what price she is willing to pay to live a full life.

Kritters Thoughts:  Two very different characters take turns moving this story along, one is the famous poet Edna St. Vincent Millay (goes by Vincent) and the other is a woman from the small town right near where Edna lives - Laura.  Both took turns during each chapter telling their side of the story in the small town and how they both felt like outsiders in this close knit community.  

I absolutely adored Laura's story from the very beginning - the fact that just one night changed her life and due to the time that she is living in, the consequences put her on the outside of society and threatened her career.  Vincent on the other hand was hard to read, at one moment I had to look her up and read her wikipedia page just to make sure I was reading everything correctly, she was definitely on the artsy side and since I am not such a fan of poetry in general, it was not interesting to see how she gained her inspiration for her poetry - BUT I did enjoy her moments when she interact with Laura.  SO even though I didn't love the character, it didn't keep me from enjoying the book.  

I am definitely going to check out more of Erika Robuck's books, I love her twist of fact and fiction in this book.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.