Frankly, I got the audio edition of this book because it was on sale, it was long, and I wanted to immerse myself in something not too serious right now. I was surprised to find it so interesting and entertaining. Belle Cora is a bit of a chameleon. She rolls with the punches, and life throws her quite a few of them. She ends up with a less than honorable profession, but is very good at it. The descriptions of Gold Rush California and of San Francisco were great. And Belle, through all her permutations, manages to power on. I really did enjoy these characters, even when sometimes I didn't much like them, and I enjoyed this long historical fiction. And it was made all the better because Belle Cora is based on a real person, not just a figment of the author's imagination. ( )

Interesting premise and the execution was engaging enough.

The story of a tenacious woman who pushed through a barrage of changes and challenges in her life to survive in a young United States was well contrasted with the men in her life that she outshone. ( )

This was our selection for April's book club. What a great read! It's a historical novel about Arabella's life from her growing up on a farm to being a madam in a brothel. Yes it takes place in the 1800s and it was interesting to learn about the politics of that time.

For the rest of the review, visit my book blog at: http://angelofmine1974.livejournal.com/88737.html ( )

I really wish more books were written like Belle Cora - as long, detailed, slightly juicy, vivid portraits of the past. Belle Cora is the tale of a fallen woman who becomes the madam of the best parlor house in San Francisco and eventually is embroiled in the scandalous trial of her lover Charles Cora. A rich novel full of history and salacious details, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. ( )

I enjoyed this book. I am familiar with many of the places that are mentioned in New York and Ohio. This book is slow until about halfway through when things start to pick up and get interesting, also a little slow at the end. It is worth sticking with it. The book seemed to drag and ramble on at the end. It is meant to be a memoir of a prostitute’s life. If you read this you must read the prologue and the afterword for the book to make sense. It contributes greatly to the understanding of the novel. It is based on a real madame’s story. This book was okay, but not spectacular. The beautiful Belle Cora a victim of circumstances becomes a prostitute and is hopelessly in love with Jeptha who is on his way to being a preacher. The love affair continues with many difficulties through out the book.

I wanted to like Belle Cora the person, but I just couldn’t. She is scheming and conniving and out for her own interests throughout the book. She was smart and beautiful and used that to get what she needed. The book is mostly how her choices affected her and her family members.

I did enjoy the history that was woven into the story and the historic events. I liked the information about the gold rush. I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. ( )