The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard

Title:  The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard

Author:  Natasha Lester

Publication Information:  Forever. 2024. 464 pages.

ISBN:  1538706954 / 978-1538706954

Rating:   ★★★★

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "In the same way that the Electric Circus nightclub in Manhattan is all about sensual overwhelm, so too is the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, Hawk thinks as he strides in the gallery beside four other men."

Favorite Quote:  "Loving someone and making them feel loved are two different things. It's easy to just love, but it takes effort to make another person believe in that love."

Three women: Mizza, Astrid, and Blythe. Three time periods: 1917, 1970, and the present. Three places - Paris, New York, and the French countryside. Three stories but one theme that is clearly explained in the author's note:

• "Find a famous woman - and find a stream of falsehoods and cruelties in her wake."
• "How and why are women constantly reshaped by the media into something they aren't? And why can women only be the inspiration in the creative process, rather than the creator? Those questions drove the writing of this book."
• "I don't think anyone has to look too far to think of a woman who's been remolded by the media, by gossip, and by spite into something less than she actually was. It's been happening for centuries, and it happens still. I hope historical novelists in one hundred years time aren't still writing notes like this."

Women, the role of women, the standards applied to women in a patriarchy, and the pressures on women have been and continue to be a universal conversation.

This book presents these themes through the intertwined stories of these three generations. Research shows that Mizza was an actual, historical figure, but the other two are fiction. Mizza Bricard is said to have been the Christian Dior's muse! The book sets the story in the high pressure and high stakes arena of couture fashion, which is art but also business.

To some extent, Astrid and Blythe's stories are about breaking away from the past and creating a name for themselves. For Blythe, it is also about the childhood trauma of her mother's disappearance and abandonment. Given the time in history, Mizza's story is also one of war, survival, and resistance. To a greater extent, the central theme is about a woman surviving and thriving in a male-dominated industry. 

Given the three timelines, it takes a while to settle into the story and keep straight which characters belong in which timelines especially as the older characters carry forward into the subsequent generation. However, the three main characters are each unique and each the anchor to their own story. 

The lifestyle of the rich is not relatable, and I can certainly do without the scenes of sexual encounters. I find the insight into the fashion industry really interesting, and, as a woman, the three main characters and their struggles are relatable, making this a memorable read.

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