Friday 56 & #BookBeginnings: Belle Cora

For Book Beginnings: My experiences in the April 1906 earthquake in San Francisco have led me to write this book, so I suppose I'll begin there. When the first temblor came, I was in bed: it was 5:12 a.m. I was dreaming the dream I have had at least once a year for the greater part of my life, that I was an innocent farm girl in upstate New York. - p. 1 (ARC, page may change)

For Friday 56:

My friendship with Rebecca had all the thrills and terror of a love affair. It was she who befriended me, pursuing me like a practiced seducer. And virtually from the instant I surrendered, I was worried that she would realize how dull I was and regret the intense effort she had made to fascinate me, which had been so flattering because she had so many tools of fascination at her disposal.  - p. 56 (ARC, page may change)

About Belle Cora via Goodreads: Based loosely on the life of the 19th-century prostitute of the same name, the book is written in the form of a two-volume memoir by one of San Francisco’s richest and most revered dowagers. In it, the heroine tells the story of her moral fall and material rise over the course of the century, carrying her from the farms, mills, drawing rooms (and bedrooms) of New York to the California gold rush. 

I'm reading about a prostitute. And it's fascinating! I found it a little slow when I started, but now I can't get enough of it. So far, I am chuffed that I got an advance reader copy of this for review ... it's a fascinating read, and I was surprised that this a debut novel.

Belle Cora, the course of her life, has traveled quite a bit in this "autobiography" she has written. Check out the interactive Google Map of all the places she has lived, including some backstories - like the brothel she managed.

The publisher, Doubleday also has a contest ongoing over on Pinterest. You may want to pop over and check it out!

I received and Advance Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. So wait for my review. It may take a little longer as I am only about halfway through it.