Customer Reviews

Divine Sarah: A Novel

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found this book to be inspiring and interesting. I was struck by how contemporary many of the themes were: the boycotts against Bernhardt, the aging celebrity, etc. It all felt very fresh, as though it were speaking of today's times. I confess that I don't know that much about Sarah Bernhardt, but I beleive that the book is intended to be about more than her life and pridicaments. It seems to me that this beautifully written book is about the moments when people confront the images that they have of themselves, all in an effort to make sense of where they have been and where they are going.

I bought this book because I loved the historical novel Adam Braver wrote about Lincoln. I am sticking with this book but it is a slower read for me.

DIVINE SARAH by Adam Braver

I'm going to start out by saying I was disappointed with this book. I had expected DIVINE SARAH by Adam Braver to be more than what it turned out to be - a novel that didn't even come close to what the blurb on the back said it would be. Although it was interesting to read about this legendary actress, Sarah Bernhardt, and it was even more interesting to have her in the setting of early 1900's Los Angeles, the book read as if it were slightly disjointed, as if the parts that were to come together never did.

The story takes place in a week's span of time, in Southern California 1906. While Sarah Bernhardt battles her demons and wishes she were retired, news reporter Vince Baker is upset about the quality of news writing and what he is expected to put out. Then we have Abbott Kinney, a successful land developer who became the founder of the city of Venice, California, who is a strong character in this book, and actually helps make the book worth reading.

But over all, the book fails to be what it should have been - it should have been a story about two people who are soul-searching, trying to figure out what their futures hold for them. I believe this was Adam Braver's vision for this novel, but it is not what I got from reading it.

He created characters that did not quite ring true on paper, and their stories should have been written so that they actually had a connection to each other, but I didn't see the connection. He might as well have been writing separate stories. I also found the character of Vince Baker weak and one-dimensional. Regarding Sarah's character, from reading this book, it did not come across to me that Sarah was French; the author did not attempt to replicate speech patterns that would have made me think she was not from this country. On the other hand, I did enjoy the character of Max Klein, her gay manager and confidante. I think Braver did a good job creating this relationship between Klein and Bernhardt, and it was probably the most enjoyable aspect of the book.

I'm not giving this book a 5 star recommendation, but giving it only 3 stars, because I don't think everyone who reads this book will have the same reaction I did. There are a lot of redeeming qualities to DIVINE SARAH, one of which was the introduction to this legendary actress of the late 1800's and early 1900's. I am not sorry I read this book, but I am rather hesitant in reading another one by Adam Braver. He may not be my cup of tea.