The First Actress
A Novel of Sarah Bernhardt
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Narrated by:
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Gabrielle De Cuir
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By:
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C. W. Gortner
About this listen
“This novel about Sarah Bernhardt, the iconic French actress, is both a riveting portrait of the artist as a passionate young woman and a luscious historical novel full of period detail.” (Melanie Benjamin, New York Times best-selling author of Mistress of the Ritz and The Aviator’s Wife)
From her beginnings as the daughter of a courtesan to her extraordinary transformation into the most celebrated actress of her era, Sarah Bernhardt is brought to life by an internationally best-selling author praised for his historical novels featuring famous women.
Sarah’s highly dramatic life starts when she returns to Paris after her convent schooling and is confronted by her mother’s demand to follow in the family trade as a courtesan. To escape this fate, Sarah pursues a career onstage at the esteemed Comédie-Française, until her rebellious acting style leads to her scandalous dismissal. Only 19 years old and unemployed, Sarah is forced to submit to her mother’s wishes. But her seductive ease as a courtesan comes to an abrupt end when she discovers she is pregnant. Unwilling to give up her child, Sarah defies social condemnation and is cast adrift, penniless and alone.
With her striking beauty and innovative performances in a bohemian theater, Sarah catapults to unexpected success; suddenly, audiences clamor to see this controversial young actress. But her world is torn asunder by the brutal 1870 siege of Paris. Sarah refuses to abandon the ravaged city, nursing wounded soldiers and risking her life.
Her return to the Comédie and her tempestuous affair with her leading man plunge Sarah into a fierce quest for independence. Undeterred, she risks everything to become France’s most acclaimed actress, enthralling audiences with her shocking portrayals of female and male characters. Sarah’s daring talent and outrageous London engagement pave her path to worldwide celebrity, with sold-out tours in Europe and America.
Told in her own voice, this is Sarah Bernhardt’s incandescent story - a fascinating, intimate account of a woman whose unrivaled talent and indomitable spirit has enshrined her in history as the Divine Sarah.
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Critic reviews
“Sarah Bernhardt was a woman of fearless strength and awe-inspiring talent, both a living icon in her day and an unapologetic iconoclast. In his beautiful The First Actress, C. W. Gortner gives readers an intimate and rich portrait of Bernhardt’s stunning career and tumultuous personal life. The Divine Sarah was a singular leading lady ahead of her time, winning devotees and breaking rules in order to demand more for artists and for women.” (Allison Pataki, New York Times best-selling author of The Queen’s Fortune)
“C. W. Gortner has made his mark illuminating the private lives and untold stories of the world’s greatest women. In The First Actress, he turns his talent to Sarah Bernhardt, the daughter of a Dutch Jewish courtesan who would rise over the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to become an icon of stage and screen. Readers will revel in the gloriously heady mix of love and war, and art and society. Combining immaculate research with scintillating prose and an unforgettable cast of larger-than-life characters, The First Actress stands tall among Gortner’s remarkable body of work.” (Pam Jenoff, New York Times best-selling author of The Lost Girls of Paris)
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Story
In Fates and Traitors: A Novel of John Wilkes Booth, New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Chiaverini renders for the first time as fiction the compelling interplay between these pivotal actors - some willing, others unwitting - who made an indelible mark on the history of our nation.
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Read more like Wikipedia than a novel?
- By Star on 09-30-16
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A Beastly Kind of Earl
- Longhope Abbey, Book .5
- By: Mia Vincy
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Thea Knight loves a spot of mischief. She especially loves her current mischief: masquerading as her sister, while finalizing her scheme to expose the dastardly knaves whose lies ruined her life. Then big, bad-tempered Lord Luxborough upends her game by maneuvering her into marriage. But it's her sister’s name on the license, so the marriage won’t be valid. Thea’s idea? Keep pretending to be her sister until she can run away.
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A slow burn romance
- By Kika on 06-11-20
By: Mia Vincy
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Darcy's Deception
- A Pride & Prejudice Variation
- By: Campbell Davies
- Narrated by: Alyssa Rogge
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Only the night before, she rejected him. Today, she is his intended wife. Elizabeth Bennet proved he was no gentleman when she rejected his proposal. Darcy is now determined to flee Kent and hopefully not act like a lovelorn schoolboy the next he meets the lively Elizabeth. But when she loses her memory of his disastrous proposal and a bumbling relative believes them engaged, Darcy continues the charade with the plan to tell Elizabeth as soon as he can resolve on how to do so. And yet, she may be falling in love with him....
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The narrator 😍
- By Anonymous User on 11-18-19
By: Campbell Davies
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Private Arrangements
- By: Sherry Thomas
- Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
When Lady Tremaine petitions her husband for an end to their civil but loveless marriage, Lord Camden agrees on one scandalous condition - she must give him an heir within a year. Their early attempts to fulfill this delicate arrangement are marred by cold detachment, but soon sparks of passion and long-forgotten lust begin to be kindled anew.
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Facinating, if complicated, love story.
- By bluestatereader on 02-27-15
By: Sherry Thomas
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Mademoiselle Chanel
- By: C. W. Gortner
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Born into rural poverty, Gabrielle Chanel and her siblings are sent to an orphanage after their mother's death. The sisters nurture Gabrielle's exceptional sewing skills, a talent that will propel the willful young woman into a life far removed from the drudgery of her childhood.
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Fiction Not Biography
- By Sara on 02-07-16
By: C. W. Gortner
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When the Marquess Met His Match
- An American Heiress in London, Book 1
- By: Laura Lee Guhrke
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Lady Belinda Featherstone's job is to guide American heiresses to matrimony, and away from men like Nicholas, Marquess of Trubridge. But the charming, disreputable marquess needs a wealthy bride, and he hires Belinda to help him find one. Her task seems easy: find that scoundrel the sort of wife he so richly deserves. But Nicholas' hot, searing kiss soon proves her task will be anything but easy.
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A persistent Marquess
- By Cam on 04-20-14
By: Laura Lee Guhrke
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Magic Flutes
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Kate Lock
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Spring, 1922. Tessa is a beautiful, tiny, dark-eyed princess who’s given up her duties to follow her heart and work backstage at the Viennese opera. She keeps her true identity a well-guarded secret, but when a wealthy, handsome Englishman discovers this bewitching urchin backstage, Tessa’s two lives collide - and in escaping her inheritance, she finds her destiny....
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delightful story spoiled by the reader
- By A Lennox on 01-09-24
By: Eva Ibbotson
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An Heiress at Heart
- By: Jennifer Delamere
- Narrated by: Jill Tanner
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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With An Heiress at Heart, Jennifer Delamere delivers the first in a historical romance series sure to set hearts aflame. After five years in exile for a youthful indiscretion, Lizzie Poole is given a second chance to join London society when her best friend, Ria, takes to her death bed and asks Lizzie to assume her identity. Ria wants Lizzie to carry out her final wishes, but neither knows that Lord Somerville has designs on Ria - and that maintaining the ruse will put Lizzie’s heart at risk.
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A Captivating Read
- By Rita Henriquez-Green on 12-15-22
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The Sisters of Versailles
- Mistresses of Versailles Series # 1
- By: Sally Christie
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the lavish backdrop of the French Court in the early years of the 18th century, The Sisters of Versailles is the extraordinary tale of the five Nesle sisters - Louise, Pauline, Diane, Hortense, and Marie-Anne - four of whom became mistresses to King Louis XV. Their scandalous story is stranger than fiction but true in every shocking, amusing, and heartbreaking detail.Court intriguers are beginning to sense that young King Louis XV, after seven years of marriage, is tiring of his Polish wife.
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Best book I've listened to in ages
- By Dr. A. on 01-09-16
By: Sally Christie
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The Queen of the Night
- By: Alexander Chee
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Lilliet Berne is a sensation of the Paris Opera, a legendary soprano with every accolade except an original role, every singer's chance at immortality. When one is finally offered to her, she realizes with alarm that the libretto is based on a hidden piece of her past. Only four could have betrayed her: one is dead, one loves her, one wants to own her. And one, she hopes, never thinks of her at all.
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Not my typical choice
- By fadedcharacter on 02-15-16
By: Alexander Chee
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Earning Darcy's Trust
- A Pride & Prejudice Variation
- By: Jennifer Joy
- Narrated by: Nano Nagle
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Fitzwilliam Darcy’s troubles only began the day he witnessed his father’s murder. Betrayed by a trusted friend, he soon finds himself caught in a web of deceit and blackmail…and his little sister is in the center of it all. Will Darcy’s search for answers save what’s left of his family…or destroy it?
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Good story
- By Fabulous Mrs B on 06-26-23
By: Jennifer Joy
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Refining the Debutante
- By: Anneka R. Walker
- Narrated by: Noah Wall
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Miss Miranda Bartley is in love with the Honorable Ethan Roderick, their engagement all but official. But as she basks in the success of her London Season, her joy is cut short when Ethan ends their courtship, claiming she is too insensitive. In the wake of her heartbreak, Miranda is dealt yet another blow, one that changes everything. In a harsh twist of fate, she quickly falls from Society darling to servant in her uncle’s home.
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A near miss
- By Kindle Customer on 09-09-23
By: Anneka R. Walker
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What listeners say about The First Actress
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- SES
- 10-10-23
Fascinating
I had no idea what an intriguing person Sarah was!
She was a true trailblazer.
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- Melissa
- 01-04-23
A great woman
She was truly ahead of her time. But also compassionate with a heart for people.
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- K&T
- 03-25-21
Have read everything by this author.....not my favorite of his books.
I struggled getting through this book after the first few hours. Partly, the character just isn’t likable, except while she’s a child and adolescent . Also, the story seems to move in circles. The more she develops into adulthood, the less likable she becomes. The story just seems to stall and struggle. I was so looking forward to this book, and am very disappointed. I read quite a bit about Sarah Bernhardt, and it seems that this could have been a much better book. C. W. Fort we is such a talented author.....this is not a good representation of his talent.
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- REB
- 08-04-20
Delightful escape from the stress of 2020
For a few hours readers are able to escape the oppressive burdens of pandemic and shelter-in-place by immersing themselves in the dueling cultures of Imperial and Republican France, and follow the woman who conquered both into the modern world.
And as the author points out in his Afterword, Sarah Bernardt continues to be a muse for today's independent woman.
Thank you Mr.Gortner for bringing this inspiring heroine to life.
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- Catkozia
- 10-01-24
Great narration on a fascinating story
The story captures Sarah Bernhardt in her complexity, resilience and undeniable charm. The narration is very good, especially with French pronunciation.
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- Kim B
- 08-27-20
Didn't care for Sarah
The book was well written and the performance very good. I just could never get above a "luke warm" feeling for Sarah. I didn't hate her, I didn't love her, I didn't feel sorry for her. I couldn't "connect" with her or her story.
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- Modern Meets Chic
- 09-01-22
Another masterpiece by Gortner
I never fail to be enraptured by a CW Gortner novel. A wonderful read from begin to end. The novel keeps the reader entertained and inquiring as to what will happen next. Excellent read!
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- Amazon CustomerJanie
- 11-17-23
Enjoyable
Did not love the main character, Sarah but respected all she did for women during her lifetime.
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- Linda S
- 10-25-20
C.W.Gortner does not disappoint !
This book transported me to a place and time I knew nothing about, but I can never resist a C.W. Gortner story, although I blew through all 16 hours in only two days. It is exquisitely researched, and beautifully told. Gortner’s heroines are compelling multidimensional women who leave you feeling that you know them personally, and as always, there are phrases that have to be listened to more than once because they are deeply touching. My compliments also to the narrator Gabrielle De Cuir. And to Gortner himself I would say, keep writing, please........!
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- Meg
- 07-20-20
I don’t think C. W. Gortner can write a bad novel..
I was always a fan of his books set in European royal houses so I was a bit sad when I went through them all and felt a bit skeptical moving on to more modern historical figures but I shouldn’t have doubted him! I’ve enjoyed each one immensely and this was no different!
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