I found Jeanne Mackin’s The Beautiful American to be a pretty good read. Nora and Lee’s story is a unique one. I was intrigued by their relationship and interesting how they were able to reconnect. There are a few lessons that can be learned. These include: learning to move on from the past, learning the power of forgiveness and learning what is truly important in life. It was fascinating to see famous artists and photographers between the pages. I loved they were brought back to life.

I am giving The Beautiful American four stars. I recommend this one for readers who enjoy reading historical fiction, especially those focused on early to mid twentieth century. I look forward to more by Jeanne Mackin in the future. She has earned herself new fan.

I received a paperback copy of The Beautiful American from the author. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion. ( )

in this novel of historical fiction, two women, both from Poughkeepsie, New York, find their lives crossing in Paris in the late 1920's and again in London right after World War II

Nora is from a poor family. She falls in love with a wealthy young man who wants to be an artist and together, throwing convention to the winds move to New York, so he can pursue a career in photography, and then to Paris. There Nora runs into a childhood acquaintance, the beautiful Lee Miller who is living with the surrealist, Man Ray, both as hid model and his muse.

After living the high life in Paris, Lee moves back to New York while Nora remains in France during the war, trying to protect her daughter. When they meet again in England after the war, they are both confronting demons that threaten to consume them both. In trying to find peace in their lives, they rediscover the strong bond of friendship that has endured, lovers, war and sorrow, and that helps get them both through the most trying times of their lives. ( )

I received this as a Goodreads giveaway winner and I'm very grateful that I won. This is a beautifully written book about Nora Tours and her journey from a young girl in Poughkeepsie, NY to Paris and then to Grasse, France. The book starts with Nora searching for her 16-year-old daughter Dahlia who has disappeared from Grasse right after WWII ending. Nora thinks Dahlia will retrace her own footsteps of her life in Paris and London. She soon meets her friend Lee Miller, who she has known since they were a little girl and goes to Lee's farm outside of London. Then the flashback starts about Nora's life and how she got to this point.

I found this book so well written I felt like I was going back into time and what it was like to be an American in Paris in the 1920s-30s. She goes to Paris with her high school boyfriend Jaime and soon bumps into Lee. That starts a relationship where Nora meets people like Picasso. Lee is a brash woman who really doesn't seem like she cares about anyone's feelings and does what makes her happy or at least helps her forget what happened to her when she was a child. The book takes us through a small sampling of what it was like to be in a small French Village during WWII.

I did not know that Lee Miller was a real person until I read other reviews and so I did a little research. This book fascinates me even more that a lot of the characters in the book are real people. Paris during WWII is so fascinating to me and I enjoy different angles than just what happened to the soldiers and the Jews. I like reading all different views so I can get more of a rounded feel to that dark time in history. If you like historical fiction and enjoy this era, then I highly recommend this book. I'm so glad I got a chance to read it and I will be sharing it with my family and friends. ( )

I truly enjoyed this book. I began reading another fiction book about Lee Miller whose tone was not what I was looking for at the time. This book was just plain good. Second book by this author I have read.
Lee Miller larger than life. Her existence will live on not only in her photographs but in our imaginations as one who was defiant of the rules and used her wit her beauty her affluent background her tragedies to mold a life that will live on for many generations. ( )

I love historical fiction, but fiction that is about real people makes it even more fascinating. I had never heard of Lee Miller, but found myself on Google, researching her photography. In THE BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN we are introduced to Man Ray, Lee Miller, and even Pablo Picasso, real people who were part of the world of art history. Fictional Nora Tours tells the story of herself and these famous artists whose lives were entangled beginning in the 1920's. The story takes you from New York, to Paris, through WWII, and back to New York. You will be captivated, shocked, and definitely emotional as you travel through the lives of these interesting characters.

Nora Tours is an only child. Her father is a gardener for the Miller family and Nora is forced to play with their privileged daughter. The two become friends, balancing each other out. Lee is a tomboy who takes risks, and Nora is quiet and reserved. Until one day, when Nora comes to play with Lee and Lee is different. The two aren't allowed to play together again. They meet up again as adults in Paris. Lee is now a famous model, living with Man Ray, a famous photographer. Nora and her beau, Jamie, a wannabe photographer end up spending their days and nights with Lee and Man partying, frequently rubbing shoulders with some of the famous artists of the 20th Century. Nora and Lee never acknowledge their childhood relationship during all their years together. After a betrayal, Nora goes to Grasse, France and becomes a much sought after perfume sales woman. Sixteen years later, after WWII, during a devastating time in Nora's life, she again runs into Lee Miller. Lee is damaged after photographing the horrors of the war, but finds she can identify with Nora's pain. Lee offers to help Nora and ultimately finds as way for the two to come back together, heal their hearts and move forward.

Praise for THE BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN:

"Jeanne Mackin blends a tale as intoxicating as the finest fragrance.
Spanning wars both personal and global, A BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN
leaves its essence of love, loss, regret, and hope long after the novel concludes."
Erika Robuck, National Bestselling Author of FALLEN BEAUTY

While reading this book, I kept thinking of Erika Robuck's book FALLEN BEAUTY, and how she so expertly weaves a story into the lives of real people. Mackin's writing was breathtaking and full of metaphors that told deep truths of the characters and their lives. Mackin places you in Paris, in Grasse, and in the terrors of the war by describing the feelings, the scenery, and the scents of the time.

"That's the sad truth of betrayal.
It makes a poor secret except to the betrayed."

"She had the kind of full, voluptuous figure
that would turn to fat if she wasn't careful."

"But sometimes i thought I saw it in her eyes, in the shadows around them.
She just refused to allow the memories into the daylight."

I learned much about perfume from this novel. Nora taught me how to choose the proper scent, how to test it, and how to apply it. The history of the perfume industry and its role in WWII was also fascinating to me.

"Her perfume entered before she did. That was always a mistake.
Leave a slight trail like a memory behind you,
but never let your perfume arrive before you."

"If grief were a perfume, it would be all top notes with nothing to follow."

I found much about this novel to love. It was historically interesting, emotionally brilliant, and full of passion, love, friendships, betrayal, hope, and ultimately, forgiveness. It is a novel both to be devoured and savored. ( )