Author Jeanne Mackin

on Tour

December 1-10

with

The Beautiful American

(historical fiction)

 Release date: June 3, 2014
at New American Library/Penguin

352 pages

ISBN: 978-0-451-46582-5

Website | Goodreads

***

SYNOPSIS

As recovery from World War II begins, expat American Nora Tours travels from her home in southern France to London in search of her missing daughter. There, she unexpectedly meets up with an old acquaintance, famous model-turned-photographer Lee Miller. Neither has emerged from the war unscathed. Nora is racked with the fear that her efforts to survive under the Vichy regime may have cost her daughter’s life. Lee suffers from what she witnessed as a war correspondent photographing the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps.

Nora and Lee knew each other in the heady days of late 1920’s Paris: when Nora was giddy with love for her childhood sweetheart, Lee became the celebrated mistress of the artist Man Ray, and Lee’s magnetic beauty drew them all into the glamorous lives of famous artists and their wealthy patrons. But Lee fails to realize that her friendship with Nora is even older, that it goes back to their days as children in Poughkeepsie, New York, when a devastating trauma marked Lee forever.

A novel of freedom and frailty, desire and daring, The Beautiful American portrays the extraordinary relationship between two passionate, unconventional women.  [provided by the author]

***

Praise for The Beautiful American

“Readers will rank [it] right up there with The Paris Wife…. A brilliant, beautifully written literary masterpiece…”–New York Times bestselling author Sandra Dallas

“Will transport you to expat Paris… and from there take you on a journey through the complexities of a friendship…breathes new life into such luminaries as Man Ray, Picasso, and, of course, the titular character, Lee Miller, while at the same time offering up a wonderfully human and sympathetic protagonist in Nora Tours.”–Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist

“Achingly beautiful and utterly mesmerizing… Sure to appeal to fans of Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife and Erika Robuck’s Call Me Zelda, or indeed to anyone with a taste for impeccably researched and beautifully written historical fiction.”– Jennifer Robson, author of Somewhere in France

“Beautiful…A fascinating account of a little-known woman who was determined to play by her own rules.”–Historical Novel Society

***

Jeanne Mackin is the author of several historical novels set in France,
and has earned awards for her journalism
as well as a creative writing fellowship
from the American Antiquarian Society.
She lives in upstate New York with her husband,
cats and herd of deer,
and is still trying to master the French subjunctive.

Visit her website.

Buy the book | on Amazon  | Barnes and Noble  | Books a Million  |
Google Play  | iBookstore  |   Indiebound  |  Powells

 ***

TOUR QUOTATIONS

I Am, Indeed

An interesting concept for an historical story, using a fictional character to inform and build on the story of a true person.
Mackin does bring a sense of the hardships and flavor of the times for both characters, and gives plenty of room for thought.  An interesting read for fans of historical fiction.

Chocolate & Croissants

Mackin has written a breathtakingly novel that vividly captures the lost generation. I found myself not wanting the story to end. If you like historical fiction and books set in France this one is for you.

Macarons & Paperbacks

If you are a fan of historical fiction that feels real and intense, The Beautiful American will no doubt be an enjoyable novel for you! You’ll feel like you’ve been transported to WWII era France even if you’ve never been to France before in your life 🙂

Vvb32 Reads

Loved how this story weaves the life of the model/photographer, Lee Miller, with historical events all told from the perspective of the fictional character, Nora. Reading about Lee’s background and of the events that shaped her left me in awe of this amazing woman.

Unshelfish

Mackin dives deep in the emotional depth of both characters and WWII. A captivating story of two fascinating women, surviving challenges. A lovely story.

Diary of an Eccentric

Mackin’s writing is simply beautiful, and there’s a haunting quality to the prose as Nora recounts her friendship with Lee and the life she made for herself and Dahlia after Paris.
I was intrigued by both characters, finding things to like and dislike in both of them, but that’s what made them interesting.  Mackin also brings 1920s Paris and post-war Grasse and London to life, and I easily lost myself in the story.

Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Reading this book helped me find out as well as experience the life hinted at in The Great Gatsby, the life of artists and heartbreaks and it also helped me learn why surrealism was so popular in that era and how fragile relationships are.
Although I’m sure that the characters of Nora, Dahlia, and few others are fictional, they remarkably felt real to me, and I have to say that the story answered a question I long harbored; there is no going back to the past, and its hard to restart from ground zero.

Indiereadergirl0329

I thought Mackin did an excellent job historically. I felt I was in Paris during that time period, meeting everyone. She did not slack on the details. She did a great job describing the devastation of the War, as well.

*

won a copy of

The Beautiful American

(historical fiction)

 Release date: June 3, 2014
at New American Library/Penguin

352 pages

ISBN: 978-0-451-46582-5

Website | Goodreads

***

SYNOPSIS

As recovery from World War II begins, expat American Nora Tours travels from her home in southern France to London in search of her missing daughter. There, she unexpectedly meets up with an old acquaintance, famous model-turned-photographer Lee Miller. Neither has emerged from the war unscathed. Nora is racked with the fear that her efforts to survive under the Vichy regime may have cost her daughter’s life. Lee suffers from what she witnessed as a war correspondent photographing the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps.

Nora and Lee knew each other in the heady days of late 1920’s Paris: when Nora was giddy with love for her childhood sweetheart, Lee became the celebrated mistress of the artist Man Ray, and Lee’s magnetic beauty drew them all into the glamorous lives of famous artists and their wealthy patrons. But Lee fails to realize that her friendship with Nora is even older, that it goes back to their days as children in Poughkeepsie, New York, when a devastating trauma marked Lee forever.

A novel of freedom and frailty, desire and daring, The Beautiful American portrays the extraordinary relationship between two passionate, unconventional women.  [provided by the author]

***

Praise for The Beautiful American

“Readers will rank [it] right up there with The Paris Wife…. A brilliant, beautifully written literary masterpiece…”–New York Times bestselling author Sandra Dallas

“Will transport you to expat Paris… and from there take you on a journey through the complexities of a friendship…breathes new life into such luminaries as Man Ray, Picasso, and, of course, the titular character, Lee Miller, while at the same time offering up a wonderfully human and sympathetic protagonist in Nora Tours.”–Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist

“Achingly beautiful and utterly mesmerizing… Sure to appeal to fans of Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife and Erika Robuck’s Call Me Zelda, or indeed to anyone with a taste for impeccably researched and beautifully written historical fiction.”– Jennifer Robson, author of Somewhere in France

“Beautiful…A fascinating account of a little-known woman who was determined to play by her own rules.”–Historical Novel Society

***

Jeanne Mackin is the author of several historical novels set in France,
and has earned awards for her journalism
as well as a creative writing fellowship
from the American Antiquarian Society.
She lives in upstate New York with her husband,
cats and herd of deer,
and is still trying to master the French subjunctive.

Visit her website.

Author Jennifer Coburn

on Tour

November 28-December 7

with

We’ll Always Have Paris:
A Mother/Daughter Memoir

[memoir]

 Release date: April 8, 2014
at Sourcebooks

400 pages

ISBN: 978-1402288630

Website | Goodreads

***

SYNOPSIS

How her daughter and her passport taught Jennifer to live like there’s no tomorrow.

Jennifer Coburn has always been terrified of dying young. So she decides to save up and drop everything to travel with her daughter, Katie, on a whirlwind European adventure before it’s too late. Even though her husband can’t join them, even though she’s nervous about the journey, and even though she’s perfectly healthy, Jennifer is determined to jam her daughter’s mental photo album with memories—just in case.

From the cafés of Paris to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Jennifer and Katie take on Europe one city at a time, united by their desire to see the world and spend precious time together. In this heartwarming generational love story, Jennifer reveals how their adventures helped vanquish her fear of dying…for the sake of living.  [provided by the author]

***

WATCH THE TRAILER

***

Jennifer Coburn is a USA Today best selling author of six novels
and contributor to four literary anthologies.
Over the past two decades,
Coburn has received numerous awards from the Press Club
and Society for Professional Journalists for articles that appeared in Mothering,
Big Apple Baby, The Miami Herald, The San Diego Union-Tribune
and dozens of national and regional publications.
She has also written for Salon.com, Creators News Syndicate and The Huffington Post.
Coburn lives in San Diego with her husband, William, and their daughter, Katie.
We’ll Always Have Paris is her first memoir.

Visit her website.

Buy the book | on Amazon | on Barnes & Noble

 ***

TOUR QUOTATIONS

BookNAround

The writing is intimate and accessible; it’s like listening to a friend tell you the story of her European vacation. It may inspire other parents to travel with their children or give people places to add to their bucket lists but it will certainly show people one way to learn to live in the moment and appreciate what you have in the here and now. This is definitely a sweet paean to memory: those that we already possess and those we are forever building.

The Discerning Reader

It’s a sweet story, a mother and daughter experiencing Europe, their interactions, adventures, predicaments, fears. The sites visited were typical of a newbie traveler, nonetheless it was entertaining to read their thoughts and reactions.

With Her Nose Stuck In A Book

if you’re looking for a fun read and something that will make you laugh, smile and genuinely feel good, I think this a book for you. And of course, if you like to read about travelling to place you’ve never been–most assuredly you’ll enjoy this.

Griperang’s Bookmarks

I loved this book.
There was also some very touching moments in the this memoir. I am glad that I picked this book up as it was very enjoyable.

Lisa’s Yarns

I thought it was a fun, escapist read so I recommend it to others that love travel memoirs!

I Wished I Lived In a Library

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  While I did get impatient I enjoyed it to the end.  It was a lot of fun traveling Europe with Coburn and Katie!

Book Nerd

When I saw “We’ll Always Have Paris” by Jennifer Coburn I thought it would be a fun, light read about a mom and daughter traveling throughout Europe.  It was but it was also much more…
I really enjoyed this beautiful story about a beautiful family.

Mirasol Press

The memoir is well-written, the flipping between the past and present is seamless and controlled.
A five star read!

*