Figuring out a star rating for this book is tough.
For starters, it's very thorough covering her life from childhood and on. Gortner's writing is done well and I felt like I had a peek into each time period and place. These factors lean towards a 4 star rating.

However, while I enjoyed the story of Sarah Bernhardt, it wasn't one that gripped my attention and I had to finish the book. I would read a chapter or two and then want to move on to something else. All of this is my personal reactions or experiences as a reader. With that in mind, along with a 3 star rating for me being a book that I enjoy at least enough to want to pick up and finish, I felt like giving this one 2 stars. I'm settling on 3 as it's between the two.

Historical fiction writer C. W. Gortner serves up a rousing portrait of the great actress Sarah Berhardt in her latest novel. Sarah Bernhardt led a sometimes tragic and always colorful life. Gortner captures her life with an imagination fueled by facts. This is no small challenge since Bernhardt often fueled fantastical versions of her everyday life for publicity benefits. A novel grounded in hallowed biographical information, The First Actress gives the reader a sense of Bernhardt's life and the challenges that she faced as a young woman in a socially unforgiving culture. I really enjoyed this one.

The audiobook, narrated by Gabrielle de Cuir, was delightful.

I received a Digital Review Copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

C. W. Gartner does it again. Well-written historical novel about the fascinating Sarah Bernhardt, the most acclaimed French actress of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

I’ve been a fan of C.W. Gortner’s historical novels for quite a while now. He has an uncanny knack for both finding the perfect subjects to write about and for identifying the key moments in their lives that make for the most compelling, and revealing, drama. While I’ve been particularly fond of his novels about royal women — particularly Isabella of Castile and Empress Marie of Russia — I’ve also found myself drawn to his portraits of more modern women, and his newest novel on the famed actress Sarah Bernhardt is no exception.
The novel begins with Sarah a child being raised in Brittany. Soon, however, she is brought to Paris by Julie, her courtesan mother, who quickly grows frustrated with her daughter’s rebellious streak. After a far-too-brief sojourn learning from nuns, Sarah becomes both a courtesan and an actress, though it is the stage that is her true calling. Eventually, through trials both personal and professional and nature, she manages to ascend to a position of prominence, becoming one of the most celebrated actresses of the age.
From the moment that she appears, Gortner’s Bernhardt casts her spell over the reader. She’s proud, there’s no question about that, but it’s also clear that she has the seed of greatness within her and that she will stop at nothing to make sure that he lives life on her own terms, not those of someone else: not her mother, not those in charge of Paris’s theatre scene, and not the other actors and actresses that try to stand in her way. While there are times when we get a little frustrated with her for her intransigence, it turns out that she knew what she was about, and she richly deserves the success that she eventually attains.
At the same time, Gortner does an excellent job of capturing the Paris of the late 19th Century. We wander with Sarah down the boulevards, we encounter the dissipated (and insufferably proud) aristocracy, we come face-to-face with the ridiculous but powerful Emperor Napoleon III. We also get to stand by while she meets with Edward, the Prince of Wales (who prefers to be called Bertie) and becomes fast friends with none other than Oscar Wilde, one of the most famous (one might say infamous) poets and writers of the 19th Century.
For there’s no doubt that the 19th Century that Sarah inhabited was a time of immense cultural change, and she is often caught up in it. One of the chief conflicts of the novel is Sarah’s desire to embrace styles of acting that are anathema to the hide-bound and quite conservative members of France’s foremost theatre company. Time and again, those who can’t see the future — and who are unwilling to change anything about themselves or how they do things — attempt to quash Sarah’s relentless and restless spirit of innovation. Fortunately for her, she’s not the type to let others, no matter how powerful they might be, tell her what to do and, as a result, she almost always ends up winning in the end. In Gortner’s capable hands, Bernhardt becomes something of an incandescent figure, blazing a new trail and urging others to follow her. She becomes, in essence, a celebrity and a star in our modern sense of the word, with the public demanding to have a little bit of Bernhardt in their homes (this is also the time when photography was fast becoming the medium of modernity).
However, being an agent of change entails great sacrifice and, driven as she is by her ambition and her desire to succeed in the world of the arts, it’s not really surprising that Sarah’s personal life suffers, and she endures quite a lot of tragedy during the course of the novel. She loses one of her younger sisters to consumption, and the other, having followed their mother Julie into the world of being a courtesan, dies of an opium overdose.
And yet, for all of the tragedy, there are moments of genuine human warmth aplenty, from the older woman who becomes a second mother to Sarah to the great Alexandre Dumas, who takes her under his wing and helps her along professionally. And, of course, there is Sarah’s son Maurice, whom she loves with a fierce and protective passion. Some of the most touching moments in The First Actress involve her relationship with this young man that she decided to raise on her own, even knowing that her society didn’t look kindly on women who raised a child out of wedlock in front of everyone.
For it’s important to realize just how extraordinary Bernhardt was as a woman willing to maintain her independence. In one of the novel’s most revealing passages, she at last confronts her mother Julie, and the two of them realize that, despite their strong dislike for one another, they have far more in common than either of them have ever wanted to acknowledge. It’s a powerful moment, not just because it shows how much they have fundamentally misunderstood one another (one can almost imagine one of them saying, “You mean, all this time we could have been friend?”) but also because it shows that each of them is aware of the fraught position that women occupy in their world.
The First Actress is a historical novel of the highest order. In some ways, it’s very much like the biopics of classical Hollywood. It takes a particularly important part of this historical figure’s life and puts it under a microscope, allowing us to see how the things that happened during this period shaped their entire persona and later life and actions.
Sarah Bernhardt was, truly, one of the most extraordinary women to have lived during the 19th and early 20th Centuries, a woman driven by desire yet who knew how to get what she wanted from a world always unwilling to give it to her. Fortunately, Gortner is a novelist more than capable of bringing her extraordinary personality to life.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! What a read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2020
This was a wonderful book about an extraordinary actress. What a life she lived - even if this is historical fiction. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Grogner is a historical fiction write who specializes in writing about famous women in history. Here he turns his sights on Sara Bernhardt., whom he calls the first actress(and certainly one of the first Divas). The book is fast pace and well written. My only complaint is that it seems like a romance novel at times. If this is your cup of tea you will absolutely enjoy this historical romp through theatrical history.

A beautifully written historical fiction novel that draws the reader in and suddenly you realize it's dark outside and you missed dinner.  A don't miss novel for lovers of historical fiction.

While we are aware of Sarah Bernhardt by her reputation as a GREAT actress and a long career, little did i know what a strong woman she was -- a Single mother and a fighter for equal pay. Faced with a mother that didn't want her (around), poverty, and a bleak future, Sarah's self-determination and drive made her into a success. She was an avid reader and did have the advantage of a convent education which also provided her with a taste of the arts, specifically acting. Sarah took every advantage of her skill and was given a reference by a gentleman friend of her mother's life that opened the door.  Once through the door, it was all Sarah and the rest is history. Quoting the author C.W. Gortner, "Her searing talent and ambition, coupled with her eccentricity and joie de vivre, have cemented her legacy and her lasting influence on history and the world of acting." BRAVA!!!! Thank you Mr. Gortner and Ballantine Books for the ARC through NetGalley.

I've read this author before (The Romanov Empress) and enjoyed it. This book was enjoyable too. I'd call it good, but not great.
I really knew nothing about Sarah Bernhardt before picking up this book. She was an actress, but there is so much more to her story. The author lets us in starting from her childhood, and it is fascinating.
She is portrayed as a woman ahead of her time (like Georg Sands). She wanted to do what she wanted to do. And she wanted her freedom to do it. She was really not interested in getting married and staying home to take care of the children, which is what most women were doing at that time. However, her family was very important to her, and she worked to take care of them.
I thought the author did an excellent job of presenting Paris in that period. There was a jaunt to London as well that gave us a peek into England. And the differences between the two were well presented as well.
I always wonder when reading this kind of historical fiction: what is fact and what is fiction?
Some characters were very well drawn, others not so much. One is left to wonder if the author just couldn't find much information on the person, but knew for a fact that the person was a part of Sarah's life.
Sarah was portrayed as constantly stirring up trouble, not knowing her place, and not standing for much from anybody.
I enjoyed it but it left me with questions.

First line: If great talent can arise from adversity, mine must have been forged in the cauldron of my childhood.

Summary: The most famous actress of her time, Sarah Bernhardt, rose from obscurity to stardom in France. She was the daughter of a high-class courtesan. She is raised in a convent until her mother decides to start her in the family trade even though Sarah has hopes of being an actress. With the help of influential men like Alexandre Dumas she gets her chance to shine of on the stage and become a worldwide superstar. But even with stardom comes tragedy too.

My Thoughts: Before reading this I had never heard of Sarah Bernhardt but after finishing it I want to know even more. Her life had so many ups and downs. She achieved so much in a time when women still had very little power. She used her skills and strong will to rise. She may have had help but she knew who she was and what she wanted and took it. And she used her influence to help others like during the Franco-Prussian War, another event that I knew very little about.

Unfortunately, most of Sarah’s work was on the stage and before motion pictures and sound but there are a few examples from early recordings that can be found on Youtube. Even though her acting would be out of date in the present at the time it was revolutionary. She changed the way actors spoke to the audience and portrayed the characters on stage. We are lucky to have any piece of her and her skills available for us to see.

Gortner is a phenomenal historical fiction author. He really makes the story gripping. He brings the women he writes about to life. I learn more about the time period then I have ever known while being entertained by the story.

FYI: I highly recommend Gortner’s last book, The Romanov Empress, about the mother of Czar Nicholas II of Russia.

Thank you to Netgalley for granting my wish to read, "The First Actress" by C. W. Gortner. This is my second read from C .W Gortner and once again, I am blown away by his beautiful writing! I had never heard of Sarah Bernhardt before and am completely fascinated by the person she was. While this is a work of historical fiction, it felt like a wonderful tribute to a woman beyond her times.

The First Actress is another great read by CW Gortner. I love his historicals and this one does not disappoint. I am giving it four and a half stars.

I have always wanted to read a book about Sarah Bernhardt and jumped at the chance of an ARC from this author. I have read at least five other books by this author and always look forward to a new one. Life got in the way and I am a little late in my review but here it goes.

I was very interested in how the book described the.hierarchical set up of the theaters in Paris and how hard an actress had to work to find and keep a place. I guess we are used to stories of demanding stars now and assumed Sarah was the same. But she worked long and hard her entire professional life just to keep her career going.I always assumed that she pretty much ran the show. Instead, actors and actresses of her time were not treated like stars today and Paris had a very rigid system of how people got parts and what plays were put on. She fought against this her whole acting life.

I love the descriptions of her household. It was always lively and full of animals. Chaos reigned and I think she would have driven me crazy as a friend. Maybe it was a reaction to how rigid her life at the theater was and how she has been so controlled by her mother.

I listened to the Audio version of this book and will listen to it again together with other books by this author including "Chanel" and "Marlene." If you enjoy historical fiction based on real people, I highly recommend this author/

This was the first time I've read a book by C.W. Gortner, and it was an enjoyable read. What I found most interesting was a peek into the terribly limited options that women had to make a living during the 19th century. I enjoyed learning about the choices and sacrifices Sarah Bernhardt made.

Bravo! This is one of the best historical fictional books I’ve ever read. It is fresh in its writing, beaming with talent from the author. This is the story of a most celebrated actress Sarah Bernhardt.  It tells her story from being the daughter of a courtesan to her covenant school upbringing. To the celebrated one she became in her own right. She is funny, loud, brass and likable. You won’t want it to end. A must read.

As a historical fiction, The First Actress took a deep look at the life of Sarah Bernhardt and her journey to becoming the superstar of her era. Gortner takes on Bernhardt and portrays to the reader her motivations and desire to become more than she was. The end result is a fascinating insight into a pioneer.

"Slow down? Rest? With all eternity before me?"
-Sarah Bernhardt

What to say about the story of a real person's life? Suffice to say Sarah Bernhardt is truly a woman deserving of the recognition, not to mention the author's beautiful work in rendering her on the page.

If you don't know much about Sarah Bernhardt, as I didn't, she was a remarkable woman born in the mid-nineteenth century in France. She was born the illegitimate child of a courtesan and though tied to that life through her mother, Sarah aspires to a life of acting and supporting herself. She was unabashed in advocating for herself, and in hindsight she was one of the first women to push for women's rights before such a movement even existed. If any of this intrigues you, you should just pick up the book, it won't disappoint.

Once again, C.W. Gortner does a brilliant job bringing a historical figure to life through his writing. All of it felt so real (yes, I see the irony,) from Sarah's internal thoughts to the dialogue. It really feels like a window into her life. This time period in France is also fascinating, and one I didn't know terribly much about prior to reading this book. It was such a pleasure to get to see other historical figures, like Alexander Dumas and Oscar Wilde, through this book. It felt like getting to "meet" them in person. I'll read anything C.W. Gortner writes, it feels like an education of world history as well as incredible entertainment.

A huge thank you to C.W. Gortner and Ballentine Books for allowing me to read this through Netgalley. 

I was interested in the story of Sarah Bernhardt as I had not read much about her and wow, what a life she led. The family dynamics just between her and her mother, Julie, was a story all on its own. Bernhardt is one of the most intriguing characters I have read about so far in 2020. Even if she was not acquainted with such figures like Oscar Wilde and Alexander Dumas, Bernhardt herself is such a dynamo of defiance, patriotism and loyalty to those she loved (and even to those she didn't), it was hard for me to put this book down. The drama of the stage, the rivalry between her and a childhood friend, her time as a courtesan, her family battles, Gortner brought Bernhardt to vibrancy in an appreciative tone for her paving the way for other actresses. 

It is sad to know that several of her movies have been lost, I would have loved to have watched her in action. To be named notre divine, The Incomparable One, to have playwrights write role exclusively for her, all of that had to have been a heady feeling, something that I'm sure many in drama and acting strive for. I do look forward to reading more regarding Bernhardt and possibly even her rival's book/memoir at a later time.

French actress Sarah Bernhardt had a complicated life. She was the oldest child of a courtesan who was not really suited to motherhood. Sarah became an acclaimed actress, part-time courtesan, painter and sculptor. She had many patrons and lovers but never seemed to care about any of them. Her sole marriage is covered briefly in an Afterword to this book. Her devotion to her son and 2 younger sisters was consistent throughout her life. The book also covers the way in which Sarah revolutionized theater with a more naturalistic approach to acting. In addition, she turned a theater in Paris into an infirmary during the Franco-Prussian war. 

Unfortunately, the book didn’t succeed in making me care about the details of Sarah’s life. I was most interested in the acting part, but that is really hard to convey in writing. You need to see or at least hear the actor. I also didn’t particularly like Sarah, who was a drama queen both on and off the stage. If I truly wanted to learn about Sarah I’d read a biography, but I don’t feel compelled to seek one out. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Sarah Bernhardt - an actress, theater star, courtesan, humanitarian, single mother, sister, friend. She is one of a kind. A person who played so many different roles on and off the stage.

Sarah has lived a very full life. A daughter of a famous courtesan and wealthy french nobleman, Jewish by birth, Christian by choice. Her adamant and bold attitude lured me into the pages of her life story. From a very early age, young Sarah showed her strong willpower and determination, she set goals and achieved it, and stood up to her oppressors. Sarah was never afraid to take on serious responsibilities, help friends and family in need.

Sarah Bernard built her name using her talent and ambition. Sarah's story is fascinating. A bastard who not only became a famous actress but was able to portray both male and female roles, started in theater proceeded into the film world, and became the highest paying actress of her time. I am very happy that I came across this wonderful novel, thank you NetGalley and Ballentine Books Publisher for a free and advanced copy of the novel and an author for a wonderful life story of Sarah Bernard.