Join us

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Newsletter

Alexandra Lapierre

Belle Greene

Cover: Belle Greene - Alexandra Lapierre

Alexandra Lapierre

Belle Greene

2022, pp. 496, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781609457587
Translated by: Tina Kover
Region: France
Available as ebook Available as ebook Available as ebook
$ 28.00

The book

Based on the true story of Belle da Costa Greene, a woman who defied all odds to carve out a destiny of her own choosing, this is a richly imagined novel bursting with atmosphere, lush period detail, and many unforgettable characters.

New York in the 1900s. A young girl fascinated by rare books defies all odds and becomes the director of one of the country’s most prestigious private libraries. It belongs to the magnate J.P. Morgan, darling of the international aristocracy and one of the city’s richest men.

Flamboyant, brilliant, beautiful, Belle is among New York society’s most sought after intellectuals. She also hides a secret. Although she looks white, she is African American, the daughter of a famous black activist who sees her desire to hide her origins as the consummate betrayal. Torn between history’s ineluctable imperatives and the freedom to belong to the society of her choosing, Belle’s drama, which plays out in a violently racist America, is one that resonates forcefully, and illuminatingly even today.

The fruit of years of research and interviews, Alexandra Lapierre’s magnificent novel recounts the struggles, victories, and heartbreaks of a woman who is free, astonishingly determined, daring, and fully, exuberantly alive.

The author

Alexandra Lapierre
Alexandra Lapierre is a bestselling French novelist, short story writer and biographer. She graduated from Sorbonne University and the University of Southern California. Among her works that bring back to life great women and characters neglected by history, is the international bestseller Artemisia (Vintage, 2012). Her books have been published in more than twenty countries.

Press

From the same country

  • Cover: Living with our Dead - Delphine Horvilleur

    Delphine Horvilleur

    Living with our Dead

    2023, pp. 144, $ 22.00
    WINNER OF THE 2021 BABELIO PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION A timely, powerful reflection on our relationship to death and an invitation to accept...
  • Cover: Kids Run the Show - Delphine de Vigan

    Delphine de Vigan

    Kids Run the Show

    2023, pp. 272, $ 26.00
    A cautionary tale for a world in which social media has shattered the boundaries of intimacy.
  • Cover: Here, and Only Here - Christelle Dabos

    Christelle Dabos

    Here, and Only Here

    2023, pp. 200, $ 21.00
    The new novel from the million-copy bestselling author of The Mirror Visitor Quartet
  • Cover: Paradises Lost - Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

    Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

    Paradises Lost

    2023, pp. , $ 27.00
    The beginning of a unique adventure, the tremendous challenge of recounting the history of humanity.
  • Cover: The Postcard - Anne Berest

    Anne Berest

    The Postcard

    2023, min., $ 29.95
    Brilliantly told, Anne Berest’s luminous, moving, and unforgettable new book The Postcard is the most acclaimed and beloved French novel in...
  • Cover: The Postcard - Anne Berest

    Anne Berest

    The Postcard

    2023, pp. 464, $ 28.00
    Brilliantly told, Anne Berest’s luminous, moving, and unforgettable new book The Postcard is the most acclaimed and beloved French novel in...

More suggestions

  • Cover: The Bridesman - Savyon Liebrecht

    Savyon Liebrecht

    The Bridesman

    2023, pp. 160, $ 18.00
    From one of the most important voices in contemporary Hebrew literature, the gripping story of a reunion between two family members that brings...
  • Cover: Kids Run the Show - Delphine de Vigan

    Delphine de Vigan

    Kids Run the Show

    2023, pp. 272, $ 26.00
    A cautionary tale for a world in which social media has shattered the boundaries of intimacy.
  • Cover: Everything Calls for Salvation - Daniele Mencarelli

    Daniele Mencarelli

    Everything Calls for Salvation

    2023, pp. 176, $ 17.95
    From one of the most exciting voices in a new generation of Italian writers, a powerful and moving novel that explores both the darkest recesses and...
  • Cover: The House of Gazes - Daniele Mencarelli

    Daniele Mencarelli

    The House of Gazes

    2023, pp. 224, $ 17.95
    The critically acclaimed first novel from the author of Everything Calls for Salvation, adapted into a Netflix Original series, is...
  • Cover: Bournville - Jonathan Coe

    Jonathan Coe

    Bournville

    2023, pp. 400, $ 28.00
    A tender and wickedly funny portrait of England told through four generations of one family.
  • Cover: The Long Corner - Alexander Maksik

    Alexander Maksik

    The Long Corner

    2023, pp. 288, $ 16.95
    A bold novel about ambition, grief, creativity, beauty, and existential emptiness that retraces the arc of American life and culture in the first...

Join Our Newsletter and receive a FREE eBook!

Stay updated on Europa’s forthcoming releases, author tours and major news.

Are you a bookseller? Click here!

Are you a librarian? Click here!

X