Overview

The scandalous tale of Madame Rachel - celebrated beautician to the rich and famous of Victorian London, con-artist and convicted blackmailer. A TRUE STORY OF LIES, BEAUTY AND BLACKMAIL IN VICTORIAN LONDON _________________________ Madame Rachel had everything. A Mayfair address; the title of 'purveyor to Her Majesty the Queen'; a shop full of exotic, expensive creams and potions; and a clientele of the aristocratic, the rich - and the gullible. Little did they suspect that Madame Rachel had once been a poor fish-fryer in a disease-ridden, grubby corner of Victorian London. Her shop in New Bond Street lured her wealthy clients in their droves, enticed by the promise of eternal beauty. What they found there was a con-woman and fraudster who made a career out of lies, treachery and the desperate hopes of women wanting to be 'beautiful for ever'. Beautiful For Ever is a thrilling tale of love affairs, scandal, blackmail, high-profile court cases, suicide and fraud, with the extraordinary Madame Rachel right at the centre of it all.

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9780099570134

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[Beautiful For Ever] is, blissfully, proof that there is still simply nothing quite like a good Victorian scandal. Rappaport excels again in this thoroughly researched account of Madame Rachel...this is a well-paced read that tells us something about the modern obsession with appearance while remaining deliciously Victorian at its core * Waterstone's Books Quarterly * Speaks volumes about vanity and Victorian attitudes to women -- Sophie Morris * Independent * Beautiful For Ever is one of those un-put-downable surprises that makes reading worthwhile... This book has the same mix of forensic investigation and light touch that makes Kate Summerscale's books so interesting * Big Issue * Madame Rachel's story, which has been superbly researched by Rappaport, is intriguing in itself [and] sheds a fascinating light on the ladies of Victorian society * Daily Telegraph * A remarkable story... Rappaport handles her scandalous Victorian melodrama with energy and aplomb, and produces a richly entertaining portrait of the seamy side of 19th century society * Daily Mail *

A remarkable story... Rappaport handles her scandalous Victorian melodrama with energy and aplomb, and produces a richly entertaining portrait of the seamy side of 19th century society. -- Daily Mail <br><br> Admirable... Madame Rachel's story, which has been superbly researched by Rappaport, is intriguing in itself [and] sheds a fascinating light on the ladies of Victorian society. -- Daily Telegraph

A remarkable story... Rappaport handles her scandalous Victorian melodrama with energy and aplomb, and produces a richly entertaining portrait of the seamy side of 19th century society Daily Mail Madame Rachel's story, which has been superbly researched by Rappaport, is intriguing in itself [and] sheds a fascinating light on the ladies of Victorian society Daily Telegraph Beautiful For Ever is one of those un-put-downable surprises that makes reading worthwhile... This book has the same mix of forensic investigation and light touch that makes Kate Summerscale's books so interesting Big Issue Speaks volumes about vanity and Victorian attitudes to women -- Sophie Morris Independent [Beautiful For Ever] is, blissfully, proof that there is still simply nothing quite like a good Victorian scandal. Rappaport excels again in this thoroughly researched account of Madame Rachel...this is a well-paced read that tells us something about the modern obsession with appearance while remaining deliciously Victorian at its core Waterstone's Books Quarterly

Author Information

Helen Rappaport is an historian and Russianist with specialisms in the Victorians and revolutionary Russia. Her books include No Place for Ladies- The Untold Story of Women in the Crimean War, Ekaterinburg- The Last Days of the Romanovs, Beautiful For Ever- Madame Rachel of Bond Street - Cosmetician, Con-Artist and Blackmailer, Magnificent Obsession- Victoria, Albert and the Death that Changed the Monarchy; Four Sisters- The Lost Lives of the Romanov Grand Duchesses and Caught in the Revolution- Petrograd, 1917. A fluent Russian speaker, she has translated many classic Russian plays (including all of Chekhov's) and was historical consultant to Tom Stoppard's National Theatre trilogy The Coast of Utopia (2002). She is also a frequent contributor to television and radio documentaries, most recently Russia's Lost Princesses (BBC2, 2014). She lives in West Dorset.

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