A review by cmnb
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

5.0

Grabbing hold of me from the beginning, this story had me literally feeling as if I were standing in the streets of Paris in 1878 watching the stories of these two girls unfold. My heart soared with hope as Marie rose through the ranks at the Opera dance school. My stomach knotted as I followed Antoinette sinking lower. I held my breath as I read every word that would hopefully see these two girls rise above their lot in life and the choices they made. This is the very best of historical fiction, with real characters and actual events as the backbone of a heart wrenching tale. A masterpiece in storytelling, I have no doubts I will pick it up again in the not too distant future for a reread.