The Courtesans cover

The Courtesans

by Joanna Richardson

An interesting book detailing the lives of the courtesans of the France's Second Empire; these range from the sad life of Alphonsine Plessis (aka Marie du Plessis) ,whom Dumas (fils) immortalised in 'La Dame aux Camelias", to the hard uncompromising life of 'La Paiva', the Russian prostitute who became one of the most wealthy and influential women in Paris and, had she lived a little longer, would have eventually have become a princess. The book could have had a broader spectrum extending beyond the Second Empire, but is well worth a read.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?