The Mistress of Paris was awarded the runner-up’s prize in the 2012 Biographers’ Club Tony Lothian competition. And so we arrive at the heart of the matter: Robbe-Grillet’s “little girl” wife was, it appears, a dominant from the start, from her first sneer at the nuns, at Catholicism (she is not a believer), at convention, from her keeping of multiple simultaneous lovers, and now here with her grand seigneur.

More and more, I see that the important thing for me, now, is to make you happy.… I have such waves of tenderness, with the memory of words and gestures from you, you, you, so small and easily tired, that I always want to hold you tight against me.… You’re sweet, Catherine, sweet, sweet, and I love you. And I know so well that you, yes you, are all my happiness in living. The last year and a quarter has been difficult for us all. But I am pleased that during the pandemic, I successfully made the transition from real time sessioning Dominatrix to online. Moving forward, online Domination will continue to be My main focus. I enjoy it and is a lot more hassle free. But nothing beats the one on one connection found in a real time session.The Postmistress of Paris was inspired by the remarkable, true story of Mary Jayne Gold. The book includes many of the actual people she worked with during WWII including Fry and Daniel Bénédite along with real-life figures from the surrealist art movement Max Ernst and André Breton. Author Meg Waite Clayton presents the danger and terror of the war through the eyes of a small circle of people including one very courageous young woman. Just when I thought I’d read enough books about the French Resistance to last me for a while, I was pleased to read Clayton’s new, well-researched historical novel, which is a moving story with strong, brave characters. And a little romance too.

More recently she staged “Le Soir de DSK” (The Evening of DSK). The evening took place in four scenes set in a hotel bedroom: a man rapes a chambermaid, a man has consensual sex with a chambermaid, a woman rapes a bellboy, and a woman has consensual sex with a bellboy. I ask Madame which of the four scenarios worked best. Her blue eyes twinkle. “Well, the woman who played the hotel guest was very convincing.” As he looked at Mistress, he noticed that she was rubbing herself while talking to him – she was turned on by every single aspect of the situation. Her authenticity in loving her role truly showed. “Until we touch down in my home, we will give the appearance that you have some rights, just remember, in reality, this is not the case,” she took the gloves hand she was using to rub her pussy and grabbed his face. “You get fresh, or get out of line, even a little bit, and you will pay – a very high price.” She pushed his head to the mattress leaving her scent all over him. “The next time you see me slave, will be on our flight. I have some things to do and people to see on the last night in Berlin. It’s a 15 hour flight slave – rest up.” Lots of VIRTUAL events for this one, so please join me from anywhere. Schedule at https://www.megwaiteclayton.com/events/Overall, this was an exceptionally rewarding reading experience. The Mistress of Paris is so engaging, written and structured so well, and I thoroughly recommend it if you're intrigued by Paris' social scene in the 19th century, and how the courtesans made the city their own. In the four decades since, she has acquired a considerable following and, in France, a certain unique renown, much coming from the publication of Cérémonies de Femmes—written under the nom de plume Jeanne de Berg, the feminine form of her previous pseudonym. The book details, often graphically, some of the ceremonies she has conducted over the years, including the one that went terribly wrong—a submissive inadvertently moved at an inopportune time—and ended with a fountain of blood in the emergency room. Since then she only rarely uses knives. Catherine, it is worth noting, is not a “professional” dominatrix and has never, ever accepted money: “If someone pays, then they are in charge. I need to remain free. It is important that everyone involved knows that I do it solely for my pleasure.”

There was also more focus on the plotting side of things and their day to day lives in Villa Air-Bel rather than actually helpings others which lessened the emotional impact of the book and makes me feel that the title of the book is very misleading as Nanée only delivers about 2 messages. This is unfortunate as one of the main aspects of historical fiction that engages me is seeing this emotion and the hardships of the past so it did reduce my enjoyment. I ended up spending most of the time wishing that I had finished the book already. Nanee ama París, y siempre ha estado interesada en el arte y en una fiesta de artistas conocerá a Edouard, artista judío que ha escapado de Alemania para salvar a su hija Luki y que no los manden a los campos de concentración… i algo me gusta de los libros de ficción histórica es que se basen en personas o en hechos reales , y la autora lo ha vuelto hacer, en los dos libros que he leído, ambos están basados en mujeres importantes y olvidadas.There are quite a few Surrealist artists featured in this one along with photographer Edouard Moss. Together with another American, Varian Fry, many of those in hiding were spirited away to other countries.

Catherine explains repeatedly that it is la complicité (the complicity) with the other women that drives these events, that the bonding created between them is the great satisfaction. Catherine is my secret garden,” she says quietly when I inquire about the nature of their intimacy. “I have given myself to her, body and soul. She does whatever she wants, whenever she wants, with either or both, according to her pleasure—and her pleasure is also my pleasure.” When I ask what she will do when Catherine dies, she starts to cry. She is the only person who has ever dominated me,” says Beverly. “What I feel for her is not because she’s a woman, or an older woman, or a tiny woman. It’s because she’s Catherine. She has this power—this thing that is like nothing I’ve ever encountered in anyone else. You read poetry about love, and I think of all the millions of words that have been written about it, and I’ve never read anything that comes close to describing what I feel.” Her story is told conventionally, with a lot of detail. She was a public figure, and her life was documented in the press, and she was involved with many of the great figures and controversies of her time, so there are a variety of sources. However, the problem for me was that she spent her whole life creating a history and image for herself. Although her real origins are revealed, once she transformed herself, her story becomes less interesting. Information about her clients and patrons, her friendships and public appearances are all known and recounted, but there is little about the person underneath. She hid her real thoughts and feelings - even possibly from those closest to her. The author spends time detailing the events her friends and clients were caught up in, but Valtesse's presence often seems like a cipher - ghost-like. It's as if we are seeing her public face, but not her private one.The book's opening chapters introduce us to the two main players, the sparks that fly between them, as well as the artistic setting/element of the book. I must admit, I did find this went on a bit too long for me. I wanted to dive right into the 'action' of the book. The hiding, the subterfuge and the danger. That does come, but Waite Clayton also stops along the way to explore other themes such as the love between a parent and child, the loss of loved ones and the sacrifices made. Different views are provided with Luki having her own chapters, as does Edouard. There are many supporting players, all just as determined with the same goal. I did find one character to be quite detestable as he plays 'games' at the house that the group shares. I thought there would be a reason he was included, but never found a meaning for his inclusion and ugliness. But he is tempered with the addition of a dog to the tale - named Dagobert. Catherine Hewitt’s academic career began with a passion for 19th-century French art, literature and social history. Her doctoral research uncovered the remarkable story of a forgotten 19th-century courtesan, and after being awarded her PhD, she set out on her career in biography. Catherine’s first book, The Mistress of Paris, was awarded the runner-up’s prize in the 2012 Biographers’ Club Tony Lothian competition for the best proposal by an uncommissioned, first-time biographer. Based on meticulous research, Catherine’s writing seeks to lift history out of the dusty annals of academia and bring its characters and events to life for the 21st-century reader. Her writing introduces real people, telling their stories in intimate detail and enabling readers to share their successes and frustrations. As well as writing, Catherine lectures and runs workshops on 19th-century French art, literature and social history, always seeking to share her enthusiasm for French history and culture. She also works as a translator, and past projects have included translating a permanent exhibition of the work of the radical French female painter Suzanne Valadon for a gallery near Limoges in France.