Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I made a few attempts to read this book but I just couldn't connect with the writing style or characters at all. There's no sense in writing a full review about a book that just fundamentally wasn't something I enjoyed. Review not posted anywhere else.

I'm not going to lie, I saw this beautiful cover and immediately feel in love and requested this book from NetGalley instantly, only briefly glancing at what the book was about. After learning that my request had been accepted, I got so excited and immediately dove into this book, checking out the synopsis fully beforehand but without actually realising that it was based on a true story.

I didn't really enjoy this book at all and I kept continually putting it down, not only because I kept getting bored and wasn't enjoying the writing of it, but also because I wasn't liking the main character Belle at all, finding her selfish. There was nothing that made me want to pick this book back up once I had put it down, except for the fact that it was a NetGalley read and I needed to finish it in order to review it. It advertised as being witty and inherently feminist and it wasn't either of those things. I don't know how much of this book is actually based on true events and I'm not interested in learning, which is shocking to me as I usually go exploring the real events afterwards, which for me, goes to show my complete lack of interest in this book. 

I have really been enjoying historical reads lately, but this one was certainly a miss for me. Whether it was the story, the writing, the characters or a combination, I found this book lacking.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

In Becoming Belle, Nuala O’Connor (a pseudonym of the Irish author Nuala Ní Chonchúir) brings to life a young woman whose picture hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in London but whose name is probably unfamiliar to most of us today. She is Belle Bilton, a star of the Victorian music hall who later became the Countess of Clancarty. O’Connor’s novel tells, in fictional form, the story of Belle’s rise to fame, her marriage and the scandalous court case that follows.

Born Isabel Maud Penrice Bilton, the eldest daughter of an artillery sergeant, Belle grows up in an army garrison watching her mother, an entertainer, perform for the troops. It is while taking her mother’s place on stage one night that Belle decides she also wants a career in entertainment, so at the age of nineteen she leaves the military life behind and heads for London to make her dream come true. Belle’s singing and dancing quickly causes a sensation and when she is joined by one of her younger sisters, Flo, the two form a double act that becomes the star attraction of the London theatres.

Following a performance one day in 1889, Belle meets and falls in love with William, the young Viscount Dunlo, son and heir to the Earl of Clancarty. It’s not long before she and William are standing in the Registrar’s Office in Hampstead taking their marriage vows and looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together. At twenty years old, however, William is still firmly under the thumb of his father, the Earl, who is furious when he hears of the secret wedding and makes it clear that he will do whatever it takes to separate his son from Belle.

Some books grab you from the first page, while others take much longer to settle into – and for me, Becoming Belle was one of the latter rather than the former. The account of Belle’s early life and first days on the stage didn’t interest me much and I came close to abandoning the book after a few chapters. Belle herself seemed as though she would be difficult to like – an ambitious social climber like Becky Sharp from Vanity Fair, but with little depth or substance to her character – and the focus on her sexual encounters also put me off. I’m glad I continued, though, because I thought the second half of the book, after Belle meets William, was much more compelling than the first.

I don’t want to say too much about how the story of Belle’s marriage plays out, but it involves a court case which draws in most of the characters we have met in the novel and which was widely reported in the media of the time. I managed to resist looking up the facts about the real Belle Bilton, so I didn’t know what the outcome of the court case would be, but by that stage of the book I was fully invested in Belle’s story and hoped there would be a happy ending for her. I still didn’t like her very much, but I had more sympathy for her than I’d had earlier in the novel because she’d had so much to contend with during her short time in London. However, I couldn’t really see her as a feminist heroine ‘ahead of her time’ as she is described in the book’s blurb; although I admired her for trying to get what she wanted out of life, for working hard at her chosen career and securing financial independence, she seemed too willing to give it all up to become Countess of Clancarty and too ready to forgive William for the appalling way he treats her at times.

I have no idea what the real William, Viscount Dunlo was supposed to be like, but based on the way he is portrayed in this book, I found him immature and pathetic, declaring his love for Belle while at the same time allowing his father to tear them apart. Luckily, there were plenty of other, stronger characters in the novel whom I found more appealing to read about: for example, Belle’s close friend Isidor Wertheimer, the antiques dealer, and her sister, Flo, both of whom support her through her various ordeals.

Despite struggling with the first half of this book, I ended up really enjoying Becoming Belle – although I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of her time at Garbally Court, the Clancarty estate in Ireland. Anyway, I went from thinking Nuala O’Connor was not an author for me to wanting to read more of her books.

Isabel Bilton is the eldest of three daughters living in a military barracks and controlled by her mother. Isabel longs to be on the stage and her father allows this, before long she is the toast of London. After a early affair with a scoundrel naive Isabel becomes pregnant and afterwards she vows only to marry for love, reinventing herself as Belle. Falling for a young Irish nobleman, Belle is shunned by his family as they try to force the couple apart leading to a notorious court case. Supported by her sister and her close friend Isidor, Belle triumphs and finally takes her place in society.
This is a terrific story, a woman who led her life on her own terms in the cauldron of society in the 1890s, Belle is an engaging character. My problem was that I was expecting a biography and instead got a very syrupy romantic novel. This is the sort of book that will appeal to the masses who like their stories with a rosy glow and their characters very one-dimensional, the issue is that is not me. It's my fault for expecting something different, not the the author's fault, she has written what she wanted to write.

A very enjoyable read, it had an interesting storyline and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future,

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

This was an advance copy from netgalley - thank you

This is my genre - I expected to love this and this didn't disappoint

I was engaged from the first page, so well written, draws the reader in from the first

I particularly liked the fact that it was real. It was researched and presented in a great way

If historical fiction is your thing - you MUST read this

For me, it was a great holiday read but I would also recommend as a book club in a group setting - the discussions about Victorian life would be soooo interesting

Can't recommend this enough - I've been telling everyone I know they MUST get hold of the book and read

So sharp and enticing, I wanted to just live in the writing and the version of historic London O'Connor has created.

Based on the true story of Isabel (Belle) Bilton, this is a rags to riches story of romance, passion and despair written with both skill and dedication.
In 1887 young Isabel Bilton leaves her military family, determined to find success on the London stage. Using her charm and determination she finds a place , and soon sends for her younger sister. As a double act they take the theatre crowd by storm until Isabel falls prey to a wily con artist who leaves her pregnant and in despair. It is onl with the support of her sister and her good friend that she is able to give birth in secret and send the child out to be fostered while his father is jailed for fraud. Back on stage she soon catches the eye of a young Irish Viscount who defies family and society to marry her. Forced apart by his family, he is sent abroad and she is forced to once again turn to her good friend for support. When she is brought before the divorce court amidst scandal and shame it soon emerges that her husband still loves her, and so the divorce is not granted and the couple move to Ireland where she lives out her days as a countess.
While the author is constrained somewhat by the historical facts , that did not make the story being told any less enjoyable or entertaining, I had something of a love hate relationship with the character of Belle, she was incredibly selfish and naive, but also strong, determined and loyal. At the end of the book the author explains which parts of the story are entirely fictional , which I also appreciated, I really enjoyed the way the author described life among the Victorian theatre crowd , the bohemian lifestyle and joie de vivre was vividly brought to life.

Inspired by a true story of the countess clancarty, this historical fiction is a great read. It’s enjoyable, a real page turner. I loved Belle, her strength and going against convention of the time. An inspiring story.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Becoming Belle is a book that takes its inspiration from a real person: Isabel Bilton, who was the Countess Clancarty.
I love historical fiction and this book disappoint me for sure. I thought it was a very well written and researched historical encounter. I specifically love to read book s set in Victorian London, and that was just a nice bonus for me :) I felt completely hooked to this book, and enjoyed to read about Belle.
It's one of the rare times the writer also gave information about what actually happened to the characters of the book, which was amazing to learn.

It's a very enjoyable, true historical fiction that I'd recommend.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Becoming Belle is a novel inspired by the real-life story of Isabel Bilton, the Countess Clancarty. Who rose to fame as a Music Hall performer before marrying into aristocracy. It is a very well written piece of historical fiction and I found myself fully immersed in Victorian London. Although the story was compelling to read I just could not endear myself to Belle and at times shook my head in disbelief at some of the things she did. But one has to admire her determination to strive for what she desired from life. I did find that I skipped forward a few pages towards the end as my interest began to wane, but overall it was a solid and enjoyable read. I particularly liked the end pages where the author gives some factual insight into what became of Isabel and other characters.

This is an excellent story of a young woman's adventures based on a real life story. The heroine is plucky and not at all hidebound by convention. She takes up a life in the variety stage before plunging into a series of romantic and platonic relationships. I enjoyed it hugely. Isabel or Belle is a very likeable character whom I've seen compared to Becky Sharpe. She's actually rather nicer than Becky and perhaps lacking that edge of cliff-edge living that impelled the earlier heroine. So a good read if lacking the satirical thrust of Vanity Fair.

An interesting read set in a captivating era. I liked reading the story and the characters even though they are not always the most endearing, the main character Isabel is naive and self obsessed but it seems to come from a place of youth and innocence so I found myself almost indulging her nature and getting swept away with her story because of this.

Thanks for allowing me to review this book

I think perhaps I just wasn’t in the right headspace for this book. It was a bit more commercial fiction than I like in my historical fic. That said, it was well detailed and the plot was compelling. I don’t know much about Belle Bilton but this would inspire me to learn more. An enjoyable read but I am slightly outside the target audience.