A young lady told me with considerable pride, that the train station in her home city had been designed by Eiffel, pronounced Eefell, so it’s just as well I knew who she meant. Gustave Eiffel? Wow, I would love to see that, I replied, properly impressed. Now, let me introduce you to MADEMOISELLE EIFFEL, Claire, the eldest daughter of the architect.
In 1891, losing her mother at fourteen was a considerable shock to Claire. She has already been helping her dear papa, and now throws herself into the role of assistant, besides running his Paris home and the younger siblings. The scenes where she decides to stand up to her Bonnemama – grandmother – are amusing, as the autocratic senior woman is trying to do what she thinks best, but comes from a different age. Claire can’t be admitted to college, being a girl, but can take on strong roles and support her family business. Unfortunately, her oldest brother Édouard has no such imagination, and spends all his money loosely, at college or not. The ongoing family dynamics oblige Claire to take a certain path, away from the artist life she might have led.
Aimie K. Runyan has worked with family letters and documents stored in museums to recreate Claire. While we don’t know how she first regarded Adolphe Salles, her papa’s right-hand man, it’s likely she felt upset at being told to marry Adolphe to keep the business in the family. Luckily, the marriage goes well, but we see Claire is not the sort to attend balls and tea parties, so she doesn’t have a stream of suitors. Maybe she didn’t want to marry. The author introduces a neighbour, Ursule Blanchet, who demonstrates the life of an unwed female artist – lively but frustrating, as few salons want to take women creators seriously.
Several of the massive engineering projects of the firm are covered in the time period of the book, from a Portuguese bridge to the 1889 World’s Fair for which an iron tower is proposed. The Eiffel Tower was originally meant to be a temporary structure and met opposition from the wealthy, who feared a collapse, noise, dark shadows and a view they would not enjoy. Between the work of appeasing them and gaining funds to build, and overseeing safety for workers, some aspects come across as really modern. There are also cameos from folks like Thomas Edison and buildings like the under-construction Moulin Rouge to keep us interested.
I’ve climbed the Eiffel Tower, all but the last stage where I was obliged to use the elevator. The view of Paris is stunning. So it is in this splendid novel, MADEMOISELLE EIFFEL. Bonne chance, Claire.
From the author of The School for German Brides and A Bakery in Paris, this captivating historical novel set in nineteenth-century Paris tells the story of Claire Eiffel, a woman who played a significant role in maintaining her family’s legacy and their iconic contributions to the city of Paris.
Claire Eiffel, the beautiful, brilliant eldest daughter of the illustrious architect Gustave Eiffel, is doted upon with an education envied by many sons of the upper classes, and entirely out of the reach of most daughters. Claire’s idyllic childhood ends abruptly when, at fourteen, her mother passes away. It’s soon made clear that Gustave expects Claire to fill her mother’s place as caregiver to the younger children and as manager of their home.
As she proves her competence, Claire’s importance to her father grows. She accompanies him on his travels and becomes his confidante and private secretary. She learns her father’s architectural trade and becomes indispensable to his work. But when his bright young protégé, Adolphe Salles, takes up more of Gustave’s time, Claire resents being pushed aside.
Slowly, the animosity between Claire and Adolphe turns to friendship…and then to something more. After their marriage in 1885 preserves the Eiffel legacy, they are privileged by the biggest commission of Eiffel’s career: a great iron tower dominating the 1889 World’s Fair to demonstrate the leading role of Paris in the world of art and architecture. Now hostess to the scientific elite, such as Thomas Edison, Claire is under the watchful eye not only of her family and father’s circle, but also the world.
When Gustave Eiffel’s involvement in a disastrous endeavor to build a canal in Panama ends in his imprisonment, it is up to Claire to secure her father’s freedom but also preserve the hard-won family legacy.
Claire Eiffel’s story of love, devotion, and the frantic pursuit to preserve her family’s legacy is not only an inspired reflection of real personages and historical events, but a hymn to the iconic tower that dominates the City of Lights.
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