The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester
Moving from the post-war era to modern day and back again, The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester is a gripping family drama with mystery woven into the fabric of the story. Telling the told-and-untold stories of the Bricard women, Natasha Lester illustrates just how society diminishes the achievement of women to inflate the egos surrounding them. A moving novel of growth, acceptance, and personal daring, The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard is a masterclass in multigenerational story telling.
Release Date: January 30, 2024
Available from: Amazon & Bookshop.org.
About the Author, Natasha Lester
New York Times best selling author Natasha Lester worked in beauty marketing as an executive for L’Oréal and Maybelline before pivoting towards creative writing. Her experiences in the beauty world must have certainly influenced The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard, offering a first-hand look at the way such industries have historically treated women designers and executives. The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard is Lester’s seventh novel. You can learn more about Lester and her work from her website here.
…[It] wasn’t easy. I had three babies over the five years of writing my first book. My manuscript was rejected many times. But I loved writing, so I kept going through all the babies and all the doubt and all the rejections.
– Natasha Lester
About The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard
A multigenerational story of great depth, The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester tells the story of three generations of Bricard woman. Spanning from the early 20th century to today, the novel centers on Mizza Bricard, the infamous “muse” for Christian Dior, who is more than history gives her credit for. Mizza’s strained relationship with her daughter Astrid leads to some complex inter-generational trauma, which lands squarely on Astrid’s daughter, Blythe’s, shoulders.
Plot Summary
In 1973, fashion icon Astrid Bricard disappeared at the legendary Versailles designer show-down. All that remained was a scrap of fabric…and a family unraveled.
Everyone remembers her daringly short, silver lamé dress. An iconic photo capturing an electric moment, where emerging American designer Astrid Bricard is young, uninhibited, and on the cusp of fashion and feminism’s changing landscape. She and fellow designer Hawk Jones are all over Vogue and the disco scene. Yet she can’t escape the legacy of being the daughter of Mizza Bricard, infamous “muse” for Christian Dior. Astrid would give anything to take her place among the great houses of couture–on her own terms. I won’t inspire it when I can create it.
But then Astrid disappeared…
Now Astrid’s daughter, Blythe, holds what remains of her mother and grandmother’s legacies. Of all the Bricard women, she can gather the torn, shredded, and painfully beautiful fabrics of three generations of grief, heartbreak, and abandonment to create something that will shake the foundations of fashion. The only piece that’s missing is the one question that no one’s been able to answer: What really happened to Astrid?
My Thoughts on The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester
Taking place in the competitive fashion world, The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard is a gripping family drama set amongst an intriguing — and, at times, infuriatingly misogynistic — cast of characters. Part of what originally drew me to the story was the fashion component. The cover reminded me a bit of Gossip Girl, to be honest, and I was in the mood for something along those lines. The novel certainly isn’t that, but I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless.
To be honest, though, what I enjoyed most was the stories of the ties between the three women, above and beyond the fashion component. In that family drama aspect, Natasha Lester’s work shines.
The fashion side of the story is almost a distraction — not in a bad way, mind you, but almost in an intentional way, to show the way it distracted the Bricard women from their own autonomy, ability, and personhood. The melodrama that arises due to the industry sets the stage for the different characters’ personal growth trajectories, illustrating how far society has come in terms of understanding mental health, gender equality, and maternal health (and how far it still has to go on all fronts).
Where to Buy The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard
The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester is set for publication on January 30, 2024. It is available for pre-sale from both Amazon and Bookshop.org.
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*This novel was gifted to me as part of a review program that Cats & Coffee is a part of. I was not required to post about the novel in exchange for getting a copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my honest own.
