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Madame Mirabou's School of Love: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: Barbara Samuel
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $5.75
You Save: $8.20 (59%)
New (28) Used (21) from $3.29
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 555068
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0345469143
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345469144
ASIN: 0345469143
Publication Date: March 28, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Sometimes real passion means living the life you’ve always wanted.
Nicole Bridges still can’t believe she’s taken up residence in a Colorado apartment complex nicknamed “Splitsville.” She’s still reeling from her husband’s affair, a divorce she never saw coming, and having to leave the upscale, comfortable world she helped make for her ex and their teenage daughter. With little money, even less work experience, and no idea what to do next, she takes tentative steps–if only to keep her head above water.
Along the way, Nikki unexpectedly finds herself falling in with eccentric new neighbors–and being seduced out of her funk by a charming, elusive ex-Londoner. And through her delight in the sensual elements of perfume, she will discover the courage to form bonds she never imagined. When a discarded flyer printed with the name “Madame Mirabou” provides the spark of inspiration, Nikki dares to blend the fragments of her life into a fragrance that’s uniquely and passionately her own.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Excellent September 3, 2007
C. Otero (Albuquerque, New Mexico United States)
I just finished reading this work and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't think of any detail of the novel that wasn't satisfying or that I found lacking in any way. Well thought and executed. I would certainly reread it.
 I am becming a Barbara Samuels devotee June 19, 2007
JessamynMarie (Houston)
Madame Mirabou's School of love is mistitled -- it is hardly at all about the character who plays acts at being Madame M. (but that does not detract from the novel). Instead it is about a wholly believable character, Nikki Bridges, who is newly divorced and wobbling around trying to figure out what kind of life she now wants to live. Her hobby is that of making perfume, and she has the nose for it. This novel is very redolent and sensual, in that Nikki's memories are always linked to very distinct scents and aromas. Nikki becomes a waitress and finds a little shop she'd like to turn into a perfumery, and of course, she also begins to find love with a beguiling tall dark stranger. I have read all of Barbara Samuels now and very much appreciate her female characters. They usually have a healthy streak of creativity and quirkiness. I also love her western settings. I am a total devotee, starved for her next title.
One more reason to love Barbara Samuel's writing! November 6, 2006
A reader from Missouri
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I absolutely drooled all over Barbara Samuel's MADAME MIRABOU'S SCHOOL OF LOVE. I've been a Barbara Samuel (Who's also known as Ruth Wind when she writes for Harlequin.)fan for a long, long time. There's something about the rich flow of her language and her close-to-the-bone insight into her characters that fascinates me. I love that her books are about life, not necessarily as neat and pretty as we wish it was, but as it is. She writes about the struggles regular people face with eloquence and compassion. MADAME MIRABOU'S SCHOOL OF LOVE tells another one of these wonderful, rich, fabulous stories.
Nikki Carrington is recently divorced and unwilling or unable to let go of her former life until her house blows up. Left with nothing, she is homeless, jobless, and out of sync with who she used to be. To try to recover from the loss and rediscover the woman within, Nikki gets an apartment that happens to be in a building with another divorced woman and a soldier's wife, left behind when her husband is deployed. It is these women, and the women in the restaurant where Nikki gets a waitressing job, who encourage her and help her develop the courage to pursue dreams long set aside. As Nikki moves toward a life beyond her divorce and into a the tender beginnings of a new relationship, her neighbor Wanda, who helped Nikki regain her perspective, reveals the devastation that can occur when a woman refuses to grow and change.
Samuel recently won the Romance Writers of America coveted Rita Award for her last book LADY LUCK'S MAP OF LAS VEGAS; I look for MADAME MIRABOUS SCHOOL OF LOVE to be a hot contender for next year's Rita.
Yes, you CAN recover from betrayal with style! June 16, 2006
C. Farley (Bakersfield, CA USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Betrayal, from a friend, co-worker or even worse--your spouse is devastating. The whole process of one step forward and two steps back can seem so pointless unless you persist long enough to finally turn around and see how far you've come. This author
handles the horrible process of spouse betrayal and the recovery process with wisdom and sensual writing. Her use of perfumes
and their descriptions create a safe spot for the female lead to retreat to as well as create an entire new category to learn about. Discussions of essences and beautiful bottles, work in a fragant restaurant bring in food and menus and when the greatest new guy shows up! I almost held my breath all the way through the courtship! This is a delightful book about love, recovery, healing and could be enjoyed by everyone from teen to senior.
Really lovely story May 18, 2006
E. Northrop (MI)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
This novel tells a really lovely story about a recently-divorced woman reluctantly being forced to start her life over and find happiness and fulfillment.
All the characters are very well-written and well thought-out. Each one has a meaning and is not there for filler. I found all the emotions of the main character to be authentic, and her growing in fits and starts true to her situation - someone who did not want a divorce and grappled with so many emotions for her ex-husband (continuing love, anger, confusion), her daughter, her new friends, and eventually her promising new love.
The title of this novel suggests that it's some kind of quirky chick-lit story, but I think that is misleading. It is a novel of humor, yes, but not without lots of layers of other emotions. It even touches on depression and anorexia in the context of a secondary character in a thoughtful way.
I really enjoyed reading this book and was dreading the last page. It was a very satisfying reading experience.
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