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The French consul's wife : memoirs of Céleste de Chabrillan in gold-rush Australia

Chabrillan, Céleste Vénard de, comtesse, 1824-19091998

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Summary

Review: "A former Parisian courtesan, circus performer and dancer, Celeste de Chabrillan scandalised Melbourne society when she arrived in 1854 as the wife of the French Consul. These memoirs give a vivid first-hand account of the two-and-a-half years she spent in gold-rush Victoria."--BOOK JACKET. "Celeste's arrival in Melbourne was preceded by the publication of her earlier memoirs describing her illegitimate birth, miserable adolescence and celebrity career as courtesan, bare-back rider and polka dancer. She had believed the book would never reach Australia but it went on sale just before she arrived. As a result she was dubbed the consul's 'harlot spouse' and ostracised by polite society."--BOOK JACKET."Despite this, Celeste did not avoid the public gaze and continued to employ her literary talents. These memoirs are of a life spent in the village of St. Kilda, the diplomatic and Government House circle and the Ballarat gold fields. The exotic dancer Lola Montez, the actor/entrepreneur George Coppin and the pioneer photographer Antoine Fauchery are among the historical figures portrayed by a writer who is revealed as a woman of great energy and wilful temperament."--BOOK JACKET.