The First Emma
Book Review - The First Emma by Camille Di Maio
Book Review - The First Emma by Camille Di Maio
I read and reviewed The Beautiful Strangers by Camille di Maio last May, the ending of that book still haunts me. The heartbreak and tears snuck up on me, I didn’t see them coming but they came on hard and strong. Once you find an author who affects you like that, you want to read everything they write. So of course when I heard Camille was coming out with The First Emma I was the first to sign up for a review (I don’t know if I was actually the first, but I would have been!)
Book Review - The First Emma by Camille Di Maio
I still remember Camille first telling me about this novel when she heard I lived in St. Louis at the time. She mentioned that her character had St. Louis connections which piqued my interest. The First Emma is about the wife of Otto Koehler, the tycoon behind San Antonio’s Pearl Brewery. She’s the “first” Emma because her husband took on two mistresses, also named Emma, one of whom shoots and kills him. Yes, this real life story has more drama than soap operas.
Book Review - The First Emma by Camille Di Maio
I really enjoyed reading about this crazy story. I kept having to remind myself that this actually happened and I found myself Googling Otto and Emma Koehler so I could read more about the events portrayed in the novel. There were several references to St. Louis and the Anheuser-Busch brewing company, which any St. Louisian will appreciate.
