The Bugatti Queen

Born in 1900 to a soon-to-be-widowed postmaster''s wife in a small French village, Hélène Delangle''s background offered no suggestion of the extraordinary life she was to lead. The first step was to leave the country behind and head to the city -- in this case, a Paris in the grip of an intoxicating 1920s blend of creativity and debauchery.

She became a dancer, and then a stripper. But the demi-m...