In this captivating narrative, Chanel’s Riviera explores the fascinating world of the Cote d’Azur during a period that saw the deepest extremes of luxury and terror in the twentieth century. The Cote d’Azur in 1938 was a world of wealth, luxury, and extravagance, inhabited by a sparkling cast of characters including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Joseph P. Kennedy, Gloria Swanson, Colette, the … Gloria Swanson, Colette, the Mitfords, Picasso, Cecil Beaton, and Somerset Maugham. The elite flocked to the Riviera each year to swim, gamble, and escape from the turbulence plaguing the rest of Europe. At the glittering center of it all was Coco Chanel, whose very presence at her magnificently appointed villa, La Pausa, made it the ultimate place to be. Born an orphan, her beauty and formidable intelligence allured many men, but it was her incredible talent, relentless work ethic, and exquisite taste that made her an icon.
But this wildly seductive world was poised on the edge of destruction. In a matter of months, France surrendered to the Germans and the glamour of the pre-war parties and casinos gave way to the horrors of evacuation and the displacement of thousands of families during World War II. From the bitter struggle to survive emerged powerful stories of tragedy, sacrifice, and heroism.
Enriched by original research and de Courcy’s signature skill, Chanel’s Riviera brings the experiences of both rich and poor, protected and persecuted, to vivid life.
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This was a very interesting exploration of the years leading up to the Second World War and then the war itself. It focused on the Riviera and the very wealthy who lived and holiday-ed there, although there is also a lot of description of Paris and Vichy France, particularly during the War. I found the mixture to be very interesting, if at times a bit unfocused.
The book was unusual in that a lot of it was standard historical nonfiction covering a wide variety of people’s stories, from the famous to the more humble, but there was also a lot of gossipy detail that I found fun although not always as impactful – largely because I did not know who a number of the socialites and magnates referenced actually were. Still, it was interesting to read the development of Vichy France and the progression of the war, particularly the highlights between the war experience of the very wealthy and of the regular citizen. I had no idea, for example, that for so many of the very wealthy even occupied France was very lush and extravagant during the War years.
There wasn’t quite as much emphasis on Chanel as I expected from the title and blurb. While she does make appearances throughout the course of the book, large swaths of the story have little to nothing to do with her, which didn’t bother me but is worth noting in case that is why one picked up the book.
All in all I quite enjoyed this one. It was a slow read, and the descriptions of the war years were difficult, but I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy. The book releases in the U.S. on February 11, 2020.
Informative and riveting – thanks to a most talented narrator, I could easily visualize everything and everyone right before my eyes and couldn’t wait to take my dogs out so I could listen to more of this spellbinding audiobook. Meticulously researched and wonderfully presented – I couldn’t get enough of it and recommend it highly!
Per the author, Anne de Courcy, this book isn’t intended to be a definitive biography of Coco Chanel. It is more of a biography of a place—the French Riviera before and during the Second World War. Because the Riviera was such a hot spot, it attracted the rich and famous and infamous, including Chanel and her many lovers. De Courcy covers a broad range of characters such as Winston Churchill, Aldous Huxley, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and a number of Americans, such as the Singer Sewing Machine family—and all their hedonistic lifestyles. The writing on much of this was so superficial as to be skimmable and the number of names dropped so copious that I found it difficult to keep track of them—they seemed like lists of the well-do-do.
The second half of the book saves the first half as De Courcy gave me some insights into pre-WWII France and the “impregnable” Maginot line as she details the treatment of Jewish immigrants as they fled from Nazi Germany. Not until World War Two actually begins, does the writing settle into a more cohesive story. De Courcy describes the devastating effects of German occupation on the lives of refugees, Jews, expatriates and other foreigners along with French citizens on either side of the conflict.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
The period of history between the two World Wars is one of my favorites and when a book not only covers that time but includes Coco Chanel, well it’s one I want to read. She was a remarkable woman. As the Mother Superior said of her – “that unfortunate waif, an illegitimate child born in the poorhouse”. Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel was a force to be reckoned with in a setting that became larger than life with the very, very rich and the very, very famous joining her on the stage. It was a sparkling hedonistic life they all led until their world came up against the beginnings of what became World war II and its many horrors.
So, this book starts with the foundations of The Riviera – a pleasant story and moves on to its ugly story, one that is distressing and makes the reader uncomfortable. Such is history; the beautiful and the horrific. It’s real and I came away from reading it with new information and a desire to go to the library to learn more. That, in my mind, is the sign of a well written book.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin’s and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This was a very interesting exploration of the years leading up to the Second World War and then the war itself. It focused on the Riviera and the very wealthy who lived and holiday-ed there, although there is also a lot of description of Paris and Vichy France, particularly during the War. I found the mixture to be very interesting, if at times a bit unfocused.
The book was unusual in that a lot of it was standard historical nonfiction covering a wide variety of people’s stories, from the famous to the more humble, but there was also a lot of gossipy detail that I found fun although not always as impactful – largely because I did not know who a number of the socialites and magnates referenced actually were. Still, it was interesting to read the development of Vichy France and the progression of the war, particularly the highlights between the war experience of the very wealthy and of the regular citizen. I had no idea, for example, that for so many of the very wealthy even occupied France was very lush and extravagant during the War years.
There wasn’t quite as much emphasis on Chanel as I expected from the title and blurb. While she does make appearances throughout the course of the book, large swaths of the story have little to nothing to do with her, which didn’t bother me but is worth noting in case that is why one picked up the book.
All in all I quite enjoyed this one. It was a slow read, and the descriptions of the war years were difficult, but I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy. The book releases in the U.S. on February 11, 2020.
Informative and riveting – thanks to a most talented narrator, I could easily visualize everything and everyone right before my eyes and couldn’t wait to take my dogs out so I could listen to more of this spellbinding audiobook. Meticulously researched and wonderfully presented – I couldn’t get enough of it and recommend it highly!
Per the author, Anne de Courcy, this book isn’t intended to be a definitive biography of Coco Chanel. It is more of a biography of a place—the French Riviera before and during the Second World War. Because the Riviera was such a hot spot, it attracted the rich and famous and infamous, including Chanel and her many lovers. De Courcy covers a broad range of characters such as Winston Churchill, Aldous Huxley, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and a number of Americans, such as the Singer Sewing Machine family—and all their hedonistic lifestyles. The writing on much of this was so superficial as to be skimmable and the number of names dropped so copious that I found it difficult to keep track of them—they seemed like lists of the well-do-do.
The second half of the book saves the first half as De Courcy gave me some insights into pre-WWII France and the “impregnable” Maginot line as she details the treatment of Jewish immigrants as they fled from Nazi Germany. Not until World War Two actually begins, does the writing settle into a more cohesive story. De Courcy describes the devastating effects of German occupation on the lives of refugees, Jews, expatriates and other foreigners along with French citizens on either side of the conflict.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
The period of history between the two World Wars is one of my favorites and when a book not only covers that time but includes Coco Chanel, well it’s one I want to read. She was a remarkable woman. As the Mother Superior said of her – “that unfortunate waif, an illegitimate child born in the poorhouse”. Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel was a force to be reckoned with in a setting that became larger than life with the very, very rich and the very, very famous joining her on the stage. It was a sparkling hedonistic life they all led until their world came up against the beginnings of what became World war II and its many horrors.
So, this book starts with the foundations of The Riviera – a pleasant story and moves on to its ugly story, one that is distressing and makes the reader uncomfortable. Such is history; the beautiful and the horrific. It’s real and I came away from reading it with new information and a desire to go to the library to learn more. That, in my mind, is the sign of a well written book.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin’s and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.