A USA Today and Globe and Mail bestseller!A novel of survival, love, loss, triumph—and the sisters who changed fashion foreverAntoinette and Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel know they’re destined for something better. Abandoned by their family at a young age, they’ve grown up under the guidance of nuns preparing them for simple lives as the wives of tradesmen or shopkeepers. At night, their secret stash … tradesmen or shopkeepers. At night, their secret stash of romantic novels and magazine cutouts beneath the floorboards are all they have to keep their dreams of the future alive.
The walls of the convent can’t shield them forever, and when they’re finally of age, the Chanel sisters set out together with a fierce determination to prove themselves worthy to a society that has never accepted them. Their journey propels them out of poverty and to the stylish cafés of Moulins, the dazzling performance halls of Vichy—and to a small hat shop on the rue Cambon in Paris, where a boutique business takes hold and expands to the glamorous French resort towns.
But the sisters’ lives are again thrown into turmoil when World War I breaks out, forcing them to make irrevocable choices, and they’ll have to gather the courage to fashion their own places in the world, even if apart from each other.
“The Chanel Sisters explores with care the timeless need for belonging, purpose, and love, and the heart’s relentless pursuit of these despite daunting odds. Beautifully told to the last page.” —Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Last Year of the War
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A poignant story and a great ‘trip’ to Paris.
A stirring rags-to-riches story to be sure, but more than that, The Chanel Sisters explores with care the timeless need for belonging, purpose, and love, and the heart’s relentless pursuit of these despite daunting odds. Beautifully told to the last page.
What an exceptionally, well-researched exploration of these extraordinary women. Told from the point of view of Coco Chanel’s lesser-known sister, Antoinette, this novel transports readers from the harsh convent orphanage where they spent their younger years, through their hardscrabble climb out of poverty, to the romantic complexities circling among Paris’ elite! This story goes far beyond the fashion world and takes a deep dive into the issues of classism, sexism, and materialism. Powerfully woven, readers will want to read more from this talented author.
I’ve read several Chanel novels recently and found this one to be the best and the most accurate one. Antoinette Chanel makes a wonderful protagonist, telling her own version of the Chanel story. Perhaps, it’s because Ms. Little chose her as a central narrator instead of Coco or maybe because she was written in such a relatable, sympathetic way, I couldn’t help but root for her and her sisters as they were desperately trying to claw their way out of poverty and make a name for themselves in a world that only acknowledged good pedigree and social status. Also, I just have to mention how wonderfully Paris was presented through Antoinette’s eyes: it virtually comes alive right before your eyes and becomes a character of its own, not just a background for Chanel fashion house. If you’re hesitating between different Chanel novels, read this one – you won’t regret it, I promise! A wonderful work of historical biographical fiction.
MUST READ FOR FASHION FANATICS! Fascinating insight to Coco Chanel, a fashion icon, from her humble beginnings as an orphan in a convent to the horrific struggles of World War I… all through the viewpoint of her sister Antonietta. I loved seeing where Coco’s inspirations came from, for example, using underwear jersey and common rabbit fur. Her determination and drive to design fashion in war time, and opening boutiques wherever the war was not, was inspiring. I delighted in finding out about Coco Chanel through Judithe Little’s imaginative and lyrical prose. Loved it!
I feel that if you like to read novels based on real people you will enjoy this story. This is a story of Coco(Gabrielle) Chanel and her sisters. This tells a tale of the sisters as they grow up in an orphanage and how Coco becomes famous. The story is told by Coco’s sister Antoinette. I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book and then I think it got a little slow once they started Coco’s business. I did like how it ended and I needed to know the ending. I received a copy of this book from Harlequin for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Left at a convent orphanage at an early age, the three Chanel sisters, Julia, Antoinette, and Gabrielle, were raised under sparse and harsh circumstances. Told by the nuns that they would never be anything more than they were, Gabrielle was determined to prove them wrong. This determination is what drove her and her sister Antoinette to not only rise above their means, but to become famous.
The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little is a wonderful novel following the life of the three sisters from their days at the convent through WWI. I’ve read so many novels about Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel during WWII, but this one really sets the stage of describing the how and why of Coco’s life and the choices she made. Exquisitely written – you will not be able to put this novel down. Highly recommended to lovers of historical fiction.
I loved this story of two ambitious women who dare to envision brilliant futures for themselves and refuse to settle for anything less. Judithe Little has created a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the rags-to-riches rise of fashion’s most intriguing icon.
With compassion, sensitivity, and dashes of humor, Judithe Little masterfully reveals the little-known story of Coco Chanel’s younger sister, Antoinette. From a convent orphanage to the rue Cambon in Paris, this meticulously researched and emotionally enveloping narrative about the sisters’ determined climb out of poverty and into high society is historical fiction at its finest. Antoinette Chanel will capture your heart. If you read only one book this year, make it The Chanel Sisters.
I liked it.
The Chanel Sisters is the remarkable and sometimes heartbreaking story of Coco Chanel and her sister, Antoinette. After overcoming poverty and growing up in a convent, the sisters struggled to make their way in the world and left an indelible mark. I loved this story and can’t wait to see what Judithe Little writes next!
Ok read, not riveting.
Very informative.
While a lot of literary license was taken in this book, I found that it was very interesting and enjoyable. It was well-written and the character development was excellent. I have recommended it for our book club.
Entertaining book about the Chanel sisters. Their lives were difficult in the beginnings but they persevered and ultimately realized their individual talents.
When I think of Chanel I think first of the name Coco, then perfume, then fashion. But I knew little to nothing about Chanel the brand or that there were even sisters.
There are gifted storytellers, masters of description and the ability to weave characters and story. Judith Little is one of them. When she writes about the pensionnat, Moulins, Vichy, the rue Cambon in Paris, you’re strolling down the boulevard, taking in the sights, drinking wine, hoping with all your heart to fall in love. You can smell the air, the river, the fragrance from the trees, hear the crunch of leaves, feel the wind through your hair. Her deliberate use of French throughout the story heightens the experience. Not long sentences but sprinklings of single words or short phrases that capture the mood or essence. My high school French came in very handy and still there were words I had to look up. [You’ll want to keep a dictionary handy.]
And the sisters! Gabrielle (Coco) and Antoinette not only come to life but feel as if they’re next door. From their simple existence inside convent walls to the dazzling spectacle of Paris and beyond, these characters exude so much determination, ambition, and fierce courage. A pair of lionesses. I also enjoyed the short chapters that portray the essence and importance of the scene. Just enough to revel in the moment and then you move on.
I’ve been to Paris and Deauville and several of the places mentioned in the story, but I was a visitor, a tourist. Now I want to go back and see them through the eyes of these women who lived there, who breathed the air, who made them their own.
The Chanel Sisters is a pièce de résistance. Historical fiction lovers and readers who enjoy a fabulous adventure will gobble this up.
Charming, lovely take on the early years of Coco Chanel and her younger sister Antoinette, raised in a convent school and making their own way to chart their unlikely rise in the fashion world. Great for historical fiction fans.
Wonderfully written and fantastically portrayed, The Chanel Sisters, is truly one of those books I didn’t want to put down or to end. Even better than Little’s debut novel, Wickwythe Hall, which was a masterpiece in itself, this story holds a bit of scandal and intrigue that has you routing for the women’s suffrage movement. I’ve never been more intrigued about the life of Coco Chanel. I highly recommend the Audible version. The reader had an amazing French accent that put me right in the center of early 1900’s France. With the story telling ability of Sara Waters and Philippa Gregory, Judith Little takes a fictional turn at spinning the life of Coco Chanel through the eyes of her younger sister, Antoinette. Impoverished, struggling, with the desire to be ‘better’, the Chanel sisters are the true winners against the societal rules of their time. Romance has never been so poignant. I can hardly wait to see what page in history this author turns to next! I can’t recommend The Chanel Sisters enough. Delightfully BBC material.
Loved it great book about Chanel
The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little tells the story of the three Chanel Sisters, Julia-Berthe, Antoinette and Gabrielle. This is an enchanting story that takes the impoverished sisters and their dreams to be “Something Better” to a lifestyle most people only dream about. Without giving any spoilers, the author did a brilliant job in describing life for the young Chanel girls who were abandoned at a convent by their father after their mother passed away. The author gives readers an in-depth look into their lives in such a carefully constructed manner you feel the frustration, fear, but most importantly the strength and determination to rise above their station in life. The research that went into this book is so detailed that at times I felt as though I had been transported to another place and time. It was especially interesting for me to learn how Gabrielle came to be known as Coco Chanel who rose to become one of the greatest icons in the fashion industry. You mention the name Chanel and women all over the world sigh and wish they could afford a timeless masterpiece designed by Coco Chanel. I am so grateful to have received an Uncorrected Proof of this book. These opinions are strictly my own. I have rated it a five but it is so deserving of a much higher rating.