In occupied Paris, one woman risks everything to help bring down the Nazis.Paris, 1940. The Nazis have occupied the city—and the Ritz. The opulent old hotel, so loved by Parisians, is now full of swaggering officers, their minions and their mistresses.For American Olivia Olsen, working as a chambermaid at the hotel means denying her nationality and living a lie, every day bringing the danger of … bringing the danger of discovery closer. When Hitler’s right-hand man moves in and makes her his pet, she sees an opportunity to help the Resistance—and draw closer to Jack, her contact, whose brusque instructions may be a shield for something more…
Within the hotel, famed designer Coco Chanel quickly learns that the new regime could work to her benefit, while Arletty, one of France’s best-loved actresses, shocks those around her—and herself—with a forbidden love.
But as the war reaches its terrible end, all three women learn the true price of their proximity to the enemy. For in the shadow of war, is anyone truly safe?
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First I have to confess that I love anything about Paris, especially Paris during and in between the two world wars. So I was naturally drawn to this book, but I hadn’t expected it to pull me in so immediately and powerfully. The book opens before the occupation with American artist Olivia trying to make a living painting portraits on the street and meeting a mysterious man. Gabriel writes in a very straightforward, strong style that matches the time and the story perfectly, and from that first scene, I had to know what would happen to Olivia as conditions in Paris worsened over time.
Not only did I love Olivia, Gabriel lets readers into the lives of some of the real people who lived at the Ritz and others who endured the war, and I found all of it fascinating. There are definitely good guys and bad guys, but the author doesn’t draw anyone as a caricature, and all are complex, multi-dimensional characters. And the story pulls all of the elements together into a maze of a plot that was enthralling to me until the very end.
I have been a fan of this author since GABON. I love it when I read a good book and also learn something. This was one of those great reading experiences.
Skillful story, romantic and compelling. An exciting narrative you won’t want to put down.
My favorite genre is historical fiction and I especially like WWII fiction. I am constantly amazed at every day people became extraordinary heroes. I have read other books that have been written about the Ritz during WWII. In this book, the author focuses on A fictional character, Olivia, an American who is in Paris who is a chambermaid and has a Swedish passport, The other two characters are real life Coco Chanel and a French actress, Arletty. I found myself caught up in their lives, the decisions they make and the consequences of their decisions. I felt the author did a wonderful job in making me feel like I was in the room with these characters and found myself having conversations with them.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. I hated saying good-bye to the characters.
I really liked this book and found the characters realistic and likable. The whole story takes place at the Ritz hotel in Paris and the occupation of the Germans within the city. It’s a great look back into three main characters lives and how they survived this occupation within the walls of the Ritz. Very good book! Highly recommend.
I love the fact that many of the characters are real life people.
The author is great, and the story moves at a fast pace.
Wonderful story taking place during WW2, with a perfect ending.
I loved this book. Characters were interesting and the story was very good.
A fascinating story of the Ritz Hotel during the Nazi occupation seen through the activities of a young American, Coco Chanel, and a movie star new to me–Arletty. The women were distinctive and interesting in different ways.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This is a book of historical fiction, yet with a lot of reality thrown into the mix. The book follows three main characters, Olivia, Arletty and Coco, all within the context of their relationship to Olivia.
Let’s start with Olivia, the fictional character. Just before World War II, Olivia is an American in Paris studying to be an artist, albeit a starving one at the moment. She meets Fabrice, an anarchist, falls in love, and goes to work at the Ritz Hotel. The Nazis soon occupy Paris and commandeer the Ritz Hotel. Fabrice is killed, and her anger over his death leads Olivia to become a spy for the Resistance. As a chambermaid at the Ritz, she has access to the Nazis’ living quarters and any papers they may have.
Based on reality, the French actress Arletty has an affair with the German officer Hans Jürgen Soehring. Arletty and Olivia become friends, which I just totally did not understand. Arletty is branded a collaborator and marked for death by the Resistance, yet Olivia tries to see the gray areas and feels benevolent toward her.
Also based on reality is the story of Coco Chanel, who lived at the Ritz for most of her life. It is well-known that not only was she was a collaborator, she initiated schemes to rid herself of her Jewish partners. Once again, Olivia feels some compassion for her.
I tried to like the book, and will say that I learned a lot about the real-life people portrayed as it led me to do some research. But the characters just seemed hollow, especially Olivia. For a woman who is a spy in the Resistance, she lacks…something. Passion? Drive? Anger? Hate? At some points it felt like I was reading a Harlequin novel. It just didn’t click for me, and didn’t add to the story. I would have preferred some more grittiness of the Resistance and less of the debauchery and opulence of the wealthy.
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Hard to resist a book entitled The Parisians with the Ritz as a focal point. I’ll admit that influenced my decision to read the book, but it was the complexity and the atmosphere that really gave it punch. There was such a contrast of characters, both fictional and real-life personalities, occupying the Ritz. There was Madame Ritz, Coco Chanel, a French actress, and the fictional chamber maid, as well as the Nazis who offered themselves a modest 90% room discount. This book was well written and definitely worth reading. The Author’s Note at the end of the book gives an account of the fate of the characters after the war.