Legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel is revered for her sophisticated style—the iconic little black dress—and famed for her intoxicating perfume Chanel No. 5. Yet behind the public persona is a complicated woman of intrigue, shadowed by mysterious rumors. The Queen of Paris, the new novel from award-winning author Pamela Binnings Ewen, vividly imagines the hidden life of Chanel during the four … during the four years of Nazi occupation in Paris in the midst of WWII—as discovered in recently unearthed wartime files.
Coco Chanel could be cheerful, lighthearted, and generous; she also could be ruthless, manipulative, even cruel. Against the winds of war, with the Wehrmacht marching down the Champs-Élysées, Chanel finds herself residing alongside the Reich’s High Command in the Hotel Ritz. Surrounded by the enemy, Chanel wages a private war of her own to wrestle full control of her perfume company from the hands of her Jewish business partner, Pierre Wertheimer. With anti-Semitism on the rise, he has escaped to the United States with the confidential formula for Chanel No. 5. Distrustful of his intentions to set up production on the outskirts of New York City, Chanel fights to seize ownership. The House of Chanel shall not fall.
While Chanel struggles to keep her livelihood intact, Paris sinks under the iron fist of German rule. Chanel—a woman made of sparkling granite—will do anything to survive. She will even agree to collaborate with the Nazis in order to protect her darkest secrets. When she is covertly recruited by Germany to spy for the Reich, she becomes Agent F-7124, code name: Westminster. But why? And to what lengths will she go to keep her stormy past from haunting her future?
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Interesting look at the life of Coco Chanel through the War years, and how she fought to keep her business.
A wonderful historical novel
A slow read for me but interesting fir its historical value. I has no idea Chanel cooperated with Nazis. She is a survivor for sure and some will question her choices but none that have walked in her shoes.
Interesting story about Coco Chanel and her dealings with Nazis during WWII.
Gave me a better understanding of what it must have been like for Coco. Chanel.
There was a lot I didn’t know.
Good follow up to beneath the scarlet sky…another look at WW2 from a different perspective.
A great read!
An interesting mixture of reality and fiction, Illustrates that we don’t really know what we would do or how we would react if faced with death imposed by an enemy.
I’ve always loved coco Chanel and this was a part of her life I was not familiar with. Enjoyed it a lot.
Wonderful fictional account of Coco Chanel’s life during WWII and the Nazi occupation of Paris.
Great novel about Coco Chanel. It may be fiction, but based on fact.
A great blend of history, biography, and imagined dialogue. Makes me want to do research on Chanel. That’s always a good thing!
Excellent historical fiction about the life of Coco Chanel and specifically her collaboration with the Germans during WWII. Always wanted to know more about her during the war, and Ewen has written a well-researched and imaginative novel. Informative, compelling and enjoyable. Well done!
I enjoyed learning more about Coco Chanel. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Great story!
The Queen of Paris by Pamela Binnings Ewen is a novelized memoir of Coco Chanel. It is a moving story of a self-centered woman who did many things others considered over-the-top. She did not have an easy life and she made her own luck. She was loved by many men, never enough to marry her, however. She had one child, who she was never able to claim. The story gave an alternative view of the Nazis in Paris…not a favorable one, just different. Sometimes things have to be done in order to survive. She did those things. She knew what she was doing and she didn’t always like it, but she did it anyway.
Coco was a complex character and Ewen has captured that in this book. She is a highly damaged woman, too beautiful and willing for her own good. She loved deeply but despite her many lovers, was very naive and was hurt easily. She was perceptive but never knew when to retreat. She used the Nazis as much as they used her. The story is told in narration and jumps from her earlier life to 1940 and back again. We are introduced to the men who loved her as well as the men who used her. We are given glimpses of other famous people of the time: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Winston Churchill, Hermann Goering, et al. It was a terrific read. I learned a lot. I enjoyed it and recommend it as a splendid historical novel as well as women’s fiction.
I received a free ARC of The Queen of Paris from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thequeenofparis
The Queen of Paris by Pamela Binnings Ewen tells a story as classy as Coco Chanel herself. In this richly layered novel, Ewen portrays Coco in her early life as a very young woman, before she was famous and in the years after and surrounding WWII.
This iconic woman desired to be loved, like anyone. Her complicated love life brings about an even more complicated situation. Coco seems to be forever chasing true love, both romantic and paternal.
A determined woman, Coco fights for her name and company and makes decisions which hover in the gray area of life. During the war, some think her a traitor and collaborator with the enemy, but at the core of Chanel burns the desire to keep what’s hers.
Ewen’s in-depth research fuels this glittering tale of glamorous fashion and perfume icon, Coco Chanel. Well-done!
for characters and story – I loved the imperfect, complicated character of Coco. The rich descriptions Ewen paints placed me at the scenes in the book.
1/2 for plot – For me, things wrapped up a little too quickly toward the end, but perhaps that was reflective of Coco’s reality.
for a fairly clean read – There are some sexual encounters mentioned, but they are kept nondescript.
Having read Mistress of the Ritz, I was excited about reading The Queen of Paris. The author, Pamela Binnings Ewen, does an excellent job portraying Chanel. I could tell that she had completed a lot of research to tell Coco’s story. I did think the first half was a bit slow. I am glad I stuck with this book as the second half was well done. I read a lot of WWII historical fiction and this book is another piece of the WWII puzzle. Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars
Coco Chanel is well known for her success as a perfumer (Chanel No 5) and a couturier. She overcame many obstacles and triumphed. I had to admire her determination, but I had trouble reconciling her work as a Nazi collaborator. She had a quick wit and the intelligence to maneuver through the dangerous political landscape that existed in Paris. Coco was a survivor. Her battle over No 5 while unsuccessful highlighted her business savvy. Coco was a force to be reckoned with. She loved deeply but not always wisely. Her liaisons with the famous and infamous never gave her the happiness and security she sought. The Queen of Paris was interesting and informative. Pamela Binnings Ewen based her story on fact. I was surprised by Coco’s wide social circle and how involved she became with the powerful. I couldn’t put down this book. It drew me in and made me check other sources to try and understand this complex woman. Reading The Queen of Paris was time well spent.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.
The Queen of Paris by Pamela Binnings Ewen is a fabulous historical fiction piece that focusses on a very polarizing woman, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. The book narrates as Coco herself, and the reader is lucky enough to get inside her head to try to learn about her past, what monumental things happened in her life growing up and as an adult that can completely alter who they are and become, and also try to reason what was going through her mind during the German occupation of France. The book also covers Coco’s flashbacks to her past, incorporating pivotal moments that altered her path in life as well as the aftermath of the Liberation of Paris. It also covers a few key happenings onwards as well as a great Author’s note that helped the reader know what was known fact vs speculation vs fictional details added in by the author for a better narrative.
I have to say that before reading this, I did not know a lot about Chanel except that she lived at the Ritz for a while, was an antisemite and possible collaborator with the Germans. But, I knew that there had to be so much more. While her behavior is completely inexcusable, one has to think how they would react (in general) and what ideals they may compromise (she may have not have some of those ideals to begin with) when faced with survival or death. Those questions that hit at the base of who we are and what/whom we cherish most are brought up repeatedly while reading Coco’s story.
It was a very thought-provoking novel, that had a great pace, an appropriate ending, and was a much enjoyable read.
5/5 stars enthusiastically