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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My initial impression of this book was such I was going to quit reading it. I found it very hard to get into but sticking with it, the story did redeem itself. It is based on the true story of Claude and Blanche Auzello. Claude is the director of the Ritz Hotel in Paris at the time it is taken over by the Nazi's and used as their headquarters. Blanche and Claude make their home in the Ritz. He must, of necessity, cater to the Nazi's. This is the story of how they each become involved with the Resistance, without the knowledge of the other. She thinks she knows where Claude goes when phone calls come in the middle of the night, and he thinks she is a drunk. The truth is much more noble for each, and they don't find out until it is almost too late.
Thoroughly enjoyable book about residents of the Ritz in Paris during World War II. Based on real characters where not much is known about them, Benjamin did a bang-up job of making them believable and relatable.
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book fucks. did take me a hundred pages to realize that it wasn't a murder mystery [nothing about the desc/cover makes it out to be a murder mystery that was on me]
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have enjoyed every Melanie Benjamin novel I have read, and this is no different. Mistress of the Ritz is a wonderful story of the marriage between two people who had both a hotel and a war come between them. Highly recommend.
I have enjoyed every Melanie Benjamin novel I have read, and this is no different. Mistress of the Ritz is a wonderful story of the marriage between two people who had both a hotel and a war come between them. Highly recommend.
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Poignant. Du début à la fin. Une histoire d'amour entre un français et une américaine, mêlée au tumulte de l'Occupation & de l'oppression des Juifs. Tout cela derrière les portes du grand Ritz. Oui, poignant est le mot.
DNF. I just got bored with the relationship at the core of the novel. It seemed to drag on. May be more interesting to other readers. The writing was fine, it was just not fast-paced enough for me.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's slow going at first. But then as the war picks up and Blanche gets more involved in the resistance, it speeds up a bit. Not the best French resistance novel I've read by far, but a mostly enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape