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theliterateleprechaun 's review for:
The Dressmaker's Secret
by Lorna Cook
When the Germans invaded France, most Parisians fled. However, Mademoiselle Chanel chose to remain in the occupied city, living at the Hotel Ritz where the German military officers were living. Cook’s story starts in the summer of 1941 where Chanel meets a high-ranking German attaché of the German embassy in Paris, Baron Hans Gunter von Dinklage, at the Ritz and ends in 1945, with a brief epilogue about her death in 1971.
Readers enter Coco’s world for four years and immerse themselves in wartime Paris, The Ritz, secrets, lies, love and resistance. A unique perspective, Coco’s life is told through the eyes of her ladies’ maid, Adele Fabron. Although Coco had a luxurious apartment above her shop across the street, she’d been living in the Ritz since 1937. Adele is hired in 1941 as a live-in ladies’ maid after an accidental meeting and as the narrative progresses, readers are privy to Coco and Adele’s secrets. You’ll find out why Coco collaborated with the Nazis, why a precious 1647 painting by Charles Le Brun was found in her suite at the Ritz, how she was able to regain full monetary control of her company from her Jewish partners, as well as discover why Adele wants to keep her extracurricular activities to herself, and if she can attain happiness and love after the war.
To expose Coco’s secret life, Cook has chosen to present this story as a dual timeline and uses Chloe’s quest in 2018 to slowly reveal the secrets behind the doors of No. 302, The Coco Chanel Suite at the Ritz Paris. I was surprised that Cook chose not to add much emotion nor a sense of the luxurious lifestyle I was expecting to read about; however, the beautifully executed dual timeline and the surprise twist more than made up for any shortcomings. Chloe has ties to Paris, The Ritz and to Coco Chanel, so you’ll have to read to find out why she is able to shed a light on the fashion icon’s life and see if what Chloe uncovers while in Paris has the potential to help solve her present problems.
Since 1999 the records the French secret service kept on celebrities they deemed suspicious have been declassified and authors and journalists are sharing what they’ve gleaned from accessing the documents. I’ve enjoyed ‘The Chanel Sisters’ by Judith Little which is written from Coco’s younger sister’s point of view and reveals Coco’s rise to fame. I also have (unread at this point) The Last Collection by Jeanne Mackin and Mademoiselle Chanel by CW Gortner. Although the focus is the same, each author brings out different aspects of this enigmatic fashion icon’s secret life. I'm sure as research continues into these declassified documents, we'll have more books published, giving us a deeper look into Coco Chanel.
Publishes January 27, 2022.
I was gifted this advance copy by Lorna Cook, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Readers enter Coco’s world for four years and immerse themselves in wartime Paris, The Ritz, secrets, lies, love and resistance. A unique perspective, Coco’s life is told through the eyes of her ladies’ maid, Adele Fabron. Although Coco had a luxurious apartment above her shop across the street, she’d been living in the Ritz since 1937. Adele is hired in 1941 as a live-in ladies’ maid after an accidental meeting and as the narrative progresses, readers are privy to Coco and Adele’s secrets. You’ll find out why Coco collaborated with the Nazis, why a precious 1647 painting by Charles Le Brun was found in her suite at the Ritz, how she was able to regain full monetary control of her company from her Jewish partners, as well as discover why Adele wants to keep her extracurricular activities to herself, and if she can attain happiness and love after the war.
To expose Coco’s secret life, Cook has chosen to present this story as a dual timeline and uses Chloe’s quest in 2018 to slowly reveal the secrets behind the doors of No. 302, The Coco Chanel Suite at the Ritz Paris. I was surprised that Cook chose not to add much emotion nor a sense of the luxurious lifestyle I was expecting to read about; however, the beautifully executed dual timeline and the surprise twist more than made up for any shortcomings. Chloe has ties to Paris, The Ritz and to Coco Chanel, so you’ll have to read to find out why she is able to shed a light on the fashion icon’s life and see if what Chloe uncovers while in Paris has the potential to help solve her present problems.
Since 1999 the records the French secret service kept on celebrities they deemed suspicious have been declassified and authors and journalists are sharing what they’ve gleaned from accessing the documents. I’ve enjoyed ‘The Chanel Sisters’ by Judith Little which is written from Coco’s younger sister’s point of view and reveals Coco’s rise to fame. I also have (unread at this point) The Last Collection by Jeanne Mackin and Mademoiselle Chanel by CW Gortner. Although the focus is the same, each author brings out different aspects of this enigmatic fashion icon’s secret life. I'm sure as research continues into these declassified documents, we'll have more books published, giving us a deeper look into Coco Chanel.
Publishes January 27, 2022.
I was gifted this advance copy by Lorna Cook, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.