About Mademoiselle Chanel
• Hardcover: 416 pages• Publisher: William Morrow (March 17, 2015)
• Book Blurb:
She revolutionized fashion and built an international empire . . . all on her own terms
Born into rural poverty, Gabrielle Chanel and her sisters are sent to a convent orphanage after their mother's death. The nuns of the order nurture Gabrielle's exceptional sewing skills, a talent that would propel the willful young woman into a life far removed from the drudgery of her childhood.
Burning with ambition, the petite brunette transforms herself into Coco, by day a hard-working seamstress and by night a singer in a nightclub, where her incandescence draws in a wealthy gentleman who becomes the love of her life. She immerses herself in his world of money and luxury, discovering a freedom that sparks her creativity. But it is only when her lover takes her to Paris that Coco discovers her destiny.
Rejecting the frilly, corseted silhouette of the past, Coco's sleek, minimalist styles reflect the youthful ease and confidence of the 1920s modern woman. As her reputation spreads, her couture business explodes, taking her into rarefied circles of society and bohemian salons. But her fame and fortune cannot save her from heartbreak as the years pass. And when Paris falls to the Nazis, Coco is forced to make choices that will haunt her always.
An enthralling novel about an entirely self-made woman, Mademoiselle Chanel tells the true story of Coco Chanel's extraordinary ambition, passion, and artistic vision.
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Review: I've read several of C.W. Gortner's books before, and usually they deal with royalty, but Coco Chanel is royalty, fashion royalty.
Gortner treated her in the same way he treats the other royalty he writes about.
I don't know much about Chanel, except that for a brief period of time in my younger life, I spent way too much on the cosmetics that have the same name. (Yet, I never shelled out the cash or a bottle of perfume...go figure)
I loved getting to know Coco. She was definitely a woman ahead of her time. She's also a woman that you have mixed feelings about. I think to get where she did, you simply couldn't be "nice."
Gortner has a way of captivating his readers with the subject matter, and this book did that. From the very start you become immersed in Coco's life; her humble upbringing to her rise in the fashion world and everything in between.
If you've read any of his other novels, you won't be disappointed by this one, and if you are just starting here, be prepared to be impressed.
Rating: 5 flowers
2 comments:
I've read a few of Gortner's books and loved them so I'm expecting great things from this one too!
Thanks for being a part of the tour.
Thank you so much for hosting me and for your great review. I'm honored to be here and thrilled to see how much readers are enjoying "Mademoiselle Chanel."
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