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Chanel's Riviera

Glamour, Decadence, and Survival in Peace and War, 1930-1944

Anne de Courcy

St. Martin's Press

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ISBN10: 1250177073
ISBN13: 9781250177070

Hardcover

304 Pages

$28.99

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The Cote d’Azur in 1938 was a world of wealth, luxury, and extravagance, inhabited by a sparkling cast of characters including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Joseph P. Kennedy, Gloria Swanson, Colette, the Mitfords, Picasso, Cecil Beaton, and Somerset Maugham. The elite flocked to the Riviera each year to swim, gamble, and escape from the turbulence plaguing the rest of Europe. At the glittering center of it all was Coco Chanel, whose very presence at her magnificently appointed villa, La Pausa, made it the ultimate place to be. Born an orphan, her beauty and formidable intelligence allured many men, but it was her incredible talent, relentless work ethic, and exquisite taste that made her an icon.

But this wildly seductive world was poised on the edge of destruction. In a matter of months, the Nazis swooped down and the glamour of the pre-war parties and casinos gave way to the horrors of evacuation and the displacement of thousands of families during World War II. From the bitter struggle to survive emerged powerful stories of tragedy, sacrifice, and heroism.

Enriched by original research and de Courcy’s signature skill, Chanel’s Riviera brings the experiences of both rich and poor, protected and persecuted, to vivid life.

Reviews

Praise for Chanel's Riviera

“De Courcy’s book is entertaining . . . a peek, at once envious and satisfyingly censorious, at the lifestyles of the rich and famous.”The Washington Post

“A well-researched and compelling story . . . Drawing on an immense volume of material, [de Courcy] has succeeded not only in constructing an intriguing portrait of Chanel herself but also in expertly conjuring the two very different worlds that then existed side by side.”—Selina Hastings, Literary Review (UK)

“A gleaming social history of the French Riviera in the 1930s . . . [a] lovingly researched portrait of paradise.”—Kirkus Reviews

“De Courcy is adept at describing displays of opulence, and proves equally capable when portraying the deprivations and reversals of fortune occasioned by the onset of WWII . . . this will be popular with royal watchers, fashionistas, and readers who relish the international social scene.”Booklist

“Dishy and well-researched . . . this fluidly written history succeeds in capturing the era’s intoxicating mix of glitz and grit.”—Publishers Weekly

BOOK EXCERPTS

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INTRODUCTION


This book is neither a biography of Chanel nor a history of the Riviera – both have been written many times before – but the story of the years during which Chanel spent her summers in that part of France.

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