Mademoiselle Chanel

January 12, 2015
The formidable task of telling the rags-to-riches story of fashion doyenne Coco Chanel is almost pulled off in this lengthy book by historical novelist Gortner (The Tudor Vendetta). We learn of her father who abandoned his five children, that Gabrielle Chanel’s first entry into fashion was as a milliner, how she came to be called “Coco,” the birth of the Chanel logo, the origin of her famous perfume—named for test-sample bottle number five; and her creation of the famous “little black dress.” Here, too, are the legendary artists and politicians who peopled her fabulous life—Cocteau, Stravinsky, Picasso, Churchill, to name a few—as well as her tumultuous relationships with a handful of financially successful men. And then there is her life during the German occupation of France, living at the Ritz, no less, where she had a liaison with a high-ranking German officer (Hans Gunther von Dincklage) leaving some questions about the nature of her true sympathies during WWII. Despite the colossal amount of facts we have about Chanel’s life, we never get a real sense of the woman who turned fashion upside down in the 1920s, whether because the story is told in first person, or because the urgency to cover a voluminous amount of material leaves us with plenty of information but not enough heart and soul to get at the core of who this charismatic woman really was.

January 1, 2015

Gortner's (The Tudor Vendetta) Coco Chanel is an innocent, unimpeachable in her intentions. The truly evil (jackbooted Nazis), nauseatingly insipid (every female in her family), or anarchically catty (the bohemians of Paris) force Chanel to make imperfect decisions in response to their failings, not from any character defect of her own. Why have an affair with a German officer? Not to enjoy creature comforts in a time of deprivation, oh no--but because it is her only option. Why take an interest in her nephew's fate? Because he is her sister's child--not because he is, as is believed by many, her own son. This self-delusion torpedoes Gortner's whitewashing of Chanel. In failing to acknowledge even in her thoughts the rumors Chanel certainly would've heard, the first-person omniscient narration is wasted. Someone so alienated from her own reasons for action hardly represents the expectations-defying icon that Chanel should prove to be. Instead, she is a figure of a fan fiction who is afraid of upsetting its long-dead subject. VERDICT Historical fiction readers looking for insight into World War II Paris should try Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, and nonfiction readers will get more nuanced insight from Ronald C. Rosbottom's When Paris Went Dark. [See Prepub Alert, 9/22/14.]--Nicole R. Steeves, Chicago P.L.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2015
Gabrielle Coco Chanel comes to life in Gortner's tale inspired by the life of fashion's most famous name. Born into poverty and abandoned by her father, Gabrielle Chanel and her siblings spend their childhoods in an orphanage. Blessed with exceptional sewing skills and a drive to succeed, Gabrielle leaves the convent at 18 to become a seamstress by day and a dance-hall performer by night. She discovers a passion for millinery, which propels her into the world of luxury and high fashion. When she meets the rich and powerful Etienne Balsan, Coco finds the freedom to pursue her creative interests. But it is her relationship with Arthur Boy Capel that turns her minimalist hat designs into an international couturier business. Detailing a life spent among the most influential people of the time, the story of Coco Chanel takes readers through some of the most powerful moments in world history, all seen through the eyes of one of the most influential designers of the twentieth century. Gortner (The Tudor Vendetta, 2014) brings history to life in a fascinating study of one woman's unstoppable ambition.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)