The Queen of Paris: A Novel of Coco Chanel by Pamela Binnings Ewen

 Gabrielle Bonheur ‘Coco’ Chanel (1883-1972) remains to be an icon of couture and perfume Chanel No. 5. But what probably most of us don’t know, she was also a Nazi spy. By playing with fire, she put herself into fire. To save something or someone she dearly loved, she had collaborated with the Nazi's.

French Riviera, 1944. Gabrielle Chanel – Coco to most – just learned that her business partner has stolen the No. 5 perfume formula.

Pierre Wertheimer, Jewish businessman, flees Europe for America taking with him the formula to produce it in the US.

“Since closing her line of couture last year after the worker’s strike, No. 5 has become her primary source of income.”

She takes the case to court.

The story alternates between 1940-1944 and her past.

1909. On a hot humid day, “on a whim I tied a black grosgrain ribbon around the rim of a straw boater, a lighter, cooler hat than fashionable ladies wore.” Then suddenly, some ladies crave her hat. Before she knows, she is in business of selling hats.

“Then came jackets and skirts and blouses… (…) classic, simple…”

1940. As France is under German control, now it’s also governed by German laws. She thinks she can outsmart SS officer. But she makes a fatal mistake. And now she can lose everything, even her freedom.

Vividly imagined story has a heart-warming ending, even tear-dropping. To have such a friend…

The focus of the story is Coco Chanel, not the gruesome events of WWII. At the same time, the author skillfully puts dimensions into the time period. It is interesting to read how war is progressing in France, some not feeling the effect of it at all, at least at the beginning of the war. And after liberation, the terror, or the Purge, that follows on the streets of Paris.

Coco Chanel is very real. She is a very complex woman. Among her many traits, she is ambitious, driven, arrogant, and more. Events in her life propel her to be certain way. She makes a name for herself, but she is not so lucky with the love of her life – Boy Capel. Despite her superiority, she still can be a likeable character and you do feel sympathy for her and feel for her lost love.

With smooth prose and evoking characters, this story of an iconic couturier is revealed in engrossing layers.

Release date: 7 April 2020

Source: Blackstone Publishing