As an artist, Olivia finds Paris to be a much harder place to make a living than she expected. Forced to find work Olivia joins the staff at the Ritz as a chambermaid. As the Nazi's take over Paris, they also take over the luxurious rooms and spaces of the Ritz. Forced to clean the rooms of top Nazi's, Olivia finds an opportunity to work for the allies, photographing documents left strewn about their rooms.

This was a very interesting story. The characters were very realistic and dynamic. I particularly loved how real historical figures were woven into the story. I look forward to reading more from this artist. Overall, highly recommended.

I love WWII books set in Paris. This is the story of Coco Chanel and the ritz during a horrible time in history. I would recommend this to all fans of WWII historical fiction.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Poignant, Deeply-moving and Heart-breaking!

Then, which World War 2 story, isn't?

This is a story of three women. Olivia Olsen, an American woman of Swedish descent. Famous french actress, Arletty and none other than Coco Chanel. With famous and grand hotel the Ritz set as a backdrop its the story of these three women as they navigate the murky paths of secrets and betrayals during the German occupation of France.

One thing that I have learned from reading books from that era is the fact that no matter how many books I may read on World War 2 there is always something new to learn about the most brutal war in the human history. However, all of the stories has one thing in common. they are all stories of courage, resilience, bravery, perseverance and extreme determination. This one is no different. while, honestly, I didn't really cared about Chanel's and Arletty's story line. Olivia story touched me deeply, her struggles, resourcefulness, resilience and courage broke my heart so many times and I was so happy with the ending of this book because Olivia just deserved all the happiness and love in the world.

I'm not sure how historically accurate the story was but I liked it. I don't think I've read any other WWII stories set in Paris so that made this story unique. I loved the glamour of the Ritz and the scandalous celebrities Coco Chanel and Arletty. I don't think Olivia made a very believable spy but I couldn't help but fall in love with Yokel and Bumpkin. I'm a sucker for a slow burn, against all odds romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the Parisians. Within a few pages I was going to Google to read more about Coco Chanel and her involvement in WWII and after that I was hooked. I loved the fictional character of Olivia and how she wove her into other famous women in France during WWII and the role of the French Resistance and the Ritz. The beginning was a little slow, but really picks up.

When Paris was overrun in WW2 the Nazi's took over the Ritz Hotel and this is the story of three women who became involved with them. Olivia is an American artist who took a job as a chambermaid at the Ritz to help pay her way and a at the outbreak of the war decided to stay, claiming her Swiss origins, and collected information for the Resistance, Arletty an actress who fell for a German SS officer and Coco Chanel whose German collaboration is well documented.
How will the lives of these three women intertwine and what will happen to them at the end of the war?

An interesting historical read, the inclusion of Coco Chanel in the story adds an interesting twist and I enjoyed the book and will be looking for further books by this author.

I loved this engaging novel set in WWII. Even Coco Chanel makes an appearance. Such a great book!

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I've read a lot of good reviews for this book recently, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it.. I am sending these thoughts now but have put this e book to one side and will hopefully pick up and try again at another time.

I received a copy of this e book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Ritz Hotel in Paris takes center stage in WWII. Three women, Olivia Olsen, chambermaid, Arletty, actress and Coco Chanel, designer of women's fashions. It is no surprise, of course, from all that I have read about Chanel that she would appear in this novel. This hotel, famous for hosting the Nazi elite, would be the perfect place for these 3 women to become involved with them. Olivia to join the Resistance and gather information, Arletty to become in love with a German officer, and Chanel to save her own hide as well as her anti-Semitic views.

Olivia is the fictional character that brings the book together. A young artist who came to France to further her creativity she just can't make it financially and out of desperation becomes a chambermaid at The Ritz. With the breakout of WW!! she becomes involved with the Resistance in order to help her boyfriend who is in the hands of the Gestapo. As for Arletty and Chanel, did they sell out France when they became involved with the Nazis? Did they even care? Certainly the depiction of those 2 famous people made the book engaging. While I've never read anything about the famed French actress Arletty, I have read enough about Chanel and her "fascination" with the Nazis.

This was not the first book I've read by Gabriel...it won't be my last. The book was interesting and even though there were some "down" times, I enjoyed it. This author always gives the reader a compelling novel, which is why I always come back for more!

My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of mr. Gabriel. This is one of his best. I was engaged with the story and the characters from page one. Anyone who loves all things Paris is going to want to add this to their collection.

The Parisians was a solid account of how WW2 imoacted Paris and the role of The Ritz hotel. The story focuses on the lives of 3 women whose paths intersect theoughout the war at The Ritz. The author includes historical characters including a famous French actress named Arletty and the infamous Coco Channel. At the heart of the story is a young American artist named Olivia Olsen who clings to her Swiss roots and pretends to be from Switzerland.

Olivia gets a job as a chambermaid at The Ritz and is privy to many of the Nazi's secret plans as she cleans rooms. Her role in the resistance is highlighted. Arletty falls for an SS officer and her budding romance is scorned by French Patriots. Coco is mostly depicted during the first part of the story as she immerses herself with the Nazis.

I enjoyed Arletty's story and Olivia's story picked up during the second half of the book. I wasn't very interested in Coco's role and found myself quite detached when the plot focused on her. In all, the story was interesting although there was nothing about the war that I didn't already know. So if you tend to read a lot of books with a ww2 backdrop, you may find the historical bits redundant. Where I struggled most with this book, was with it's one dimensional plot and limited opportunity for emotional connection. I enjoyed the love stories and felt these were the instances during which I most strongly connected emotionally. I think if the story had gone a little deeper with its characters, it would have made it that much more heartfelt.

In all, a book that I'd recommend to readers who are interested in a ww2 story that is more superficial in nature and without the raw descriptive atrocities that happened to many people during this time. Some significant occurrences are mentioned but in a lighter way.

Thank you to publisher and NG for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t enjoy this book very much, so would prefer not to leave a negative review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I was pleasantly surprised and delighted with The Parisians. It was a pretty good realistic novel on Paris during the war It had great characters that although fictional felt very real. Seemed like a fresh read and not a repeat of something I have read before

I will start by saying I absolutely adored this book.

Set in Paris during World War 2, it follows three female characters - Olivia Olsen, Coco Chanel and Arletty (Léonie Bathiat). I loved the mix of fictional and real characters and how they came together in this powerful story and the authors note at the end really completed the story for me.

I would recommend The Parisians to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. 5 stars

I have read a lot of WWII novels and one of the things I liked about this one is the mix of fictional characters and historical persons. The Parisians has three POV characters. Olivia Olsen is a young painter from the Midwest who moves to Paris in around 1939 to paint. Olivia is the main character and we follow her through the war as she begins to work at the Ritz and then becomes a spy for the Resistance against Goering.
The other two characters are Coco Chanel and Arletty. Now I had heard of Chanel before but did not know anything about her past. (Makes me happy I don't own anything Chanel.) But I had never heard of Arletty. The nice contrast of the two historical characters is that they are women who were collaborators during the war and were actually tried after the war for their relationships with German Officers.
All of the Germans were real people, including Heike who is based on a real woman named Violetle Morris. This is a novel that you would devour in a weekend. If you want a war novel that is a little different definitely give this one a try and read the Author's Note at the end for a little history (it is super short).

The Parisians follows three main characters in Paris during WWII: American chambermaid-turned-Resistance spy Olivia, French actress Arletty, caught between her loyalty to her country and her German lover, and famed fashion designer (and Nazi-sympathizer, which I had no idea about before reading this) Coco Chanel.

I loved the concept of seeing events from the perspectives of these three very differently positioned women, but honestly I never felt much of a connection to any one of them. There were also the inevitable comparisons of Olivia’s storyline to The Nightingale and The Alice Network, and this just didn’t quite stack up. I still enjoyed the subject matter, but was left wishing it had dug a bit deeper.

The Parisians is a story of WWII. The Nazi occupation of Paris includes the Ritz hotel. The story is three different perspectives of women within the Ritz. It's interesting to see how each one unfolds because of social class and station and nationality. This is a fascinating time period. Readers of historical fiction will enjoy this book. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Paris, 1940. The Nazis have occupied the city and the Ritz. The opulent old hotel, so loved by Parisians, is now full of swaggering officers, their minions and their mistresses.

For American Olivia Olsen, working as a chambermaid at the hotel means denying her nationality and living a lie, every day bringing the danger of discovery closer. When Hitler’s right-hand man moves in and makes her his pet, she sees an opportunity to help the Resistance—and draw closer to Jack, her contact, whose brusque instructions may be a shield for something more…

Within the hotel, famed designer Coco Chanel quickly learns that the new regime could work to her benefit, while Arletty, one of France’s best-loved actresses, shocks those around her—and herself—with a forbidden love.

But as the war reaches its terrible end, all three women learn the true price of their proximity to the enemy. For in the shadow of war, is anyone truly safe?


'The Parisians' focuses on the story of Olivia who dreams of becoming an artist. Unfortunately, during her early days in France, World War 2 breaks out. The story was very well written and explains the devastating effects of World War II and how the city has been affected, which puts a spotlight on the lives of the workers and the guests of The Hotel Ritz. The story follows how the Nazi's occupied and took over the city, as well as the high-end hotel.

'The Parisians' does an excellent job at painting the events and the hardships the Parisians faced during World War II. As you progress further into the story, you are able to gain a stronger understanding of just how bleak things had become for the county and its citizens. As the reader, it was hard to not feel sympathy and at times, I even felt anger for what these people experienced at the hand of Hitler and the Nazi's. It was nice to have non-fictional characters such as Coco Channel involved in the novel, as for me, it added to the realism of the story and the experiences that people from all walks of lives faced, including the rich and famous.

The story has three narrators which I found to be a strength of the novel as it meant you weren't losing interest on one character's point of view. However, I felt the change in perspectives, which could have been made more clear by using headings for each character. The story felt long-winded at times, but as you near the end of the book, I realized the story in whole would have suffered without the extra detail.

'The Parisians' has an abundance of characters to keep the reader well entertained. It would almost feel wrong to select a favourite character, however, I felt the story whose was the most captivating was Olivia's as she glued everything together. I was also very fond of whenever Olivia and Jack's relationship was mentioned as it gave a nice break between all the chaos. The book at times was so intense with the events of the wartime period, I felt as if some characters jumped off the page more than others in times of their authenticity. I had no way of guessing how this was going to pan out as there were so many things going on at once.

If I had to change or improve anything, I would make 'The Parisians' have an epilogue as I wanted to know more about the characters after the chaos of World War II. Overall, I was satisfied enough with how the story panned out. Calling all adult Historical Fiction readers, with a particular interest in France and WW2, anyone who read and enjoyed James Moloney's 2017 'The Love I Have', will find a spot for Marius Gabriel's 'The Parisians'.

5/5
With special thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an Honest review.

I really felt Marius Gabriel captured the spirit of Paris and The Ritz in this and even more, he was more historically accurate than most others out there. I was so impressed with this book and I read it as if I were needing air haha I couldn't put it down. I will say that at some parts Oliva's chapters were too flowery for me, but, on the whole, I went from being a bit annoyed with her character to admiring her. I wasn't sure what type of ending it would be as the novel did go quite dark, which was reasonable given the plots, but it was a really satisfying one.

Coco and Arletty were very dynamic and I wasn't sure what I was going to get reading this book, maybe just some fluff, but it turned out to be more than that. You were allowed to feel sympathy and revulsion at some parts, to look at the darker parts of the human soul and still allowed some hope. The writing is eloquent, the shift of the characters lets you know the author has thought greatly on how each perspective will be laid out for the reader and I look forward to reading more by Marius Gabriel.

I was allowed to read a free e-copy from NetGalley of this in exchange for my honest opinion. I'm not paid, I'm poor, a hobo really who just happens to like lovely books and this is one of them.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Despite the gritty and often gory details of the Gestapo’s torture actions, this WWII historical fiction and romance novel was really fascinating. I was reintroduced to several historical figures through a new light, and found Gabriel’s portrayal of the humanized side of the “evil” parties and the dark side of the “good” protagonists very intriguing. I did not know much of what happened leading up to the German occupation of France, and the fact that many locations, such as the famous Ritz hotel in Paris, experienced a divided and almost surreal suspension of the terrors happening around it made for a great story backdrop.