Books about Coco Chanel are alwyas interesting and varied- whether they are fiction or non-fiction- because there is some much mystery surrounding her real life of what was truth and was was made up. This book was about one part of Chanel's life I hadnt read about in depth yet, but I found myself more drawn to the earlier parts of her life in the story than during the war. That part of the book seemed long and drawn out to me and I am not really sure why because WWII fiction is pretty much my favorite genre. I think it may because other parts of her life were so fast paced and fascinating. I still thought it was a good book and enjoyed yet another take on Chanel's incredibly interesting life.

The Queen of Paris is an intriguing look at the life of Coco Chanel. Alternating between the 1940s when she lived in occupied Paris and the early 1900s when she was the mistress of several famous men and starting her career, the novel details her struggles to control the company and the quintessential perfume that bears her name, as well as her actions during the war. While historical fiction, the book attempts to balance her need to succeed as a woman who had been used and abandoned by all the men in her life with her decision to stay in the Ritz and have an affair with a Nazi officer during the war. Was it survival or desire for money and power? Was she a Nazi spy or was she forced to do the bidding of Canaris and others to save her company? Those who see Chanel as a collaborator may not have their minds changed, but some may find her actions excusable in the pursuit of holding on to the company she founded through wartime and betrayal.

"The Queen of Paris" is based on the life of Coco Chanel. The author did a fantastic job and it was well researched. A very emotional read. I enjoyed reading this account of her early life and the struggles she went through.

Thank you to Blackstone and NetGalley for the eARC

I knew about CoCo Chanel being a Nazi spy and how she lived at the Ritz in Paris with German officers. I did not know how much she is her perfume Chanel No. 5. That has always been my favorite. Although her actions make me cringe I can see why she did it. If that were to happen now, we might not have the House of Chanel and all that goes with it.

I love Chanel No. 5, and the story of the woman behind the scent is eye opening! Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel rises above her difficult childhood to create what is probably the world's best known fragrance, as well as a groundbreaking style of clothing. What "The Queen of Paris" tells us is about the woman, not the image.

Coco's father left her and her sisters in a convent at an early age. Life there was not easy, and eventually Coco leaves for Paris. Her early hardships leave an indelible mark on her, reflected in her relationships with men, and the decisions that she makes. When the Nazis invade Paris, shortly after her business partner decamps to the United States with 90% of the business and the recipe for Chanel No. 5, Coco will do anything to get her business back, including colluding with Nazi's and using the fact that her business partner is Jewish to get his business confiscated.

The Queen of Paris is an eye opening expose of one of the worlds most known names, that takes us deep into her psyche and helps us understand what shapes her and her actions. It feels historically accurate and biographical while at the same time we experience with her the fear, greed, longing for love, and passion for her fragrance that drives everything she does. We might not like her, or her actions, but we do understand why she does them. I was fascinated, horrified, touched and exasperated, sometimes all at the same time. The historical notes that Pamela Binnings Ewen includes at the end help to round out this complicated, fragile, determined, lonely, arrogant woman that we know as Coco Chanel. Don't miss it!

I''m not sure why I decided to request this book, there is nothing here that I have't read before. I will say the writing is excellent, the research is thorough (how can it not be there is much out there about Chanel). She was a tough character! My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As WWII looms over Paris, Coco Chanel is faced with the unexpected defection of the man she is in business with to produce her most famous product of all—her perfume, Chanel N° 5. In an attempt to get back her rights to the perfume, she will agree to do anything. But is it worth it in the end?

The Queen of Paris explores the life of Coco Chanel through the occupation of Paris during the war. This picture of Chanel is not a pretty one. It shows how she will do anything—even if it means going against her beloved France—to keep what she has built and protect the ones she loves. Glimpses into her past give you a clearer picture of why she became so motivated to be successful, and why it is so important for her to cling to what is hers. A beautifully written story. Perfect for readers of historical fiction.

For those of us who grew up in the US post WWII, it’s hard to imagine what life was like for those living in Europe during the war: the horror of occupation, the deprivation, the lack of morality, the deterioration of society. There’s been a lot written lately concerning Jews caught up in the holocaust, but this is a totally different take on a different segment of society also caught up in that horrific time.

For me, a mother and grandmother, I had to envision just how far I would stoop to protect a loved one. Many, many people had to make that awful choice during that time. It’s easy in our current safe and affluent lives to say, “I’d never do that.” But what if your child’s life depended on your doing something which was against everything you believed?

This was a very interesting novel based on the life of Coco Chanel, couturier and perfumer. As a child, she lost her mother to illness and was sent, along with her 2 sisters, to an orphanage by her father – whom she never saw again. She learned class consciousness when she was used by her two [wealthy] paramours solely as their mistress even though they both confessed love and one, Boy Capel, promised marriage. She had hard lessons to learn, but her strength and determination made her a very strong woman.

This novel was meticulously researched and very true to the non-fiction accounts I’ve read of Chanel’s life.

There have been books written about Germans who were ignorant of what was going on around them, but this is the first I’ve read about an aspect of the French society ignorant of the results of the German occupation.

This was not a fast read, but certainly a worthwhile one.

I appreciate this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a review. I will look forward to other books from this author.

One of my book clubs loves historical fiction novels, and I am very excited to introduce this to them once it is published!

The Queen of Paris is based on the life of Coco Chanel. The writing is fantastic and emotional. There are some parts of her life people may never have known.

This fictional account of Coco Chanel's life in Paris during World War II was looked at from a very different aspect than other novels written about her. This was a not so sympathetic portrait of the fashion icon. It was, however, well-written, well-paced and made me care about what happens next.

All I knew about Coco Chanel was the perfume and the "little black dress"! I enjoyed reading about her early life and the struggles she endured as a young girl/woman. There was criticism and censure among her fellow Parisians because she seemed to (and, to some extent, did) collaborate with the Germans in occupied Paris during World War II. She definitely made some poor choices during that time but I'm reluctant to criticize too harshly. There is no way that any of us can know what we would or would not do in such an untenable situation. What she did to help her nephew/son, to help herself, to help close friends was what she felt was right at the time. I was disturbed by her drug use but, in those times, there were any number of people that used drugs as casually as you or I might take aspirin. It was a great story about a woman who survived a dark period in world history..

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and give an honest review.

What a great book. This was beautifully written and showed all the conflict that Chanel had in making decisions during the war. This book could make you sick with all the horrific things it covered and brought to light in a very well thought out story. I would highly recommend this book to others. It was very thought provoking.

I have struggled to decide my feelings about this book.

I knew very little about Coco Chanel other than her perfume and clothing. Her life prior to becoming famous isn’t admirable and then her involvement with the Nazis was a total shock to me. I can’t say I would have done things different to save my family tho.

I felt this book dragged at times and the third person writing was odd. It read almost like a movie script instead of a book.

I am giving this book 3 stars for the writing style. All in all a good book that gives a fictional account of a real woman during WW2

I wanted to give this book a 2.5, but since GR prefers whole numbers, I'm going upward with the rating just for the sheer difficulty of what the author is doing here.

When one thinks of modern figures of glamor and potential interest, Coco Chanel ranks high. How could the founder of the House of Chanel not be endlessly fascinating? But unfortunately, as we know, Chanel's story is more than a story of fabric, fragrance, and parties in the mid-century. It is also the story of Nazi collaboration.

That would make most writers run away from Chanel as the protagonist of a work of historical fiction--unless one ignores or diminishes entirely her Nazi past, she's too unlikeable for us to follow.

But Ewen here takes up Chanel's case without such acts of posthumous PR. Taking a page from the depiction of Scarlett O'Hara, perhaps, Ewen shows us a Chanel who is a fighter, who has endured great loss and underdog status, as well as a Chanel who is deliberately myopic and self-centered when it comes to the larger impact of her choices. Her Chanel is neither entirely victim nor entirely hero, and that's what makes the character so interesting on the page.

What's iffier here are some authorial inventions to help explain Chanel's motives at points. For example, the emphasis on family feels logical, but as this bit of authorial construction ends up a large element in the story, I felt myself taken out of the story, wondering if we'd entirely gone off the rails of historical fiction. (The author does explain her choices at the end of the work, but I am speaking to the experience of reading the book.)

(Note: This unbiased review is based on an ARC provided by Netgalley.)

I loved this. I recently have read several novels taking place during this era which have painted Coco Chanel in a less than flattering light. It was nice to read about some events that may have led her to do some of the things she did. Also nice to read a novel which shows her to have a heart. Highly recommended!

It is a very hard time in history and one cannot imagine how one would react but Coco is not a nice person. Interesting second half unsure if it’s supported by facts. Hard to read

Pamela Binnings Ewen is a brilliant writer who delivers an amazing depiction of Gabriella Chanel life in this time slip story revealing events from her younger years and then later that shows her quick wit and determination as she faces unthinkable situations when the war smashes down on France. The book begins in Paris, Place Vendome Fall 1944. The author gives readers a peek into this mysterious woman who created Channel No.5, (who I knew nothing about) Coco says, “Once all of Paris lay at my feet, and Europe, too. The world was mine. Even after I closed the House of Chanel in 1939 in a fit of pique, my luminous No. 5 still sold, until Pierre stole it away.”

Readers get to walk in Icon Coco Chanel shoes as she faces the realities of WWII. Up until this point it had just been rumors. She didn’t think any of it was real, but when her business partner Pierre moves to America and starts to build a Chanel plant there she begins to panic and takes her partner to court. Chanel No.5 was her creation, it had her name on it. How could he take that away from her?

The author states in Author notes, “Coco Chanel was known to be an anti-Semite and a controversial and secretive woman, with emotional layers as difficult to differentiate as the various scents in the compositions of her perfumes. It is often said that jasmine from Grasse is the top note in No. 5. It’s difficult to pick out the true “top note” in Coco’s own life, the events that formed her… or from her own struggles to survive, and the deep sorrow over Andre….dear reader, I leave you to judge.”

This author masterfully takes you inside this complex woman’s head and her past showing how the hurts of life left deep scares. She also gives a glimpse at the infancy of this woman’s creation of Channel No. 5 perfume. Coco didn’t stop at creating perfumes, she also developed a clothing line. Both were successful. She was a very talented, and driven woman determined not to ever be poor again. There is a quote in the book that sums it up, “I, Coco Chanel, have discovered the first rule of survival: Trust no one but yourself.” This statement permeated her life.

The author exposes this famous woman’s pain and triumphs in this beautifully written story I couldn’t put down. I had heard of the perfume Chanel No. 5 but nothing else. The author keeps this story clean in that there were no cuss words, and no graphic sex scenes. I was reminded about how much people smoked back then as it was a habit Coco Chanel had. This is quite an adventure you won’t soon forget. I love learning about history this way. I’ve read a lot of books about WWII but never from a famous person’s perspective. The author takes you inside Coco’s life, WWII on the streets of France, Society and those who are blacklisted. It’s a compelling read you don’t want to miss.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

While I really enjoyed this book, I have to wonder how much of it is factual.
That's not the authors fault. Anytime I read a book about someone written as a novel and not a biography, in the back of my mind I always have ... questions.

It was an informative read, I learned a lot about Chanel and this book definitely piqued my interest about her role with the Nazis. Definitely a subject I will look into.

I thought the writing was good but at times long winded. I felt as tho I read the phrase "No. 5 is mine" about a hundred times.
And as this was all at the beginning of the book so it took a while for me to get into it.

All in all I think this is a solid 3.5 - 4 star book.