Monday, December 23, 2019

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


The Queen of Paris:


A Novel of Coco Chanel

Pamela Binnings Ewen



Book Description:

I’ve done terrible things, I know that now. But really, I had no choice.— Coco Chanel

The Queen of Paris is an amazing novel about Coco Chanel as she fights to protect her legend and secrets during the Nazi occupation of Paris in WWII. Love, espionage, murder, greed. A private war on a new front. And her weapons of choice: power and perfume.

This book is from an author with a literary pedigree and several awards of her own. Pamela Binnings Ewen is the latest writer to emerge from a Louisiana family recognized for its statistically improbable number of successful authors including cousin, James Lee Burke, Andre Dubus (Best Picture Oscar nomination for The Bedroom; his son, Andre Dubus III, author of The House of Sand and Fog, a Best Picture Oscar nomination and an Oprah pick; Elizabeth Nell Dubus (the Cajun trilogy); and Alafair Burke, just starting out with the well received Samantha Kincaid mystery series.


Publish Date: April 7, 2020
Historical Fiction
Blackstone Publishing


Preorder now:





My 5-Star 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.




About the Author:

Pamela is the author of six books published by B&H Publishing Group, including the non-fiction Faith on Trial (1999) and the novels Walk Back the Cat (2001) (re-released in 2010 as Secret of the Shroud),The Moon in the Mango Tree, (2008) (a 2009 Christy Award Finalist), Dancing on Glass (2011) (a 2012 Christy Award Finalist, and winner of a Single Titles Reviewers Choice Award); Chasing the Wind (2012), a Top Pick by RT Book Reviews, and An Accidental Life (2013).The Moon in the Mango Tree was honored with the 2012 Eudora Welty Memorial Award, given by the National League of American Pen Women.

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