Since briefly meeting C.W. Gortner in London some years ago during a writer’s conference and discovering that he shares my fascination with the Tudor era, I have followed his career and secretly envied his ability to dig deep into his subjects psyche, revealing far more about them than their sometimes meteoric, or not so meteoric, rise to fame, fortune or power.
For generations Chanel’s iconic suit has survived every era of fashion innnovation, as has her perfume, and its new generations, still bearing her name. This book, however, is not a journey into the world of design, but the journey of an ordinary girl, Gabrielle Chanel, who fought gallantly for her vision and her survival, although there was a battle around every corner.
The author has said that this book is truly a labor of love, and it shows. It is so beautifully written, that I have promissed myself to read it again, just to highlight some of the sentences that touched me deeply.
There is much I didn’t know about the lady who taught us to take one item off, or was it to add another? I didn’t get that straight, but reading about her life, her unwavering resolve, her challenges, how she managed during the war, her losses, her joys, and how she died as she lived, was a treasure.
Another C.W.Gortner favorite of mine is:
and:
These are just some of my personal favorites, but there are many other C.W. Gortner books that are wonderful, and have the ability to transport readers to worlds rarely explored.
Mademoiselle Chanel was represented by Jennifer Weltz of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, edited by Rachel Khan, and published by William Morrow.
