I recently read Chanel’s Riviera, by Anne de Courcy. I was captivated by this story of Coco Chanel and her intimate circle of friends in Paris and on the French Riviera during the pre-World War II period and right on through the war. The pre-war period was filled with decadence; the period during the war was filled with starvation, death, and a vivid description of how brutal life was in France. What amazed me was how many American and English citizens stayed in France, on the Riviera, during the war and did not return home while they had the chance. The book also brought out the fact of how deeply Chanel was involved with the Germans and was a traitor to many of her “friends”. The book is filled with many intimate facts of what life was really like in France during the war and how much the French Vichy government sided with the Germans and turned on their own people. This is a worthwhile book to read and is filled with a multitude of facts.
