A Rags to Riches Story
Description
A novel of survival, love, loss, triumph—and the sisters who changed fashion forever
Antoinette and Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel know they’re destined for something better. Abandoned by their family at a young age, they’ve grown up under the guidance of nuns preparing them for simple lives as the wives of tradesmen or shopkeepers. At night, their secret stash of romantic novels and magazine cutouts beneath the floorboards are all they have to keep their dreams of the future alive.
The walls of the convent can’t shield them forever, and when they’re finally of age, the Chanel sisters set out together with a fierce determination to prove themselves worthy to a society that has never accepted them. Their journey propels them out of poverty and to the stylish cafés of Moulins, the dazzling performance halls of Vichy—and to a small hat shop on the rue Cambon in Paris, where a boutique business takes hold and expands to the glamorous French resort towns.
But the sisters’ lives are again thrown into turmoil when World War I breaks out, forcing them to make irrevocable choices, and they’ll have to gather the courage to fashion their own places in the world, even if apart from each other.
Details
- Rating: ☆☆☆☆
- Title: The Chanel Sisters
- Author: Judithe Little
- Genre: Coming of Age Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Siblings, World War I, Historical Fiction
- Audience: Adult
- Length: 350 pages
- Publisher: Graydon House (Harlequin)
- Release Date: December 29, 2020
- Excerpt
- Recommended for fans of: Historical Fiction
My Thoughts
What an enlightening novel. Before I started reading this I had only equated Chanel as more of a fragrance giant. Wealthy and, in my thinking, probably had always been.
Though this book is a story told by the lesser-known sister, Antoinette, known facts are interspersed along with fiction.
We learn that the sisters were put in an orphanage after their mother died in 1895. Their father, a struggling peddler, was doing all he could to provide, yet couldn’t care for the girls and travel.
It was at the orphanage that both girls learned to sew. Antoinette’s sister, a dreamer, was constantly promising her sister that they would someday live a very different, elegant life.
Gabrille ended up leaving the orphanage earlier than her sister since she was over a decade older. Sometime later, she began a singing career, where she was exposed to beautiful clothing, which only caused her to reach harder for her dreams.
Eventually, the sisters opened a small clothing shop in Paris. B then Coco, Gabrielle’s new nickname, had become somewhat of a curiosity due to her free nature. This and her unique designs drew many women to their shop. Many because of the girls’ new creations, but also to just get a glimpse of Coco.
This story not only includes the lives of the sisters, though not much is really known regarding Antoinette but also what is happening in the world at the time.
What Concerned Me
I would have been happier with more factual information woven through the story. The Author’s Notes at the back of the book had a lot of facts that weren’t included.
What I Liked
Even as it stands, I learned so much from this enjoyable book. And there’s so much untold story, that Little might consider writing a second book!
My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for a copy of the book. This review is only my opinion and I appreciate the ability to freely post it.
Rating
About the Author
JUDITHE LITTLE is the award-winning author of Wickwythe Hall. She earned a BA in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. She grew up in Virginia and now lives with her husband, three teenagers, and three dogs in Houston, Texas. Find her on Instagram, @judithelittle, and on Facebook, facebook.com/judithelittle.
