Description

Anne de Courcy traces life on the French Riviera from 1930 to 1944. Coco Chanel is at the heart of the book. The rich led lives of wealth and high rank. War brought fear, and some people faced cruel treatment. In 1938, guests still debated a point of rank. Should they curtsy to the Duchess of Windsor? War drew near as they weighed this question.

This social history looks at parties and trips to casinos. It also tells of secret acts in wartime. Winston Churchill and Salvador Dalí are among its cast. So are the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Aldous Huxley and Edith Wharton also appear in the book. Robert Streitz had designed La Pausa as Chanel’s home. He hid a secret transmitter beneath it to send signals. Chanel and her German lover were staying there then.

De Courcy uses her own research to look beyond the rich. She follows the lives of poor people too. Some had people to shield them from harm. Others faced cruel treatment because of who they were. The book suits readers with an interest in Chanel. It also suits those drawn to Riviera society and wartime life.

De Courcy is a writer, journalist and editor. In the 1970s, she edited the London Evening News women’s section. The paper closed in 1980. She then worked for the Evening Standard and Daily Mail. Since 2003, she has focused on two kinds of books. She writes social history and accounts of people’s lives.