A captivating novel based on the story of the extraordinary real-life American woman who secretly worked for the French Resistance during World War II-while playing hostess to the invading Germans at the iconic H tel Ritz in Paris-from the New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife and The Swans of Fifth Avenue.
Melanie Benjaminis theNew York Timesbestselling author ofThe Children's Blizzard,Mistress of the Ritz, The Girls in the Picture, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, The Aviator's Wife, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb,andAlice I Have Been. Benjamin lives in Virginia, where she is at work on her next historical novel.
“A compelling portrait of a marriage and a nation at war from
within . . . At the glittering height of the twenties and thirties,
suave French hotel manager Claude Auzello has turned the Ritz into
the jewel of Paris, installing his brash American wife, Blanche, as
queen among the movie stars, fashion icons, and crowned heads who
make up the hotel guests. But the Auzello marriage is rocked by
infidelity and turmoil even as the Nazi shadow rises in Germany,
and when the Ritz becomes Third Reich headquarters in occupied
Paris, France’s ultimate power couple must decide if they will
weather the storm together or crumble under the oppression and
brutality of war. High fashion, royal gossip, political scheming,
and French Resistance sabotage all swirl together to
make Mistress of the Ritz a cocktail as irresistible as
anything served at the hotel’s bar!”—Kate Quinn, New York
Times bestselling author of The Alice Network
“No one writes of the complexities of women’s lives and loves like
Melanie Benjamin. In Mistress of the Ritz, Benjamin
brings wartime Paris brilliantly to life—and brings home the
terrible dilemmas and moral conundrums forced upon occupied
citizens by the war. Blanche Auzello is a martini-soaked
flapper with a heart of steel. Benjamin’s fascinating
story brings this forgotten heroine vividly to life without
flinching from the high price paid by those who fought back against
the Nazi scourge. Intense, illuminating, and ultimately
inspiring!”—Elizabeth Letts, New York Times bestselling
author of Finding Dorothy
“In Mistress of the Ritz, Melanie Benjamin illuminates the
little-known story of Blanche Auzello, the fiery American who,
along with her French husband, secretly worked for the French
Resistance while hosting senior German officials at their storied
hotel. This meticulously researched and richly told story
could only have been penned by Melanie Benjamin—already an icon of
historical fiction, she has truly outdone herself. Important and
inspiring!”—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author
of The Lost Girls of Paris
“This impeccably researched, lyrically told historical
about a brash American woman and her French husband during WWII
is a remarkable achievement. . . . Benjamin skillfully
weaves in a host of historical figures—including Coco Chanel,
alleged to be a Nazi sympathizer, and Ernest Hemingway—whose
vibrant presences make Benjamin’s protagonists and engaging group
of supporting characters shine all the more. Even readers who
aren’t big fans of historical fiction might be swayed by this
outstanding tale.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Benjamin’s new novel is a lively portrait of the opulent
grand hotel which drew Picasso, Hemingway, Cole Porter—and Hermann
Göring.”—Kirkus Reviews
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