The last collection by Jeanne Mackin
Name of Book: The Last CollectionAuthor: Jeanne Mackin
ISBN: 978-0-399-58590-6
Publisher: Berkley
Type of book: 1938-1940s, Great Depression, ww2, 1954, fashion, Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, primary colors, life, Paris France, America, balls, wealth, siblings, lovers, mistresses, patience, colors
Year it was published: 2019
Summary:
With World War II looming over Paris, an American woman becomes entangled in the intense rivalry between iconic fashion designers Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli in this "fascinating" (Hazel Gaynor) novel from the acclaimed author of The Beautiful American.
Paris, 1938. Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli are fighting for recognition as the most successful fashion designer in France, and their rivalry is already legendary. They oppose each other at every turn, in both their politics and their designs: Chanel's are classic, elegant, and practical; Schiaparelli's are bold, experimental, and surreal.
When Lily Sutter, a recently widowed young American teacher, visits her brother, Charlie, in Paris, he wants to buy her a couture dress--a Chanel. Lily, however, prefers a Schiaparelli. Charlie's socially prominent girlfriend soon begins wearing Schiaparelli's designs, too, and much of Paris follows in her footsteps.
Schiaparelli offers budding artist Lily a job at her store, and Lily finds herself increasingly involved in the designers' personal war. Their fierce competition reaches new and dangerous heights as the Nazis and World War II bear down on Paris.
Main characters include Lily Sutter, a young and widowed American woman who has arrived to Paris to be with her brother. Lily desires to be an artist and is a fan of Elsa Schiaparelli. Elsa Schiaparelli Is an Italian woman who calls Paris a home. She is a dressmaker as well as a socialist and at the time had admiration for Russia. Her designs are best described as excessive and very bold. Coco Chanel is a complex French designer whose designs were simple and elegant. There was is also Ania, a woman of Jewish origins who is married and is having an affair with Lilys brother, Charlie. Ania is married to a man with wealth and too veers between Coco and Elsa. At the same time she is having an affair with a Nazi higher up who has his eye on Coco Chanel. While there are men, they aren't given as big roles as women in this tale.
Theme:
I honestly feel that the theme should be something along the lines of experiencing color and emotions while living in Paris
Plot:
Most of the story is told from a first person narrative point of view, that of Lily Sutter who came over to Paris for a fresh start as well as to visit her beloved yet charismatic brother who has fallen in love with a married woman. While there, she begins to make life for herself and becomes a trusted confidante to Elsa Schiaparelli as well as one to Coco Chanel. The story explores the primary colors which are blue, yellow and red and at the same time takes the reader on a journey through an all too human experience of emotions and desires, from happiness to fear to sadness.
Author Information:
(From book)
Jeanne Mackin is the author of several historical novels, including The Beautiful American. She taught in the MFA program at Goddard College and has worked as a journalist for several publications and as a university research and science writer. She was the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society, and her jounralism has won awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. SHe lives with her husband in upstate New York and is working on her next novel.
Opinion:
This is truly a bold and brilliant novel, especially the discussion and prism of primary colors which make up human experience. I truly need time to re read it in the future. From the cover and summary, I expected it to be a WW2 novel, honestly. I expected pretty much all of the novel to cover ww2 years. Yet, much to mine delight and surprise, the tale covers late 1930s. Like others i have heard of Coco Chanel, mostly from reading C.W. Gortners novel, Mademoiselle Chanel. But Elsa Schiaparelli was not a familiar name to me, which is sad because I actually like her better than Coco. Fun fact, I asked my mom, who is from Russia if she has heard of her, but she said no. Also, this is not a war romance novel but is more of the exploration of relationship between Coco and Elsa and The woman caught between them: Lily Sutter.
This was given for a review
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
This is truly a bold and brilliant novel, especially the discussion and prism of primary colors which make up human experience. I truly need time to re read it in the future. From the cover and summary, I expected it to be a WW2 novel, honestly. I expected pretty much all of the novel to cover ww2 years. Yet, much to mine delight and surprise, the tale covers late 1930s. Like others i have heard of Coco Chanel, mostly from reading C.W. Gortners novel, Mademoiselle Chanel. But Elsa Schiaparelli was not a familiar name to me, which is sad because I actually like her better than Coco. Fun fact, I asked my mom, who is from Russia if she has heard of her, but she said no. Also, this is not a war romance novel but is more of the exploration of relationship between Coco and Elsa and The woman caught between them: Lily Sutter.
This was given for a review
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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