Judithe Little

A USA Today and Globe and Mail bestseller! 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. “The Chanel Sisters explores with care the timeless need for belonging, purpose, and love, and the heart’s relentless pursuit of these despite daunting odds. Beautifully told to the last page.” —Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Last Year of the War

A Novel

The Chanel Sisters

May 1940. Hitler invades France, a move that threatens all of Europe, and three lives intersect at Wickwythe Hall, an opulent estate in the English countryside--a beautiful French refugee, a take-charge American heiress, and a charming champagne vendeur with ties to Roosevelt and Churchill, who isn't what he seems. There, secrets and unexpected liaisons unfold, until a shocking tragedy in a far off Algerian port binds them forever... Wickwythe Hall is inspired by actual people, places and events, including Operation Catapult, a sea action in which Churchill launched a bloody attack on the French fleet to keep the powerful ships out of Hitler's reach. Over 1,000 French sailors, who just days before fought side-by-side with the British, perished. Humanizing this forgotten piece of history, Wickwythe Hall takes the reader behind the blackout curtains of upper-class England, through the bustling private quarters of Churchill's Downing Street, and along the tense back alleys of occupied Vichy, illustrating what it took to survive in the dark, early days of World War II.

Wickwythe Hall

'Delicious and utterly absorbing... This is a book to be relished and savoured. I can't recommend it enough' GILL THOMPSON, author of THE CHILD ON PLATFORM ONE 'Historical fiction at its finest. Antoinette Chanel will capture your heart' ANN WEISGARBER, author of THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF RACHEL DUPREE --- The unforgettable story of the sisters who changed fashion forever. For readers who fell in love with THE PARIS WIFE and THE AGE OF LIGHT. Gabrielle and Antoinette know they're destined for something better. Abandoned to a convent orphanage, they are raised for simple lives. But at night they dream of a glittering future, and the Chanel sisters are determined to prove themselves worthy. Their journey propels Coco and Ninette out of poverty to performing in bohemian cafés and stylish music halls, and soon on to Paris and a small hat shop on the rue Cambon, where a boutique business takes hold and expands to the glamorous French resort towns. But when war breaks out, everything changes, and the Chanel sisters must navigate great loves, devastating losses and fight harder than ever to make their mark on the world. THE CHANEL SISTERS draws readers through all different walks of Parisian life in the early twentieth century to the extraordinary legacy that lives on today - the most iconic fashion house in haute couture. Praise for THE CHANEL SISTERS: 'I loved this story of two ambitious women who dare to envision brilliant futures for themselves and refuse to settle for anything less... A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the rags-to-riches rise of fashion's most intriguing icon' Elise Hooper, author of The Other Alcott and Fast Girls 'Hits all the right notes: luxury settings, especially Paris, love and betrayal, and family bonds that both build and bind' Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of The Queen's Secret

Abandonadas de niñas por su familia y educadas en la rigidez de un convento, Antoinette y Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel sueñan con un futuro mejor mientras leen novelas sentimentales y ojean revistas de moda a escondidas. La inconformista Coco no acepta un destino de pobreza y obediencia y con su ambición inquebrantable irá conquistando su libertad bajo la mirada de su hermana, que la apoyará incondicionalmente en su camino para convertirse en diseñadora de moda. En París pronto se hablará con admiración de las "hermanas Chanel", aunque en la cima de su éxito ellas se darán cuenta de que el dinero y la independencia no son un sustituto para aquello que más anhelan: el amor. La deslumbrante novela sobre los orígenes silenciados de la diseñadora de moda más icónica del siglo XX.

Judithe Little

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