I read the novel Heaven, Hell & Mademoiselle by H. C. Carlton based upon a recommendation from a blogger I adore, Fiona of how to be chic. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a quick read as I could hardly put it down! On the cover, it raves, “A delicious mix of Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada.” That it is. If you covet Chanel and think ‘Paris is always a good idea,’ then you should definitely read it too.
The book is set in 1960s Paris, where there is a lot going on: Vietnam War protests and the city visibly divided between hippies promoting peace and love in the Left Bank and the traditional set upholding their conservative values on the Right. The fate of haute couture is even uncertain at this point!
The book follows four main characters and their stories intertwine within the world of haute couture. The character development is so effective that you root for them. A mystery torments one of them and you anticipate discovering the facts. All of them idolize Mademoiselle Chanel and not from afar either! They actually manage to interact with her. She’s one of the narrators too since she has a paragraph every once in awhile. She’s an older woman, yet still restless. I’ve never read 50 Shades of Gray and the like, but I enjoyed reading the sporadic love scenes. Cafes are name-dropped here and it makes me itch to return to the city myself. …and now desire to own a well-tailored Chanel jacket!
I highly recommend it! I bought it cheap from Amazon and am actually keeping it on my bookshelf since I could see reading it again.
I'm thinking this might be a bookshelf keeper too Michelle, and it has to be a pretty good novel as I usually only keep non-fiction. I'm 2/3 way through another of his books currently – Labels – and am loving it in the same way.
Ooh, maybe I'll have to check out Labels! Thanks!