- Hardcover: 388 pages
- Publisher: Henry Holt & Co (April 1990)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0805009612
- ISBN-13: 978-0805009613
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.7 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 748 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #445,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
When it was suggested to the elderly Gabrielle Chanel (1883-1971) that she see a psychiatrist, she replied, "I, who never told the truth to my priest?" In this full-length, very readable biography of Coco, as the legendary French designer was called, Madsen does a commendable job of ferreting out the seeming truth of a woman apparently as deft at fabricating her life as she was with a needle and thread. The biographer of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir is at his best here when synthesizing his subject from known facts and suppositions, beginning with Chanel's penniless start as an orphan to her death at age 88 in a hotel room, alone--except for a maid--a millionaire designer of inventive clothing for women, from the famed "little black dress" to sportswear. With great stamina, Madsen chronicles Chanel's meteoric rise and the succession of celebrated friends and lovers she met along the way: Winston Churchill and Igor Stravinsky, to name two, fell under her spell. And if the designer's life was extravagant, the genius of her style lay, as Madsen tells it, in simplicity and a regard for function. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Madsen takes the reader on a fantastic journey through the incredible and bittersweet life of Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel, the woman who forever changed the world of modern fashion with the creation of the simple, elegant black dress, costume jewelry, and her own special perfume. Intertwining Chanel's business ventures, wealth, glamour, and influences, the biography is filled with fascinating and emotional stories of personal triumph, success and tragedy, social intrigue, and sexual escapades with nobility, artists, and politicians. The text, broken down into four parts, focuses on her life from her birth and childhood years to her early business success, her decline following the demoralizing events of World War II, and her amazing comeback at the age of 70 to the haute couture world she helped create. Recommended.
- Stephen Allan Patrick, East Tennessee State Univ., Johnson City
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Stephen Allan Patrick, East Tennessee State Univ., Johnson City
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
She made up things. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
She made up things. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating book, full of details and historically correct.,
By tsetsitasheva@yahoo.com (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Chanel: A Woman of her Own (Paperback)
This book was extremely interesting to read. Considering Chanel's habbit of often lying about her past, many biographers had given up on trying to tell her story. That's probably why the book lacks reasoning behind certain facts of her life, although the author did the best he could to provide his own viewpoint about some of the unenswered questions. The book is wonderful and it leaves the reader with plenty of room to use his/her own imagination to reveal some of the mysteries behind Chanel's great genious.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A just portrait,
By
This review is from: Chanel: A Woman of her Own (Paperback)
I adore Coco Chanel: she has been a huge inspiration for me, and not just style-wise. As a huge fan, I read every piece of literature I can find on her, and this is definitely one of the best biographies out there. Having read quite a few before, I did not learn anything new, but if this is your first look at Mademoiselle's life, you'll have your money's worth! From her childhood to her deathbed, with her business, lovers, involvement in the arts, friendships with authors and artists of the 20's and the 30's, this book skips nothing.For anyone interested in fashion and it's history, strong and inspiring women and the history of early 20th century art revolution, this book will be very enjoyable. (Note: French being my first language, I had no problems with the names, as another reviewer noted, but I can see that being perhaps a bit challenging, especially if your knowledge of the era is limited...)
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
tough read,
By A Customer
This review is from: Chanel: A Woman of her Own (Paperback)
I'm still reading but wanted to mention that if you have never taken a French class, it is very hard to pronounce most of the names in the book.Although very insightful finding it a hard read.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
