If the lyrics of a legendary song inspire you to go ''where fashion sits'', you must first travel to Paris and the Place Vendome. You will find an impressive structure that has been home to most of the well-known figures in Western celebrity culture. Not just the fabulously rich, but distinguished, infamous and fabulous figures of the past and present have been connected to this Parisian institution. Mazzeo uses people's fascination for knowing something of their lives to present her readers with a variety of plots, scandals and sorrows.
From the last days of the 19th century, Hotel Ritz was a meeting ground for writers such as Proust, Cocteau, Sartre and de Beauvoir and Guitry. After World War 2, Ernest Hemingway made it his home. Stage legend Sarah Bernhardt was the friend and reputedly lover of its founding chef, Auguste Escoffier. The Windsors had rooms there, as did Ingrid Bergman and fellow actor Marlene Dietrich.
Although these intriguing figures with links to the Ritz are scattered throughout the book, the greatest emphasis is on who stayed and what happened during the war years. It begins by outlining the significance of the Ritz as a venue, during the Nazi occupation, for high-ranking German officers and from there the book centres around the years when Paris was occupied by German troops.
Under orders from Berlin, it was to be ''the only luxury hotel of its kind'' in occupied Paris. Goebbels announced that the capital would be gay and happy - or else. Life at the Ritz throughout most of the war years seemed to proceed much as usual, in a kind of bubble. Goering was domiciled within its walls for much of that time, as was Coco Chanel's lover, said to be a German diplomat and spy. Major players in the failed July 20 plot to assassinate Hitler may have laid their plans within the walls of the Ritz.
The clue as to why this was allowed to happen lies in the hotel's title. The Ritz was named after its founder Cesar Ritz. He died before the war, but his wife, Marie, was there during the years when it was occupied by the German invaders. So while most of occupied Paris underwent deprivations, the Ritz, because it was owned by a Swiss national, to a large extent carried on as usual. It was ''a Switzerland in Paris''.
Mindful of the extensive and varied number of individuals she presents to her readers, the author helps us to keep track of them through a ''Cast of Characters'' section at the book's beginning.
More than 50 pages are needed at the end to include references, showing meticulous research.
I had mixed feelings about this book. My main criticism is because the cast of characters is so wide, none of them could be covered in depth and the same could be said for some of the coverage of major world events. Balancing that, there was plenty of well-researched gossip connected with well-known figures in history and vivid descriptions of the occupation and liberation of Paris to keep me interested.
Of the characters, Hemingway gets the most attention, and comes across as bombastic and arrogant. Some of the minor players who got less attention intrigued me enough to want to find out more via the internet, while a few of the stories exposed here were a revelation.
I didn't know, for instance, that under Hitler's orders Paris was to be flattened by explosions just before the Allies liberated it, and would have been if the German commander hadn't delayed for a day. I also didn't know about a plot to reclaim the throne for Edward, the Duke of Windsor, which could have succeeded but for the scandalous behaviour of his duchess in Paris while he was sorting out things in England.
Worth reading, then, for general knowledge as well as the fascinating talking points you discover to share with friends.
- Patricia Thwaites is a retired Dunedin schoolteacher.
