In Judithe Little’s beguiling The Chanel Sisters, the road to personal fulfillment starts with a dream ... The Chanel Sisters is a multi-layered, elegantly crafted story with enthralling attention to historic detail. It is a lovely, gorgeously set romantic story sure to charm lovers of historical fiction with its joie de vivre and savoir faire; a rags-to-riches adventure that adds depth of field to a woman who became a household name.
The Chanel Sisters is well done and believable. Though little is known of Antoinette Chanel’s life, Judithe Little gives her an authentic voice that makes you believe that everything you are reading is fact. Her characters are fully formed with believable dreams and obstacles and, as a reader, you are fully invested in their success. While Judithe Little does a fine job presenting the reader with the romantic tale of the Chanel sisters, she is able to present something more. Throughout the book you are reminded of the rigid social construct of French society. The Chanel Sisters is a well-researched historical fiction that depicts France’s Belle Epoch and post-war change. But most importantly, is an exploration of class, ambition, and the sacrifices these women had to make in order to achieve success and love.
In [The Chanel Sisters], Little takes us into a fictionalized world of the real-life Gabrielle and Antoinette Chanel as they struggle to survive a distressing childhood, find their independence, and eventually build their eponymous brand ... Building on the bare-bones scaffolding of what is known about Antoinette, Little crafts an intimate tale chronicling the sisters’ unorthodox journey from rags to riches ... In this inspiring novel, Judithe Little brings the private history of Antoinette and Coco Chanel to life ...
In The Chanel Sisters, Judithe Little traces Gabrielle’s journey from convent orphanage to Parisian high society, telling her story through the eyes of her younger sister, Antoinette ... But it also holds the novel’s star at a distance ... Little also keeps her focus on Gabrielle’s early years, thus sidestepping some of the more complicated aspects of the influential designer’s story, most notably her association with the Nazi regime during World War II ... Little doesn’t exactly capture what made these simple clothes so revolutionary. More successful is the exploration of Antoinette’s romantic life ... While those looking for insight into the inner life of Coco Chanel may come away from The Chanel Sisters disappointed, Antoinette’s story of trying to find love and her place in the world resonates.
... admirable fictional biography ... Though aspects of each sister’s love lives occasionally come off as tiresome, the descriptions of the millinery trade are consistently fascinating. Little’s story of two indomitable women offers an eye-opening account of the unsung Antoinette and her pivotal role in her famed sister’s success. Fashion aficionados in particular will appreciate this take on the life of a legend.
