I enjoyed this book, especially with the multiple POVs. It kept the book fresh and interesting, I enjoyed getting to experience the world from each character's perspective.

This was a really interesting story. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and felt it added a lot to the story to be able to experience things from each character's perspective. A powerful, moving novel set during WWII.

Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.

I enjoyed that this story was told in three different POVs with each POV belonging to someone in a different social class. It made for an interesting read and I very much enjoyed the way Marcus Gabriel was able to capture Paris in WWII.

DNF at 25%. It's been over three years since I received this ARC. I gave it a go and have decided it is not for me. It interested me then and no longer does now.

"The Parisians" was an interesting read. Taking place in Nazi occupied France and including both fictional and real people with WWII as a backdrop, I found this to be a rather enjoyable historical fiction read.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

I decided to read this book, because of the beautiful cover :) It took me a while to read it, but it was totally worth it. The novel is set in the beautiful city of Paris during the WWII. Among the characters are Coco Chanel and Hermann Goering. The author is not beating around the bush while describing Coco Chanel's collaboration with German invaders and how she tried to deprive her Jewish business partners of their property, because while the Nazis ruled they were fair game. A big part of the book happens in the Ritz hotel and I learned a lot about it, which was fun.

I received "The Parisians" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

Really enjoyed this different WWII story! While a bit cliche in places (artist in Paris, hob nobs with Ritz celebrities, dates a resistance member, etc) it was still a really enjoyable read. Some pretty big swatches of time were covered between chapters and it was jarring to try to figure out how much time had passed. The chapters focusing on Arletty and Coco Chanel were a bit distracting from Olivia, the main character. So while the book had some problems, it was a great vacation read.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the author, Marius Gabriel, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Parisians in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I was drawn to this book by the premise of the storyline.
It was an OK read but I felt there was something lacking within the narrative. Like there was information missing.
Unfortunately, not a book for me. But if you, as a reader, enjoy this genre, give it a go and make up your own mind.

In Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion, the Ritz Hotel is the center of life for the rich and famous and the staff who serve them. When the Nazis march into Paris, the Ritz Hotel is commandeered for the officers. Many of the staff have already fled or been forced out of Paris, leaving a much-reduced staff to maintain the high standards of this world-class hotel. This novel is populated with real and fictional characters, keeping the focus on three women: Olivia Olsen, a chambermaid at the Ritz, and two residents at the hotel, Coco Chanel and the French actress Arletty. Olivia is an American living in Paris as a struggling artist. To eat and pay her rent, she takes a job at the Ritz. When her fiancé is arrested and killed by the Gestapo, she is motivated to join the French Resistance. She takes advantage of her access to Hermann Goering and other Nazi officers’ rooms to gather classified information. Coco Chanel is living at the Ritz with her lover while battling drug addiction during her declining years. She is bitter towards a Jewish business associate and takes an active pro-Nazi stance. Arletty is a famous actress known for her steamy roles. She begins an affair with a Nazi officer, which has a devastating effect on her career.

This is an engrossing read. I was captivated by Marius Gabriel’s fictionalized account of the real-life Coco Chanel and Arletty, as well as his characterization of Hermann Goering. Gabriel captures the story of the people who struggled to survive the occupation, those who actively resisted, and the ones who collaborated with the Nazis. In the Author’s Notes, we learn what happened to the Ritz and many of the real-life characters after the war, including Coco Chanel and Arletty. This section nicely wraps up the novel.

-- Historical Novels Review, May 2019

I am in charge of the senior library and work with a group of Reading Ambassadors from 16-18 to ensure that our boarding school library is modernised and meets the need of both our senior students and staff. It has been great to have the chance to talk about these books with our seniors and discuss what they want and need on their shelves. I was drawn to his book because I thought it would be something different from the usual school library fare and draw the students in with a tempting storyline and lots to discuss.
This book was a really enjoyable read with strong characters and a real sense of time and place. I enjoyed the ways that it maintained a cracking pace that kept me turning its pages and ensured that I had much to discuss with them after finishing. It was not only a lively and enjoyable novel but had lots of contemporary themes for our book group to pick up and spend hours discussing too.
I think it's important to choose books that interest as well as challenge our students and I can see this book being very popular with students and staff alike; this will be an excellent purchase as it has everything that we look for in a great read - a tempting premise, fantastic characters and a plot that keeps you gripped until you close its final page.

I adored this book! Historical fiction is a firm favourite of mine, and this ticked all the boxes. With famous faces providing notable cameos, Olivia is a total hero. Heartbreakingly sad but full of bravery in the face of adversity, The Parisians is a book I'll come back to time and time again.

My favorite genre is historical fiction and I especially like WWII fiction. I am constantly amazed at every day people became extraordinary heroes. I have read other books that have been written about the Ritz during WWII. In this book, the author focuses on A fictional character, Olivia, an American who is in Paris who is a chambermaid and has a Swedish passport, The other two characters are real life Coco Chanel and a French actress, Arletty. I found myself caught up in their lives, the decisions they make and the consequences of their decisions. I felt the author did a wonderful job in making me feel like I was in the room with these characters and found myself having conversations with them.

After reading and loving Marius Gabriel's previous novels The Designer and The Ocean Liner I was really excited to be approved to read The Parisians.
The story focuses mainly on the Ritz in Paris and its occupants, among them none other than Coco Chanel, french actress Arletty, and the fictional character, Olivia, a chambermaid at the Ritz.

This author always gives the reader a compelling novel, which is why I always come back for more!

I would recommend this work to everyone.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

This book was hard to put down. The plot was complete and the characters were well rounded. This book reminded me of the true story called The Nazi Officers Wife in the sense that people had to do what they had to do in order to survive this horrible period in our history. I highly recommend this book.

This is an adequate, entertaining novel. The characters are interesting, and the plot is enough to keep me interested, both of which are good things. I don’t know why I didn’t love this book, but it just didn’t vibe particularly well with me. However. I would recommend it if you’re looking for a quick summer read!

"The Parisians" tells the story of Olivia Olsen, an American girl in Paris who falls in love with a Parisian boy just prior to WWII. As the war begins, Olivia gets work at the famed Ritz hotel. She finds that she has access to top-secret German papers and starts passing information to the French resistance. There's a great mix of real and fictional characters in the book. Olivia cleans for Coco Chanel, and the French actress Arletty is in the hotel as well.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story opens in Paris, 1939, on the banks of the Seine river where we meet Olivia, an American living in France, and Fabrice. She is a struggling artist and him a Frenchman interested in her paintings and in her.
He buys a portrait of himself for his mother and she glides into Olivia's life, shaping it for the story to come. Under his mother's recommendation she takes a job as a chambermaid at Paris's Grand Dame - The Ritz.
Within the walls of this esteemed building we meet guests like Antoinette & Arletty and the legendary Coco Chanel and staff like Heike Schwab and Monsier Auzello amongst various other guests and staffers.
And then World War Two breaks out.
We take a journey through the occupation as seen through the eyes of the people in the Ritz, whether they are guests or simply staff in the background.
We get their thoughts and feelings on the occupying Nazi's who move into the Ritz at heavily discounted prices. Some are so certain the Nazi's will improve their lives and some turn to the Resistance to fight the Nazi's in anyway possible.
Olivia, finding herself in a unique position, becoming the favourite of Hermann Goering - who believes she is Swedish not American, and having lost all she loves and cares about in France takes a brave decision that could cost her her life if found out.
This was a gripping story. The last 10 - 15% of the book was brilliant, well-researched writing. It takes you down into the bowels of human despair and depravity. Very powerful images were described.
The realities of the war on the "normal" person in the street and the privileged Ritz guests were laid out plainly for the reader to see and compare.
I enjoyed seeing how each of the three women chosen to be the main characters progressed from pre-war times to post-war times.
This was a heart-wrenching read, but a beautifully written and very well-researched book. I loved the careful blend of fact and fiction that all contributed to a great story. The inclusion of the "Author's Notes" was rather interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

I liked this World War II novel set in Paris that combined the backgrounds of real people with fictional characters. This first half was a little slow but it got more interesting as it went. I didn't love the character of Olivia, which kept me from rating it higher.