A compelling read about a marriage set against the backdrop of World War II and the glamorous Ritz Hotel in Paris, France. Claude's infidelity and Blanche's brash American attitude cause troublesome times as the couple struggle with their marriage and manage life in the face of war. The couple is hiding one huge secret that would place them both in the crosshairs of the Germans. Claude, as the director of the hotel, has to bow and scrape to the Germans in order to keep his job

Benjamin's prose flows beautifully and is engrossing. The characters are so richly drawn that you can see them and feel their emotions. There are several recognizable characters in the book - usually staying at the Ritz and hanging out in the bar: Earnest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, to name a few. The book provides a different view of World War II from the occupied hotel and from the French Resistance.

Thanks to Melanie Benjamin and to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Delacourt Press through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

Claude and Blanche Auzello are fixtures at the famous Ritz in Paris. When Nazi's invade Paris, and take over the Ritz, Clade, and Blanche must walk the thin line of cooperation and resistance.

I had a strong negative reaction to this book. Claude's point of view took place in the past, while Blanche's pov took place during WWII. Blanche's pov continually delved into the time period that Claude's chapter just covered, making the book tedious and slow moving. Claude's point of view made him look like a simpleton. I felt that this book did a great disservice to two historical features. Overall, this entire book felt tortured.

Very good story of life at the Ritz in Paris during German occupation. While Coco Chanel was doing whatever she had to do to get by, the wife of the director of the Ritz befriends a woman who help the resistance. Little does she know that her husband is also helping where he can. The wife goes a little too far and gets herself arrested.

A story of Nazi Germany's takeover of the Ritz in Paris and the roles management played in the resistance. Historical Fiction featuring Coco Chanel.

Copy provided by publisher and NetGalley.

A drama " "inspired" by a true story and real people."

I must admit that when I began reading Mistress of the Ritz I was unsure about how my response would pan out. By the end I was absolutely fascinated by American Parisian Blanche Ross Auzello's story. Of how she came to be involved with Claude Auzello, who become Director of the famed Ritz Hotel. And most importantly, Blanche's presence and impact at the Ritz.
The tone throughout the novel is right up there with, "The Germans wore grey. You wore blue." (from Casablanca [movie])
The story flits between Claude and Blanche, between the early days of their relationship (1920's) and forward to the days of 'Occupation'. (March 1940 on) The central player around which all swirls is of course, the Ritz.
The story of Paris under Nazi rule comes to life. The response when the Germans marched into Paris, the survival of the couple the hotel's workers and previous inhabitants, as the top eschelon of the German ranks took over the hotel is suspense filled. Eventually it would be that Blanche and Claude were the right people in the right place, working for the Resistance, although neither knew about each other's covert activities. Overtime the secrets Blanche particularly held onto would have cowered a lesser person.
And then there's Lily, the passionate, almost frenetic revolutionary whose loyalties took her from France to Spain and the Civil War, then back to France and who knows where in between. At times though the descriptions of Blanche are somewhat removed, like looking through a glass darkly. Lily though looked at Blanche and really saw her, saw her compassion, and challenged Blanche to become more.
This was a startingly different story to what I expected with lots of little treasured moments to pick to pick over.
The almost prissy Claude with his expectations that wives of course understand that Frenchmen have mistresses was a recurring theme Blanche couldn't get her head around. This practice was not for her, the girl from US of A!
Then of course the other stars of the Ritz are included. Hemingway, Picasso, and the infamous Coco!
Amongst the current plethora of WWII tales, Mistress of the Ritz turned out to be a thoroughly fascinating read.

A Random House Ballantine ARC via NetGalley

I appreciated this was based on the truth. I wish Claude and Blanche would have had an easier time with each other. But it was interesting to read about how hotels were run in Paris before and during the wars. As well as how the resistance worked inside and out of the hotel.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. The parallel lives that the protagonist and her husband were leading made for a good story. It is sad that during the war so many secrets had to be kept in order for folks to survive. Historical Fiction at its best!

Melanie Benjamin delivers a lusty rendition of the marriage of true life characters Claude and Blanche Auzello, spanning the time period between the 1920s and 1940s. Claude is the fiercely devoted Managing Director of the illustrious Hotel Ritz in Paris. There is an array of glitzy guests which include Hemingway, Picasso, Cole Porter etc. Iconic fashion designer, Coco Chanel has established residency at the hotel and is featured as a supporting character in the story. During June 1940, when the Nazis occupy Paris and take over the Ritz, everything changes. Claude must come to grips with serving the high-ranking Nazis who are billeted at the Ritz, despite his hatred of them. Claude himself is a former decorated French soldier who vehemently loves his country. Blanche is a former American actress who is struggling with a marriage to a “Frenchman.” The amazing wartime exploits of the pair is meticulously detailed . During the course of the story, a pivotal secret about Blanche is revealed. The true shocking ending to their story brought me to tears. I highly recommend this book.

The Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin is an engrossing novel about the courage of an ordinary woman in the face of WW2 and the Nazi occupation of Paris. Blanche is an American abroad in 1923 when she falls in love with Claude, one of the Ritz's managers. The story then alternates between the lives of Blanche and Claude, as well as that of Lily, Blanche's vivacious and modern friend. From dealing with the consequences of her husband's affair, to the disappearance of her best friend, to helping a British soldier to escape the Nazis, I fell in love with Blanche as the novel's heroine. I also greatly enjoyed the glimpses of famous figures of the 20th century such as Ernest Hemingway, F.Scott Fitzgerald, and Coco Chanel. For anyone who wants an escape in the world of Paris, but who at the same time wants to understand life in Vichy France, Mistress of the Ritz is the perfect novel. It is resonant and evocative, but it is not so heavy that one could not read it at the beach. Congrats to author Melanie Benjamin on this perfect novel!

This is an exceptional work of historical fiction set before, during and after the second world war. The setting is The Ritz Hotel in Paris during the Occupation which is a subject I have not seen covered in the historical fiction I've read from this time period. This novel is based on real people who lived and have been written about in non-fiction titles about The Ritz, a fact I only discovered at the end of the book when I read the author's afterword.

The main characters, Claude, the director of the Ritz, and his American wife, Blanche, whom he marries on a whim, in so many ways. They are not always people we admire. Their behavior causes s to sometimes lose respect for them. They evolve and change in their relationship with each other.

At one point, I felt the plot becoming transparent to me but there's a few twists and turns that I did not foresee.

I'm definitely looking forward to recommending this book to readers at my library.

I expect three things from historical fiction:
•A good story


•The ability to paint a picture so true I feel immersed in the time and place


•To learn something I previously didn’t know.




The Mistress of the Ritz manages all three. Based on true events, the Auzellos are the “master and mistress of the Ritz”, he the manager of the famous hotel. The story gives us their history from their tempestuous beginning through their 17 years of marriage when the Nazis arrive in Paris and take over the hotel. And from there, things get even more intense.

Blanche is headstrong, independent and hiding secrets from everyone including her husband. Claude is shocked to learn his wife has “the vocabulary of a dockworker”. It takes him quite a while to cotton to the differences between French and American sensibilities.

It took me a while to warm to this book. I was worried at the beginning it would be too much romance, not enough history. It tackles some interesting issues, especially when Blanche struggles with liking some of the ordinary German soldiers that work at the Ritz. Or when Claude struggles to maintain his cool when being forced to kowtow to the Nazis, all the while with his own secrets.

Benjamin takes her time but then weaves enough historical facts into the story to win me over as to the third item on my list. She doesn’t pull any punches, she shows us both the resistance and the collaborators, like Coco Chanel.

For readers who enjoy Martha Hall Kelly, Pam Jenoff or Kate Quinn, I would recommend they give Melanie Benjamin a try.

My thanks to netgalley and Delacorte Press for an advance copy of this book.

As always, Melanie Benjamin has turned out a well written, thoroughly researched historical fiction/biographical novel. Told from differing points of view, this is the story of Blanche Auzello and her husband Claude -- the caretakers of the Ritz -- when the Nazi army decided to take up residence there. The secrets that are harbored can be particularly deadly -- both to their marriage and their lives. I was so iffy on this because Nazi and WW2 stories are ones I avoid because of how emotional I get but Ms. Benjamin is one of my absolute favorite writers so I didn't want to pass it up and I'm glad I didn't. Oh, I still got emotional but I do with all of her books. She really puts you in the time and place of the people she writes about. Anyway, I don't want to delve too much into the plot because I'm always terrified I will spoil it but it was definitely a fantastic book. and I recommend it highly!

Interesting characters and story based on the real life experiences of Claude and Blanche Auzello in Paris during World War 2. Until coming across this book , I had no idea the Ritz had been overtaken by Goerring and other Nazis. Neither Blanche nor Claude are what they seem at first glance. What surprised me the most was the ending, I had not heard of the Auzellos before this nor their tragic ending.

I am an avid reader of WW2 books. This was the set in Paris at the iconic Ritz hotel, which served as home to the nazis for years. We take a closer look at a marriage of an American and Frenchman with different backgrounds and morals joined together and surviving occupation, while managing the Ritz and both leading secret lives.

I’m not sure what was missing that did not grab my full adoration. It seemed like a novel right up my alley. I think the draw to our lead characters was lacking. I found both slightly irritating and irresponsible. The addition of Lily was convenient to spice things up a bit. I did enjoy the twists in the end. Once Blanche was arrested things moved quickly. It was a gripping flurry of an ending. The plot moved almost too quickly. I liked Lily’s last narration and the ending was not predictable.

Overall, it was a good book. Slow to start and almost too fast in the end. There were several unexpected hold your breathe moments and overall a tough subject to write about.

Claude Auzello, the director of the famous Ritz Hotel in Paris, along with his beautiful wife Blanche are considered the master and mistress of the Ritz. They know all the secrets of their guests but keep their own secrets hidden from each other. But it's 1940 and the Germans have now taken control of the city including occupying the gilded rooms of the Ritz. Although I enjoyed this glimpse of life behind the walls of the Ritz during WWII, I found the main characters not very likeable and the story very slow moving in the first half of the book. Claude's blind devotion to maintaining the status quo at the Ritz and Blanche's drunken floundering search for her purpose in life made the story a very frustrating journey. An interesting read but overall I was disappointed.

Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin is a fabulous historical fiction novel that is based off of an actual couple that helped in the Resistance in Paris in the time span of 1940-1945. The book narrates from the viewpoint of Blanche and Claude Auzello and the specific setting is with the infamous Hotel Ritz.

This novel is captivating and while I was able to pick up a few of the twists before they were exposed, I was not able to figure out everything.

At first I was not a total fan of the two characters, however as they both matured and developed, I did feel as if I became invested in who they were and their tumultuous relationship.

Without giving anything away, I have to say I am glad I stuck with the book because it was worth it in the end.

5/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced read and in return I am giving my unbiased, independent review.

historical-figures, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, war-is-hell, WW2, love, Paris *****

Is Blanche the main character, or is it Claude, or The Ritz on Place Vendome, or maybe Paris and its people? It's certainly not the Nazis, or even the famous people who frequented the Ritz, not even the staff or the other Resistance fighters. Perhaps it is the indomitable spirit of these particular people who refused to give up and later refused to talk about what they suffered.
Blanche and Claude were as real as Coco Chanel, but historical documentation is very sparse. His work, their involvement in the Resistance, his pecadillos, her notable acquaintances, they are written about. But there is nothing substantive about who they were beyond that. This book gives them life in a special way. It will make you laugh, become angry and frustrated, and you cry for all of them.
But you will not forget them.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine via NetGalley. Thank you!

I always enjoy books with a WWII setting but, unfortunately, I didn't like either of the two protagonists in this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for ARC. All opinions are my own.

It has been a long time since I have read an adult historical fiction novel but I am so glad NetGalley approved me for an ARC of this book.

The Mistress of the Ritz beautiful transforms its readers to the Hotel Ritz in Frank during WWII. Not only does Melanie Benjamin tell an elequent story of the glamours people who walked in to the Ritz hotel, but she also weaves in the story of Blanche Auzello and her husband who actively helped with the French resistance during the Nazi takeover. As I was reading I felt that I was being transported to a different time and place going on an adventure of a lifetime. My favorite parts of this book revolved around well known figures such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Coco Chanel. As much as I have studied about this time period I was left completely an aware of Blanche's story. I am so glad that her story is coming to light and her heroism will be better recognized.

Benjamin's historical novels always provide for interesting discussion and this book delivers on that point.
Claude Auzello is the distinguished director of the illustrious Parisian hotel, the Ritz. His wife, Blanche, an American, aids in projecting the glamour for which the Ritz is regarded. When the Nazis march into Paris in June, 1940, life is forever changed. The Auzellos, along with all of Paris, must capitulate to the demands of their conquerors or face the consequences. Yet, bravery has no bounds and the Auzellos are caught up in defending their homeland.
It's a "can't put down book" and the description of Paris being swarmed by Nazis is so well done. There's a secret that keeps you guessing. Once again, Benjamin provides a story shrouded in truth.