When I first heard of this book I was very taken with the topic. I cant wait for this book to come out I think it would be a great book discussion book. The program can focus in both the book and the fashion.

It's lovely when an author brings historical figures to life. This sweeping saga of the Chanel sisters does just that, albeit a but slower than I might have preferred.

this was a really interesting read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this book. The time period was great and the characters felt true to it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was familiar with the name Coco Chanel and her fashion house, but never knew anything about her family and childhood. Although this is historic fiction, the foundation of the story is non-fiction, and fascinating. I would highly recommend this book to compliment the recent The Last Collection by Jeanne Mackin..

I don't normally read historical fiction but the premise of this book caught my interest. Plus, I have some children's books on Coco Chanel so I was interested in reading a more adult take on her life. This is a fascinating tale of fiction, interwoven with some of the facts of the Chanel sisters life. Transports you to Coco & Antoinette's life!

This was an interesting portrayal of Coco Chanel and of her little known sister Antoinette. The story moved right along and the author seems to have a good understanding of the times---convent upbringing, Paris aristocrats and the need to belong.

I have to admit that I’ve never given any thought to whether or not fashion icon Coco Chanel had siblings. It’s just not something I think about when it comes to icons and celebrities. However, turns out that she had four---two sisters and two brothers. In birth order, they are Julia-Berthe, then Gabrielle (who became Coco), Alphonse, Antoinette and Lucien. This story is narrated by Antoinette, about whom history knows little,

Their mother died from bronchitis, abandoned by their father and not wanted by any other family member, the girls were sent to a convent/orphanage. When we first see them in 1897, they are practicing their sewing. In 1898, the girls had been at the convent for three years. It is then that they receive a visit from their grandmother and learn that they have an aunt, Adrienne, who is close to their ages.

After she leaves the convent when she becomes of age, Gabrielle is hired in specialty shop where lace and other fashionable trimmings are sold to the wealthy women.

Adrienne takes them under her wing and begins to guide them through Parisian society---from the bottom to the top. Silly behavior ensues, with the girls interest boys escalating. On Sundays, Gabrielle takes a job at a tailor’s shop in order to meet officers and other wealthy men. It becomes clear that this book is more about finding a man to appease their need for a father figure rather than the girls rise to fashionable society.

Readers even learn how Gabrielle received her nickname, Coco. Coco wants to sing and dance, but she hasn’t much talent. It’s when she decides to start creating hats that the world of fashion calls. With her sister, Antoinette, they start making hats for the rich and famous that they once envied.

The book fictionally documents Coco’s rise to fame as a hat designer, her love life, her marriage to Boy Chapel, her move into clothing and ends as Antoinette wants to bring the Chanel brand to the United States.

“The Chanel Sisters” was a good read. On occasion it dragged. I enjoyed the second half much more than the first. “The Chanel Sisters” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I was thrilled to read The Chanel Sisters and couldn't put it down until finished. The perspective of the story being told through the point of view of Coco's younger, unknown sister made the novel much more interesting than if it had solely been about Coco Chanel. It gave the reader the opportunity to learn more about what the Chanel sisters childhood had been like and how it effected the people they became as adults.

This was really a facinating story. I loved the way the author built this story with some facts and her own theories tying everything together. Most of the people, places, fashions etc are real.
This story was about the sisters and their path to rise above their own past to build a better life.
I’ve read many books about Coco Chanel, this one looks at her life from a different perspective. I loved it!
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review. .

I truly enjoyed this one it was about the sisters and their relationship and rise to fame . I learned a lot about Coco I didn’t know.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book I

Wow. It’s rare to start a book and immediately feel like you will love it. I felt that way with this book and I was absolutely right :)

It was refreshing to read about Coco Chanel before she was Coco.
This book is about The Chanel sisters and their honorary sister Adrienne.

The name Chanel was not a good connection when the girls were growing up. Antoinette, Gabrielle and Julia-Berthe were left with the nuns after their mom died. Their dad had run off and left them to fend for themselves.

The nuns tried to set the girls on a straight and narrow path.
Julia-Berthe was the first to beer from that path.

After the girls met their (very young) aunt Adrienne they started to dream of new things. Adrienne was in a convent school too but she had seen things the other girls had not, such as the elegantes. The girls cut pictures from magazines and began to dream of Something Better.

Their intro to fashion was actually taking apart their school uniforms and remaking them so that they fit better.

Each girl dreamed of love but also had the desire to be able to support themselves. They didn’t want to be left poor again like their father had left them.

This was really an amazing story. I loved it. I loved the way the author built this story with some facts and her own theories tying everything together. Most of the people, places, fashions etc were real. It was fun to Google them to see them with my own eyes.

This story was about the sisters and their aunt and their path to rise above their own past to build a better life.
It’s sad to know that Coco felt the need to tell lies about her childhood as she got more established but she seemed to need to break from her past the most.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you! This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I’m already recommending it to everyone.

After losing their mother, the Chanel sisters are abandoned by their father. Left in an orphanage school, they hear daily about their bleak futures as untalented, poor females, to expect nothing better. Gabrielle, aka Coco, strives to prove them wrong, trying many avenues to break from poverty and to succeed. Julia-Berthe, the eldest and unmarried, dies young after giving birth to a son. It is the point of view of Antoinette, the youngest, who shares their story. Despite Coco’s attempts to re-write their lives, through Antoinette we hear the truth and through Judithe Little we read a fictional interpretation of what might have happened. Using available documents and records, she gives an account of possible heartbreaks and defeats along with moments of love and joy. Played out against the pre - and post- World War I years, the famous fashion house rises and flourishes at the hands of brave and creative women who sought one goal: Something Better.

I’ve always admired the sleek and sophisticated style of Coco Chanel and have coveted the beautiful clothing, handbags, and makeup that she produced over the years. So, when I came across this book by Judithe Little, I was very intrigued to learn more about the Chanel sisters.

The book starts in 1897 France where the three Chanel sisters, Gabrielle, Antoinette, and Julia-Berthe have been orphaned by their mother who passed away and their father whom run away. They are living in a Convent Orphanage, where they are forced to learn the importance of honesty, hard work, and to not want impractical things. As they all grow within the story and as Antoinette being the narrator, they are always told they are not meant for greater things and won’t ever be able to be more than what they currently are. The girls strive for “something better”, even after their dreams are attempted to be curtailed by those around them. One of their lessons within the convent is sewing, so it’s here that Gabrielle and Antoinette first begin to tailor their hand-me-down clothing to showcase a more slimmer fit and lengths that are easier to wear and do their chores. This is the catalyst for Gabrielle and Antoinette to lean into this strength of skill and to pursue “something better” in Paris. As the girls meet new people, fall in love, and wrestle with the traditional ideals of others and how they make up their own ideals, they rely on each other. Their success in Paris begins to frighten them amidst a war and other tragedies that arise, but throughout the story, I found myself glued to the page and cheering them on throughout the story and feeling the disappointment and hurt of their losses as well.

The author did a wonderful job of intertwining the facts about the Chanel sisters and creating the world in which we discover within the book. It’s a great read and one that you will certainly enjoy. I’ve just finished it and can still feel myself wrapped up within the story and hesitating to move on to the next book quite yet. Wonderfully written!

Author Judithe Little has written an engrossing and intimate story about the Chanel sisters. Told from the point of view of the youngest sister, Antoinette, we learn of their hardscrabble, lonely childhoods, their yearnings for something better, and their ultimate success. The portraits of these young women in this book are honest, revealing their ambitions as well as the desires of their hearts. I was transported to the stark convent where they lived following the death of their mother to the glamorous sights of Paris, and all points in between. The Chanel Sisters is a wonderful blend of history and family saga.

Love, love, love! I don't know much about the world of fashion and/or design but you would have to live under a rock to not know the name of Coco Chanel. This book, while a work of fiction, is based on the lives of the Chanel Sister, Coco (Gabrielle) and Antoinette. They came from humble and harsh beginnings and worked their way out of poverty, through the Great War, to become the famous brand name they are today. Obviously Coco is the one who gets all the recognition, but this book shows how much of a joint effort their enterprise really was. As soon as I finished this book I had to know more about these women and spent a lot of time online researching their lives and careers. This was a great historical fiction book with a lot of heart and I highly recommend it.

I’m hoping to be able to travel to Paris next summer and since I’ve read quite a few books based in Paris during World War II, I thought this book would be a great companion when I saw it on NetGalley. I’ve heard of Coco Chanel and know of the brand, but didn’t know anything about their history. This story features Antoinette Chanel, Coco’s younger sister. After their mother’s passing, the girls rake of a father leaves and the girls are sent to a catholic school to be raised by nuns. Antoinette, Gabrielle (Coco) and an older sister Julia dream of a better life. They eventually age out of living with the nuns and begin their lives, eventually starting a hat shop which is the beginning of the Chanel empire. Their lives are turned upside down during WWI when their broken hearts will send them in different directions.

Abandoned at a convent at a young age, Antoinette and Gabrielle Chanel are kept on a tight leash. While they are good girls all day, at night they sneak out their hidden little novellas and read about fashion and cut out styles and clothes they want.

They dream of making something of themselves. Finally of age to leave they do what they must to succeed. Society may never accept them, but they will be wearing the Chanel label forever!

This was a very interesting book. Part fact part fiction. I have recently read another book about CoCo and found this one to be more well rounded and giving us a look at all the Chanel sisters and what drove them to become a success. These were some brave and admirable ladies whose legacy continues strong today!

NetGalley/December 29th, 2020 by Graydon House

I will be posting my review on my stop for this book tour

TheChanelSisters #NetGalley
Description
A novel of survival, love, loss, triumph—and the sisters who changed fashion forever

Antoinette and Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel know they’re destined for something better. Abandoned by their family years before, they’ve grown up under the guidance of pious nuns preparing them for simple lives as the wives of tradesmen or shopkeepers. At night, their secret stash of romantic novels and magazine cutouts beneath the floorboards are all they have to keep their dreams of the future alive.

The walls of the convent can’t shield them forever, and when they’re finally of age, the Chanel sisters set out together with a fierce determination to prove themselves worthy to a society that has never accepted them. Their journey propels them out of poverty and to the stylish cafés of Moulins, the dazzling performance halls of Vichy—and to a small hat shop on the rue Cambon in Paris, where a business takes hold and expands to the glamorous French resort towns. But when World War I breaks out, their lives are irrevocably changed, and the sisters must gather the courage to fashion their own places in the world, even if apart from each other.

Great Reading about what drove Coco Chanel and her family ties. Overcoming poverty, abandonment, not marrying, starting a business were just a few of the hurdles our heroine possessed. Learning about her hard start, how she had to figure out who she was and how she could make a living in a time where it was expected to marry, not work, was fascinating. Her love of life, not being afraid to be different, and constant desire to push ahead, time after time shows what a remarkable women Coco Chanel was.

The name Chanel is synonymous with luxury, fashion, refinement, and elegance. It is a name that is recognized and revered worldwide. However, it wasn't always that way. Once upon a time, the name Chanel was an embarrassment. It suggested lowly beginnings and shameful family behavior. Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel was born to a father with a penchant for wandering and a weak, sickly mother. After her mother dies, young, Gabrielle, and her sisters, Antoinette, and Julia-Berthe are sent to live in a Catholic orphanage. The nuns provide structure and purpose but continually remind the girls of their humble heritage and warn them that their father's itinerant and wasteful ways are in their blood. The sisters grow up yearning to be appreciated, honored, respected, and loved. Their yearning takes them on unexpected paths and opens new vistas. The Chanel Sisters tells the story of Coco Chanel and her sisters that readers don't know and suggests possible motives and reasons for long-buried mysteries. Any reader who has the slightest interest in fashion, history, or women's relationships should not miss this one. Readers from high-school and up will devour this story!