Book Review: “Mistress of the Ritz” by Melanie Benjamin

“Mistress of the Ritz” by Melanie Benjamin (2019)

Genre: Historical, Fiction

Page Length: 384 pages (electronic review copy)

Synopsis:

Nothing bad can happen at the Ritz; inside its gilded walls every woman looks beautiful, every man appears witty. Favored guests like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coco Chanel, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor walk through its famous doors to be welcomed and pampered by Blanche Auzello and her husband, Claude, the hotel’s director. The Auzellos are the mistress and master of the Ritz, allowing the glamour and glitz to take their minds off their troubled marriage, and off the secrets that they keep from their guests–and each other.

Until June 1940, when the German army sweeps into Paris, setting up headquarters at the Ritz. Suddenly, with the likes of Hermann Goring moving into suites once occupied by royalty, Blanche and Claude must navigate a terrifying new reality. One that entails even more secrets. One that may destroy the tempestuous marriage between this beautiful, reckless American and her very proper Frenchman. For the falsehoods they tell to survive, and to strike a blow against their Nazi “guests,” spin a web of deceit that ensnares everything and everyone they cherish.

But one secret is shared between Blanche and Claude alone–the secret that, in the end, threatens to imperil both of their lives, and to bring down the legendary Ritz itself.

Based on true events, Mistress of the Ritz is a taut tale of suspense wrapped up in a love story for the ages, the inspiring story of a woman and a man who discover the best in each other amid the turbulence of war. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

Mistress of the Ritz transports its readers into the world of Paris at a luxury hotel called The Ritz. The story follows the fictionalized accounts of real life historical figures, Blanche and Claude Auzello who are the owners of the hotel. The story shifts back and forth through the past and present giving readers the glitzy version of the city full of elite and the grand parties, while also the showing the destruction of its people and places during WW2.

Blanche and Claude are two opposites when they first meet. Blanche, is the outspoken flapper from America and Claude is the reserved but passionate man from France. They fall in love with each other and the hotel that becomes a home to them.

As the war rages on we see how the war affects France, the Ritz, and even adds to the turbulent nature of Claude and Blanche’s marriage. Their marriage becomes strained and the secrets between them grow bigger. Both see their advantage of being the owners of The Ritz despite it being overrun with Nazis. Blanche is inspired to be more than the damsel in distress her husband paints her as and tries to find ways she can help in the Resistance effort. Claude still tries to control Blanche like since the beginning of their marriage, but feels her slipping away. He wants peace at the hotel back and tries to figure out a way as his duty as a Frenchman to rise up against power, but fears retribution.

The Mistress of The Ritz is a very immersive read such as Benjamin’s prior book The Girls in the Picture. Benjamin manages to paint a description of the glamour of France as well as the beauty and architecture within the Ritz hotel while also showing the immense change that happens after the war in the next Nazis occupation takes effect in Paris. Her writing is incredibly detailed and readers really feel as if they were living in the early 20th century seeing the different kinds of fashion, society/culture. Readers feel the characters fear because of the changes of war and seeing what has been happened to their country and their loved ones and friends.

What I really admire about Blanche as the main character of the story is her spunk and her courageousness. She comes to the realizes her power and what she can do to help others around her as she sees all this death and destruction in the country that has become her home. The Ritz acts as a symbolic fortress from the war, a place of refuge and a symbol of resistance.

And Blanche understands that she has to get out of the Ritz. She has to see what is happening in Paris beyond those walls. If she doesn’t, how can she live with herself?

This was a very engrossing read from start to finish. The author did a fantastic job if weaving together a narrative of real life historical figures. It was deep, heartbreaking, and gave a new viewpoint from the war that I haven’t read in previous novels. If you enjoy historical fiction, this story is for you.

*Trigger warning: racial slurs, violence, death

Final Verdict: