Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life

( 19 )

Overview

The controversial story of Chanel, the twentieth century's foremost fashion icon.

Revolutionizing women's dress, Gabrielle "Coco'' Chanel was the twentieth century's most influential designer. Her extraordinary and unconventional journey-from abject poverty to a new kind of glamour- helped forge the idea of modern woman.

Unearthing an astonishing life, this remarkable biography shows how, more than any previous designer, Chanel became ...

See more details below
Hardcover
$18.66
BN.com price
(Save 33%)$27.95 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (Hardcover)
  • All (32) from $2.85   
  • New (20) from $3.99   
  • Used (12) from $2.85   
Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life

Available on NOOK devices and apps  
  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK HD/HD+ Tablet
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
  • NOOK for iOS
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK for Windows 8
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for Web

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

NOOK Book (eBook)
$9.99
BN.com price

More About This Book

Overview

The controversial story of Chanel, the twentieth century's foremost fashion icon.

Revolutionizing women's dress, Gabrielle "Coco'' Chanel was the twentieth century's most influential designer. Her extraordinary and unconventional journey-from abject poverty to a new kind of glamour- helped forge the idea of modern woman.

Unearthing an astonishing life, this remarkable biography shows how, more than any previous designer, Chanel became synonymous with a rebellious and progressive style. Her numerous liaisons, whose poignant and tragic details have eluded all previous biographers, were the very stuff of legend. Witty and mesmerizing, she became muse, patron, or mistress to the century's most celebrated artists, including Picasso, Dalí, and Stravinsky.

Drawing on newly discovered love letters and other records, Chaney's controversial book reveals the truth about Chanel's drug habit and lesbian affairs. And the question about Chanel's German lover during World War II (was he a spy for the Nazis?) is definitively answered.

While uniquely highlighting the designer's far-reaching influence on the modern arts, Chaney's fascinating biography paints a deeper and darker picture of Coco Chanel than any so far. Movingly, it explores the origins, the creative power, and the secret suffering of this exceptional and often misread woman.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal
British author Chaney (Hide-and-Seek with Angels: A Life of J.M. Barrie) serves up an excellent complement to Hal Vaughan's hyped Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War. Relying on newly released love letters, private diaries, and reminiscences Chanel shared with writer Paul Morand before her death, Chaney eschews politics to highlight the Chanel aesthetic—the philosophy of art, fashion, and creativity at the heart of her iconic brand. Chanel's life unfolds in detail—her impoverished youth, relationships with artists, writers, and musicians in Paris, self-serving love affairs, business partnerships, and scandalous at the time behaviors (bisexuality and drug use among them). Using Chanel's own words wherever possible, Chaney reveals the woman behind the icon—her vulnerability, loneliness, and disappointment at remaining childless. Most important here is Chaney's insight into Chanel's role in creating the modern, independent woman, who prized both beauty and functionality. Open about the difficulty of unraveling the various myths surrounding Chanel, Chaney concludes with a look at what became of the brand after her death. VERDICT While Vaughan's work focuses on Chanel's alleged pro-Nazi liaisons during and after World War II, Chaney details the totality of Chanel's life. Recommended for general readers interested in biography, fashion, and modern womanhood.—Marie M. Mullaney, Caldwell Coll., NJ
Kirkus Reviews
In this ambitious, engrossing biography, Chaney (Hide-and-Seek with Angels: A Life of J.M. Barrie, 2006, etc.) delves into the life and times of one of the 20th century's most controversial fashion icons. The author probes beneath the cool exterior of Coco Chanel (1883–1971), the woman who, for all the money, status and power she attained, would always "remain self-conscious about her background," and whose personal torment over a tragic past would later manifest as an addiction to morphine. Chaney chronicles Chanel's early life in France, from her birth into a family of "impoverished, nomadic market-traders" and difficult adolescence at a convent orphanage to her years as a struggling apprentice seamstress. Hard-working and ambitious, Chanel understood that men were critical to her advancement and took young scions of wealthy families as her lovers. One such individual, Arthur Capel, not only became the love of her life, but also the man who helped Chanel establish the "little business" that, by the end of World War I, was well on its way to becoming a fashion empire. In the 1920s, Chanel catapulted to the center of cultural and artistic life in Paris, a place she occupied almost continuously until her death. Beautiful, provocative and possessed of a "mordant wit," she became linked to celebrated artists such as Stravinsky, Picasso and Dalí; members of the Russian nobility; other women; and, during World War II, a German soldier with Nazi ties. Chaney's engagement with her subject is evident throughout, and her exhaustive research into Chanel's life--especially its darker, more enigmatic corners--and the cultural history she so profoundly impacted make the book as fascinating as it is informative.
The Wall Street Journal
“The most thoroughly fleshed out of the new books about Chanel. . . . Ms. Chaney takes care to give detailed context all the way along, but not so much that she pulls us off the path. One appreciates her elegant tutorials.”
Harper's Magazine
“Stuffed with just-so details as it sketches the arc of a remarkable life.”
Booklist
“Deeply researched, Chaney’s enthralling biography unearths previously unavailable sources to reveal the elementally conflicted yet unequivocally gifted woman whose name will always be synonymous with sophistication and originality.”
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780670023097
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 11/10/2011
  • Pages: 464
  • Sales rank: 242,708
  • Product dimensions: 9.58 (w) x 6.52 (h) x 1.49 (d)

Meet the Author

Lisa Chaney is the author most recently of Hide and Seek with Angels: A Life of J. M. Barrie. She formerly taught at Oxford, has broadcast on the history of culture for British TV and radio, and has written for newspapers such as The Guardian and The Independent. She currently lives in York, England.

Read More Show Less

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Prologue: You're Proud, You'll Suffer 1

1 Forebears 5

2 The Bad One 11

3 The Lost Years 15

4 Things That I Should Be and Which I Am Not 24

5 A Rich Man's Game 40

6 Captive Mistress 54

7 Arthur Capel 64

8 Refashioning Paris 74

9 The Rite of Spring 85

10 The End of an Epoque 96

11 Master of Her Art 105

12 The War Bans the Bizarre 116

13 Remember That You're a Woman 123

14 Alone 135

15 Beginning Again 148

16 The Strangest and Most Brilliant Years 159

17 Dmitri Pavlovich 168

18 The Lucky N° 5 181

19 Entirely in White and Covered in Pearls 194

20 Reverdy 212

21 At the Center 223

22 Bend'Or 239

23 The Crash 257

24 Schiap Had Lots of It but It Was Bad 274

25 War 286

26 Survival 297

27 Von Dincklage 315

28 Exile 335

29 Return: 1954 349

30 I Prefer Disaster to Nothingness 361

31 I Only Hear My Heart on the Stairs 379

Afterword: Those on Whom Legends Are Built Are Their Legends 393

Acknowledgments 400

Notes 405

Select Bibliography 424

Illustration Credits 430

Index 433

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 19 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(11)

4 Star

(2)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

(3)

1 Star

(2)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing 1 – 17 of 19 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 13, 2012

    Love coco

    I pick this vook because its great if you want a biography about coco chanel which i need for my biography due march

    6 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 11, 2012

    PLEASE STOP

    Hello! We all who want to see what other people said about the book are very annoyed at all this cat stuff! Thanks for wasting my time! :/

    5 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 19, 2012

    If you love Gabrielle Chanel or a biography about any interestin

    If you love Gabrielle Chanel or a biography about any interesting person, you will love this book. It is detailed and factual, but also emotional. It really goes deep into her life and all that she went through. I am a huge Chanel fan, and this just made me love the woman behind the brand even more. She was a truly remarkable person.

    3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 8, 2013

    CLICK HERE

    I serched hot coco and got this az first ressult
    ?

    1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted September 5, 2012

    intrigueing era; ex-pat artists,pre-stock market crash and life in Paris fascinate a student of that era.

    Coco Chanel was full of herself, literally and figuratively! I'm amazed that a person of her impoverished background could be such a fashion snob.sly and cunning woman who used every person she ever met to her advantage. When she grew old she could always snuggle up to her millions each night!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 26, 2012

    Uhh

    Boring!!!!!!

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 9, 2012

    Yur fafh 55(&

    F-hcb v cttldvzwr

    0 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 24, 2012

    No

    No.

    0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 29, 2012

    0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 2, 2012

    Scourge

    The twolegs in the cars font have brains

    0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 1, 2012

    ALL HOMESCHOOLERS

    GO TO HOMESCHOOLER RESULT TWO

    0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 29, 2012

    To white

    Yes its are foverite

    0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 31, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 25, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 7, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 10, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 22, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing 1 – 17 of 19 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)