Eadie B. (eadieburke) - , reviewed The Hotel on Place Vendome: Life, Death, and Betrayal at the Hotel Ritz in Paris on + 1639 more book reviews
When France fell to the Germans in June 1940, the legendary Hotel Ritz on the Place Vendome; an icon of Paris frequented by film stars and celebrity writers, American heiresses and risque; flappers, playboys, and prince; was the only luxury hotel of its kind allowed in the occupied city by order of Adolf Hitler.
The book tells of the start of the hotel in 1898 and the sale of hotel in 1979 to Egypt's Mohamed Al Fayed but centers mostly on the WWII years of 1941-45 and all the comings and goings of famous people such as; Marcel Prost, Hemingway and his wife Martha Gelhorn, the Fitzgeralds, royalty, Churchill, and the German officers during the German occupation of Paris. It also contains a lot of WWII history. I found the book very fascinating and made me want to search out more information about various characters and events from that time period. Highly recommended to those who enjoy history.
The book tells of the start of the hotel in 1898 and the sale of hotel in 1979 to Egypt's Mohamed Al Fayed but centers mostly on the WWII years of 1941-45 and all the comings and goings of famous people such as; Marcel Prost, Hemingway and his wife Martha Gelhorn, the Fitzgeralds, royalty, Churchill, and the German officers during the German occupation of Paris. It also contains a lot of WWII history. I found the book very fascinating and made me want to search out more information about various characters and events from that time period. Highly recommended to those who enjoy history.