From the Publisher
"No one writes bright, bold, bad, and beautiful women of history like C.W. Gortner, and he outdoes himself with his latest heroine: Jennie Jerome, American heiress, royal mistress, and mother of Winston Churchill. The American Adventuress shines on every page with Jennie's irrepressible thirst for adventure, love, and everything else life has to offer!" — Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code
“Well-written and historically accurate . . . An homage to a couture icon whose influence is still powerful today.” — Kirkus Reviews on Mademoiselle Chanel
“Gortner brings history to life in a fascinating study of one woman’s unstoppable ambition.” — Booklist on Mademoiselle Chanel
“Sucked me in by the pearls and never let go . . . equal parts grit and glamour . . . if you can’t afford to visit Paris in peak springtime season, reading this book with a glass of wine is a decent substitute.” — Glamour on Mademoiselle Chanel
“In a novel as brilliant and complicated as Coco Chanel herself, C. W. Gortner’s prose is so electric and luminous it could be a film, and not just any film, but one of the grandest biopics of our time. Divine!” — Erika Robuck, bestselling author of Hemingway's Girl
“In this deliciously satisfying novel, C.W. Gortner tells the epic, rags-to-riches story of how this brilliant, mercurial, self-created woman became a legend.” — Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train, on Mademoiselle Chanel
“From her heart-wrenching early years through her decades of struggle and glory, Gabrielle Chanel was fascinating—as is C.W. Gortner’s Mademoiselle Chanel. Coco lives again in this rich tale of brilliance, determination, and fierce self-creation.” — Ania Szado, author of Studio Saint-Ex
“A richly imagined, deftly researched novel, in which the ever fascinating Coco Chanel comes to life in all her woe and splendor, her story unfolding as elegantly as a Chanel gown.” — Cathy Marie Buchanan, author of The Painted Girls
“Enticing . . . well-researched and well-crafted historical novel that leaves the reader satisfied on many levels. ” — New York Journal of Books
“Gortner brings to life a woman who was as alluring and captivating as her signature scent. ” — Historical Novels Review
Erika Robuck
In a novel as brilliant and complicated as Coco Chanel herself, C. W. Gortner’s prose is so electric and luminous it could be a film, and not just any film, but one of the grandest biopics of our time. Divine!
Cathy Marie Buchanan
A richly imagined, deftly researched novel, in which the ever fascinating Coco Chanel comes to life in all her woe and splendor, her story unfolding as elegantly as a Chanel gown.
Historical Novels Review
Gortner brings to life a woman who was as alluring and captivating as her signature scent.
Kate Quinn
"No one writes bright, bold, bad, and beautiful women of history like C.W. Gortner, and he outdoes himself with his latest heroine: Jennie Jerome, American heiress, royal mistress, and mother of Winston Churchill. The American Adventuress shines on every page with Jennie's irrepressible thirst for adventure, love, and everything else life has to offer!"
Glamour on Mademoiselle Chanel
Sucked me in by the pearls and never let go . . . equal parts grit and glamour . . . if you can’t afford to visit Paris in peak springtime season, reading this book with a glass of wine is a decent substitute.
Christina Baker Kline
In this deliciously satisfying novel, C.W. Gortner tells the epic, rags-to-riches story of how this brilliant, mercurial, self-created woman became a legend.
Ania Szado
From her heart-wrenching early years through her decades of struggle and glory, Gabrielle Chanel was fascinating—as is C.W. Gortner’s Mademoiselle Chanel. Coco lives again in this rich tale of brilliance, determination, and fierce self-creation.
Booklist on Mademoiselle Chanel
Gortner brings history to life in a fascinating study of one woman’s unstoppable ambition.
New York Journal of Books
Enticing . . . well-researched and well-crafted historical novel that leaves the reader satisfied on many levels.
Glamour
Sucked me in by the pearls and never let go . . . equal parts grit and glamour . . . if you can’t afford to visit Paris in peak springtime season, reading this book with a glass of wine is a decent substitute.
Booklist
Gortner brings history to life in a fascinating study of one woman’s unstoppable ambition.
Library Journal
06/01/2022
In his latest biographical historical fiction novel, veteran author Gortner (Mademoiselle Chanel; The Romanov Empress) tells the story of vivacious and charismatic Jennie Jerome, the American heiress who became Lady Randolph-Churchill by marrying into the British aristocracy in 1874. The novel follows Jennie as she mothers two boys (including Winston Churchill, whose political career she helps to shape) and undertakes noteworthy philanthropic and artistic projects like chartering and traveling with a hospital ship during the Second Boer War. She also scandalizes British society by having an affair with the Prince of Wales, by marrying two much younger men after her first husband's death, and by divorcing her second husband at a time when divorce was still controversial. The huge amount of ground Gortner has to cover in just under 400 pages unfortunately means that some characters in this tale are underdeveloped, especially Jennie's second and third husbands, and the book's rushed and abrupt ending is a bit jarring. VERDICT On the whole, this well-researched novel is a solid introduction to the life of a spirited woman determined to challenge the mores of her time. It should hold strong appeal both for fans of Gortner's previous novels and for readers looking for Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age read-alikes.—Mara Bandy Fass
