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Sign up todayThe Girl from the Grand Hotel
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Learn moreThe #1 bestselling author of Cooking for Picasso and The Godmothers returns with The Girl from the Grand Hotel, a dazzling historical novel that brings readers into the glamorous world of the first (and doomed) Cannes Film Festival and the deadly atmosphere of Europe on the brink of war.
Summer 1939. The glittering Côte d’Azur is having a particularly brilliant season, as the world’s wealthiest vacationers collide with Hollywood’s illustrious movie stars for the first-ever film festival on the French Riviera.
Into this hothouse playground comes an American named Annabel Faucon. Having left a dead-end job and a broken heart back in New York, she’s escaped to a summer stint at the fabulous Grand Hotel, where her uncle is the manager. But when a major movie studio brings its flock of stars to stay at the hotel, Annabel is handpicked to “keep an eye on” two of the mysterious arrivals: a screenwriter who’s been “in his cups” and a renegade actor who keeps luring the studio’s female star into his independent productions.
The arrival of Nazi guests only intensifies the situation. Suddenly everyone is watching everybody else during this feverish last summer before the outbreak of World War II. Faced with international spies who will stop at nothing to get what they want, Annabel finds herself embroiled in murder, intrigue, and a race against the clock to disrupt a secret Nazi communications system.
Inspired by true events and the histories of three great hotels on the Côte d’Azur—with appearances by such real-life luminaries as Marlene Dietrich, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Cagney, and Mae West—The Girl from the Grand Hotel is a brilliant page-turner that is not to be missed.
Book discussion questions are available here: https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/www.blackstoneaudio.com/docs/BookClubKit_TheGirlFromTheGrandHotel.pdf
Camille Aubray is the author of the novel Cooking for Picasso, chosen for People Magazine’s Picks of the Best New Books, and the Indie Next Reading Groups List. Aubray was an Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship winner and a writer-in-residence at the Karolyi Foundation in the South of France. She was also a staff writer for the daytime dramas One Life to Live and Capitol. Aubray studied writing with her mentor Margaret Atwood at Humber College in Toronto, and was a finalist for the Pushcart Press Editors’ Book Award and the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.
Reviews
“Reminiscent of Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola…A fast-paced, drama-filled portrait of a family dynasty.”
“A tasty blend of romance, mystery, and French cooking…Read on!”
“A delicious, atmospheric novel. You’ll be glad you’re along for the ride.”
“Hollywood movie stars mingle with Nazi spies in a feverish atmosphere combined with a touching love story. An intense page-turner you won’t want to put down!”
“Huge congrats to Camille Aubray for a terrific read! The Girl from the Grand Hotel is a delicious romp through the South of France, filled with a cast of Hollywood legends and wrapped in a tense spy thriller. I loved her dead-on depictions of bold-faced names of the day, like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charles Laughton, and was swept away by the fast-paced story and canny twists. An exhilarating ride!”
“The beauty of Aubray’s uncluttered prose…lends credence to the F. Scott Fitzgerald quote she uses to open the novel’s first part…The numerous real-life luminaries who pepper the story add a comforting gravitas and depth to the narrative, and Aubray hews close to their actual stories and personas…The Girl from the Grand Hotel offers an imaginative glimpse into recent history, one that entertains as it gives perspective.”
“Dazzling.”
“This is a great historically based novel that looks at the first Cannes Film Festival, with well-written characters and a story you want to keep reading. Historical fiction readers will enjoy this one.”
“Camille Aubray’s The Girl from the Grand Hotel begins as a beach read—and what a beach!—then evolves into a glossy-fearsome thriller partly based on true events…Readers who like the pageantry of galas and the upstairs-downstairs tensions of Downton Abbey should swoon at this breathtakingly imagined novel.”
“Mozhan Navabi performs an enchanting narration of this robust historical fiction…Navabi’s rich voice will provide listeners with a captivating experience.”
“The Girl from the Grand Hotel is right up my alley. I love French history, the Cote d’Azur, and old Hollywood, so what’s not to love about this delicious novel inspired by true events and set in one of the most beautiful, most romantic places in the world? Camille Aubray captures the era in vivid and memorable detail.”
“With sparkling characters and a riveting plot, Aubray’s latest will appeal to fans of old Hollywood and historical fiction in general.”
“Fun and surprising…Readers will be swept away.”
“Aubray portrays her strong characters as intelligent, brave, and even ruthless women. This is historical fiction at its best.”
“A group of deeply complex and beautifully written women…Aubray marries history, suspense, and womanhood in a story perfect for devouring.”
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