Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War

Too little about Coco herself. A lot of name dropping, years and details about spy networks etc. Like a police file for prosecution. The author has no literary skill, more like a reporter. Read some pages just diagonally through as I could not see Coco's name anywhere.

Sleeping with the Enemy Coco Chanel, Nazi Agent by Val Haughan was a very interesting book which I enjoyed as it give me a totally different look into the life of Coco Chanel who was a woman which I always wanted to know more about. This book made it clear that Chanel was indeed a very talented woman but also an extremely selfish woman who was one woman you would not have liked to make an enemy off. There have been other books written about her some of them she helped write but unfortunately in these books she was famous for reinventing her life which made the public be sympathetic towards her, even admire her as a person and she wanted to make herself look as beautiful as her clothes and her designs. As her designs changed the outside appearances of women she wanted to go that one step further and change her past life to a life where she was always happy. The woman which you are shown through reading this book is not a likeable character and though she always seemed to land on her feet no matter what was thrown at her as she was not afraid of using her friendship with people such as Sir Winston Churchill and the Duke of Westminister on the British side and on the German side she made friends of high up officers of the German army she seemed to pass through life without showing any thought for people only for herself. Though it was clear from the book she looked after her family and she would have done anything to make them safe and happy. What is shown in this book which I found to be very interesting are details Prince Edward and his wife Wallis Simpson and their friendship with people such as Hitler and it also made me very thankful he never became King as I do believe we would have been living in a totally different Great Britain from what we know today if he had off been King. Through reading briefly about this couple in this book has made me interested in their life together, I know I will be seeking to read about them as a couple. When I was reading the book the Coco Chanel I read about was a woman who would have made friends with the devil as long as life was made easier for her. She chose her friends who seemed to be more acquaintances than anything else judging them in what she could get out of the friendship and in the German officers case it was a matter off getting through the war with as little trouble or discomfort as possible. It also was clear she thought the Germans were a stronger nation and she accepted at the beginning of the war it was just a matter of time until Britain was defeated. What I really liked about this book was that the author when making any statements about Chanel and her group of acquaintances he constantly backed his information up with proof, at no time did he say anything but yet not prove that it was the truth he was stating. Throughout the book you will learn a lot about those people in Chanel's life from the maids to the highest SS officer but what I really wanted to know was more about Chanel. Yes, I did learn so much more about Chanel which I never knew and I found a lot of it fascinating but at times when he was writing about those people in her life, to be honest that is not what I bought the book for I just wanted to learn as much as I could about Coco Chanel. Though that was not enough to make me take a star off as I really did find this book a book of knowledge of a woman who give to other women a life of style and opulence maybe not in real life but through the clothes she styled and her perfume. We can all dream and when wearing this woman's perfume and clothes gives you an outward confidence to face the outside world what more could we ask for. If you are a total fan of Chanel you might not enjoy this book as it does show a character who clearly used people to her own advances in life but when she got all she needed she could turn on those that did help her just as quick. She clearly did not like the Jews but I feel that was more because of the Wertheimers who played her at her own game and made a lot of money out of Chanel's name and her best selling perfume Chanel No.5. This is not a relaxing book which you would read like a novel this book is based on facts and it would be very good for those that wanted to know more about Chanel without the sugary coating which many books which have been written about her have. This is a very thought provoking book which will give you a totally different look into Chanel's life - she clearly was a woman with a lot of talent but she also was a woman who had a lot of problems. She looked after Number 1 and that was herself and as long as she was happy that is all that mattered, also she thought nothing of using people then turning her back on them when they ran out of uses. It is also a book which will give you an understanding of the House of Chanel and its owner. The book is filled with many photographs which are very interesting, they showed photos of the men in her life and also of her many designs which I loved too look at. Also is shown are members of her family who she was in her own way very loyal too and it was clear they did have deep affection for her. Sleeping with the Enemy, Coco Chanel Sleeping with the Enemy by Val Vaughan is a book I recommend to all those who like books based on facts and who also love Chanel. You will have a totally new look into the life of this very talented woman who was happiest when she was number one in everyone's life.

Excellent. Vivid well researched account.

Informative. Learned a great deal about the Nazi’s at work in France during WW11. At times difficult to get thru with all the names and titles of the players.

I quite enjoyed reading 'Sleeping with the Enemy'. The book has helped me to fill in some of the gaps and it's shed a lot of light on Coco Chanel's 'missing years'. I don't necessarily agree with everything the author wrote, but he did some sterling work and unearthed a plethora of information and some very interesting details.

This work is well named. However, the name does not cover Chanel's treachery in serving the Nazis. Having grown up regarding Chanel as a splendid couturier, and Chanel Number 5 as an especially nice scent, I was disappointed in her virulent antisemitism, although she was far from alone in that. It seemed to be endemic in the upper classes of Western Europe and Britain in the 30s and 40s. Also I found her relationships with men like Winston Churchill and the Duke of Westminster quite surprising. That Churchill, knowing of her perfidious relationship with her German lover, Dinklage, protected her from trial and execution is quite appalling. There is little question that the Russian Revolution and the subsequent murder of the Royal Family horrified those in Europe that such a thing could have happened in any of the countries. Hitler saw Communism as greatly to be feared, as did the British and French. Also, historically German and England together have fought France, barring the First World War. There were remnants of that alliance referred to. It was interesting to learn how well the upper classes fared in Paris, and to see the ordinary people looking through the garbage for food. The pictures with which this book is studded are helpful, although very small on the Kindle. The research that went into this book is extensive. The writing is clear and informative. All in all, a good read.