THE SECRET OF CHANEL NO. 5: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
THE SECRET OF 
CHANEL NO. 5

THE INTIMATE HISTORY OF THE 

WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS PERFUME

BY TILAR J. MAZZEO

ABOUT THE BOOK: 
The unauthorized biography of the world's most famous, seductive, and successful perfume.

With its rich golden hue, art deco–inspired bottle, and timeless, musky scent, Chanel No. 5 is the world's bestselling perfume. Reverently known among industry insiders as le monstre—the monster—it is arguably the most coveted consumer luxury product of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Yet how did this pioneering celebrity fragrance, introduced in the early 1920s, eventually take on a life of its own, becoming a cultural monument celebrated by millions of devoted consumers?

The Secret of Chanel No. 5 is Tilar J. Mazzeo's far-ranging and fascinating search beyond the stuff of legend to uncover the full story of No. 5's creation, iconic status, and extraordinary success. Mazzeo goes back through time and deep into the life of Coco Chanel, the brilliant, controversial, and steel-willed businesswoman at the heart of the fragrance. She takes readers to the rose plantations and celebrated jasmine fields where the perfume begins and then to the laboratories and boardrooms where scent and sex are forever intertwined. And she travels to the heart of the Chanel empire: 31 Rue Cambon, Coco Chanel's flagship boutique, where six decades ago American GIs stormed the counters to possess the magical elixir that captured the luxury and romance of Paris for their girls back home.

A blend of evocative history and thoughtful research, here is a glittering account of where art and sensuality mingle with dazzling entrepreneurship and desire: Chanel No. 5.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After a fabulous time stomping through the fields of the Champagne, in search of the story behind "the" Widow—the Widow Clicquot, that is—I am now touring the fields of the south of France and visiting the Chanel archives in Paris for a new book on the secret of the world's most famous perfume, Chanel No. 5.

Tilar J. Mazzeo writes on the things she loves best: French culture, luxury goods, wine, food, and the good life. A professor of English at Colby College, she divides her time among the California wine country, coastal Maine, and New York City.

MY REVIEW:
THE SECRET OF CHANEL No. 5: The Intimate History of the World's Most Famous Perfume by Tilar Mazzeo is a book I was drawn to for one reason, at first. My mother always had a bottle of Chanel No. 5 on her dresser and I associate its lovely smell with her. I can remember saving my allowance and pooling it with my sister and Dad to buy Mom a new bottle each Christmas. (I am pretty sure my dad paid the majority of the cost as I look back on it now).  Little did I know, however in reading THE SECRET OF CHANEL No. 5, that I would find out far more than just how the perfume came about. I was thrilled to learn about Coco Chanel who has always had a certain air of mystery about her as far as I was concerned.

Mazzeo researched the life of Coco Chanel and Chanel No. 5 in great detail. Did you know that a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every 30 seconds? The author explains how this celebrated perfume created a phenomenal dynasty basically around what amazingly might appear to be just a simple bottle of perfume! Mazzeo tells that going by all that is needed for a successful marketing campaign, this perfume should never have made it. Yet, with the connection to one fascinating Coco Chanel (real name I found out was Gabrielle), this perfume’s success was really not such a surprise. Coco’s fascinating life and her association with Chanel No. 5, took the world of perfume by storm!

If you don’t know much about Ms. Chanel, you will be surprised to find out things like the fact that after her mother died, her father put her into an orphanage. From there, you learn about her first “job” before she went into being a designer. You also will read about her legendary love life and how all this went into being a part of what made Chanel No. 5 what it was, and still is, today. Did you know that it used to be that a certain scent was associated with proper young ladies--scents of violets and roses, while the smell of musk and jasmine was associated with women who were more shall we say sexually experienced and usually were actresses at that time, or even women known as courtesans? In a small bottle of Chanel No. 5 there is the  extract of more than 1000 jasmine flowers and a large bouquet of a dozen roses in it!

This book is filled with facts and information on how the perfume came to be, how it was made, and about Coco Chanel herself. I think it did read a little slowly at times but there were so many interesting facts about the designer and the perfume, that it made it worth reading and being patient with the slower parts. If you don’t know Chanel No. 5, after reading this book, you are sure to at least be curious enough to go to the store and try it out. I wonder how many of you use it, or have Moms who might have like mine did? Enjoy this one…it literally encourages readers to “stop and smell the roses”…and the jasmine!

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO MARK AND THE

GREAT FOLKS AT HARPER COLLINS,

I HAVE 3 COPIES OF THIS VERY

FASCINATING BOOK TO GIVE

 AWAY TO 3 WINNERS! 

 

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
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IN CASE YOU WIN!
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COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

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GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, FEBRUARY 12

GOOD LUCK!