Coco Chanel by Ann Gaines (Chelsea House Publishers, 2004).
Genre
Biography
Review
The book provides a picture of the milliner and couturier beginning with her troubled childhood: her father spent a great deal of effort dodging her mother while fathering several children by her. Chanel also spent time in an orphanage after her mother died. While the book does discuss her impact on the fashion world, it spends an equal (if not greater) amount of time discussing her various romances (and their failings), as well as the scandals that arose when she dated a German man in occupied France.
Opinion
I was disappointed that the book didn't include more photographs or illustrations of Chanel's designs or the designs of her rivals. The focus on her romantic relationships bordered upon gossip. There was far less detail about her career than I would have liked to see.
Ideas
While the book is flawed, it might still make for a good selection in a display on successful women or a display on careers. It would probably work better paired with much more information on Chanel (photographs of her clothing). It might also make sense including in a unit of history class: the book does discuss her time in occupied France.
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