Fans of World War II Historical Fiction will enjoy the May Book selection of the Tuesday
Afternoon Book Club. “Mistress of the Ritz” by Melanie Benjamin is a well researched book
about the Hotel Ritz in Paris in the 1940’s.

The Ritz, one of the prominent hotels in Paris, hosts guests like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott
Fitzgerald, Coco Chanel and European royalty. They are welcomed and pampered by
Blanche Auzello and her husband, Claude. The glamour of the hotel has a way of hiding their
troubled marriage.

In June 1940 the German Army moves in to Paris setting up their Headquarters at the Ritz.
Suddenly German Generals and soldiers are occupying rooms and suites once filled with
movie stars and royalty. Blanche and Claude are now waiting on the German Army! Blanche, an American and
Claude a very proper Frenchman realize what they must do in order to survive hosting the
Nazi guests. They spin a web of deceit that threatens both them and all around them. As the
book unfolds secrets are shared, risks taken and relationships strained. How can they save
the Ritz as well as their country of France?

The book is based on true events of the German Invasion of France in the early 1940’s and
during World War II. The author, Melanie Benjamin, has written several books, all page
turners. Stop by the LeRoy Public Library to check out the book or request it at the following website:

https://selco.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/ler/search/results?qu=mistress+of+the+ritz&te=