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Title: The Hotel on Place Vendome

Subtitle: Life, Death, and Betrayal at the Hotel Ritz in Paris

Author: Tilar J. Mazzeo

Narrator: Elizabeth Wiley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-04-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 46 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Set against the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of World War II, The Hôtel on Place Vendôme is the captivating history of Paris' world-famous Hôtel Ritz - a breathtaking tale of glamour, opulence, and celebrity and of dangerous liaisons, espionage, and resistance.

When France fell to the Germans in June 1940, the legendary Hôtel Ritz on the Place Vendôme - an icon of Paris frequented by film stars and celebrity writers, American heiresses and risqué flappers, playboys, and princes - was the only luxury hotel of its kind allowed in the occupied city by order of Adolf Hitler.

Tilar J. Mazzeo traces the history of this cultural landmark from its opening in fin de siècle Paris. At its center The Hotel on Place Vendôme is an extraordinary chronicle of life at the Ritz during wartime, when the hotel was simultaneously headquarters to the highest-ranking German officers, such as Reichsmarshal Hermann Göring, and home to exclusive patrons, including Coco Chanel. Mazzeo takes us into the grand palace's suites, bars, dining rooms, and wine cellars, revealing a hotbed of illicit affairs and deadly intrigue as well as stunning acts of defiance and treachery.

Rich in detail, The Hotel on Place Vendôme is a remarkable look at this extraordinary crucible where the future of postwar France - and all of postwar Europe - was transformed.

Critic Reviews:

"Readers will enjoy Mazzeo's fascinating collection of secretive, scheming historical characters, all under one elegant roof." (

Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A Reprint of "Much Ado About Nothing"

This is the most poorly written and superficial "history" book that I have ever read. It is so full of factual errors that it is almost impossible to absorb them, and the author makes statements throughout the book which have no truth whatsoever. They are far too numerous to mention, but a few of them include her statement that the American Assimilated Colonel Fred Wardenburg was called away from a hotel in Washington late one evening in 1944 and was at the Ritz Hotel in Paris the following morning. If his aircraft had flown by the fastest possible route, stopping only at Gander or Goose Bay, and then at Shannon or Prestwick, he would not have arrived in Paris until the following night.

This may seem trivial, but it is an example of the author's complete disinterest in facts. Another is her claim that Ernest Hemingway committed suicide ay his home in Key West. He did not. It was at his home in Ketchum, Idaho..

The author makes statements as though they were facts, when there is not a shred of truth to them. It is beyond pitiful, and a disgrace to literature.

It is sad that anyone would publish such a book., The publisher's proof reader left an unnecessary "t" after the word "only" on page 16. Very sloppy this. I wish I had my money back..

Interesting story and in depth character portrayal

This story was interesting to read if just for a glimpse back in time. Having lived in Paris for a few years you can only imagine all the little pockets of untold history. The Ritz in particular had a central role throughout not only World War II but for the better part of a century.