Coco and Igor

By Chris Greenhalgh

Book Overview

Coco Chanel and Composer Igor Stravinsky. Their love affair inspired their art. Their art defined an era. In 1913, at the premiere of Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring , the young couturiere Coco Chanel witnesses the birth of a musical revolution- one that, like her designs, rips down the artifice of the old regime and ushers in something profoundly modern. Seven years later, she invites Stravinsky and his family, now exiled from their Russian homeland, for a summer at her villa, and the powerful charge between them ignites into a deep love affair. As Stravinsky enjoys a new burst of creativity and Chanel brings forth her own revolutionary creation-the perfume Chanel No. 5-their love threatens to overtake work, family and life.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594484554
• ISBN13: 9781594484551
• Release Date: December 2009
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A FIERY LOVE STORY

This is a fictionalized story of the love affair between the Russia composure Igor Stravinsky and the French fashion designer Coco Chanel. According to the book, Coco came from a meager background and clawed her way to the top of the fashion business through her inherent wit and self-drive. She was smart, beautiful and a driven workaholic. Igor Stravinsky was considered to be one of the world's most famous composers. He was the consummate musical artist. Igor was married and had young children at the time he met Coco, and he and his family were living in France, where they had been displaced after World War Two. Economically, times were rough and Igor was having trouble making ends meet. It was at that point that Coco, who had taken a liking to the composure, invited him and his family to live in her country home for an indefinite period. And that's when the sparks began to fly. Coco and Igor began their affair right under the nose of his ailing wife, who was bed-ridden with consumption. Of course, she was hurt and angry at the behavior of her husband and their overly affectionate host. What follows is a wonderful story, well researched, and written in a lovely style. This is the author's first book. He also wrote the screenplay for the movie, and my only criticism is that, at times, the prose reads like a movie script. That's a minor criticism, however, and I thought the book was an overall excellent read. I give it five stars.