By
Jeanne Mackin (Guest Blogger)
All
the times I fell in love it was with men who surprised me. And before
you hope for too much salacious detail, I’ll point out that falling
in love, real love, not just fun and sex, was a rare thing in my
life. Altogether, three times total, maybe three and a half, and the
last love affair turned into a marriage of many decades. And he’s
still surprising me.
So
what’s important for me in life, and in my writing, because they
run on parallel tracks, is that people be fully dimensional,
sometimes unpredictable. They must have their own minds and needs and
exist for themselves as well as for me. Perhaps that’s how I know
I’m not a narcissist, just a novelist with a few quirks of her own.
So
the question of tortured versus alpha men comes down to this: a real
male character is both. A real man, and a real character, to satisfy
me, and whatever is happening in the novel I’m working on, must
have moments of strength, and moments of weakness and failure. I
imagine that a male who is never weak is either lying sometimes or lacks
imagination. A man who is never strong is underdeveloped and
uninteresting, in life as well as fiction.
Of
the various male characters in The Last Collection, the most
important is Charlie, the brother of my antagonist, Lily Sutter. They
are both Americans who, in 1938, are spending time in Paris. Charlie
is in love with a Parisian socialite. Lily is trying to move past the
grief of her young husband’s death. They are in very different
emotional states and yet their brother and sister love is the one
reliable thing in both their lives. Charlies is strong for his sister
and his lover. He would move mountains for both of them. And yet he
is weak sometimes when he and his lover quarrel. His confidence in
himself is easily shaken.
Lily
finds a new lover in Paris, and he, too combines strong and weak.
Because he’s a German soldier, he exudes an aura of control and
command. But he’s also very young and sensitive, a musician pulled
away from his studies because of the war. His weakness comes from his
sense of having to play a role, not being his true self.
Both
men will face moments of crisis, life and death moments hinging on
that important interplay between strength and weakness. And the women
who love them must live with the consequences as well.
Blurb
An
American woman becomes entangled in the intense rivalry between
iconic fashion designers Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli in this
captivating novel from the acclaimed author of The
Beautiful American.
Paris,
1938. Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli are fighting for recognition
as the most successful and influential fashion designer in France,
and their rivalry is already legendary. They oppose each other at
every turn, in both their politics and their designs: Chanel’s are
classic, elegant, and practical; Schiaparelli’s bold, experimental,
and surreal.
When
Lily Sutter, a recently widowed young American teacher, visits her
brother, Charlie, in Paris, he insists on buying her a couture
dress—a Chanel. Lily, however, prefers a Schiaparelli. Charlie’s
beautiful and socially prominent girlfriend soon begins wearing
Schiaparelli’s designs as well, and much of Paris follows in her
footsteps.
Schiaparelli
offers budding artist Lily a job at her store, and Lily finds herself
increasingly involved with Schiaparelli and Chanel’s personal war.
Their fierce competition reaches new and dangerous heights as the
Nazis and the looming threat of World War II bear down on Paris.
Rave
reviews for The Last Collection
"Sophisticated
couture wars and looming world wars take center stage in Mackin’s
latest, with a plot that buzzes with love triangles and political
intrigue. A gorgeous meditation on art, fashion, and heartbreak.
Stunning."
--Fiona
Davis, national bestselling author of The Masterpiece
“Exquisitely
melding world politics and high fashion, THE LAST COLLECTION is a
smart, witty, heartfelt, and riveting look at the infamous rivalry
between Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli set against a gripping
period in history. Mackin’s powerful novel brings these characters
to life and transports the reader, juxtaposing both the gaiety and
tension of Paris on the brink of war. As elegant and captivating as
the designs depicted in the novel, THE LAST COLLECTION is the perfect
read for both historical fiction lovers and fashion aficionados.
Simply stunning.”
--Chanel
Cleeton, USA Today bestselling author of Next Year in Havana
“A
wonderful story of two intensely creative women, their vibrant joie
de vivre, and backbiting competition played out against the
increasingly ominous threat of the Nazi invasion of Paris. Seamless
research makes every character leap to life and kept me totally
engaged from beginning to end.
--Shelley
Noble, New York Times bestselling author of Lighthouse Beach
“A
vibrant portrait of two designers cut from very different cloth,
Jeanne Mackin’s THE LAST COLLECTION pits bold Coco Chanel and
colorful Elsa Schiaparelli against each other in a fiery feud even as
the ominous clouds of World War II darken the horizon. A captivating
read!”
--Stephanie
Marie Thornton, author of American Princess
"As
Hitler and the Nazis gather strength and the world braces for war,
Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, whose politics differ as much as
their couture, wage a war of their own. Lily Sutter, the woman who
finds herself in the middle of their feud, has a battle of her own as
she struggles to make a new start amidst extreme grief and loss. From
New York to Paris, Jeanne Mackin takes the reader on an enthralling
journey, complete with such vivid descriptions of the clothing, you
can practically see them on the page. Beautifully rendered and
meticulously researched, THE LAST COLLECTION is a must read."
--Renée
Rosen, author of Park Avenue Summer
Excerpt
Of
the three primary colors, blue is most suggestive of paradox: it is
the color of longing and sadness, and yet it is also the color of joy
and fulfillment. On a ship, at night, blue water merges into blue
sky, so blue is the color of places with no borders, no edges.
If
you throw salt into a fire, the flames will burn blue. Salt rubbed
into a wound renews the pain, intensifies it. Seeing others kiss and
embrace was salt in my wound, a blue flame burning the length of me.
Blue
best represents the contradictions of the heart, the need to be loved
and cherished at the same time that we wish for freedom.
Blue,
the color of the Worth gown that the little girl Elsa Schiaparelli
found in her Roman piazza attic, the color of the covers of the penny
romances Coco Chanel found in the orphanage attic.
Blue
is what made Elsa Schiaparelli’s daring color, shocking pink, so
special: it is pink infused with blue, turning a demure blush into an
electric surge. Schiaparelli turned girlish pink into the color of
seduction by adding that touch of blue.
And
always, there is the blue of the Paris sky on a June day.
Listen.
I’m going to tell you a story about fashion, and politics. And, of
course, about love. The three primaries, like the primary colors.
About
the Author
Jeanne
Mackin ‘s latest novel, The Last Collection, A Novel of Elsa
Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel takes the reader to Paris, just before World War II, and the intense, dangerous rivalry between the two
queens of fashion. Her previous novels include A Lady of Good Family,
the award winning The Beautiful American, The Sweet By and By, Dreams
of Empire, The Queen’s War, and The Frenchwoman.
Her
historical fictions explore the lives of strong women who change
their worlds…because we know the world always needs a lot of
change! She has worked all the traditional ‘writers’ jobs’ from
waitressing to hotel maid, anything that would leave her a few hours
each morning for writing. Most recently, she taught creative writing
at the graduate level. She has traveled widely, in Europe and the
Middle East and can think of no happier moment than sitting in a
Paris café, drinking coffee or a Pernod, and simply watching, while
scribbling in a notebook.
JeanneMackin.com
Facebook.com/JeanneMackinauthor
Twitter.com/JeanneMackin1
Book Links
Penguin
Random House -
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/531859/the-last-collection-by-jeanne-mackin/
Amazon
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H71Q5FQ/
The author is giving away a $50 Amazon or BN gift certificate to one randomly chosen winner during her tour!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
