The Girl from the Grand Hotel
“Fun and surprising…The Girl from the Grand Hotel follows a twenty-year-old American woman [who] hobnobs with the rich and famous…but all the while Camille Aubray has set the stage for deeper themes…Readers will be swept away.”
Publishers Weekly
A Historical Novel Society Pick of Forthcoming Historical Novels
A Rap Sheet Pick for Spring
A Barnes & Noble Favorite Indie Book
A BookBub Editors' Pick of New Books
A Hasty Book List Pick of the Week
A Booklist Queen Pick of the Month's Book Releases
A Guest of a Guest Book Club Pick
A Woman's World Pick for Their Book Club
A Film Stage Pick of Books That Touch on the World of Film
A Shelf Awareness Pick of This Week's Best Books
An AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
The #1 bestselling author of Cooking for Picasso and The Godmothers returns with The Girl from the Grand Hotel, a dazzling historical novel that brings readers into the glamorous world of the first (and doomed) Cannes Film Festival and the deadly atmosphere of Europe on the brink of war.
Summer 1939. The glittering Côte d’Azur is having a particularly brilliant season, as the world’s wealthiest vacationers collide with Hollywood’s illustrious movie stars for the first-ever film festival on the French Riviera.
Into this hothouse playground comes an American named Annabel Faucon. Having left a dead-end job and a broken heart back in New York, she’s escaped to a summer stint at the fabulous Grand Hotel, where her uncle is the manager. But when a major movie studio brings its flock of stars to stay at the hotel, Annabel is handpicked to “keep an eye on” two of the mysterious arrivals: a screenwriter who’s been “in his cups” and a renegade actor who keeps luring the studio’s female star into his independent productions.
The arrival of Nazi guests only intensifies the situation. Suddenly everyone is watching everybody else during this feverish last summer before the outbreak of World War II. Faced with international spies who will stop at nothing to get what they want, Annabel finds herself embroiled in murder, intrigue, and a race against the clock to disrupt a secret Nazi communications system.
Inspired by true events and the histories of three great hotels on the Côte d’Azur—with appearances by such real-life luminaries as Marlene Dietrich, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Cagney, and Mae West—The Girl from the Grand Hotel is a brilliant page-turner that is not to be missed.
“Fun and surprising…The Girl from the Grand Hotel follows a twenty-year-old American woman [who] hobnobs with the rich and famous…but all the while Camille Aubray has set the stage for deeper themes…Readers will be swept away.”
Publishers Weekly
“Camille Aubray’s The Girl from the Grand Hotel begins as a beach read—and what a beach!—then evolves into a glossy-fearsome thriller partly based on true events…Readers who like the pageantry of galas and the upstairs-downstairs tensions of Downton Abbey should swoon at this breathtakingly imagined novel.”
Shelf Awareness pick for “Best Books This Week”
“A story steeped in glamour and espionage…The beauty of Aubray’s uncluttered prose [lends] credence to the F. Scott Fitzgerald quote she uses to open the novel’s first part. The numerous real-life luminaries who pepper the story add a comforting gravitas and depth to the narrative, and Aubray hews close to their actual stories and personas…The Girl from the Grand Hotel offers an imaginative glimpse into recent history, one that entertains as it gives perspective.
Washington Independent Review of Books
“Dazzling.”
Woman’s World magazine’s pick for the “Best Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down”
“With sparkling characters and a riveting plot, Aubray’s latest will appeal to fans of old Hollywood and historical fiction in general.”
Booklist
“This is a great historically based novel that looks at the first Cannes Film Festival, with well-written characters and a story you want to keep reading. Historical fiction readers will enjoy this one.”
Red Carpet Crash
“Camille Aubray’s newest novel, The Girl from the Grand Hotel, transports readers to the dazzling Côte d’Azur, just in time for the first Cannes Film Festival in September 1939.”
Historical Novels Society
“This transportive new read based on a true story has won over Kristin Hannah (“What’s not to love about this delicious novel”) and Fiona Davis (“[I] was swept away by the fast-paced and canny twists”). A young American checks into the Grand Hotel in the South of France—where the glamorous clientele must soon contend with the arrival of Nazi officials.”
BookBub, “Check Out These New Books”
“The Girl from the Grand Hotel is right up my alley. I love French history, the Cote d’Azur, and old Hollywood, so what’s not to love about this delicious novel inspired by true events and set in one of the most beautiful, most romantic places in the world? Camille Aubray captures the era in vivid and memorable detail.”
Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Huge congrats to Camille Aubray for a terrific read! The Girl from the Grand Hotel is a delicious romp through the South of France, filled with a cast of Hollywood legends and wrapped in a tense spy thriller. I loved her dead-on depictions of bold-faced names of the day, like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charles Laughton, and was swept away by the fast-paced story and canny twists. An exhilarating ride!”
Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author
“Hollywood movie stars mingle with Nazi spies in a feverish atmosphere combined with a touching love story. An intense page-turner you won’t want to put down!”
Jacques Pépin, celebrity chef and New York Times bestselling author of Cooking My Way
“A tasty blend of romance, mystery, and French cooking…Read on!”
Margaret Atwood on Cooking for Picasso
“A delicious, atmospheric novel. You’ll be glad you’re along for the ride.”
People magazine’s “People Picks the Best Books” on Cooking for Picasso
“This is historical fiction at its best.”
Booklist on The Godmothers
“A colorful family saga…about how people take what seems to be worthless and make it into something priceless. The characters in Camille Aubray’s novel illustrate that value lies not in what you own, but in who you are.”
Washington Post on Cooking for Picasso
“A group of deeply complex and beautifully written women…Aubray marries history, suspense, and womanhood in a story perfect for devouring.”
Newsweek on The Godmothers
“With lively characters and a twisting plot, Aubray’s novel is a smart and satisfying tale of family, creativity, romance, and intrigue.”
Booklist on Cooking for Picasso
“Reminiscent of Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola…A fast-paced, drama-filled portrait of a family dynasty.”
Kirkus Reviews on The Godmothers
“Aubray paints a beautiful story of love, art, food, and the enduring romance of the Mediterranean.”
Fodor’s Travel on Cooking for Picasso
“A fascinating, fast-paced trip!”
People magazine’s “People Picks the Best Books” on The Godmothers
