The Riviera Set

 

Summary (from the publisher): The Riviera Set is the story of the group of people who lived, partied, bed-hopped and politicked at the Château de l'Horizon near Cannes, over the course of forty years from the time when Coco Chanel made southern French tans fashionable in the twenties to the death of the playboy Prince Aly Khan in 1960. At the heart of this was the amazing Maxine Elliott, the daughter of a fisherman from Connecticut, who built the beautiful art deco Château and brought together the likes of Noel Coward, the Aga Khan, the Windsors and two very saucy courtesans, Doris Castlerosse and Daisy Fellowes, who set out to be dangerous distractions to Winston Churchill as he worked on his journalism and biographies during his 'wilderness years' in the thirties.

After the War the story continued as the Château changed hands and Prince Aly Khan used it to entertain the Hollywood set, as well as launch his seduction of and eventual marriage to Rita Hayworth.

Mary Lovell tells her story of high society behavior with tremendous brio and relish, and this book has all the charm and fascination of her bestselling The Mitford Girls and The Churchills.

Review: Rather than a biography of one individual, this is the story of a house in its heyday between 1920 and 1960. The Chateau de l'Horizon was built by the beautiful Maxine Elliott. Maxine started off life as a fisherman's daughter in Connecticut but through hard work and pluck, became one of the most celebrated and well known stage actresses of her day. She ingratiated herself with the aristocracy of Britain and due to her wealth and love of entertaining, kept her house in the Riviera, which she built after WWI, filled with notable names like Winston Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Lloyd George. After Maxine's death, the home was purchased by the oldest son of the Aga Khan. Prince Aly Khan was married to actress Rita Hayworth in the house and famous guests to the home over the years included the Duchess of Devonshire, Jack and Jackie Kennedy, and Elizabeth Taylor. 

Mary S. Lovell is an accomplished biographer who is able to hone in on the most fascinating individuals, research them exhaustively, and present them to her readers in a way that is relatable and highly readable. This book is no exception. The heart of this book is about the the first owner of the Chateau de l'Horizon and in Maxine Elliott, Lovell found yet another worthy subject. Despite being one of the "top ten theatrical performers in the USA" in 1899, Maxine is hardly a recognizable name today (27). In many ways she was a bundle of contradictions. Despite her American origin, her wealth born out of acting, and her status as a divorced woman, Maxine was accepted into some of the most elite circles of British upper crust society. Yet Maxine was also profoundly giving. During World War I, she nearly exhausted her fortune providing relief aid to the Belgian people and "effectively fed, clothed, and treated an estimated three hundred and fifty thousand people who had no other place to turn for sustenance and medical aid" (68). After the war, she promptly came out of semi-retirement, returned to America to rebuild her fortune through another round of performances, before settling on the Riviera to build her retreat where she would spend the vast majority of the rest of her life. 

The house that Maxine created was built for entertaining and pleasure. The description of its beautiful pool overlooking the sea, complete with a water chute that would take you directly from the pool into the ocean below, is enchanting. Little wonder that Winston Churchill would frequently ask to be invited to visit for long stays to recover and work on his writing. 

After Maxine's death and the house's transfer to Aly Khan, the book became seemingly less about the chateau and more about its owner's life and the individuals like Churchill and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor who were previously accustomed to visit there. Aly Khan's life was equally, if not more so, glamorous and as filled with wealth as Maxine Elliott's had been so the story does continue. However, the real soul of the house and this book lies in Maxine's story. Aly Khan never seemed as devoted to the house as Maxine and certainly traveled far more so rather than a beloved home it became more a vacation getaway in the second half of the story. Yet the house continued as a hidden gem for some of the most exclusive society and it was fascinating to continue its story during the Aly Khan years. 

After Prince Aly Khan's death, the house was purchased by the King of Saudi Arabia and seems to be little used today and substantially altered from its original design. Yet the Chateau de l'Horizon still stands. What a an alluring piece of history and how many historically significant characters it has witnessed over the years! Another excellent work by Mary S. Lovell, which interesting overlap with individuals she has focused on in other biographies. 

Stars: 4

Related Titles: 

• The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell
• A Scandalous Life: The Biography of Jane Digby by Mary S. Lovell 
• Bess of Hardwick: Empire Builder by Mary S. Lovell