The Gilmore Guide to Books

Connecting Books and Readers One Review at a Time

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Genre
  • Podcast
  • Policies
    • Review Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy

Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932

May 2, 2014

Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 by Francine Prose
Published by Harper
Publication date: April 22nd 2014
three-stars

lovers chameleon club

It’s a testament to author Francine Prose’s prodigious talent that she can bring together a cross-dressing lesbian Nazi spy, a French baroness, and a Hungarian photographer, and not have it read like a bad joke. Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932   takes all of the characters listed, adds an American author, the photographer’s French girlfriend, and the Chameleon Club’s owner, Yvonne and lets them all present their take on what happened at the infamous club from the late 1920s through the end of WWII.

Lou Villars, the Nazi spy and race car driver in the novel is loosely based on the life of Violette Morris, a French athlete who spied for the Nazis, but it is Prose’s imagination that brings her story to life—as unpalatable as it was. While still working at the Chameleon Club Villars gets her fortune told and is informed:

“You will move extremely fast. You will be greatly honored. You will inflict a great deal of pain. You will die a violent, early death.” 

Lou is the only character who does not speak but is represented by a less than credible biographer who spends far too much time talking about herself and her problems, making her a weak link. The same could be said of the photographer who is only shown through his letters to his parents, which come off as spoiled, plaintive, and childish for a man approaching his forties. Nonetheless, the “dissolute” lifestyle found at the Club and the events that force each character to decide who they truly are under their costumes are enough to make Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 a richly told tale of the human heart.

Brassai photo

Famous Brassaï photo “Lesbian Couple at Le Monocle, 1932” was part of the inspiration for the novel.


three-stars

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
  • Same Genre
  • 3 Star Books
A Dual Inheritance
A Dual Inheritance
foe
Foe: A Novel by Iain Reid
god
If You Want to Make God Laugh: A Novel
sons and daughters
Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty
Frances and Bernard
Frances and Bernard
american
Our American Friend
close your eyes
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands
startup
Startup: A Novel
we are water
We Are Water: A Novel
fletcher
It’s Not You, It’s Me: Mrs. Fletcher
madame chic
At Home with Madame Chic
new money
Ending October: Mini-Reviews
february
February Reading Wrap-Up
perfect little world
Perfect Little World: A Novel
Back to Blood
Back to Blood

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, Harper, historical fiction, Paris, WWII

Comments

  1. Kelly from Readlately.com says

    May 2, 2014 at 8:40 am

    Woah – THAT’S what Violette Morris (who Lou Villars is based on) looked like? I love that you included the photo – really brings it to life. I enjoyed this book a lot too and thought the story was uniquely told!

    Reply
  2. Cynthia Robertson says

    May 2, 2014 at 9:00 am

    Read about this one over on Abrams blog and liked the sound of it.
    What do you think of FP’s writing style, Catherine? Do you enjoy it? I love her book on reading like a writer; have you read it? It’s one of my favs on my ‘how to’ shelf.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      May 2, 2014 at 9:31 am

      YES, Cynthia! That book is on my writing books shelf, too! The style in Chameleon still had her marvelous precision but having so many narrators did not enhance the story. I wanted to love it but was disappointed.

      Reply
  3. Casee Marie says

    May 2, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    I’m always intrigued by books set in Paris, but it seems like there are so many popping up lately! My list is getting a little hopeless. This one certainly sounds like an interesting character study. Loved reading your thoughts!

    Reply
  4. Monika @ Lovely Bookshelf says

    May 2, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    You wrote the best first sentence of a review EVER, I think. Just that one sentence makes me want to read this!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      May 2, 2014 at 4:35 pm

      That aspect is great, Monika, but ultimately it felt as if a couple of those narrators should have been left out. I didn’t quite get their contribution.

      Reply
  5. Tanya says

    May 3, 2014 at 1:44 am

    Great review. You either liked the book a whole lot more than I did or were better at hiding your feelings. You made me remember everything I liked about the books.

    Reply
  6. Allison @ The Book Wheel says

    May 4, 2014 at 9:26 pm

    This is, hands down, the best review I’ve read of this book. Now I want to pick it up.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Goodreads
  • Instagram

Save time and subscribe via email

No time to keep checking for new reviews? Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. No spam!

Bookshop

Currently Reading

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
by Emily Nagoski
The Dutch House
The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
by Adrienne Brodeur

goodreads.com

Affiliate Disclosure

I’m an affiliate for Bookshop. If you click on a link that takes you to their site and make a purchase I’ll earn a small fee, which goes towards the costs of maintaining this site. Your support is appreciated. Thank you!

Archives

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Theme Design By Studio Mommy · Copyright © 2025

Copyright © 2025 · Beyond Madison Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in