Melanie Benjamin Bücher

Was wir wagen für die Liebe: ein historischer Roman aus der Zeit des Dritten Reichs – und die wahre Geschichte des Hotelier-Ehepaars, das während des 2. Weltkriegs das Pariser Luxus-Hotel Ritz geführt hat Glanz und Glamour verzaubern die Gäste im Luxus-Hotel Ritz in Paris auch 1940 inmitten des 2. Weltkriegs – während Hakenkreuze im Blumenschmuck stecken und Soldaten der deutschen Besatzer in den Sesseln lungern. Für die Amerikanerin Blanche ist es kaum zu ertragen, dass ihr Mann Claude Auzello als Geschäftsführer des Ritz den Nazis zu Diensten sein muss. Durch eine Freundin kommt sie in Kontakt mit der Résistance und übernimmt immer häufiger waghalsige Aufträge. Mehr als einmal rettet Blanche ihr Leben nur durch ihre Unverfrorenheit und betörende Schönheit. Was sie nicht ahnt: Auch Claude ist längst der Résistance beigetreten und unternimmt alles, um seine geliebte Blanche zu schützen, deren größtes Geheimnis die Nazis auf keinen Fall entdecken dürfen … Aus der wahren Geschichte von Blanche und Claude Auzello hat die »New York Times«-Bestseller-Autorin Melanie Benjamin einen bewegenden historischen Roman gemacht. Zwischen dem Glamour des Pariser Hotel Ritz und den Gefahren des Widerstands entfaltet sich die Geschichte einer ebenso schönen wie tapferen Frau und einer großen Liebe.

Der Roman über Alice, die Titelheldin des weltberühmten Klassikers von Lewis Carroll „Ach, ich bin es leid, Alice im Wunderland zu sein. Hört sich das undankbar an? Das tut es. Nur, dass ich es wirklich leid bin.“ Das sagt die erwachsene Alice, die als Heldin des Kinderbuchklassikers unsterblich wurde. Sie war es, die Lewis Carroll bat, die Geschichte, die er ihr erzählt hatte, aufzuschreiben. Doch der Ruhm hat sich mit der Zeit ebenso gegen Alice wie gegen Lewis Carroll gewandt. Und als sich der jüngste Sohn der Königin Victoria in die junge Frau verliebt, wird Alice endgültig aus dem Wunderland vertrieben. Melanie Benjamin hat einen atmosphärisch dichten Roman über die wirkliche Alice geschrieben. Und sie erzählt von einem Leben, das von einem einzigen Buch bestimmt wurde.

Hollywood, 1914. Frances Marion, a young writer desperate for a break, meets America's Sweetheart, Mary Pickford, already making a name for herself both on and off the screen with her golden curls and lively spirit. Together, these two women will take the movie business by storm. Mary Pickford is known as the Queen of the Movies--the first actor to have her name on a movie marquee, and the first to become a truly international celebrity. Mary and her husband, Douglas Fairbanks, were America's first Royal Couple, living in a home more famous that Buckingham Palace. Mary won the first Academy Award for Best Actress in a Talkie and was the first to put her hand and footprints in Grauman's theater sidewalk. Her annual salary in 1919 was $625,000--at a time when women's salaries peaked at $10 a week. Frances Marion is widely considered one of the most important female screenwriters of the 20th century, and was the first writer to win multiple Academy Awards. The strong personal friendship between the two stars was closely linked to both their professional collaboration and their success. This is a novel about power: the power of women during the exhilarating early years of Hollywood, and the power of forgiveness. It's also about the imbalance of power, then and now, and the sacrifices and compromises women must make in order to succeed. And at its heart, it's a novel about the power of female friendship.

When Anne Morrow a shy college senior with hidden literary aspirations, travels to Mexico City to spend Christmas with her family, she meets Colonel Charles Lindbergh, fresh off his celebrated 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Enthralled by Charle's assurance and fame, Anne is certain the aviator has scarcely noticed her. But she is wrong. Charles sees in Anne a kindred spirit, a fellow adventurer, and her world will be changed forever. The two marry in a headline-making wedding. In the years that follow, Anne becomes the first licensed female glider pilot in the United States. But despite this and other major achievements, she is viewed merely as the aviator's wife. The fairy-tale life she once longed for will bring heartbreak and hardships, ultimately pushing her to reconcile her need for love and her desire for independence, and to embrace, at last, life's infinite possibliities for change and happiness

The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a punishing cold spell. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats, leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At just the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as sixteen were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: keep the children inside to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out or send them home, praying they wouldn't get lost in the storm? Based on actual oral histories of survivors, this gripping novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen, two sisters, both schoolteachers, one who becomes a hero of the storm and one who finds herself ostracized in the aftermath

When Truman Capote gains access to New York high society, he builds an unlikely friendship with socialite Babe Paley. Of all the glamorous stars of New York high society, none blazes brighter than Babe Paley and her friends, the alluring socialite Swans. But beneath this elegantly composed exterior dwells a passionate woman, desperately longing for true love and connection. Enter Truman Capote. Through Babe, Truman gains unparalleled access to the scandal and gossip of Babe's powerful circle. Babe never imagines the destruction Truman will leave in his wake-- even when the stories aren't his to tell

For anyone who loves the historical novels of Sara Gruen, Geraldine Brooks, and E. L. Doctorow, a barnstorming tale of an irrepressible, brawling, bawdy era and the remarkable woman who had the courage to match the unique spirit of America’s Gilded Age. She was only two feet, eight inches tall, but more than a century later, her legend reaches out to us. As a child, Mercy Lavinia “Vinnie” Warren Bump was encouraged to live a life hidden away from the public. Instead, she reached out to the immortal impresario P. T. Barnum, married the tiny superstar General Tom Thumb in the wedding of the century, and became the world’s most unexpected celebrity. Vinnie’s wedding captivated the nation, preempted coverage of the Civil War, and even ushered her into the White House. But her fame also endangered the person she prized most: her similarly sized sister, Minnie, a gentle soul unable to escape the glare of Vinnie’s spotlight. A barnstorming novel of the Gilded Age, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb is the irresistible epic of a heroine who conquered the country with a heart as big as her dreams—and whose story will surely win over yours. Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more. BONUS: This edition contains a timeline, an interview with Melanie Benjamin, and an excerpt from Melanie Benjamin's Alice I Have Been.

Set in 1914, this captivating novel explores the friendship and creative partnership between screenwriter Frances Marion and actress Mary Pickford, two of Hollywood's pioneering female legends. Frances, at twenty-five, leaves her second husband and Northern California for Los Angeles, eager to establish herself as an independent artist. The burgeoning film industry, with its "flickers," captivates her, and she discovers her true passion for writing stories for this exciting new medium. In Los Angeles, she meets Mary Pickford, known as America's Sweetheart, whose charm and talent resonate with Frances. Their instant connection is fueled by a shared ambition to create and inspire, yet they face challenges from the men around them and societal constraints on their gender. As Mary navigates her fame and seeks love with actor Douglas Fairbanks, Frances also yearns for companionship. Amidst the dramas and conflicts typical of Hollywood, their friendship is tested, and the story unfolds with appearances from iconic figures like Charlie Chaplin and Lillian Gish. Ultimately, the novel delves into themes of friendship, ambition, and the complexities of success in a transformative era, capturing the allure and heartbreak of early Hollywood.

"Southern California, 1960s: endless sunny days surfing in Malibu, followed by glittering neon nights at Whisky A-Go-Go. In an era when women are expected to be housewives, Carol Donelly is breaking the mold as a legendary female surfer struggling to compete in a male-dominated sport--and her daughters, Mindy and Ginger, bear the weight of her unconventional lifestyle. The Donnelly sisters grow up enduring their mother's absence--physically, when she's at the beach, and emotionally, the rare times she's at home. To escape questions about Carol's whereabouts--and chase their mom's elusive affection--they cut school to spend their days in the surf. From her first time on a board, Mindy shows a natural talent, but Ginger, two years younger, feels out of place in the water. As they grow up and their lives diverge, Mindy and Ginger's relationship ebbs and flows. Mindy finds herself swept up in celebrity, complete with beachside love affairs, parties at the Playboy Club, and USO tours to Vietnam. Meanwhile, Ginger--desperate for a community of her own--is tugged into the vibrant counterculture of drugs and cults. Through it all, their sense of duty to each other survives, as the girls are forever connected by the emotional damage they carry from their unorthodox childhood. A gripping, emotional story set at a time when mothers were expected to be Donna Reed, not Gidget, California Golden is an unforgettable novel about three women living in a society that was shifting as tempestuously as the breaking waves"-- Provided by publisher