The Gospel According to Coco Chanel cover art

The Gospel According to Coco Chanel

Life Lessons from the World’s Most Elegant Woman

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The Gospel According to Coco Chanel

By: Karen Karbo
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
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About this listen

Delving into the long, extraordinary life of renowned French fashion designer Coco Chanel, Karen Karbo has written a new kind of book, exploring Chanel’s philosophy on a range of universal themes—from style to passion, from money and success to femininity and living life on your own terms.

Chanel is credited not simply with giving us the little black dress and boxy jackets, but with popularizing pants for women and easy, practical clothes that allowed women a chic freedom they’d never known before. In her strong-headed, elegant, opinionated, passionate, entirely French way, Coco Chanel helped bring women into the modern era, and because of this she was the only person in fashion to be named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century.

Karen Karbo weaves Chanel’s life story into chapter themes that subtly convey life lessons and leave the reader utterly entranced with Chanel’s amazing individuality, confidence, and determination. The story of the designer’s extraordinary life and rise to unprecedented success is both compelling and admirable. And while the great Coco may have launched her singular empire a hundred years ago, her methods, attitude, and élan are as relevant and modern as ever, and perhaps more appealing. Chanel was a self-made girl who knew how to make do with less until she had more, discover and stay true to her own style, problem solve using the tools at hand, and do it all with seemingly effortless flair. The Gospel According to Coco Chanel is a captivating, offbeat look at style, celebrity, and self-invention—all held together with Karbo’s droll Chanel-style commentary and culled from an examination of Chanel’s difficult childhood and triumphant adulthood, passionate love affairs, career choices, habits, eccentricities, and personal philosophies.

©2009 Karen Karbo (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Personal Success Women Fashion Inspiring Funny France
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Critic reviews

“Anyone with a good sense of humor should hugely enjoy, or should I say enjoie, Karen Karbo’s funny and stylish take on Coco Chanel. Like a little black dress, this handy life guide will take you from day into evening. K. K. on C. C.: oui, oui!” (Henry Alford, author of How to Live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People (While They Are Still on This Earth))
“Wise, witty, and refreshingly colloquial, The Gospel According to Coco Chanel is an enchanting tour through the complex, often controversial life of fashion icon Chanel. Filled with relevant life lessons for the modern woman, this book is Karbo at her irrepressible best.” (Hilary Black, editor of The Secret Currency of Love: The Unabashed Truth about Women, Money, and Relationships)

What listeners say about The Gospel According to Coco Chanel

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Very Entertaining!

Well done in every way and there is a lot of advice, which is helpful. A most entertaining book!

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beautiful, charming , inspiring , entertaining!

beautiful, charming , inspiring , entertaining! Loved reading in and experiencing Coco Gospel - great biography!

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    3 out of 5 stars

Coco Chanel - one more take on her incredible story

Coco Chanel was a one-off as an independent French woman, a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and why, a woman who is eternal in the world of couture, style, elegance and uniqueness.

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Good but not great

This kind of biography of Coco Chanel was good and entertaining at times. The author’s anecdotes and her pursuit of the Chanel jacket for a reasonable price were interesting and funny. It is worth the read on catalogue plus but I wouldn’t pay for it. I also took away 1 star when she took an unauthorised picture of someone else dog and dismissed the person’s annoyance as unreasonable. What kind of rude and self entitled, self- absorbed, spoiled brat believes it is ok to disregard the wishes and privacy of another just because they want to (because the dog was so cute)??? Well, the author is that kind of person and I lost my respect for her over this simple act. First and last book from this author for sure.

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History and a lot of fluff

This book is 50% a running narrative of the authors eBay aventures looking for a Chanel vintage jacket. It is not engaging.

It does not live up to the short snippet of the sample.

The rest is a history of Coco Chanel, which although interesting isn’t what I would call the gospel according to Chanel.

I was expecting it to be more like an etiquette guide according to the rules Chanel lived by / style guide.

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The gospel by Coco Chanel

Loved this audible book a real insight into how this incredible lady worked and into her mind will listen to again and again!
I heard the whole book over two days very well put together. Highly recommending
Thanks regards Nadine. X

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What a woman

Loved it. So much information to take in too. Quite a woman, not to be crossed!

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Great reflection from in style

Really enjoyed listening and hearing story of someone who lives on even today in the hearts of women of style !!

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Must for Chanel Fans !

Loved the narration felt like I was chatting with a friend over a coffee having a good gossip about fashion and all things Chanel !

Great insight into Coco Chanel and her life and what the brand stood for but also a great inspiring read (listen ) about women, empowerment, celebrating feminism & just being sassy and classy ;)

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Informative and funny.

This Book covers the life of Coco from her childhood through to her death and tracks her use of those iconic designs through happy and turbulent times including her faux pas during the occupation of France, particularly Paris, during World War II.

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