The Once Upon a Time World: The Dark and Sparkling Story of the French Riviera

“For two centuries of opulence, scandal, war and corruption, the Riviera was a temptation,” writes historian Miles (The Wreck of the Medusa) in this comprehensive chronicle, which tracks the ups and downs of France’s southern coastline across the 19th and 20th centuries. During the Victorian era, the rich and carefree, including Queen Victoria herself, visited the Riviera, shaping places like Nice, Marseilles, and Cannes into indulgent playgrounds. During WWII, it was a strategic location for Axis troops, and many of its art deco landmarks were destroyed by bombings. Following the war, Hollywood discovered the Riviera. From the founding of the Cannes film festival in 1939 to the 1956 marriage of Grace Kelly to the prince of Monaco, Miles traces how the Riviera became the place for movie stars to see and be seen. This period also marked the rise of the mafia in the casinos of Nice and Monaco, a “sunny but shady” criminal underworld. Throughout, Miles focuses on artists (Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso) and writers (Katherine Mansfield, James Baldwin), tracing the impact of the gorgeous seaside on their work and on their personal lives. Stuffed with entrancing details, it’s a charming if somewhat dense look at a storied region. (Sept.)