The Suitors
“A charming peek behind the curtain of French high society as only  the  ultimate insider can. Cécile David-Weill’s novel is a delicious romp   and I loved reading it!” —Ina Garten,Barefoot Contessacookbooks and TV“I  loved Cécile David-Weill’s ‘Suitors,’ a charming comedy of manners    set at a country estate in the South of France, apparently one of the    few places in the world where anyone still has enough manners to make a    comedy about.” —Andrew Solomon,New York Times Book Review“Cécile   David-Weill’s delightful novel of manners is a witty mix of wisdom and   tongue-in-cheek humor touched with a decadent zest of Frenchiness.   Irrésistible!” —Tatiana de Rosnay, author ofThe House I Loved,A Secret Kept, andSarah’s Key"If you've ever wondered whatDownton Abbeywould be like if it were set in the South of France during our current century, then pick up this smartnovel de charmeimmediately...The intimate, fascinating detail with which Cécile   David-Weill describes this society—complete with seating charts and   chauffer pick-up schedules—is what elevates this book from a mere romp   through old-money families of France into an intelligent, engaging study   of a society that seems as if it should be extinct by now." —Oprah.com"The Suitorssets out to be a farce and a frolic, but throughout there is an   undertone of nostalgia and wistfulness for a disappearing way of life." —Wall Street Journal"Deceptively charming and delightful, this novel by the French American David-Weill (Crush) portrays class issues and changing mores with the kind of intelligent taste that would make the Ettinguers proud." —Library Journal“Combining   a sociologist’s eye for class nuances with wit as dry and sparkling as   the best Champagne, Cécile David-Weill has drawn a meticulously   observed, wickedly funny portrait of the 0.001%. Her protagonist Laure, a   self-described ‘freemason of refinement,’ is determined to find a   suitable savior for her family’s legendarily, but discreetly, luxurious   house in the South of France; to that end, she tirelessly decodes the   signs of old-school elegance and nouveau riche striving that abound (and   clash, to hilarious effect) among the house’s revolving cast of art   collectors and film stars, social climbers and grandes dames,   sadistic nannies and billionaire yogis. The result is a sharply   perceptive and addictively amusing insider’s look at today’s superrich—a   direct heir to Edith Wharton’s and Marcel Proust’s portrayals of an   earlier Gilded Age, and destined for a classic status all its   own.”  —Caroline Weber, the author of Queen of Fashion: What Marie-Antoinette Wore to the Revolution"An entertaining and beautifully observed glimpse into the rarefied lives of the French one percent. ImagineDownton Abbeytransported to a chic house in modern day south of France." —Ivana Lowell, author ofWhy Not Say What Happened?“A deliciously intimate look at the hijinks of thetres, tresrich on the Cote d’Azur. I laughed on every page, but don’t be fooled.The Suitorsis above all a meditation on the inevitability of change.” —Patricia Volk, author ofStuffedandShocked: My Mother, Schiaparelli, and Me."Laure   is disarming and witty, and serves as a charming guide who takes us   inside the world of the very rich—and the no longer so." —The Daily Beast“Cécile   David-Weill gives readers an insider’s tour of the French upper  classes  frolicking in a grand villa on the Cote d’Azur where life is  meals and  proper etiquette is serious business. Beneath the hilarious  portrayal of  intellectuals, film stars, and the aristocratic elite is  the poignant  story of two sisters caught in the nostalgic longing for  their childhood  summers and a precious way of life. Like those sweet  French macaroon  cookies, this is a novel you will delight in until the  very last page.”  —Katharine Davis, author ofCapturing Paris"[A]   delightful rendering of L’Agapanthe, an old French family’s summer   estate on Cap d’Antibes dedicated to the art of gracious   living...David-Weill draws readers in as graciously as any good hostess,   but because of her personal background—she comes from an old-monied   French family who vacation on Cap d’Antibes—readers may wonder if this   is a roman à clef and will likely try to play a who’s who guessing   game." —Publishers Weekly"It’s filled with the all the   comforts (and the ridiculousness) of traditions and habits old and new.   Sumptuous descriptions of the estate and their elaborate meals make for  a  charming read in more ways than one." —Linus's Blanket"The design ofSuitorsis delightful, with menus, schedules of arrivals of guests, seating   arrangements, and other special pages that make is a lovely thing to   hold in your hand." —Mary's Library“The idea of this   ‘behind closed doors’ among the ultra-rich is excellent and merciless in   its charms…we can imagine seeing the film, and the realization is   brilliant: it’sVanity FairmeetsRules of the Game. You laugh a lot, you try to guess who is who, and you learn useful things.” —Christophe Ono-dit-Biot,Le Point"Like   a French Nancy Mitford, Cecil David-Weill (daughter of a former   chairman of Lazard Freres) is at her most interesting when she’s parsing   the manners of the super-rich, explaining why offering a Jet Ski as a   hostess gift is simply never done."—Minneapolis Star Tribune"Like Downton Abbey but French, this confection of a novel is light as a macaron and just as sweet and nostalgic. " —Elle