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A Novel
by Philippe Collin
A celebrated bartender at the Ritz Hotel during the Nazi occupation of Paris harbors a dangerous secret in this "magnificent" (ELLE), "brilliant" (Le Parisien) international bestseller based on a true story.
Paris, 1940. The Nazis have descended on Paris and the Occupation has begun. Businesses across the city have shuttered, but the legendary Ritz Hotel remains open, its dazzling lights still burning bright on the Place Vendôme. When it becomes the favorite watering hole of the occupying forces, its barman, Frank Meier, is forced to adapt to a new clientele. But Frank has a secret: he is Jewish.
Tensions rise as the war progresses, but Frank refuses to leave his post behind the bar. Unbeknownst to the Nazi officers he serves night after night, Frank forms precarious alliances with unlikely accomplices in order to save other Jewish families in the city and keep his loved ones alive.
Inspired by real events, with the highest of stakes and a brilliant protagonist, The Barman of the Ritz is a heady cocktail of history and fiction set in one of Paris's most glamorous places, diving deep into the impossible choices of an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances.
"The Barman of the Ritz brilliantly captures the tense, morally murky atmosphere of Nazi-occupied France. Richly researched and utterly absorbing, this World War II novel pulls readers inside Paris's legendary Ritz Hotel - where every cocktail, every conversation, and every choice could change a life forever." —Anne Berest, bestselling author of The Postcard
"A spellbinding novel of extraordinary elegance and moral depth. Philippe Collin reveals how humanity survives in dark times: not through heroics, but in the quiet, daily work of remaining oneself. In a world distorted by power and fear, this novel reminds us that our humanity is not something we possess, but something we practice, moment by moment, relationship by relationship. Philippe Collin is one of the essential moral historians of our time, and this is an unmissable book." —Chris Cleave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Little Bee and Everyone Brave is Forgiven
This information about The Barman of the Ritz was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Philippe Collin has been a producer at France Inter for the past twenty years and holds a master's degree in contemporary history. Since 2021, he has produced a series of historical podcasts that have been downloaded by more than forty million listeners. The Barman of the Ritz is his first novel.
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