The magnificently camp Negresco Hotel in Nice, France inspired the novel Ladyfingers, in addition to over a decade of living and socializing on the French Riviera.
THE Negresco Hotel was built in 1912 by Romanian immigrant Henri Negresco and designed by one of the most talented architects of the “Belle Epoque”, Edward Neimans.
Located on the famous Baie des Anges, it was classified as a historical monument in 2003 and remains one of the few private Palaces in the world.
It boasts of a high profile and the wealthiest of clientele.
Jean Augier owner and CEO since 1957 has created a living museum which showcases the art, furniture and architecture of the periods from the Renaissance to the Present. The hotel’s collections includes such artists as Moretti, Dali, Sosno and Nikki de Saint Phalle.
It is definitely a “must visit” on a French Riviera itinerary.
Excerpt from LADYFINGERS: A Novel
“Muriel McCracken had left everyone and everything behind. Well, not everyone.
She had every intention of waiting for Eddie to get out of the Penn. But
she left her family, her country, her brand new Cadillac (Madame Bozell had
told her that her car would be too large for the narrow roads of Europe) and
the Condo she had bought in Beverly Hills after she received her Publisher’s
Clearing House money.
She had hired Madame Arthuretta Bozell and her Ladyfingers lifestyle makeover service to teach her the things she needed to know as a millionairess.
She took with her to France, a brand new look, her decorater-magazine
subscriptions, some new manners, Madam Bozell’s Guide to Elegant and Proper Behavior and Presentation, a big fat book called a thesaurus, nearly 20 million dollars…less Eddie’s legal fees…and a brand new name.
She had decided she’d become a socialite, while she waited for Eddie’s
release. Muriel decided to rename herself as Countess Sara Haggener…in
memory of he beloved Grandmother, Sarah Mae Haggener.
She bought herself a brand new Mercedes, convertible sports car as soon as she arrived in France and christened it with the name “Sadie”. She and Sadie conversed quite often together, since she had known no one else in all of Europe to talk to. She wrote Eddie often. He loved reading about her new life and he had told her that he was looking forward to meeting her friend “Sadie”.
Eddie, too, had always liked those Mercedes sports cars.
As soon as she arrived in the South of France, she had checked into the
Negresco Hotel in Nice. Madame Bozell had recommended it, telling her that
many famous people stayed there.
When she arrived to check in, she had burst out laughing. It looked exactly like the birthday cake that Eddie had ordered for her for her 40th birthday, over ten years ago.
But the hotel had been a wonderful place to start a new life. Oodles of celebrity-types passed through on their vacations and it was just across the street from the beach. It wasn’t the best beach in the world, because it was full of rocks and no sand…but it was different. On the private part of the beach, they had those mattresses and umbrellas…uhm…parasols…you could rent and have cute beach boys serve you food and drinks and things.
Just the kind of treatment a Countess was looking for.
Muriel…uh…Countess Haggener…created a story for the people she
would undoubtedly soon be meeting.
Since she was from Atlanta…well…from near Atlanta…and still had her
southern accent, she would tell people that she was from a rich, old, Southern
family. She would claim to be a member of the D.A.R…the Daughters of the
American Revolution…that she had read about in one her high society magazines.
She would tell them that she had been married to an English Count.
Since Madame Bozell had hired those people who taught Muriel how to sail (since she had heard that rich people did this sort of thing), she would say that her husband died tragically 10 years ago in a boating …”
June 21, 2010
theladyd
