Villa America

“Weaving together fact and fiction, Villa America whisks you to the 1920s of the Côte d’Azur with all its art and love and glamour and fabulousness. It’s inspired by the real-life couple, Sara and Gerald Murphy, who were rich Americans with a flair for hosting parties. They were at the centre of a set of some of the 20th-century’s most famous artists, among them Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The book just oozes the glamour and flair of the 1920s – it’s full of silk dresses, champagne, and cocktails. But Klaussmann also explores the darker side – there’s trouble in paradise. So the novel as a whole explores both the hedonism and the fragility of the jazz-age Côte d’Azur.”