Lovell, the author of a biography of the wartime prime minister and his family, seems blinded by affection for him. The third big personality at the chateau was Churchill. She seems interested only in establishing that the house became a symbol of the wealth and success epitomised by the Riviera. Although Lovell goes after Elliott’s and Khan’s stories with enthusiasm and empathy, it’s never clear why they are worth reading about. yet in spite of these details the book reads less like a delightful portrait of high society at play, and more like an extended society column, lacking even the affectless intrigue of an episode of Made in Chelsea.

The Cote D'Azur may still be a playground, but today's Russian oligarchs and super-rich are far less fascinating than Maxine Elliott's firmament, which shines again here. The Riviera Set is overstuffed with social butterflies and 10th barons of What's -it-Shires of the Realm, but what Elliott did for Churchill - giving him a taste of peace and prosperity in his time, at least on the Chateau's waterslide - probably helped save England, and by extension, the Allies. Mary Lovell writes that she'd never before attempted the biography of a house, but came across Elliott and the chateau when she was researching a book on Churchill, and had to tell this story. Lovell takes us through three decades, two world wars, and endless intrigue. However, being gauche and being louche are two different things, and just about everyone at the Chateau de L'Horizon knew how to be outrageously amusing, utter a riveting bon mot, and mix an unheard-of cocktail. Even in the hands of the legendary biographer Mary Lovell, I wondered if the denizens of The Riviera Set would sustain our interest five decades on, for the book ends in 1960 - and ostentatious wealth is now on a nasty bender.

The Riviera Set by Mary S. Lovell