Skip to main content

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

Another Christmas gift, and one I wanted to read very much when it first came out, but shied away from somewhat after reading several reviews comparing it to the Gossip Girl series and stating that the writing left rather a lot to be desired. Oh, I thought sadly. That's too bad. It looked better than that. So I just admired the cover from afar, and that of the sequel Rumors. I probably would have just gone on ignoring the series if my mom hadn't given me a copy of The Luxe. I'm glad she did.

The prologue begins with Elizabeth Holland's funeral. The darling of upper crust Manhattan society, her sudden and inexplicable drowning in the Hudson shocks everyone from her frozen fiance Henry Schoonmaker to her scornful maid Lina Broud. The story then immediately jumps back several weeks to show us how events came to such a strange state. You think Elizabeth is going to be the main character, but she's not. She's not even very likable. Quiet, passive, perfect. Perfectly boring. That's Elizabeth. And that's why her best friend Penelope Hayes hates her. Everyone assumes Henry and Elizabeth would be perfect together, while Penelope is determined to have him for herself. And if you're wondering right now if the whole thing is as Peyton Place as it sounds thus far, the answer is yes. Yes it is. It's a roiling sea of love, despair, social climbing, and backstabbing. In perfectly lovely period costumes. It's hypnotic.

The story spends time going back and forth between five Victorian teens: Elizabeth, Henry, Penelope, Lina, and Diana (Elizabeth's younger, much more likable sister). And for awhile I kept thinking, Why am I reading this? These characters are perfectly awful. But then Diana became cool. Or rather I could tell she was going to become someone who was going to be cool. So I was reading it for Diana. The others I could take or leave. But then Henry started showing some good sense and just the slightest hint of a backbone, despite his apalling sense of entitlement. So I was reading it for Diana and Henry. And the dresses. Oh, the dresses. And because I enjoyed seeing Penelope swallow her own tongue when she finds out a certain couple are engaged. And, in the end, it was like watching a train wreck. A beautiful, awful train wreck. And I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. I had to run to the library to get a copy of Rumors to see What Happens. That review to follow shortly. 
Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous2:01 PM

    dying to find out what you thought of the second one. I ate this one up -- Diana, Henry, the dresses, exactly. And then in the second one, they all got brain transplants, and the book made a nice little dent in my wall.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jen Robinson4:21 PM

    I enjoyed the first one, too. I just started listening to the second one on MP3 - it's going to take me a while to get through it, though, because I don't have much listening time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Marg4:57 PM

    I bought this one solely for the cover! My sister has it at the moment, but when I get it back I will read it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Angiegirl12:57 AM

    Anon, hm. So far I'm enjoying it very much. Will keep you posted.

    Jen, I hope you enjoy listening to the second one. I'm kind of glad I got to these just now so I can plow right on to the third when it comes out at the end of the month.

    Marg, the cover is lovely, isn't it? I'd love to hear what you think when you get your copy back. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lana9:34 AM

    I was reading this for Diana (and later Henry), myself. And I rather liked Lina, too.

    I kept thinking I'd love to see *this* as a movie because wouldn't the costumes just be gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Angiegirl1:28 PM

    So gorgeous. It would be fun to watch the spectacle on the big screen. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Christine9:28 AM

    I confess that I bought The Luxe merely on the merits of it's breathtakingly gorgeous cover. Of course, I bought it for my daughter for Christmas in 2007 just so I could read it, but you know how that goes.

    My daughter and I did a back-to-back review back in April 2008 on her blog HERE. We both gave it a B grade. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Angiegirl12:36 PM

    Lovely reviews, Christine. It looks like we agree completely.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

You Might Also Like

Interview with April Lindner + Jane Giveaway!

I'm very excited about today's interviewee. As you know, I had been looking forward to the publication of Jane for months when a review copy happened in my lap and I let out a gasp of joy. Being a modernized retelling of Jane Eyre with a rock star-ized Mr. Rochester named Nico and a cover that hits every last one of my aesthetic buttons, it was sort of made to order for this reader. Needless to say, it more than lived up to my not inconsiderable expectations and I have been recommending it on a pretty much daily basis to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors . . . you get the picture. It's now just under a month until the book is out and, in anticipation of the release, I invited  April Lindner over to dish about all things Jane. She kindly accepted. Please welcome April! First things first: The Cover. I am in deep smit with that cover. Did you have any input and what was your reaction upon seeing it for the first time? I adore the cover too, and was blown away the...
76 comments
Read more

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, Review + Giveaway!

It seems a long time ago now that I first read Shiver -- the first book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. But looking back I started it on the plane ride to BEA and finished it there in the conference center, fingers gripping the cover tightly, while sitting on the floor in one of the many autograph lines. And now it's May again and BEA is right around the corner and I emerge from my recent and nasty reading slump stupor to find a copy of Linger sitting in my mailbox like a glove thrown down in the dirt. "I will be the one to pull you out," it whispers to me slyly. "Just open me up and take a sip. I promise--one sip is all it will take." And I look at it with fear and longing written all over my face. "You promise?" I ask  intently. "Because it's been a long walk in the cold and I'm not sure I can take another disappointment." "Just open me up," it says, confidence written all over its cover. And so I do. And everythin...
161 comments
Read more

Shiver Blog Tour: Interview with Maggie Stiefvater + Giveaway!

When the opportunity to interview the delightful Maggie Stiefvater came my way, I literally jumped at the chance. I've been a big fan of Maggie's ever since I read (and loved) Lament last year. I had the pleasure of meeting her at BEA in May and I can tell you she is as spunky and funny and delightful as you would imagine the creator of Dee and James and Luke would be. Her new novel, Shiver , has just been released and you can read my review here . To celebrate the release Maggie kindly made some time in her hectic schedule to answer a few questions. The result is well worth reading. Enjoy! First things first: What was it like seeing (and stroking) Shiver in hardcover for the first time? Um, absolutely amazing. I was actually nervous about seeing it for the first time -- as in butterflies in my stomach odd. Which anyone who knows me well can tell you is very, very bizarre. I knew my editor was going to give me one when he met up with me at ALA, and I was more nervous for t...
74 comments
Read more