meganbmoore (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
meganbmoore) wrote2008-06-27 07:54 pm
meganbmoore) wrote2008-06-27 07:54 pm
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The Luxe by Anna Godberson
On October 4, 1899 all of New York’s high society turned out for the funeral of 18-year-old Elizabeth Holland, who died in a carriage accident only a few days before, her body swept away by the river. Notable things about the day are that it was originally meant to be Elizabeth’s wedding day to Henry Schoonmaker, a New York playboy, and that her younger sister, Diana, was scandalously late to the funeral.
Rewind the clock a few weeks, and Elizabeth is just returning from a year in Europe. Diana has gone from a flighty girl who has her head wrapped up in the adventures in books to a flighty girl who has her head wrapped up in the adventures in books who likes to steal kisses with young gentlemen as an adventure. Her lady’s maid, Lina, became jealous in the year she didn’t actually have to work. Her best friend, Penelope, has developed an even more spiteful, subtle tongue than she had before, and is having a secret affair. And Elizabeth herself is still desperately in love with Will Teller, the stableboy she’s loved since childhood. Elizabeth might have been happier if she’d just stayed in Paris.
Just to make things better, Mrs. Holland reveals that her husband left the family, well, rather broke. Appearances must be maintained, however, which means marrying Elizabeth off to someone rich, and quickly, so his family can rescue theirs. Fortunately for her, William Schoonmaker is thinking of entering politics and has to figure out what to do about his son, Henry. While a drunk, playboy son is a bad thing for a politician to have, a handsome young son married to well thought of young lady with excellent breeding is just perfect. The parents couldn’t be happier. The children couldn’t be more miserable. Not helping things is the fact that Henry is Penelope’s secret lover. Also not helping things is that Henry doesn’t think very much of Elizabeth, but is almost immediately smitten with Diana, and decides to steal a kiss before Diana finds out he’s her future brother-in-law. Diana, incidentally, is far less than pleased when she learns he did that right after proposing. And oh yes, Lina is in love with Will, too.
THE SCANDALS! All this in the first 100~ pages!
(And I am again surprised by the things people can get up to in YA! Clearly, I have been depriving myself all these years I wasn’t paying attention to the genre!)
Rewind the clock a few weeks, and Elizabeth is just returning from a year in Europe. Diana has gone from a flighty girl who has her head wrapped up in the adventures in books to a flighty girl who has her head wrapped up in the adventures in books who likes to steal kisses with young gentlemen as an adventure. Her lady’s maid, Lina, became jealous in the year she didn’t actually have to work. Her best friend, Penelope, has developed an even more spiteful, subtle tongue than she had before, and is having a secret affair. And Elizabeth herself is still desperately in love with Will Teller, the stableboy she’s loved since childhood. Elizabeth might have been happier if she’d just stayed in Paris.
Just to make things better, Mrs. Holland reveals that her husband left the family, well, rather broke. Appearances must be maintained, however, which means marrying Elizabeth off to someone rich, and quickly, so his family can rescue theirs. Fortunately for her, William Schoonmaker is thinking of entering politics and has to figure out what to do about his son, Henry. While a drunk, playboy son is a bad thing for a politician to have, a handsome young son married to well thought of young lady with excellent breeding is just perfect. The parents couldn’t be happier. The children couldn’t be more miserable. Not helping things is the fact that Henry is Penelope’s secret lover. Also not helping things is that Henry doesn’t think very much of Elizabeth, but is almost immediately smitten with Diana, and decides to steal a kiss before Diana finds out he’s her future brother-in-law. Diana, incidentally, is far less than pleased when she learns he did that right after proposing. And oh yes, Lina is in love with Will, too.
THE SCANDALS! All this in the first 100~ pages!
(And I am again surprised by the things people can get up to in YA! Clearly, I have been depriving myself all these years I wasn’t paying attention to the genre!)
I, and a few others, have been calling this book “Gossip Girl does 1899” the last couple weeks. While I’ve neither read the GG books nor seen the TV series (I have no interest in the books, but thanks to two certain people, I do want to watch the show) it seems pretty accurate from what I know. The book is written from the perspective of what really going on behind the old high society gossip rags, and is best read that way. Not surprisingly, Diana is the most interesting character, and I hope the second book focuses more on her. I also think Diana and Penelope will work better as rivals than Penelope plotting against Elizabeth. This book, however, is mostly Elizabeth’s story, and how she goes from a mostly-perfect-and-obedient daughter with one rebellion to deciding to take charge of her own life.
At times, I did want to shake Elizabeth. Her maid was always there looking angry when she came back from the stables. Her fiance pays more attention to her sister than her, and only looks cheerful when she’s around. Her sister went from thinking Henry was romantic to snappish and ill tempered towards him, and tried to avoid him. Her best friend, known for not taking slights well and being vengeful, forgave Elizabeth quickly for “stealing” her lover. You’d think Elizabeth would catch on to the fact that things Are Not Right with all these things. However, while I sometimes (often) wanted to shake her, I did understand why she was like that, and the part where she finally figured it all out and did something about it was well done.
Unfortunately, I don’t care much for Henry. Not having even seen Elizabeth in years, he starts having very disparaging thoughts about her when he learns his father’s plans. I wouldn’t have minded if, through the course of the book, we’d seen his opinion change, but he never makes an attempt to notice or know her. He also barely even makes a token attempt to tell Penelope he’ll be marrying her best friend, and lets her find out at the engagement ball. Then, of course, there’s the whole bit where he kisses his fiancee’s sister, knowing perfectly well that she has no idea why that would be a bad thing. Yet, somehow, I can almost see myself eventually liking him. Possibly after much angst and a few dramatic gestures for Diana.
Though I don’t really see it winning any awards, the book is very enjoyable (just approach it for OH THE SCANDAL! AND DEEP DARK SECRETS!) and is pretty well written, and seems pretty well researched.
At times, I did want to shake Elizabeth. Her maid was always there looking angry when she came back from the stables. Her fiance pays more attention to her sister than her, and only looks cheerful when she’s around. Her sister went from thinking Henry was romantic to snappish and ill tempered towards him, and tried to avoid him. Her best friend, known for not taking slights well and being vengeful, forgave Elizabeth quickly for “stealing” her lover. You’d think Elizabeth would catch on to the fact that things Are Not Right with all these things. However, while I sometimes (often) wanted to shake her, I did understand why she was like that, and the part where she finally figured it all out and did something about it was well done.
Unfortunately, I don’t care much for Henry. Not having even seen Elizabeth in years, he starts having very disparaging thoughts about her when he learns his father’s plans. I wouldn’t have minded if, through the course of the book, we’d seen his opinion change, but he never makes an attempt to notice or know her. He also barely even makes a token attempt to tell Penelope he’ll be marrying her best friend, and lets her find out at the engagement ball. Then, of course, there’s the whole bit where he kisses his fiancee’s sister, knowing perfectly well that she has no idea why that would be a bad thing. Yet, somehow, I can almost see myself eventually liking him. Possibly after much angst and a few dramatic gestures for Diana.
Though I don’t really see it winning any awards, the book is very enjoyable (just approach it for OH THE SCANDAL! AND DEEP DARK SECRETS!) and is pretty well written, and seems pretty well researched.