Monday, January 05, 2009

The Luxe, by Anna Godbersen


In 1899 high society New York, reputation and discretion were paramount. And a family's destiny was driven by the right friends and the right marriage. Add to this exotic and luxurious environ the jealousies and unpredictable hormones of adolescents where everyone (in true classic romance style everyone is in love with the wrong person) and you get the world of The Luxe.


On so many levels I was certain I would despise this historical cum Gossip Girls derivative. And it started off badly enough with all the materialistic bodice ripping that I expected. But somewhere in its quick-reading 400+ pages, I got sucked in. Maybe not enough to want to read the sequels, but enough to understand -- and appreciate -- the appeal. Yes, it's an overblown Harlequin for teens. Yes, it lacks much in the way of redeeming aesthetic value. But it was also captivating and just plain fun!

1 comment:

Lana said...

I thought these were really fun, too. Definitely a quick read, and I like Harlequins, so I was a step ahead :-).

I linked to your review here
Thanks!