Book Review: The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

Forget Me Not is a meme created by Steph from The Thoughts of a Book Junky where slightly older but still great books are shared. This Tuesday, I am going to feature an older book that, while I didn't love, I think it still deserves mention: The Luxe by Anna Godbersen.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Release Date: November 19, 2007
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 433
Received: Library
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars 
Author's Page
Amazon Page 
Goodreads Page

When you're done reading the review, come gush with me over this beautiful cover in my cover review. 

Summary

The year is 1899 and society is mourning the death of the beautiful Elizabeth Holland as a result of a freak carriage accident that lead to her drowning. The events of the story rewind to a month earlier and readers follow the lives and lies of Elizabeth, her secret beau, her fiance, her sister, her maid, and her backstabbing best friend. Readers are quickly swept up in the gossip and glitz, but uncovered secrets reveal that Elizabeth's carriage accident may not have been an accident at all.

Review

A mysterious death, an upstairs-downstairs affair, a marriage of convenience, a scheming social climber, a jealous maid, and a man in love with his fiancée's sister make up the sordid plot of The Luxe, the first in a four-book series about Manhattan's wealthiest families. While it may sound like a lot is going on, I found the 400+ pages to be surprisingly dull. Thinking back, the plot can be summarized quickly and so I'm not quite sure what was filling all those pages.

The book is covered with quotes and references to both Edith Wharton and Gossip Girl. Both of these influences are apparent in the book, but sometimes they're a little too apparent. If you are familiar with either the Gossip Girl book series or television show, then you'll definitely recognize Blair, Serena, Nate, Chuck, and Jenny in their Luxe counterparts. I enjoy the GG books and television show for what they are, and I was a little irritated to see it cribbed so closely here.

On the other hand, I was also disappointed that this book lacked the glitz and snappy speculation of Gossip Girl. There was gossip and glamor, but the gossip wasn't as biting or juicy as I was hoping and the glamor didn't live up to the cover. Part of the fun of reading about wealthy people is that you can immerse yourself in their rich lifestyle, but I had trouble feeling like I was actually there. I looked at that dress on the cover and I hoped reading the book would make that dress come alive, but it didn't really. The lack of glamor in the main character's life also weakened this aspect.

The characters felt simply drawn and I didn't really like or care about any of them. For me, they also suffered in comparison to their GG equivalents, feeling like pale imitations. I figured out the climatic "big reveal" in the opening chapter, which made the rest of the book frustrating to read. I also didn't really feel like I was learning anything about the historical time period, though this would be a benefit for people who want to read a gossip novel set in that time period but don't really like heavy historical fiction.

Overall, I didn't really enjoy this book, but I didn't dislike it either. It was ok. My biggest complaint really is just that I was bored. If I hadn't figured out the climax in the first pages, then I probably would have enjoyed this book more. As it is, I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the books in the series. It's not that I think they'll be bad, it's just that I have other books to read that I think I'd enjoy more. In comparison, my sister loved this book and sped through the whole series in a few days. So what do I know?

 Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 


You may want to consider The Luxe if you are participating in one of the following challenges: 

• YA Series Challenge hosted by Stalking the Bookshelves and I Eat Words
• 350 Page Books Challenge hosted by What's Your Story
• YA Historical Fiction Challenge hosted by YA Bliss
• Old World Reading Challenge hosted by Splash of Our Worlds and My Love Affair with Books
• Wish I'd Read That Challenge hosted by My Love Affair with Books
  

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Cover Review (6): The Luxe

Cover Crazy is a weekly meme hosted by Tawni at The Book Worms where a beautiful cover is featured each week for all of us to admire. I am going to use my Cover Crazy posts as an opportunity to review a book cover I love or review any cover (even the ones I don't love) from a book I've read. This week's Cover Crazy is for a cover I both love and have read the book: The Luxe, by Anna Godbersen. 

Previous Cover Crazy posts:

Delirium
Immortal
More of my Cover Crazy posts. 

 

Look at that dress! There are three two things that will make me absolutely drool over a cover: sparkles and beautiful dresses. It’s a good thing this cover doesn’t have sparkles, because I’m already overwhelmed by the magnificence of that dress.

The Luxe series follows the lives of wealthy New Yorkers at the turn of the 20^th century. It’s one of those series I refer to as “Lifestyles of the rich and beautiful.” I read them because I want to vicariously live their lives of fabulous wealth (or at least observe and gossip).

It is fitting, then, that the cover pictures something that I want but will probably never have. I can’t imagine ever having occasion or ability to wear a dress like that, but boy would it be fun (and cumbersome, but that’s the beauty of fantasy, the dress will never be cumbersome in my imagination). 

The sheer size of the dress is stunning in the literal “I am stunned” way. Its massive size (spanning across not only the front cover, but the back cover as well) speaks to the wealth this girl must have. There must be yards and yards of rich, satiny fabric there. Then there are the details. Beautiful roses are nestled within the folds of the fabric and bunches of lace. The dress itself is pure artwork.

At any time, this dress would speak of a fortune, but in the late 19^th century and early 20^th century the wearer of this dress must be loaded. Looking at this cover, I can’t wait to dive into the book and read all about her luxurious life and all of the decadent parties she must attend. Plus, with a girl and dress that gorgeous, she must be embroiled in a few juicy romances.

There is a sweet femininity conveyed with the shade of pink used in the dress and the goldish color of the title. This girly innocence is belied by the penetrating gaze of the model. She stares out through the curl of the L, completely encircled by her world of luxury but, if her expression is any indication, she harbors secrets of her own. I look at the cover and wonder about those secrets.

The final touches come with the swooping font of the title. I find the letter L to be a very passionate letter. Think of these words for a minute: Lust, luxury, lascivious, lubricious. Say them out loud. Feel the way the words move in your mouth. They capture their definitions in their sound and feel. The swirling, swooping lines of the letter underscore the opulence of the word, and consequently the book.  

Passion, secrets, and wealth are practically oozing out of this cover. I look at this cover and I want to read the book. I want to be a fly on the wall as this girl dishes her secrets. I want to learn her gossip. I want to read the scene where she wears this dress and I want to vicariously experience the opulence of this dress and the events at which she must wear it. This cover is extremely successful at drawing my attention and sparking a desire to read this book.

What do you think about this cover? Do you like it? Dislike it? Does it make you want to read the book?

Interested in covers? Be sure to check out another Cover Crazy post by Gina from My Precious. 

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