The Luxe By Anna Godbersen Release Date: Buy it Today! Harper Teen Ratings Action Romance Characters Overall Purchase on Amazon. Purchase at Powell’s. Find independent bookstores.

Elizabeth is dead.

Society’s darling has died on the eve of her marriage, tragically lost in the river. All of New York City mourns.

But what lead up to her funeral? How did her sister’s yearning for romance and adventure lead her to fall in love with her sister’s fiance? Why are Elizabeth and Henry getting married anyways when they seem to have nothing in common, no real care or concern for each other? What part does her best friend play in it all, the best friend who thought she’d be the one to marry Henry, not Elizabeth?

I don’t often read books that are so simple, yet utterly complex at the same time. The plot of Luxe is laid out from the opening pages. Elizabeth is dead, but no body has been found. Her best friend was the only witness to her death. Her sister enters the funeral last, smiling mysteriously. From those pages, I quickly realized what the ultimate ending of the book would be and why. Still, I kept reading, page after page, entranced by the melodrama of these characters’ lives.

The charm of the book isn’t easy for me to identify. I can’t say I felt all that attached to any one person; they were all relatively stock characters. The plot, as I said above, was rather simply laid out in the first few pages and chapters though there were twists and turns along the way to try to lead me off the path I knew the plot was taking.

So how did a book that was so very simple entice me? If you’d told me the plot, I’d have said, “Oh, that’s just a soap opera,” or dismissed it as silly. In essence, this book is a soap opera mixed with teen books like the Gossip Girl series, with a dash of mystery and intrigue, all of which is set against the intoxicating backdrop of turn of the century New York City high society. And I loved every moment.

If you’re a fan of soap operas (and yes, I’m including shows like Desperate Housewives in that category), can’t stop watching Hollywood Access since it just “happens” to be on TV, or love high school dramas like Gossip Girl (which I haven’t read, but I have a feeling I’d find equally addicting), I highly recommend this book. And if you don’t admit to liking those books, just tell everyone it’s a historical novel.

I suppose I should point out that this is not a fantasy book; it’s simply a beautifully done historical "high school" drama (no, they aren’t in high school, but in our time they would be). Personally, I find these to be as fantastical as anything involving magic or fairies.

Ratings Reasons:
Action 3 - Pacing was relatively fast, but there was very little actual action. It’s more of a drama.

Romance 4 - It’s hard to judge the romance, because it’s such a pure teen melodrama. Does he love me? Oh, but I’m afraid I’m in love with someone who isn’t of my social standing… etc. Still, there were plenty of "awwww" moments, and I was rooting for the two main couples. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out in the next book.

Characters 3 1/2 - I didn’t really care about any of the characters in a "Oh, I want them to succeed!" sort of way, but they all did interest me. Still, they tended to be pretty stereotypical characters to the genre. The girl who’s society’s darling; the girl who thinks it would be a grand adventure to not be rich; the boy who wants his dad’s money, but doesn’t want to do what he says; the servant girl who’s angry at the rich girls; the spiteful best friend; etc.

Overall 4 - I was glued to this book from the moment I picked it up. It’s thick enough I didn’t get it finished in one night, but it starts on a high note, and I wanted to see how it all ended.

Extras:

HarperCollins put together a very nice site for The Luxe, complete with a map of locations from the book and rules of decorum. Plus, the sequel, Rumors, comes out this June. I can’t wait! The book ended on a serious cliffhanger, so I need to know what happened. Some books would have bothered me, doing that, but I was okay with it here. I think it’s the soap opera feel.

There is an excellent article about the parallels between the book and modern day celebrities at theglobeandmail.com. I’ve also posted this as a discussion topic on the forum.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like people who like Luxe would enjoy A Great and Terrible Beauty, and vice versa. Of course, I haven’t read AGTB yet, but this book has made me more interested in society dramas again. I’d also highly recommend Sorcery and Cecelia, which is also a society and fantasy book.

All right, you can’t read a book like this without talking and thinking about fashions. I found wikipedia to once more provide me with great pictures of time period clothing. I’d really like to know if the dress on the cover of Luxe is at all time period appropriate and what that style is called. Plus, via wiki, I found a great costuming site, with 1890s fashions and patterns, as well as clothing from throughout history.

Plus in case you’re like me and wondering what exactly Luxe means, here you go, courtesy of Answers.com

Dictionary: luxe
n.
The condition of being elegantly sumptuous.
Something luxurious; a luxury.

Parents: 13+ easily. I’d hesitate to say any higher than that, though there are definitely references to people having sex, but it’s only implied, not explicit. More of the "Well, what else are they doing behind closed doors? Playing cards?" sort of implications.

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