Shelly's Book Blog

The Luxe, by Anna Godbersen, is set in 1899 New York, and follows the lives of several upper-class young women. Readers learn on the first page that one of these women, 18-year-old Elizabeth Holland, fell into the Hudson River and died. The author uses Elizabeth’s funeral to introduce her readers to turn-of-the-century high society New York, where the rich attend balls given at each others’ mansions and rely on servants to cook their meals, clean their houses, tend to their horses, and even help them into their fine clothing. The main story explains what happened in the month prior to Elizabeth’s premature and tragic demise.
This book is another that appears on the 2008 teens’ top 10 nominations list. I enjoyed the story but I found it predictable and rather shallow. Many of the characters seemed like cardboard cutouts rather than real people. I understand that the author is working on a sequel, and I have to admit that despite my criticisms, I will be eager to read the new book as soon as it comes out! This is one of those guilty pleasure books, I suppose – hardly “quality” literature, but fun to read just the same. 2008 teens’ top 10 nominations