The writing and pace are quick and easy, easily devoured in one sitting. The boys–Henry Schoonmaker and Elizabeth’s secret lover–are drawn a bit more thinly than the girls, but in a novel like this, who honestly cares? Henry is better than the secret lover, honestly wanting to change his philandering ways once he falls in love. Godbersen also tries to make Lina sympathetic, despite her role as thwarter of the romance the audience is obviously supposed to root for, and it doesn’t quite ring true. Halfway through the novel, Lina is let go, but I think she would have been far more effective as a double agent within the Holland home. Whereas Penelope is rich and spoiled, Lina is a working girl, in a nice position with a good family (as her sister reminds her). She gets to show us the lower class in this novel, and I really wish she measured up to Penelope. Lina is the supporting villain, vying with her mistress for the affections of Elizabeth’s secret lover. She dresses in red all the time (as opposed to Elizabeth’s pastels), knows she’s gorgeous, and is a savage little society girl. She’s got an effete minion, Isaac Philip Buck, and a Boston Terrier to stroke while she plots the downfall of Elizabeth. Penelope is the best of the lot, as the main villainess. Henry is a bit of a rake, forced into matrimony by his father. Diana is an impetous romantic, a bit like the female lead of The Secret of the Pink Carnation (although she’s quite a bit more capable). Scandal, secret trysts, and lots of intricate clothing follow.Įlizabeth, our noble heroine, is fair and lovely, although her deep, dark secret gnaws away at her, so we don’t tire of her. It involves Henry Schoonmaker, a dashing and rich young bachelor, Penelope Hayes, Elizabeth’s “best friend”, and Lina Broud, Elizabeth’s maid. It opens on Elizabeth’s funeral, and then flashes back to the events that led up to Elizabeth’s demise. The Luxe concerns the Holland girls–Diana Holland and her recently deceased older sister, Elizabeth. The inside flap rattles off the similarities of the two series before informing the reader that while this is still Manhattan, it’s 1899. The Luxe is obviously inspired by Gossip Girl and its various spin offs and knock offs. The fact that’s a period piece set it apart for me–I can have the ridiculous romantic entanglements with repression and clashing social classes on top? Yes, please! But man, it’s fun while you’re reading them.So rest assured that when I say this is similiar to Gossip Girl, it’s kind of a compliment. You just keep compulsively reading them until they are finished, and then realize you haven’t really read anything of worth after you’re done. During my sophomore year of high school, a girl in my math class let me borrow a few novels, and they are crack. Alright, I’ll own up–I enjoy a Gossip Girlnovel every once in a while. The Luxe is quite in demand at my local library–I finally had to put it on hold just to read it.

The luxe by anna godbersen