Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Luxe

The Luxe (Luxe, #1) The Luxe by Anna Godbersen 

Series: Book 1 of 4

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Luxe is set in high society New York. The year is 1899 and, as the book opens, New York is mourning the untimely death of Elizabeth Holland. In a strange twist of fate, her funeral is occurring on the very day she was to be married.

The book then takes the reader back to three weeks before the funeral so that we can see how the events unfolded that led to the somber gathering. There are elaborate parties, shopping trips to Lord & Taylor, a ride in Central Park, and forbidden late night visits with love triangles galore.

Reading this is just like eating candy. It's of absolutely no value, and even though I found it predictable, it was still great fun to read. It's a little racy, meaning sexual encounters are alluded to, but it is in no way explicit. And as much as I needed this mindless escapism, I won't continue with the series. It fit the bill for me now, but I don't have the patience to carry on. (Don't worry. Wikipedia filled me in on how it all turns out!)

Also reviewed by:
Yours?

Book 31 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 13 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge, Book 20 of 50 for the New Author Challenge, Book 30 of 50 for the Countdown Challenge (2007), Book 17 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge

Source: Purchased

8 comments:

bermudaonion said...

This sounds like a great book for the beach this summer.

Melissa said...

I keep looking at all the pretty dresses on the covers of the other books, thinking I want to read them. But, I never quite get the desire to pick them up... probably for the best.

Beth F said...

Your last paragraph sums it up. I don't care about the historical accuracy or the predictability. I love the book because it was just plain fun to read.

Kathleen said...

Sounds like the perfect book for a day out by the pool. We can all enjoy and appreciate a little bit of "reading candy" once in awhile!

Linda said...

I just got this book from the library. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Tribute Books said...

would love to read this,thanks!

Nina said...

Wikipedia..haha..indeed you are right about finding more information there. I still have to read number 2,3 and the last one, but I am waiting for a good time to read it. A good time is for me a lazy sunday, but I still have a lots of plans!..I still am curious who murderd her, so number two will be on my shelfs asap!Great review and thank you for adding my review of the book.

Nari @ The Novel World said...

I felt the same way about the book. I thought it was an incredibly fun read, but not much more than that. I read the sequel, but gave up the series after that.