First, let me talk about the cover of this book. Divine. I absolutely love it! Who would not want a dress like that! Certainly not me. I get distracted just looking at it. It is such a stunning book cover. I am not often blown away by the book covers, but this one is just incredible. But on to the story which is just as stunning as the cover. Set before the turn of the century (the 20th not the 21st), The Luxe tells the tale of Elizabeth and Diana Holland, two sisters making their way through the height of society in New York. But secrets brew beneath the seemingly perfect world. The story opens with a funeral, Elizabeth’s in fact, and then proceeds to travel back in time as we learn of what transpired. There is of course gossip, intrigue, fabulous parties, back stabbing and love. We meet Penelope Hayes, Elizabeth’s best friend, who is in love with Elizabeth’s fiance. Lina Broud, the surly maid who resents Elizabeth’s fortune and luck. Then we have the two sisiters: Elizabeth is the perfect one while Diana strains against the confines of the world she lives in. But all is not as it seems and soon forces will come to ahead and lives will be irrevocably changed. While definitely written from a modern perspective, Godbersen evokes the era of days long past. Many are comparing it to Gossip Girls or the Clique series, but I think it rises above those and will become a story that will stick around for some time. I was happy to learn that there will be a sequel as I am dying to find out what happens with the high society damsels featured herein.
The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
December 19, 2007 by Kate Hall
