Monday, November 8, 2010

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

Godbersen, Anna. The Luxe. HarperCollins , 2007. 448 pages. ISBN-10: 0061345679. ISBN-13: 978-0061345678.

Plot:
The year is 1899 and 18-year-old Elizabeth Holland has returned from Europe to take her place as the darling of the Manhattan elite. Her younger sister Diana has grown in her absence and is becoming more daring and less interested in fitting in with society than Elizabeth is. Her supposed best friend Penelope Hayes, a nouveau riche social climber, isn’t entirely thrilled to see Elizabeth back, but she is involved with her own relationship with Henry Schoonmaker. However, Henry’s father insists that he and Elizabeth become engaged, much to Penelope’s outrage. As Henry is courting Elizabeth, he falls for Diana, complicating things even further. As for Elizabeth, she is secretly in love with her poor coachman, Will. Elizabeth’s maid, Lina, is also in love with him. As Elizabeth’s and Henry’s wedding nears, the group of teens must figure out how to sort out their scandalous relationships without the rest of the polite society finding out.

Critical Evaluation:
The Luxe is delightfully snarky and scandalous. This is a book that will appeal to readers raised on Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Clique or any reader who enjoys stories full of secrets, backstabbing, and intrigue. It’s not just romantic fluff, though. Godberson’s research into the Gilded Age is evident in the historical aspects of the novel, even if her descriptions of the time period are primarily limited to the upper class. Unlike many historical fiction novels, the history is more a frame for the story than vice versa. Placing the events in that particular time period allows Godberson the ability to make actions that would be innocent today seem wildly scandalous. Though the characters behave in ways that might not be completely realistic and they suffer from very few consequences, that’s not really the point of the novel.

Godberson’s choice of alternating viewpoints rounds out the story as the reader is able to see the motivations behind each character’s actions. Starting her novel with the death of Elizabeth thrusts the reader into the thick of the story and adds an air of mystery. Perhaps her best stylistic choice is the inclusion of newspaper snippets and letters. This helps further the framework of the Gilded Age, as well as giving an outside perspective on the characters’ lives. Godberson has created a glamorous and entertaining start to her trilogy.

Reader's Annotation:
In Gilded Age Manhattan, four very different young women try to pursue happiness with often scandalous results.

Author Information:
Anna Godbersen was born in 1980 in Berkeley, California. She attended public school in Berkeley before going to Barnard College in Manhattan. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Before beginning her career as a novelist, she worked as an editorial assistant for Esquire and worked as a ghost writer of young adult novels. Despite having read very little young adults novels or historical fiction prior to writing her series, she jumped into writing both with much zeal.

Though she classifies her writing as historical fiction, it has often been compared to chick lit. With their glamorous and scandalous characters, her novels would appeal to readers of chick lit, but her writing is well-researched and gives a glimpse into the past that makes her stories much more well-rounded.

Genre:
Historical Fiction

Curriculum Ties:
History: Late 19th Century

Booktalking Ideas:
  • Compare the choices young women had for love then to what they do now
  • Discuss the personality differences between Diana, Elizabeth, and Penelope
  • Describe Manhattan at the end of the 19th century

Reading Level/Interest Age:
14 or older

Challenge Issues:
Minor sexual references

Challenge Defense Ideas:
  • Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
  • If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
  • Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
  • Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:
This is an historical novel that can appeal to teenage readers who love books like Gossip Girl, but it has more literary merit.