THE LUXE

Author: Anna Godbersen ISBN: 0061345660 11/2007 HISTORICAL/YOUNG ADULT Publisher: HARPER COLLINS TEEN
Time Period: 1899 Turn of the Century

Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn. Irresistible boys with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions. White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hookups. This is Manhattan, 1899. Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan's social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City's elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone—from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud—threatens Elizabeth's and Diana's golden future. With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the girl whose glittering life lit up the city's gossip pages is swallowed by the rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps, someone wanted to see Manhattan's most celebrated daughter disappear... In a world of luxury and deception, where appearance matters above everything and breaking the social code means running the risk of being ostracized forever, five teenagers lead dangerously scandalous lives. This thrilling trip to the age of innocence is anything but innocent.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

This was a shocking book for me to read. While the audience for this novel is advertised for teenagers in grades 9 and up, Godbersen's THE LUXE would be an excellent addition to any advanced reading list, full of content that would make conversations about this book very interesting within any age group.

The story revolves around two sisters, Elizabeth and Diana Holland, who rule the New York Social scene as debutantes. But the girls learn that their status amongst New York's elite is in jeopardy. Suddenly, everything seems to threaten the future of Elizabeth and Diana. Their world is full of back stabbers and social climbers who would do anything, including ostracizing the two beautiful debutantes, jeopardizing their futures. In a world of innocence, the two learn that there is so much more to life than social atmosphere.

With her family's fate lying upon her shoulders, Elizabeth must make a decision to choose between true love or to do the duty for her family that would secure their position within high society that they are accustomed to. When Elizabeth's carriage takes a wild turn and swallows Elizabeth into a river's currents, things are not what they seem. As the city of New York grieves for the lost debutante, they begin to wonder if the pressure of high society had gotten to Elizabeth and if that was responsible for her actions—or if someone had a hand in her accident, indicating murder.

All of the characters of this novel learn what innocence is, and exactly what they are missing in their high class world. In the world that Elizabeth and Diana belong to, appearance is everything, and if they break the social code it could mean being ostracized forever from this tight knit group.

THE LUXE was excellent, and I wish this would have been available when I was searching for something new and different to read. Godbersen is brilliant at exploring Manhattan in 1899 and the kind of stress that such high society put upon its young adults. There are so many elements that could be explored in this novel, that I would be writing a book to explain and explore its ideas. However, my best friend is a high school English teacher and I am going to pass this on for her to share with her students, because I think this would be a fabulous novel that teenagers would enjoy. But not just teenagers—THE LUXE is so extremely well written, it is something I would love to discuss on my own time with anyone. Bravo!

Kym Oetting