The Luxe by Anna Godbersen- Series Thoughts

The Luxe series follows a quartet of girls during the Turn of the Century in New York high society. It promised gossip, illicit affairs, passionate love, and of course pretty dresses. I suppose it delivered on that, though I found this series mostly boring. 

I didn't have nearly as much fun with these books as I did with Bright Young Things, sadly. It's not anything to do with the time period- yes, I love the 20s more, but the 1900s are pretty cool, too- hell, my first American Girl doll was Nellie, Samantha's best friend. But I was more bored with these books than I was with her other series. 

I don't know if that had anything to do with Godbersen's writing. She can sufficiently mimic the way books were written back then, but the repetition of her writing grated on me. She is in bad need of a thesaurus to give her more adjectives than "petite", "bee-stung lips", "oval face", or, in the case of Splendor, "protruding belly".

I don't know if I had a favorite character, since I didn't actually like any of them, but the two characters I found the most consistently interesting were Penelope and Lina. Though in both cases they only held my attention for three books- Penelope for the first three (The Luxe, Rumors, Envy) and Carolina for the last three (Rumors, Envy, Splendor). The two main heroines, though- Elizabeth and Diana- I couldn't bring myself to care about. Elizabeth bored me to tears and Diana annoyed me, but not enough that I felt strongly in any way towards her. Both their love stories were tiring and had unsatisfactory endings even if I wasn't that invested in them in the first place.

I would say my favorite book by far was Rumors, and my least favorite book was Splendor (I think Godbersen has a hard time with the last book). I don't regret reading this series at all, but I do think I dragged it out too much. Perhaps The Luxe is one of those series meant to be marathoned in a weekend, not dragged out for four months. I will still recommend these books for someone looking for a good fluff series, but I likely won't reread any time soon. Bright Young Things maybe, but not The Luxe.

The Luxe: 6 out of 10

Rumors: 7-7.5 out of 10

Envy: 6.5-7 out of 10

Splendor: 5.5-6 out of 10

Overall Series Rating: 6-6.5 out of 10

Splendor by Anna Godbersen Review

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS BELOW

“Sometimes ends are in fact beginnings; beginnings ends.”, Splendor, Anna Godbersen

New Beginnings.

Shocking Revelations.

Unexpected Endings.

As spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new roles as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.

Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty - but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.

In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

Thank God this series is over! I was never as taken with this series as I was by Bright Young Things, but mostly went through it because it was a fun read with pretty dresses and drama. I suppose I should feel a little melancholy- after all, if you'll remember Rumors was the first proper review I ever wrote on this blog- but honestly I was relieved to be finishing it. In this case, I don't know if I should have dragged out this series over the course of 4 months. Sure, I did it with The A Circuit and Bright Young Things, and I'm doing it with the Dublin Murder Squad, but I actually liked those series (yes, even The A Circuit). These books are like a marginally better version of the Royal Circle series, except they don't offend me as much and the thought of continuing on didn't make me want to cry. 

As usual, I didn't care about Diana or Elizabeth. Elizabeth bored me as a character from the beginning, and Diana just annoyed me. I realize now after reading The Awakening (which I'll talk about in my wrap-up) that Diana reminds of Edna Pontellier. I can tolerate Diana a bit more, though, because she didn't have children to abandon. But in this book characters I used to find interesting or at least not annoying bored me. Henry's chapters lost their dry, subtle humor making them hard to read without getting distracted, and Penelope lost all interesting qualities just to chase after some prince. The only chapters I still found interesting were Carolina's. 

One of the things that annoyed me the most about this book was that the setting felt a decade off. Bobbed hair, bohemian characteristics in Diana, and naked calves made me think more of the 1910s than the 1900. Maybe 1915? Even the ending seemed more geared towards the 1910s, since the old world that Diana is fleeing didn't fully vanish until after World War One. Which brings me to a part that annoyed me. Diana is getting a lecture by some writing friend we've never heard of before about how as soon as she leaves America she will be awoken to the world. Unless Diana wants to stay in Paris her whole life, she'd be disappointed that Europe was actually not much different than America during that time, except with an extra level of snobbery coming from the existence of a titled class. Sure, Paris was artsy and bohemian, but Paris has always been the exception in Europe and not the rule. And I love Paris, but I wouldn't call only living in Paris very sophisticated, anyway. 

Lots of other revelations were in this book did nothing for me. Everything felt to conveniently wrapped up in a nice little bow, and there were some heel-face turns that did nothing except annoy me. I'm just so happy I finished these books. My series thoughts will be up soon, and I'll be able to expound more on my thoughts there, though I will tell you this- this is my least favorite book in The Luxe.

5.5-6 out of 10

Envy by Anna Godbersen Review

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS BELOW

“He was a mystery to her, and every time she tried to solve him it caused her a little more pain. But when she tired to give him up he pursued her in her thoughts, stronger each time.”- Envy, Anna Godbersen

Jealous whispers. Old rivalries. New betrayals.

Two months after Elizabeth Holland's dramatic homecoming, Manhattan eagerly awaits her return to the pinnacle of society. However, when she refuses to rejoin her sister Diana's side, those watching New York's favorite family begin to whisper that all is not as it seems behind the stately doors of No. 17 Gramercy Park.

In this thrilling installment of Anna Godbersen's bestselling Luxe series, Manhattan's most envied residents appear to have everything they desire: Wealth. Beauty. Happiness. But sometimes the most practiced smiles hide the most scandalous secrets. . . .

I was a lot more excited to get into this book than I was to get into Rumors, but since Rumors pleasantly surprised me I started to look at the series with fresh eyes. Sadly, a whole lotta nothing happened in this book.

Basically, in this book, Elizabeth, Diana, Henry, Penelope, and Carolina all go to Florida, along with Teddy Cutting, Leland Broucard, and Penelope's brother Grayson. And nothing happens. Well, relationship drama happens, but we don't care about that do we? Elizabeth mopes over Will- normally I would feel for her, but because I didn't like Will I got annoyed with her quickly- and the constant will-they-or-won't-they with Henry and Diana got old real fast. I didn't like Penelope or Carolina, but as characters they had far more interesting storylines so I felt as if I could get into their parts more. As a whole, Envy suffered horribly from Middle Book Syndrome. I usually find the third book in quartets to get this the most, and this book was no exception. I think it's because The Luxe kind of functioned as a prequel, and then Rumors acted like the real first book, leaving Envy as the middle book had it been a trilogy.

This book didn't pick up until they got out of Florida, in like the last 100 pages. And then everything happened at once. Both Henry and Teddy joined the army, and I applaud Teddy's decision for it, though I'm a bit suspicious of Henry's. Seriously, though, the last 50 pages are absolutely insane. Especially Elizabeth's parts. Godbersen crammed a whole book's worth of action in like 25 pages. Also, poor Mr Longhorn. Just, poor Mr Longhorn. I actually liked him.

The writing had picked up, though. I liked the transitions between the clothing descriptions (which were fabulous) and the action. Henry's parts were the funniest, and they actually made me laugh out loud at times. I do wonder if Anna Godbersen only has a set amount of different adjectives she could use in each book, because that's her biggest flaw writing-wise. Small frame, wild curls, and bee-stung lips are among the descriptions used several times by her, typically to describe the same character. Also, I don't really get what's so great about Diana. All the guys lust over her, but she just seems kind of generic? I don't know.

So this book wasn't the best in the series. I mean, it was still better than the first book, probably because the ending saved it. The ending is one of the reasons why I'm compelled to pick up the last book. That's how Godbersen hooks you, I think.

6.5-7 out of 10

Rumors by Anna Godbersen Review

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS BELOW

“The value of secrets is ever fluctuating although ladies who have been in society for a long time learn that a secret kept can be worth more than a secret told.”- Rumors, Anna Godbersen

After bidding good-bye to New York's brightest star, Elizabeth Holland, rumors continue to fly about her untimely demise.

All eyes are on those closest to the dearly departed: her mischievous sister, Diana, now the family's only hope for redemption; New York's most notorious cad, Henry Schoonmaker, the flame Elizabeth never extinguished; the seductive Penelope Hayes, poised to claim all that her best friend left behind including Henry; even Elizabeth's scheming former maid, Lina Broud, who discovers that while money matters and breeding counts, gossip is the new currency.

As old friends become rivals, Manhattan's most dazzling socialites find their futures threatened by whispers from the past. In this delicious sequel to The Luxe, nothing is more dangerous than a scandal . . . or more precious than a secret.

This is the second book of The Luxe series, a series I never intended to be more than a guilty pleasure series, much in the same way The A Circuit was, though hopefully of higher quality. Regardless, I was unimpressed with the first book, The Luxe. I read it back in December and gave it a 6/10, because I admired Godbersen's ability to sufficiently imitate the writing style of the Turn of the Century, but didn't like any of the characters or really get sucked into the plot. I felt nothing for neither Will and Elizabeth nor Henry and Diana (in truth though, I had a hard time actually liking any of the characters), and it took me a surprisingly long time to get through. Because of that, I admit to putting off reading this book, and while I was thrilled to get to the second book in the Bright Young Things series (which I'm loving so far- sad that there's only one more book left), I wasn't too keen to pick this one up. But I'm glad I didn't completely write this series off, because this book is different than The Luxe. Perhaps simply because I read it at a different time, or maybe it's because I felt that we were finally getting to the actual story. The first book felt very much like a set-up for the rest of the series, but it was much easier for me to get into this book.

While I still care little for both Will and Elizabeth, and I confess to skim reading many of their parts, I did enjoy Lina's and Penelope's and even Diana's storylines. The drama and social intrigue worked better in this book than it did in The Luxe, and I liked the additions of characters such as the Gamesome Gallant. I think my two favorite points of view were Lina's, because I enjoyed watching her climb to the top(and will probably enjoy her inevitable tumble down even more), and Penelope's, because I do love reading from the point of view of scheming bitches. Diana's point of view did work better for me in this book, probably because she (mostly) lost that inane "oh, being poor is so romantic" mindset. Elizabeth was still bland as a blank piece of paper in this book, but again, skim reading. And I could skim read without guilt while reading her parts, because nothing important happened at all. Honestly though, both of the Holland sisters are so selfish. I feel bad for Louisa, because neither of them actually care that their finances have fallen apart and that they could help her, but they don't.

I can't say I was as crushed by the ending as a lot of people are, since again I really didn't like either of the pairings, so that didn't impact my enjoyment of the book. In fact, I admire Godbersen for what she did. Something like that took guts most authors (Anne Blankman) don't have, especially when it comes to romantic pairings. I'm still not as in love with this series as I am with Bright Young Things, and these books are no works of literary art, but when it comes to fluff books I happen to like lengthy descriptions of beautiful and especially historical clothing, Gossip Girl-esque storylines, and everything that has to do with the Gilded Age and the many rules of etiquette and society during that time. Even if there are some historical inaccuracies... But that's for another post.

7-7.5 out of 10