Anna Godbersen

2 articles tagged as Anna Godbersen

Rumors (Luxe, Book 2), by Anna Godbersen

Rating: 4 out of 5

Rumors is the second book in the Luxe series. Rumors, set in the second half of 1899, continues the story of society girls Elizabeth Holland, Diana Holland, Penelope Hayes, and the maid turned society woman, Lina (Carolina) Broud.

Last week I looked at the first book in the series, The Luxe, and decided I had to find out what happened next, the sign of a successful series. And I was not let down. In fact, I enjoyed the second book more the first.

When you are engrossed in a series, you already care about the characters. If you didn’t care about them, you wouldn’t have continued reading the series. My need to know what happened and Godbersen’s ability to deliver kept me engaged from beginning to end.

What I really liked about this book, especially in comparison to The Luxe, was that, whereas The Luxe was a bit predictable, Rumors kept me guessing. Although I did spend most of the book in a state of anxiety, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I like a book that surprises me, and Rumors delivered surprise after surprise.

Although I enjoyed Rumors more than The Luxe, Rumors did have some of the same downfalls from the first book – Penelope’s character did not grow. I grew bored with her antics and would have liked to have seem some growth. Instead, she was static. Henry grew a little bit, but he also seemed mildly static to me.

All in all, I found this to be an enjoyable read and, based off of the first two books, I recommend this series.

The Luxe book coverThe Luxe, by Anna Godbersen

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Luxe is the first book in a young adult historical fiction bordering on historical romance series. Set in 1899 New York, The Luxe delves into the lives of the New York socialites at the turn of the century. The Luxe begins with a funeral and then takes you further back in time to the events leading up to the death by following the story of four females whose lives are intertwined through a complex series of love triangles: Elizabeth Holland, the well-mannered socialite from an old-money family; Elizabeth’s wild and unconventional little sister, Diana; Penelope Hayes, a new-money socialite eager to pave her way in society and not used to hearing no; and Lina Broud, the once childhood friend and now lady’s maid to Elizabeth.

I thought this book was well done. The descriptions were rich and I felt like I was living in 1899 New York. Godbersen not only revealed the daily life of the upper class, but also gave the reader insight into the less glamorous lower class.

Where the book was lacking was in the development of the supporting characters. I thought that Elizabeth and her sister grew throughout the books along with one of the male love interests, Henry Schoonmaker. Lina and Penelope, however, did not seem to have much dimension. There were attempts at giving Lina dimension, but for me, it fell a bit short. And Penelope had little to no dimension at all. She was a spoiled girl and lacked anything that would cause a reader to sympathize with her.

In addition, I thought some of the foreshadowing was a bit too obvious. I like to be surprised, and while I was surprised in how the ending came about, I was not very surprised by the ending.

What I really liked about the book was that this was an appropriate young adult version of a historical romance novel. While there were suggestions of sexual activity, it was not overtly descriptive. If you read my review of Kristin Cashore’s Fire, you will recall that I think sex in ya books can be tricky. I thought that Godbersen handled this topic with grace that was especially appropriate to the time period in which she was writing.

Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the way Godbersen began her chapters. Each chapter began with either a newspaper excerpt, letter between the characters, or an excerpt from a manner’s book from the time period, and each excerpt foreshadowed the events of the upcoming chapter.

I highly recommend this book, not just to lovers of history, but to anyone looking for a good love story to get wrapped up in. And perhaps the greatest thing about this book: you won’t have to wait for the sequel, Rumors, to come out, because it and two other books in the series, Envy and Splendor are also already out.