Leah Matthews' review of The Luxe
By Leah Matthews / Spinebreakers Crew
I picked up this book not expecting to enjoy it, however I was mistaken as after I had finished the first chapter, i was already well and truly captivated. Anna Godbersen cleverly manages to portray nineteenth century life with the added valour of scandal, gossip and glamour - just how Hollywood is today! Any other writer could've gone horribly wrong doing this, but Anna pulled it off with flourish making the book instantly likeable to girls my age whom have experienced gossip and a piece of "Luxe" life themselves.
What I also found to be a clever technique Anna used, was how the narrative switched from character to character, it kept the book interesting and was fascinating to see things from everyones point of view, made it seem much more personal to the reader.
This shared narrative however did not confuse me at all as it has done when other writers have attempted it, it is another thing that could of been the authors fall, but instead was a asset to the book! I found all the characters intruiging as they were each so different, for example Elizabeth strives to please her Mother, husband to be Henry, family, not to mention the rest of society, where as her sister Diana is a wild spirit, trapped within the confinements of a respectable family, all she really wants is romance and excitement!
On finishing the book however, i decided my favourite attribute was how easy it was to relate to. Being a teenager I consider myself and all others my age an expert on gossip, lies, scandal etc, which are just what was the key to the storyline, just in a Nineteenth century life! I have not a bad word to say about this book, i look forward to reading the sequel "Rumours".