The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

"Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn.

Irresistible boys with sly smiles and dangerous intentions.

White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hook-ups.

This is Manhattan, 1899..."

Set in the fantastic world of turn-of-the-century New York, The Luxe encapsulates the scandal and intrigue of the lives of the socially elite.  The novel focuses on Elizabeth and Diana Holland who are the daughters of one of the oldest and most well-renowned families in New York.  When the Holland name is threatened by the death of their father, however, Elizabeth must participate in a marriage of convenience in order to secure her family’s financial future, all the while putting aside her true feelings for a family servant.  Her fiancée Henry Schoonmaker, a notorious womanizer who is secretly being seduced by Elizabeth’s best friend Penelope Hayes, is forced into the marriage of convenience as well and also must put aside his love for and involvement with another woman- Diana Holland.  Murder mystery, blackmail by servants attempting to live above their class, sexual tension, and elegant balls all add to the deliciously decadent and intriguing plot that is mesmerizing from the start.

  Anna Godbersen’s thorough historical research adds elements of reality to her non fiction melodrama.  Historical events, descriptions of turn of the century socialites, and intricate descriptions of clothing and interiors- all of these details create The Luxe into a historical romance that towers above others of its kind, despite the fact that among the details there is little in the way of social commentary regarding important topics of the period.  Whether or not Elizabeth, Diana and Penelope behave as young socialites at the turn of the century would have actually behaved hardly matters when the novels mix of feminine rivalries, sensational settings and scandalous plot lines creates what can be characterized as nothing less than addictive reading.

Similar to the Young Adult book series Gossip Girl, now a popular television series, The Luxe draws readers into the lives of rich, spoiled, turn-of-the-century New York young adults.  Although the plot and historical details may attract girls more than boys, the novel is geared towards readers in grade 9 and above.  The novel, although not significantly successful at exploring social struggles,  could be used to examine the missing social commentary through a comparison to novels written in the early twentieth century, such as Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, when such social struggles are actually occurring.  However, as a twenty-something avid reader, I found this novel to be a completely satisfactory “guilty pleasure” read during a time when most of my required reading lacks the elements that this novel proudly advertises.