|
| Rumors: A Luxe Novel (The Luxe) | 
 enlarge | Author: Anna Godbersen
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $17.99
Buy New: $8.99
You Save: $9.00 (50%)
New (28) Used (17) from $8.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 9205
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.6
ISBN: 0061345695
EAN: 9780061345692
ASIN: 0061345695
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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 Schoon-maker, 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.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
 You Can't Always Get What You Want July 21, 2008
25 out of 30 found this review helpful
The second book in the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen, Rumors picks up approximately two months after The Luxe left off, showcasing the wealthy and beautiful of 1899's New York City. Henry Schoonmaker, mourning the untimely death of fiancee Elizabeth Holland, is slowly coming out into society again, and his eye has fallen on Elizabeth's younger sister, Diana. While he ponders the consequences of being with his dead fiancee's sister, Henry himself is being stalked by the beautiful and wily Penelope Hayes. Penelope's not going to rest until she has Henry for herself, and the secrets she carries are going to ensure heartbreak and triumph.
This is a page-turner, with the characters of Penelope and Diana struggling over their feelings and schemes for Henry. Secrets abound: Elizabeth, who is not dead (which is not a spoiler since The Luxe determined this), is living with love Will Keller but realizes her family, in desperate financial straits, needs her; Elizabeth's former maid, Lina, is masquerading as a "lady" by using her hush money from Penelope; and Diana must keep the biggest secret of all. Amid all these secrets and layers, Godbersen has given us a glimpse of the mores and regulations of genteel society in 1899. Many who read these novels will be surprised at the subterfuge and scandal that affected those lives just as much as ours do today.
This is a young adult novel, but it is engaging enough for those of all ages who enjoy looking at others' lives covertly. Think of it as a "Gossip Girl" for the historical fiction set, and you'll have a good idea of the fun and drama involved. I am looking forward to the third installment, Envy. Recommended.
 Not quite up to expectations July 26, 2008
19 out of 36 found this review helpful
Rumors: A Luxe Novel (The Luxe)
Rumors: A Luxe Novel is the second in a series. I chose to review this book without reading the first story so my perception would not be tainted by prior events. That said, I'm not sure I'd recommend reading this story without first reading The Luxe.
The story follows the lives of Elizabeth Holland, whose faked death in the previous book leaves lasting consequences for her family and grieving fiance; her younger sister, Diana, and Diana's scheming friend Penelope Hayes. It is also the story of the Hollands' former maid, Lina Broud, now passing herself off as the orphaned daughter of a coppermine owner.
With Elizabeth conveniently out of the way (having secretly escaped to California to be with her father's valet, Will), Diana pursues the dashing and very wealthy Henry Schoonmaker who is also sought after by devious Penelope.
Without revealing the endings of the three storylines here, I will say that they are both predictable and unpredictable, in some cases and there remains a third book in the series to tie up any remaining loose ends.
In reading Rumors, I found myself wanting more. While the era has the potential for great detail, nothing is new here. Godberson injects considerable fact into her story of turn-of-the-century New York. Well-known people and places are tossed about with regularity as the main characters play their parts on this exciting period of the Gilded Age. The characters themselves seem rather one-dimensional so I don't end up caring what happens to them. Ditto the nebulous descriptions (in this story "less is definitely not more"). I felt the story suffered from too many instances of omniscient point of view, too much passive voice, author intrusion, and an overall "explainy-ness".
 The Young and the Restless -- Old New York style! June 9, 2008
17 out of 22 found this review helpful
New York, 1899. It is Christmastime, and all of New York's polite society is mourning the loss of the young socialite and debutante Elizabeth Holland. Well, everyone except for her sister Diana Holland and "best friend" Penelope Hayes, who are the only ones who know the truth -- that Elizabeth had staged her own death so that she could escape to California and be with her true love, her former coachman Will Keller. Elizabeth had been set to marry Mr. Henry Schoonmaker, former rogue and son of an aspiring New York mayor, ready to sacrifice her great love in order to save her family from certain financial ruin and social disgrace. That all soon changed when she discovered that Henry and Diana were secretly seeing each other and had developed feelings for one another (this all happened in The Luxe), and so a plan was set into motion. Now that her main rival is out of her way, new money and social climber Penelope Hayes will do everything to get Henry into the altar. Speaking of social climbers, Lina Broud, former maid at the Holland home, is still enjoying her small fortune obtained by supplying information to Miss Hayes and is going about town posing as an heiress visiting from the west. She even makes the gossip columns. But what's going to happen to her when her money -- and therefore her luck -- runs out? Overcome with guilt, Henry, who doesn't know Elizabeth is alive and happy in California, refuses to continue his liaison with Diana. He wishes to marry Diana, but it would be improper. Meanwhile, Mrs. Holland is holding on to Diana as her last hope to regain fortune by introducing her only daughter to every rich suitor in the city. Welcome to New York circa the turn-of-the-twentieth-century, where the rich, beautiful and scheming go from lovers to betrotheds and friends turn into rivals.
Rumors is an entertaining sequel to The Luxe. It has the same lustrous language and somewhat melodramatic style. As you read it, you can't help but be reminded of soap operas like Dynasty and The Young and the Restless. There is romance, gossip, intrigue, beauty and gorgeous descriptions of wardrobe and home decor. Old New York is described well and you do get a sense of the time period in spite of some glaring anachronisms. (Though the author takes care of bringing up propriety and mores of the times, the girls in this series are very loose when it comes to giving in their virginity or walking about town without a chaperone.) I like the star-crossed romance between Diana and Henry, and Penelope is definitely a fictional version of Consuelo Vanderbilt. Elizabeth and Will are also great, and there is a twist at the end that will move you very much if you come to care about these characters the way I have done. The only storyline I do not like is the one centered on Lina Broud. I know this is a somewhat campy series, but the way Lina passes off as a lady of quality, and the things that transpire with Tristan the conning Lord & Taylor salesman, Mr. Longhorn and her deal with Penelope are too contrived and far-fetched for my taste. Other than that, I enjoyed Rumors very much and look forward to reading Envy. The future of these young characters is uncertain, and I for one can't wait to see what happens next.
 Very disappointing considering all the hype July 27, 2008
17 out of 39 found this review helpful
Perhaps it's because I haven't read the first book, although after reading this one I have no desire to read it. The story begins in late 1899 New York and California as it tells the tale of Elizabeth and Diane Holland (upper crust family in financial difficulty), Penelope Hayes (new wealth) and Lina Broud (Elizabeth's former maid) who is trying to set herself up as a "lady". A good deal of the first third of this book sets up what happened in The Luxe, Elizabeth's faked death so she could join her former servant and lover Will in California, Diana's pining over Henry Schoonmaker while Penelope schemes to trap him in marriage and Lina's entree' into society via an older gentleman. Enough reviewers have covered the plot sufficiently that I needn't rehash it again, however I do have several problems with this book and that is what I'm here to talk about.
First is that this book and the previous one are written and promoted for the YA market, yet most of the main characters are hopping in and out of bed, Elizabeth (the perfect lady) is living with Will in an unmarried state and no one even talks about birth control, let alone the consequences of being outed in society if one got caught in the act? I don't think so, and I feel this is a horrible example to be setting for our younger readers. Try Edith Wharton. She lived and breathed upper crust New York society and she wrote it and heroines who didn't live by said society's rules were ostracized and suffered for their sins. And what's with these well born young women doing going out with young gentlemen without a proper chaperone? Or wandering around the opera house and visiting a young man's box?
Secondly, this book is too spread out with too many POV's in too many short little chapters. The author would have been better off focusing on one couple exclusively with the others being secondary characters, instead of this soap opera feel to it -- five minutes on one scene here, 10 minutes there, etc. -- that things didn't flow smoothly for this reader. Perhaps telling Elizabeth and Will's story with more focus on life in California and Elizabeth's experiences in roughing it. Instead of letting the reader see the great difficulties a well bred young lady would experience in adjusting to that kind of life -- broken nails, rough hands, no hairdresser, no manicures, no silk stockings -- all we read about is a bit of trouble with the can opener. Maybe telling it mainly through Lina or Penelope, anything would have been better than these choppy vignettes of chapters.
That said all I can say is that what was hyped as a tale of gossip, rumors and treachery amongst the upper crust of New York society was a shallow boring tale -- the main villainess wasn't much of a bad girl, I didn't find any chemistry between Diana and Henry, and as for Elizabeth and Will I won't be a spoiler but readers will not be happy with this ending. All in all, very mediocre. Sorry, but I'm going to be in the minority and call this one at two stars.
'Rumors' will keep you talking - and reading - long into the night! June 5, 2008
11 out of 17 found this review helpful
The year is 1899. New York City, a place of much hustle and bustle, has been placed under an eerie glow marred by the tragic demise of young Elizabeth Holland. Elizabeth Holland was a debutante, and the pride and joy of New York City. She was kind, gentle, and ever so beautiful - three things that all young ladies should be. Destined to marry the handsome and debonair Henry Schoonmaker, Elizabeth was the envy of everyone around her. But then her young life was taken from her in a tragic accident; or so everyone thought.
Elizabeth Holland never wanted to hurt her family. Seeing them under financial duress, she would have done anything to make their lives better. Anything but marry Henry Schoonmaker. Henry Schoonmaker, while handsome in his own right, couldn't hold a candle to Will Keller, a servant in her lavish home. But even at eighteen-years-old, Elizabeth knew that she would never be able to be with Will, so she did the unthinkable. She faked her own death and disappeared to California. While different than New York City, California is a lovely place; and Elizabeth has Will's love to make her feel at home. But when she learns that her mother is ill, Elizabeth realizes that, as much as it pains her to leave her new life behind, she must make the trek back to New York City to help her family.
Diana Holland, in just sixteen-years, has managed to make her name known in the society pages as a wild child, intent on breaking the rules, and living life to her heart's content. While never truly close to her sister, Diana and Elizabeth created a strong bond with one another, when Elizabeth let Diana in on her little secret. The truth is, part of the reason why Elizabeth left New York City had to do with Henry Schoonmaker. She could not marry a man whom her sister loved, and, it was quite evident in Henry Schoonmaker's eyes that he loved Diana, as well. With Elizabeth gone, Diana believes that she and Henry can finally be together, but others are intent on standing in their way.
Unlike many of the other families in New York City, Penelope Hayes comes from new money, and she's not afraid to display her wealth wherever she may go. Elizabeth's former best friend, and the individual who assisted her in escaping to California, Penelope has always been the bad girl. Running off with Henry Schoonmaker in the dead of night for romantic trysts, wearing provocative clothes, she has done it all. But now, with Elizabeth out of the picture, Penelope has taken up her good girl persona, and plans on claiming Henry Schoonmaker for herself, once and for all. Good thing she doesn't know about Henry and Diana. But she may soon.
Lina Broud (now known as Carolina Broad in the society papers), worked for the Holland's as a maid for years; fighting the jealousy that overwhelmed her regarding their wealth. She has always wanted to be a part of high society; but, even more, she wants Will Keller. Too bad his heart belongs to Elizabeth. Now that Lina has begun selling secrets about the Holland's to Penelope Hayes, she's finally living out her dreams of being fawned over, and wearing fancy gowns. But when she runs out of money, she realizes that her dreams are quickly coming to an abrupt halt. That is, until she meets Carey Lewis Longhorn, an older gentleman with a penchant for spoiling those around him - including Carolina.
Little more than six months has passed since I read Anna Godbersen's debut THE LUXE, yet it feels like decades. Luckily, the short wait was quite worth it, as RUMORS is, if possible, even better than its predecessor. Godbersen has a knack for blending the voices of Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, and the more current Cecily von Ziegesar, into her writing to create a to-die-for novel. Wildly romantic, suspenseful, and full of scandal, there are no lulls found in RUMORS. The action flies from the very first page to the very last, with each page presenting a new revelation. The society page snippets found at the beginning of each chapter are tantalizing; yet it is still the characters who drive the story from beginning to end.
As with THE LUXE, Diana is still my favorite character, as she is so lively, breathtaking, spirited, and witty. Penelope, however, with her penchant for stirring up trouble, lends a delightful wickedness to the tale; and Lina, with her new skill for blackmail, makes it obvious that she may just give Penelope a run for her money. Elizabeth, due to the fact that she is in California, is less prevalent in this particular storyline; but the few glimpses we see into the life she has created with Will are precious. And Henry Schoonmaker...well, he has become the man of every girls dreams. RUMORS is, hands down, without a doubt, the best book that I have read thus far in 2008. I only hope that the sequel makes its debut sometime before the year is out, because I'm dying to find out what will happen next. RUMORS will keep you talking - and reading - long into the night!
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
