A description of Rumors necessitates spoilers from The Luxe, so beware...
Mid-December, 1899. Manhattan. Rumors continue to swirl about Elizabeth Holland's mysterious death. First and foremost, is she even dead? After all, a body was never recovered. Only her sister, Diana, and her social rival and "friend" Penelope Hayes, know the truth: Elizabeth is alive. She staged a drowning to avoid marrying Henry Schoonmaker and ran away to California to search for her true love, the Hollands' former coachman, Will Keller.
Now, though, blissfully happy and sun-browned (and soon-to-be-rich due to an oil strike) Elizabeth and Will are headed back to New York due to an alarming letter from Diana...
As with The Luxe, there's not a whole lot to say -- the characters haven't gotten any more developed and the real pleasure in reading comes from the amazing soap-opera-i-ness of it all. (Well, that and imagining the clothes...)
At the three-quarter mark, I had decided I was done with the series -- Penelope has so much potential for divine cattiness, but as all of her attention is on Henry (who has absolutely no attention for her...), she's become, well, boring. I love Isaac Phillips Buck (who I can't help imagining as a younger version of Philip Seymour Hoffman as Freddie Miles), but he is still relegated to sidekick status. And while I was somewhat invested in the Henry and Diana romance, it wasn't enough to make me want to read another 450 pages.
But then came the Big Finale... and now I'm dying to know what will happen next. (It's rather like watching Days of our Lives on a Friday -- all week long, you tell yourself, "Oh, this is so STUPID! I'm going to quit." And then they hit you with a cliffhanger... AUUUUUGH!)
Recommended to fans of the Rich Girl genre and to those who like their soaps in book format.
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Previously:
"I love Isaac Phillips Buck (who I can't help imagining as a younger version of Philip Seymour Hoffman as Freddie Miles)"
Dude! That's exactly how I picture him, too! :)
I really enjoyed the first book and am looking forward to the second, but I am trying to make myself wait for the library copy rather than breaking down and buying it.
Posted by: Alison | 24 July 2008 at 10:25 PM
hey, both books get an A for covers, though. I keep picking up Luxe in book stores and wanting to read it because of the cover, then trying to read the first chapter and not being able to concentrate on it.....
But, wow-- what covers.
Posted by: A Paperback Writer | 29 July 2008 at 10:42 AM
I know! Gorgeous, right?
Posted by: Leila | 29 July 2008 at 10:55 AM
I love the books <3
Posted by: Lisa | 12 August 2008 at 09:29 PM
I feel the same way about the Big Finale! There's no way I can skip Envy now...
I really enjoyed your review, so I linked to it here
Posted by: Lana | 02 February 2009 at 03:05 PM
OMG Luxe wuz such a great book!!!!!!;):)
Posted by: Zoe | 25 February 2009 at 09:24 AM
does anyone know where i can read it online for free? i'm dieing to know what happens next, but i cant find it in any stores.
Posted by: Lola | 17 January 2010 at 06:11 PM