I have this horrible tendency to read the first book in a series and then stop before the next one, not because I don't like it but because I find something else to read. It's the whole "attracted to shiny objects" characteristic translated to my book list. But after staring at The Luxe for weeks after it came out, mesmorized by that humongus gown on the front cover, I finally picked it up.
I loved every moment of it. Right off the bat, we have scandal and intrigue: the mysterious death of a young Manhattan socialite. But the intrigue doesn't stop there. Godbersen does a great job of creating characters that practically live and breathe alongside us. It doesn't matter that the setting is so removed from us (1900s New York City) because the crises and interests of her heroines and heros are the same as today. We love, we lust, to want what we can't have, and we do whatever is necessary to get it.
As a quick aside, I realized after finishing the first book in the series that it appeals to me because my favorite "classic" author is Edith Wharton. Wharton penned The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and, my personal all-time favorite, The House of Mirth. It's clear that Godbersen is influenced by and respects Wharton as well. The time period is similar, the society in which the characters live, and their class problems and struggles all originally stream from Wharton's pen.
I hope that any teen who enjoys this series might look to Wharton for more.
