Luxe by Anna Godbersen

I finished Luxe by Anna Godbersen this past weekend and found it quite enjoyable. It is set in Manhattan in 1899 and follows Elizabeth Holland and her sister, Diana, through their tromps in the world of high society. It is a love story and murder mystery mixed into one.

At the beginning of the story, the reader is at Elizabeth's funeral on the day that her wedding was to take place to the playboy of the town, Henry Schoonmaker. She is cast as New York's darling with the manners and dress of the upper elite who died before her time. Was it murder or just a mistake? The story then goes back to the beginning and takes the reader along on the journey to her engagement with Henry (when she is actually in love with the stable boy), her best friend Penelope's involvement with Henry, and then to the end of the story where we see her little sister, Diana, come running into Elizabeth's funeral late which makes a nice cyclical effect. We get to see why and how her funeral comes to pass.

It is a nice, light young adult read. One does not have to think about it much or analyze, but it is a good story. I finished it in about 4 hours, so it is a quick read too. I enjoyed the historical details of New York at the turn of the century when upper elite girls would come out at debutante balls and spend their early teens learning how to behave in "proper" society. Of course, there are always the ones who refuse to follow the rules like Penelope, Elizabeth's best friend or her little sister, Diana.

There are two sequels coming out in January: Rumors in paperback and Envy in hardback. Rumors is already published in hardback. The series is very similar to gossip girl (from what I have heard-I haven't read or seen Gossip Girl) but set back a hundred years or so.

In the Shadow of the Sun King

I recently read In the Shadow of the Sun King by Golden Keyes Parson and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is the story of Madeliene Clavell, a French Huguenot, in the time of Louis XIV when the central religion of France was Catholic. During the 17th century in France, French Protestants were given two choices-convert to Catholicism or face imprisonment/death.

Madeline had grown up in the palace and was childhood friends with Louis XIV. They hunted and courted each other but she knew she would never be able to marry a king. She falls in love, marries, and begins a family outside of the palace on her family estates with another Hugeunot. When dragoons arrive at her family home and threaten to tear her family apart, she decides to travel back to Versailles and try to plead to the King for his vow of protection. We travel along with her as she pleads to the king for mercy, has havoc wrecked upon her family, and makes new, interesting friends along the way.

This is a great, quick paced voyage through France during the time of Louis XIV with rich historical detail. I was not aware of the conflict between the Protestants and the Catholic church during this time period and found the book to be a great glimpse into the religious turmoil of the period. I have always loved learning about history through historical fiction and this book gives a glimpse into the lives of the French in the countryside, at Versailles, and in Geneva, Switzerland.