Splendor

Splendor brings Anna Godbersen's Luxe series to a close, and what a tremendous ending it is! All the loose threads are tied up, but not always so neatly; the four main young women find that life doesn't always give you what you thought you wanted, but you've got to make peace with yourself no matter what. Splendor is told in alternating chapters that focus on each of the young women and takes them through the trials that will ultimately lead them to that peace, whatever it is. The book opens with Diana Holland having traveled (alone in 1900!) to Havana in search of love Henry Schoonmaker, who has joined the army in order to escape his shrew of a wife, Penelope. While the young lovers are reunited, Penelope herself starts to realize that maybe she was too hasty in marrying Henry, and sets her eye on on a Bavarian prince who is looking lustfully back at her. Meanwhile, both Elizabeth Holland and Carolina Broad have achieved contentment: Elizabeth has married her father's business partner in order to give her unborn child a name, and Carolina's past as a maid is firmly behind her as she falls in love with the handsome Leland. Of course none of this flows smoothly, and all of the young women are subjected to tragedies of varying degrees. In this final installment, Ms. Godbersen does the remarkable: she allows her characters to achieve a sense of maturity without being preachy or giving them fairy tale endings. The deceit that all of them have practiced is dealt with, but there is no moral high ground. Instead, I felt they were all so identifiable, because let's face it: pretty young women do have faults and some conquer those faults while others do not. It's all about what you are willing to live with. Ms. Godbersen filled Splendor with fashion and romance, betrayal and reconciliation, and it could not have been a more fitting ending to this series. My one problem with the storyline applies to Diana, and it is only because of her previous infatuation that I have a hard time believing she wasn't up to the task. However, I could still see her achieving something far more exciting with her life, so even though I found her decision out of character, I can let it go, and even give kudos to Ms. Godbersen for not being pat in wrapping up my favorite storyline of the four. I would actually rate Splendor 4.5 stars, but my enjoyment of the series as a whole prompts me to round up to the full five. Truly an enjoyable ride.

With all the heart-breaking endings that the previous three books had, Splendor was a great close to this whole series. It showed the characters' true personalities, and how one of the main themes, love, is not always the answer to their hearts. Although many readers would have liked for the couples Diana and Henry, Elizabeth and Teddy, Carolina and Leland, and possibly Penelope and the Prince to be together, this could have changed the readers' views of each character. Elizabeth, the delicate society girl, was born to be loved and cared for by a devoted husband, and none other than Teddy can take that place in her life. On the other hand, since the adventure loving Diana was introduced with her books and Turkish rugs, she has been the one to be against society and their rules. In that way, Diana was bound to find love not in a handsome Henry, but through simple things in life like landscapes and pieces of literature. Henry is thought to be the amazing lover, but with the sad death of his father he can no longer be the ever changing paramour. His first love, Penelope, was a mistake he made with love. So now he must make it up to his father by being the Schoonmaker that he was educated to be. Poor Penelope who took everything for granted, must own up to her own consequences as her stubborn, self-centered pompousness brought. After becoming heiress of late Mr. Langhorn's property, Carolina's love seems a bit too grand to be real. Showing that though she is not in the high class of society from failure of marriage, her life-long goal to prove that unneeded has indeed been reached. So while readers may feel unsatisfied of the conclusion, it fit best to display how all the individuals are Luxe in their own way, and not through their outward appearances or expectations.

This just continues the amazing series Anna Godberson has composed. I am a down right fan. This is the perfect series for any young woman who likes to lose herself in the era of horse drawn carriages through central park and expensive mansions and hand crafted dresses. Its always entertaining and keeps you on your seat.

When we last left the heiresses of Anna Godbersen's Luxe series, each was awash in some personal scandal or tragedy. Penelope, once the envy of society, is trapped in a loveless marriage with society scion Henry Schoonmaker. Diana is in love with Henry, who was blackmailed into marriage with Penelope. Elizabeth is pregnant from a secret marriage with her murdered husband, Will. Carolina Broud --- once a maid in Elizabeth's home --- finds that her charade as a Western heiress may be over now that her protector is dead. "After all," Godbersen writes in the prologue to SPLENDOR, the fourth and final installment in her series set in Gilded Age New York, "it takes only a few seasons to learn how everything changes, and how quickly; to realize that the glorious and grotesque lives lived at the currently fashionable addresses will soon seem quaint and outdated...and staying put will not make it stay the same." SPLENDOR begins in Cuba, where Diana is looking for Henry, who has enlisted in the army due to the Spanish-American War. There she works as a barmaid, always searching for Henry among the uniformed men who are stationed there. Miraculously, the two lovers find each other, but it is not long before they are discovered and shipped back to the stifling society of New York. Unable to breathe under society's strictures now that she has had a taste of freedom, Diana plans to run away to Paris with Henry and make her living writing gossip columns for the New York press. But life has other plans for the pair. The untimely death of Henry's father leaves him with responsibilities he cannot easily abandon. As Henry steps into his father's shoes, he is surprised to find how well they fit. Penelope has caught the eye of a Prussian prince, and abandons pretense and propriety in the hopes of becoming a princess. She offers no argument to Henry's request for a divorce, but Diana still chafes at the thought of staying in New York. Meanwhile, blackmail threatens to ruin Carolina's chance at marrying the eccentric and wealthy Leland Bouchard. People from her past refuse to stay quiet now that she is heiress to Carey Lewis Longhorn's enormous fortune. Her life isn't the only one fraught with despair as Elizabeth learns that her husband, Snowden Cairns, played a role in the deaths of her father and of her beloved Will. When she finds out, he drugs her and keeps her prisoner in her own home, allowing no one to see her or to help her and her unborn child. As SPLENDOR builds toward its final conclusion, it keeps readers in suspense: Will Elizabeth live to see the birth of Will's baby? Will Penelope get her way and become a Prussian princess? Will Carolina's secret stay safe and allow her a chance at society marriage? Will Diana and Henry be together at last? I won't give away the answer to any of these questions except to say that the end of SPLENDOR offers some of the most satisfying moments of the entire series. Ever attune to details of history, culture and voca

Splendor is the fourth and last book in the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen. Diana is off to find her Love Henry who has joined the army. Penelope and a prince get close and she doesnt care who notices Elizabeth is married to Snowden for her benfit, but it doesnt mean he is all good. Snowden has some shocking secrets (and its the best part of the book!!) Lina and Leland get closer but her past creeps up with her the more she tries to hide it. it is such a great ending to the luxe series, my favorite is what happenes with Elizabeth...it has love, mystery, and secrets that are so great to make the ending explosive. you will not see the ending coming!