This certainly isn’t great literature, but it’s a fun read, mostly I think for women. Chiefly because it’s about empowerment. Awarded three stars on Goodreads, but 3.5 stars is more accurate.
Louise is a frumpy American from Pittsburgh, married to a minor British actor, and facing an insurmountable problem in her marriage. When she stumbles across an outdated book on how to achieve elegance, she finds the advice useful in helping her take control of her life and make some significant changes.
As she describes Louise’s evolving life, Tessaro begins each chapter with a relevant excerpt from what was a real book about etiquette titled ELEGANCE. It’s fun to see how dated advice from the 1960’s actually still retains some relevance today. And Louise’s transformation is an entertaining story in itself. Lots of humor. Quite enjoyable. And I love the cover illustration.
This is the author’s debut novel, published in 2003. She’s written several more since and you can learn more about her at Kathleen Tessaro.
You may be interested in my review of another novel by Tessaro, The Perfume Collector.
Toby A. Smith 