Merry Wanderer of the Night:
19th Century

This is a post I have been looking forward to for a long time. Anna Godbersen's The Luxe

is the second book I have read for my 19 Going On 20 Self Challenge. The novel starts with the supposed death of 19th Century Manhattan socialite Elizabeth Holland. Then it goes back in time to a party at Elizabeth's friend Penelope's home. Penelope's family is new money, but they have moved their way up the social ladder and are now being accepted by the elite. At least kind of. Penelope is having a very saucy romance with everyone's favorite rich boy, Henry Schoonmaker. What Penelope doesn't know is that Henry's father has other plans for him. He wants Henry to marry the nice, from a good family Elizabeth, which is perfect for Elizabeth's family since they have lost money after her father's death. It does not make Elizabeth happy though, because she is in love with her carriage driver, Will Keller.

This novel is full of dark secrets, backstabbers, and saucy love sessions. I could not put it down. This isn't the kind of thing I normally read. I don't read a lot of YA in general, but the novel's jacket caught my attention. I loved the idea of Gossip Girl in the 19th Century. I mean, how much better can it get? After the first chapter I was totally hooked. I'm dying to read the rest in the series and will probably do so very soon.

My favorite character in the novel is Diana, Elizabeth's younger sister. She is obsessed with romance and fantasy, and loves reading. By the end of the novel she has a bit of a reality check, but overall lets romance and fantasy win. She can be a total bitch but usually has others best intentions at heart. This novel has marvelous characters. It is one of the few books I've ever read where I didn't feel like anyone was the "good guy" or the "bad guy." Honestly when you finish the novel you see everyone has good and bad in them. The only exception to this is Elizabeth, who is mostly good. Although she does steal her best friend's lover even if she is doing it to save her family.

In short, if you haven't read this book stop wasting your time and READ IT!

Pub. Date: September 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Paperback, 464 pp

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Last night I was searching for more great Victorian novels and reference books when I ran across Emma: A Victorian Romance. It's a Japanese anime that aired from 2002-2006. I'm sorry I didn't find out about it sooner because it's so quirky. I've never seen an anime where the characters were essentially white people, well except maybe Pokeman. I am amazed by how versatile anime has become.

The series is actually based of a 10 volume manga series that I found on Amazon. From what I understand Emma is a lower class maid living in London who falls in love with an upper class male named William Jones. This of course is the making of many great Victorian novels. I'm also totally in love with the lady of the house who I think is William Jones' old teacher. She says great Victorian standbys like, "It's just good manners" but you can tell that she has a soft spot for her maid.

You can watch the first episode (in Japanese with English subtitles) on Youtube.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three