Rating: 
Summary: OK as a novel.
Review: To be honest, it was less than I expected. As being in my late thirties, I expected to learn more about elegance: more than how to dress. I think it would entirely depends on individual's taste, however this book may be for much younger people, say under 25. I personally even felt that this 32 year-old heroine, Louise was a little childish in her thoughts and behaviors.
Rating: 
Summary: a 3 1/2 star read
Review: When I first read the blurb on the dustjacket, I thought that "Elegance" read like a "Bridget Jones" type of novel except that it revolved around an unhappy and unsatisfied married woman (Louise Canova). And then I wondered if we really needed another "Bridget Jones" type of book. Well, while I was a little wrong about the novel being a "Bridget Jones" clone (there are similarities but there are a lot of differences as well), my feelings about this novel are mixed -- there were some things I really liked (like how the heroine manages to take action, make changes and so achieve happiness), there were some things that really irritated as well (like the fact that for a 32 year old woman, Louise has the appalling habit of pouting and sulking whenever things don't really go as she would like them to).The storyline is a very basic one: Louise Canova, a married 32 year old, suddenly wakes up to the fact that she's deeply unhappy, unsatisfied with the turn that her life has taken, and that she has become very frumpish. She has an elegant ex-model mother-in-law she really dislikes (even as she craves her approval and attention), and her husband (who remains nameless throughout the novel) seems more interested in housekeeping than in her. And then Louise, a used bookstore junkie (at least for the first few chapters of "Elegance") finds a copy of a book (circa 1950s/1960s?) that promises to teach plain Janes how to become the very epitome of elegance. Louise begins to take the lessons that the book offers very much to heart, hoping to become the elegant swan she craves to be, little expecting the actual impact the book will actually have on her life. For suddenly, Louise is confronted with some uncomfortable truths about her past, present and the possible future that is in store for her if she doesn't change things soon... If you're looking for a laugh-a-minute, witty romp of a novel a-la "Bridget Jones," think twice before picking up "Elegance." "Elegance" is a little darker, sometimes rather sad and somber novel. There are, it is true, moments of great humour and warmth, and you cannot help but root for Louise to become the elegant swan, get the job, the man and happiness that is her due. But there were also the moments when I wanted to shake our heroine really hard for all her sulking and pouting when things didn't play out as she would have wanted them to. So was "Elegance" a worthwhile read? For me, certain passages/descriptions (like where the authour describes used bookstores and the fascination that some of us have for them and when she describes that feeling of delicious exhilaration when you're not so much with the man as in love with his fascination/attraction with/to you) that really made this book for me. Storywise, you can more or less guess in which direction the novel (and Louise) is going after the first few chapters. But the prose style, the painful lessons that Louise learns, and watching her become the 'swan' she was meant to be, all made the book a somewhat worthwhile read. Though I'd advise either borrowing a copy of "Elegance" from the library, hinting like mad that a friend lend (or give you) her copy, or else waiting a year for the book to come out in tradepaper, as it is a bit difficult to justify spending the hardcover price for this book.
Rating:
Summary: a 3 1/2 star read
Review: When I first read the blurb on the dustjacket, I thought that "Elegance" read like a "Bridget Jones" type of novel except that it revolved around an unhappy and unsatisfied married woman (Louise Canova). And then I wondered if we really needed another "Bridget Jones" type of book. Well, while I was a little wrong about the novel being a "Bridget Jones" clone (there are similarities but there are a lot of differences as well), my feelings about this novel are mixed -- there were some things I really liked (like how the heroine manages to take action, make changes and so achieve happiness), there were some things that really irritated as well (like the fact that for a 32 year old woman, Louise has the appalling habit of pouting and sulking whenever things don't really go as she would like them to). The storyline is a very basic one: Louise Canova, a married 32 year old, suddenly wakes up to the fact that she's deeply unhappy, unsatisfied with the turn that her life has taken, and that she has become very frumpish. She has an elegant ex-model mother-in-law she really dislikes (even as she craves her approval and attention), and her husband (who remains nameless throughout the novel) seems more interested in housekeeping than in her. And then Louise, a used bookstore junkie (at least for the first few chapters of "Elegance") finds a copy of a book (circa 1950s/1960s?) that promises to teach plain Janes how to become the very epitome of elegance. Louise begins to take the lessons that the book offers very much to heart, hoping to become the elegant swan she craves to be, little expecting the actual impact the book will actually have on her life. For suddenly, Louise is confronted with some uncomfortable truths about her past, present and the possible future that is in store for her if she doesn't change things soon... If you're looking for a laugh-a-minute, witty romp of a novel a-la "Bridget Jones," think twice before picking up "Elegance." "Elegance" is a little darker, sometimes rather sad and somber novel. There are, it is true, moments of great humour and warmth, and you cannot help but root for Louise to become the elegant swan, get the job, the man and happiness that is her due. But there were also the moments when I wanted to shake our heroine really hard for all her sulking and pouting when things didn't play out as she would have wanted them to. So was "Elegance" a worthwhile read? For me, certain passages/descriptions (like where the authour describes used bookstores and the fascination that some of us have for them and when she describes that feeling of delicious exhilaration when you're not so much with the man as in love with his fascination/attraction with/to you) that really made this book for me. Storywise, you can more or less guess in which direction the novel (and Louise) is going after the first few chapters. But the prose style, the painful lessons that Louise learns, and watching her become the 'swan' she was meant to be, all made the book a somewhat worthwhile read. Though I'd advise either borrowing a copy of "Elegance" from the library, hinting like mad that a friend lend (or give you) her copy, or else waiting a year for the book to come out in tradepaper, as it is a bit difficult to justify spending the hardcover price for this book.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Bother, You've Read this Book Before
Review: When or how did this whole genre of Chick Lit develop? Was it Bridget Jones' adventures? Or was it birthed by the hapless in love but designer clothing diva Carrie Bradshaw of HBO's "Sex in the City?" No matter who started, it must end now. These books follow a tried, true, and tired formula. First, it begins with a neurotic or depressed woman who is either unhappily married or unhappily single. She usually has a glamorous-looking best bud; a handsome but single gay friend; a job in the arts or media; issues with her weight; and bigger issues with her mom. She's socially inept, and stumbles around social situations like Larry David on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" yet her soon-to-be love interest finds this endearing. She makes bad decisions you can see a mile away, and thinks that life will be much better when she has lost 15-lbs and purchased a pair of Prada pumps! Finally, she realizes through some miracle of love or wisdom from a male friend or love interest that she is fine just the way she is. "Elegance," like all books of this ilk, is an overwrought after-school special for adult women. It hardly offers anything relatively new or realistic or believable. The lesson is heavy-handed, and you don't feel at all enriched. The only thing you're left with at the end is the longing to beat some good sense into the protagonist, Louise, and to give her the phonr number of a good therapist. The best thing about this audio book is the wonderful English accents done by Elizabeth McGovern.
Rating: 
Summary: So disappointing!
Review: Wonderful premise, eye-catching cover and utterly disappointing inside! The writing and storyline are lame, uninteresting, predictable and juvenile. I can't believe any woman will feel engaged by Louise, the poorly drawn and dull main character. Don't be fooled by the clever premise, skip this flat, poorly written dud.
Rating: 
Summary: Hate Fashion, But LOVE This Book!
Review: Yes, that's right. I have absolutely no interest in fashion, but I do have a great interest in well-written contemporary literature, especially first novels, which is why I love "Elegance." I was drawn to this book by its fire-engine red cover, and the great drawing and design. So many times, the cover is WAY better than what's inside (and vice versa, also, of course), but this is not the case here. I'm exactly half-way through this book, and just had to stop reading and give it a well-deserved plug on this site. I skimmed the other customer reviews here, and IMO this book is nothing like "Bridget Jones's Diary" -- I read one chapter of "Bridget" and then called it quits. Other reviewers also commented that this is "Brit Lit" -- the author is American, the protagonist is an American albeit one who is living in London, and this book has a distinctly American voice to it, despite the author's appropriate use of some British words. ("When in Rome," etc....) Simply put, the book is bautiful inside and out. I hope you're working on a second one, Ms. Tessaro!
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