Forging an Art

My return to Anna Godbersen’s young adult Gilded Age soap with Splendor, the fourth and last in The Luxe series, became a pleasant evening of surprises early on with the realization that her writing, along with her characters, has matured with a polish as delicate as the opal beads on Carolina Broad’s wedding gown.  Readers unfamiliar with the first three Luxe titles (The Luxe, Rumors, and Envy) should take the time to visit these tumultuous relationships during their chronological development rather than attempt to jump in at the end of the author’s two year publishing streak.   Some of the events in the first three novels were a bit predictable; not so with the final episode of the drama. 

Turn of the century New York stages most of the action in this tale, save for a visit to Cuba where love reigns true, at least for the moment.  Posturing and partying is what this group of young adults do best, but settling into a life of responsibilities, disappointments, and acceptance is what is required.  Carolina, the housemaid turned arm candy turned destitute beggar turned heiress, finds herself again on a rollercoaster of constant fear of being discovered for who and what she really is before she can marry the man of her dreams, who requires a gentlewoman for his wife – certainly not a servant.  Claire, the sister who has been loyal and loving to Carolina throughout Carolina’s search for happiness, rescues her weary sister with a dose of simplicity and reality when her plans again go awry and all seems lost. 

Elizabeth, the romantic beauty who has lost her true love in a devastating and violent turn of events, knows the pressures that Carolina, formerly employed by Elizabeth’s family, endures because of the class expectations that take precedence over emotional bonds.  Pregnant and widowed, she is encouraged to marry the kind family friend who always seems to be available to help; too available, in fact, to be unmotivated by personal gain.  The murderous shift in character is a shock, but details bring his history and purpose to light, making it a believable and exciting change.  Elizabeth’s rescue comes in the form of a longtime admirer whose timing is, quite literally, lifesaving.

Elizabeth’s younger sister, Diana, stays true to form by following Henry, her sister’s former fiancée and rival Penelope’s husband, out of the country when he joins the military, working to support herself, and determined to find Henry.  Such unheard of behavior is typical of the dark-haired, tempestuous girl, who follows her heart regardless of consequences, at least until the end.  “It’s not that I care what they say, and I know you do not.  But I don’t want to live in a place where all I can hear is the whispering about what a little tramp I am,” she offers her distraught lover when he begs her to stay with him after a long struggle to find a way to overcome obstacles to their relationship, not the least, his wife.  Diana strays from her character here, leaving an unbelievable void where one would expect to find her with Henry, happily ever after, or if not, at least with a plausible explanation.  She has never been interested in the opinions of others, and her pursuit of Henry knows no bounds; so her excuse is, one could say, not hers at all, as far as the Diana who has been drawn for us over four novels would give.

Penelope, Elizabeth’s former best friend, Henry’s wife, and resident bad girl, gets a dose of her own medicine for a change as the drama winds down, and rises, tough and worn, to survive, as she must, at the end.  Trapped in a loveless marriage, she realizes her position and responsibilities call for a different approach to life: “she began to feel that they might go on, just as they were, for a very long time.”  Echoes of the final lines of The Great Gatsby are clear, as is Penelope’s and Henry’s awareness that some things never change, although people might, and fighting one’s destiny may prove more harm than good.