Elegance
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
‘Ultra-smart and classily edgy, this is the glitz novel brought up to date.’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘More heart than you'll ever find on a catwalk…Written with élan and panache.' DAILY MAIL
‘Funny, charming and a certain bestseller.‘ IN STYLE
'A perfect pick-me-up.' COSMOPOLITAN
‘This is a book all women will identify with, and you’ll adore Louise, who’s every bit as charmingly neurotic and nutty as Bridget Jones.’ GLAMOUR
‘A brilliant read with fashion advice thrown in!’ NEW WOMAN
'Poignantly funny.' EXPRESS
‘A true handbag read, an easy diversion from real life.’ GUARDIAN
Product Description
The Sunday Times bestseller and one of the most talked-about novels of 2003, now in paperback.
Elegance. Audrey Hepburn had it. Grace Kelly had it. Louise Canova does not.
Until one day, browsing in a second-hand bookshop, Louise stumbles over a faded hardback. Elegance is an A–Z of style, written by French fashion expert, Madame Antoine Dariaux: a veritable what-not-to-wear in print.
When Louise starts to follow Madame's advice, her life is transformed. From Accessories to Zippers, there is nothing Madame cannot advise upon, including types of husband (the blind, the ideal, the dictator) and shopping with girlfriends (don't).
Within the book's pages Louise finds clues to her own past. And as she begins to unravel them, she discovers a courage she never thought possible. For true elegance cannot be attained until she is comfortable in her own skin: only then might love flourish.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This books begins with a great premise, and is based on a great idea and from the start, is written very well, with the central character giving you lots of reasons to empathise, sympathise and generally care about her.
This feeling disappears the more you get into the book - you begin to wonder if the author somehow lost sight of the character she wanted to create and turns her into a hapless Bridget Jones-type (the kind of characters I am so tired of reading) and you begin to care less and less about what she does or thinks.
The middle and the end of the book seem to lack a lot of direction and structure - which were very strong at the beginning of the book.
I confess to skipping through the last few chapters, skim-reading just to get to the end - but was very disappointed by the end, especially because it had begun so strongly.
Borrow a copy, I don't think it's worth buying.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I didn't intend to be finishing this at four in the morning, but it turned out to be a bit tricky to put down. I loved this, mostly because it surprised me with wit. The characters and commentary are beautifully observed. I can't believe it's a first novel.
"The English are a club not even the English can get into."
"The English are a club not even the English can get into."
The first person narrator works very well and the idea of the book found in a bookstore - complete with exerpts from the real thing reminded me of the kind of books I used to want to find - those with a wisdom and grace I don't see much any more. It's a lovely idea. I bought this for my wife, and I know she'll love it and enjoy the rules of elegance as much as the main story.
This has class.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is excellent! I could hardly put it down. Although, it's got emotional ups and downs in the middle bit, but in general it is a very charming story and a cute happy ending. I love it, I can read it all over again!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
charming and cringeworthy in equal measure
I am always enamoured of rags to riches/ugly duckling to beautiful swan stories ever since I was given Lucy Brown's Schooldays (Dorothy Vicary, 1951) as a girl; lumpy, plain,... Read more
Published 9 months ago by H. M. Anderson
A pleasant read.
I did enjoy reading this book, it had a coherent story with a begining a middle and an end. However I didn't think that it was up to the standard of `The Debutant' which I found a... Read more
Published 10 months ago by christie
Elegance
I really wanted to enjoy this book. The summary pretty much sold it to me - a girl who finds a book about the art of elegance and the journey she takes afterwards. Read more
Published 14 months ago by TeaLover
Could have been great but...
Meet Louise, an American girl, once an aspiring actress, now a cashier at a theatre, living in London, married to an Englishman, also an actor with a promising and rising career. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Dimitra C
Elegance: you either have it or you don't (I don't)
Louise Canova's life isn't really going to plan. Trapped in an affectionless marriage, her career is up the spout, she can't shed that extra ten pounds (to the extent people assume... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Nicola F (Nic)
not recommended
I unfortunately didn't enjoy this book. As some other reviewers have remarked, the opening chapters are promising and we get a glimpse at what could potentially develop into... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Clementine
Fantastic; a very addictive read.
This book is simply fanstastic! It is one of the few books that I have been unable to put down, and I spent the first week of my summer holidays leafing through the pages. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Beckie-Leanne
A Feel-Good Treat
Elegance
I picked up this book because the cover is by an old colleague of mine at Vogue - the incredibly talented Martin Welch, who drew me an engagement card which I... Read more
I picked up this book because the cover is by an old colleague of mine at Vogue - the incredibly talented Martin Welch, who drew me an engagement card which I... Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2009 by J. M. Young
True Elegance...
Elegance was an enthralling can't-put-down-book that had me hooked from the start. An excellent read that I would recommend to any woman. :)
Published on 9 Feb 2009 by Mrs. Tina Watson
But you're beautiful Miss Jones!
Sweet, totally predictable and utterly forgettable, yet fun in that ugly duckling turns into a swan way that good chicklit does so well.
Published on 24 Aug 2008 by Annabel Gaskell
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
