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Elegance
 
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Elegance (Paperback)

by Kathleen Tessaro (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Elegance + Innocence + A Guide to Elegance: A Complete Guide for the Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed for Every Occasion
Price For All Three: £19.28

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Product details

  • Paperback: 390 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; New edition edition (5 Jan 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0007151438
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007151431
  • Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.9 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 20,756 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Review
'a fantastic book... funny, moving and most importantly its tongue is firmly planted in its cheek regarding fashion. Enjoy!' Cat Deeley

This charming debut novel will make most women savour the story as they would a box of chocolates. It follows the fortunes of the unhappily married Louise, who finds in a second-hand bookshop an escape route from all that makes her anxious about life: a faded volume entitled Elegance. Written by a French fashion expert from another era, it fills Louise with hope that if she follows its advice on style, she, too, can be transformed into a graceful and poised grown-up woman. What makes this book such fun to read is not only Louise's contemporary quest for herself but also the timeless advice for budding Audrey Hepburns: 'It is the height of negligence to wear a white brassiere with a black girdle or the reverse.... If you are extremely refined and rich, your underclothes might match the colour of your outer ensemble.' There are similar gems throughout the book and they have the effect of lifting this tale of a young woman in search of true love to a new level. Tessaro's characterizations are well rounded and sympathetic enough to elevate them from the stereotypes (ex-model mother-in-law, gay man as best friend, dizzy workmates and so on) that can too often make up the casts of other, more frothy novels. A terrific read with a happy ending. (Kirkus UK)

Dowdy wife gets dolled up. Louise Canova is dimly aware that her marriage has grown cold-her husband Colin, a successful but dull actor, calls her Pumpkin, or, less kindly, Ouise (pronounced "Wheeze"). He doesn't even care when his mother-in-law, a still-glamorous former model, is icily condescending toward his unhappy wife. Oh, what can this little brown wren do? (She has no idea.) Then, dawdling in a secondhand bookstore in London, Louise comes across a slim, jasmine-scented volume from 1964, penned by the ineffably soignee directress of a French couture house, and she experiences an epiphany. In A to Z format, the very grand and deeply conservative Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux offers advice on all aspects of dress and fashion, which Louise takes quite seriously. Fur-trimmed suits with gloves for afternoon? Six-acre peignoirs for those intimate evenings? Maybe her husband, if only she could afford such sartorial splendor, would notice her. But Colin seems, well, embarrassed that she would even want to change. And he knows perfectly well there's nothing at all wrong with their relationship. On the other hand, if Louise wants to see a marriage counselor by herself, he sees nothing wrong with that. Now, if she would just listen to his remarkable plan for organizing the kitchen garbage: big bits of rubbish in the big bin, small bits in the small bin . . . . Louise's thoughts are understandably elsewhere as she remembers ill-fated shopping excursions with her mother in Pittsburgh. Her mother was a little brown wren, too, a scientist who cut her own hair and wore frumpy clothes (never mind her intellect or education: this trite tale never questions why appearance is so important-it just is). Perhaps, muses Louise, that's why she never thought about taking care of herself, remaining now unlovely and unloved. It's all very sad-until other men begin to notice her. Oh, dear: Should she let Oliver take her out for a drink? Should she spurn the attention of the much younger Eddie? Familiar fare, and stale indeed. (Kirkus Reviews)

Product Description
An enchanting novel brimming with poignancy, humour, enchantment and insight, this is a stunning debut. Imagine an Audrey Hepburn film in the present day...When Louise discovers an old book called Elegance in a second-hand bookshop, it's a blessing from above. She has long been experiencing the rumblings of discontent; her marriage is in tatters, she's become a middle-aged frump and her self-esteem is at an all-time low. So the book, an A-Z of how to be elegant and stylish by a renowned Parisian socialite, is just the boost she'd been searching for. Read a letter a time, Louise finds the life lessons she needs to restore her self-esteem and the courage to leave her unhappy marriage and move on.

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Customer Reviews

35 Reviews
5 star:
 (15)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Promising start, left cheated by the end, 7 Jan 2004
By A Customer
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.

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, even at four in the morning, 10 Jun 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Elegance (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 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.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Good start - disappointing finish, 24 May 2004
I enjoyed the first half of this book, but it went off horribly towards the end, and ended in a really cliched way. It was a great idea and could have been a terrific book but surely someone - tessaro's agent or her editor - should have got her to tighten up the second half. Also, I'm a bit sick of novels that end with a newly self-actualised heroine finding her soulmate and falling back in lurve. Call me a cynic, but Hollywood endings make me want to puke!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 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
Published 3 months ago by J. M. Young

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 5 months ago by Mrs. Tina Watson

5.0 out of 5 stars wow!
loved it loved it loved it!i gobbled this book up in just over a day, taking it with me everywhere even to the kitchen to make dinner, a great story and insight into the elegance... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ms. F. I. Macdonald

2.0 out of 5 stars Bimbo-ish read....one of many
Although it did have a premise of not fall into that category, promising beginning, but then very predictable character set: (another) American living in London married to an... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Trionon

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant
If you're looking to cozy up with a good book this month, give Elegance a try. As a bonus, the central character's sartorial and emotional development may inspire you to keep... Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2007 by sainte-carmen

4.0 out of 5 stars Stylish
I loved the fact that the cover of the hardback was so elegant and stylish and that there was a bookmark attached inside, the look of the book and the idea that it was a... Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2006 by A Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining.
This book was a delightful read, especially as I collect 'books about books' and this was supposedly based on a real book that the author stumbled across in a second-hand... Read more
Published on 1 Jul 2006 by kehs

4.0 out of 5 stars Elegance
Perhaps Elegance was so satisfying because its exactly what I had hoped for in A Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing (but didn't find). Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2006 by mspeel

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book........
The stylish cover first caught my eye and flipping it open I caught a quote from Genevieve Darieux. Being in fashion, I bought it on a whim, expecting it to be a fashion-girl... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly enjoyable
I thought that this was a very good read, although the story was nothing particularly special, I still enjoyed reading it. Read more
Published on 19 May 2005 by R. K. Harvey

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