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Snobs: A Novel
 
 
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Snobs: A Novel (Paperback)

by Julian Fellowes (Author) "I do not know exactly how Edith Lavery came first to be taken up by Isabel Easton ..." (more)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Phoenix; New Ed edition (28 Feb 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0753820099
  • ISBN-13: 978-0753820094
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 21,686 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Review

'this splendidly entertaining novel.' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'it's the brittle, crystalline dialogue and the brilliant satire of the 21st century dinner-party set, that ensure the pages keep turning.' THE OBSERVER 'a modern comedy of manners. The plot includes a disapproving mother-in-law and some serious impediments to Edith's attempts at social climbing of epic proportions. This is a witty bestseller from Julian Fellowes, the Oscar-winning writer of the hit film Gosford park.' DAILY EXPRESS 'Astute and wonderfully witty, this is an interesting insight into the world of the upper classes.' COMPANY 'A wonderfully fresh novel that immerses the reader in a world most culd never dream of entering. Julian Fellowes's wit and sharp observational skills brighten every page.' WATERSTONE'S BOOK QUARTERLY 'an entertaining read.' NEW BOOKS


COMPANY

'Astute and wonderfully witty, this is an interesting insight into the world of the upper classes.'
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First Sentence
I do not know exactly how Edith Lavery came first to be taken up by Isabel Easton. Read the first page
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Snobs: A Novel
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Snobs: A Novel 3.6 out of 5 stars (27)
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3.6 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Mockery from Within, 14 May 2006
By A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This not-quite-debut novel (Fellowes wrote several romance novels in the mid-'70s under the name Rebecca Greville, including "Poison Presented" and "Court in the Terror") ought to appeal to fans of his 2001 Oscar-winning script for the film Gosford Park. A straightforward satirical comedy of manners set among the upper classes of mid-'90s England and those who aspire to join them, the book is a frothy comic brew which skewers both parties with the kind of pitch-perfect subtle writing that it seems only the British can pull off. The story is quite simple, a pretty woman from an upper middle-class family whose mother has pretentions decides to ensnare a hugely wealthy and dull aristocratic man in order to "marry up" into the upper classes which still hold such a mystique and importance in British society. The man's mother, a formidable Marchioness aims to prevent this from occurring but fails. The young woman discovers that life at the top isn't as exciting as she anticipated and runs off with an handsome actor to great scandal. Will anyone find happiness at the end?

This is all more or less narrated by a semi-aristocratic actor (clearly very much like the author) who is able to move between all worlds due to his upbringing and career. He starts the book as a friend of the young woman and a very passing acquaintance of the young man, and ends up becoming a bridge between worlds and at the latter stages, a kind of discreet go-between. It is his penetrating sardonic insights and the witty formulations thereof which lend what substance there is to this otherwise straightforward love story. Much of the novel involves the narrator spelling out the unspoken rules of the game for the reader in deliciously mocking detail. The main flaw in most satire is that it is too broad or unsubtle, but here the narrator's mockery of the artificially preserved world of the aristocracy is all the more effective from its insider position. To be sure, the characters are mostly "types" without a whole lot of substance or depth to them (the boorish rich pig, the nasty arriviste, the brisk no-nonsense wife, the ice queen, the social climber, etc.), but that's kind of the point as well. A great deal of the satire is that these upper crust people have no personality, that they are all just filling the roles they've seen before them and imagine will extend after them forever. Ultimately, the book is somewhat bittersweet in that the writing is quite amusing, but one can't help but feel slightly sorry for how unhappy so many of the characters are (even if they aren't particularly deeply drawn). On the other hand, it's not too hard to feel like it's a case of them getting their just desserts...
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A nearly perfect treat of a book, 13 Nov 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Snobs: a novel (Hardcover)
A thoroughly enjoyable book and one, I was surprised to find, that stayed with me longer than usual after I'd finished it - probably because beneath the humour and even despite the happy ending, it is quite sad. It seems awful that Charles, the heroine's decent husband, should suffer so merely because he is titled and rich but not interesting or clever enough, and I couldn't help feeling that the strength, intelligence and self-discipline of the Lady Uckfields of this world could sort out the entire planet, if only the business of snobbery didn't demand so much of their time and all of their resources.
The satire is beautifully done - it has bite, true, but Fellowes does not fall into the tedious and common trap of either despising or glorifying the people about whom he writes. The detail is glorious and funny. Strongly recommended - and I do hope he keeps on writing!
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Hello! I'm OK!, 5 Aug 2004
By DeeJay (CHELTENHAM, Glos United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
  
This review is from: Snobs: a novel (Hardcover)
Although they might intermingle within the pages of Hello! the aristocrat and the A'list celebrity live in different worlds. However, Julian Fellowes has a foot in both worlds and, like many before him, his first novel is set within an environment he is familiar with. The plot is a sort of 'menages trois' (Julian's characters have a fondness for lapsing into French) but like Gosford Park the plot isn't that riveting, where Julian excels is in social anthropology. If you believed, like John Major, that we were on the brink of a classless society then let Julian reveal the truth to you as he explains little oddities such as the upper classes usage of their nursery nicknames throughout their life. Peppered with insights and seasoned with scandal but not over done, a rare treat for escapist reading.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars good read
i chanced upon this book and was unsure if i would enjoy it - but found it an interesting read - good story - all the more interesting when you can place certain scenes and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Susan M M M M M

5.0 out of 5 stars What a treat....
I must admit, I had reserves before reading this book. It is always quite tricky to describe aristocrats from the outside. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Marina C. Watteck

1.0 out of 5 stars Snobs - a snobby book
This is not nearly so good as Past Imperfect which I read first. This is a narrow view of a narrow part of a dead, or should be dead, society. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jan P

4.0 out of 5 stars What Really Matters
This was an enjoyable easy read, although I agree with the reviewers who point out that the first person narrative jars with a great deal of what could only be third person... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Guy reid-brown

4.0 out of 5 stars Thouroughly enjoyable
A very good satire with the ring of truth I suppose. I couldn't tell, I am not one of the elects.But I took great pleasure in reading this story even though I thought I was... Read more
Published 9 months ago by H. Lacroix

2.0 out of 5 stars Sub-Waugh and not very good
This is a curate's egg of a novel but mostly bad, alas. A situation comedy about some forgettable characters it's at its best when we hear a kind of "voice-over" from the narrator... Read more
Published 12 months ago by P. Smith

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't give up the day job, Mr Fellowes
I read "Snobs" with increasing disappointment. Julian Fellowes is a fine actor and has a talent for writing but, on the evidence of "Snobs", not in the direction of novels... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Secret Spi

2.0 out of 5 stars The Late Night Readers bookclub thought....
Based on an upper-middle class young woman's ambition to marry into Aristocracy, this book describes the fall from her own expectations that she suffers when she finds that life... Read more
Published on 24 April 2007 by Late Night Readers

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable
If you enjoy pressing your nose up to the glass to see how the other half lives then you will enjoy this novel. The book is very well written and highly readable. Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2007 by sainte-carmen

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best
A wonderful read - subtle, humorous and sad by turns. I couldn't put it down until I'd found out what happened to Edith, the heroine. Read more
Published on 19 May 2006 by Book Lover

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