What do you think?
Rate this book
The Suitors: A Novel
A comedy of manners that serves as an insightful look at the lives of those in the upper classes.
After two sisters, Laure and Marie, learn of their parents’ plan to sell the family’s summer retreat, L’Agapanthe, they devise a scheme for attracting a wealthy suitor who can afford to purchase the estate. Selling it would mean more than just losing a place to go during the summer—for the sisters, it’s become a necessary part of their character, their lifestyle, and their past.
L’Agapanthe, a place of charm and nostalgia, is the perfect venue to exercise proper etiquette and intellect, though not all its visitors are socially savvy, especially when it’s a matter of understanding the relationships between old money and the nouveau riche. The comedy of manners with stock traders, yogis, fashion designers, models, swindlers, the Mafia, and a number of celebrity guests.
Laure—the witty, disarming, and poignant narrator—guides the reader through elegant dinners, midnight swims in the bay, and conversations about current events, literature, art, and cinema. The Suitors is an amusing insider’s look at the codes, manners, and morals of French high society.
After two sisters, Laure and Marie, learn of their parents’ plan to sell the family’s summer retreat, L’Agapanthe, they devise a scheme for attracting a wealthy suitor who can afford to purchase the estate. Selling it would mean more than just losing a place to go during the summer—for the sisters, it’s become a necessary part of their character, their lifestyle, and their past.
L’Agapanthe, a place of charm and nostalgia, is the perfect venue to exercise proper etiquette and intellect, though not all its visitors are socially savvy, especially when it’s a matter of understanding the relationships between old money and the nouveau riche. The comedy of manners with stock traders, yogis, fashion designers, models, swindlers, the Mafia, and a number of celebrity guests.
Laure—the witty, disarming, and poignant narrator—guides the reader through elegant dinners, midnight swims in the bay, and conversations about current events, literature, art, and cinema. The Suitors is an amusing insider’s look at the codes, manners, and morals of French high society.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2010
37 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
February 11, 2013
After my amazing luck with John Boyne’s The Absolutist last year, I decided to always keep an eye on Other Press releases and I’m glad I did. I requested a copy of this book directly from the publisher and I quite enjoyed it. This is my honest response and I received nothing in return.
To start, I’d like to say that the only other review on Goodreads is worthless (to me, at least). Why bother reviewing a book if that’s all you’re going to say? The person has, in essence, re-written the synopsis of the novel (on the back cover), without any additional insight or synthesis and it came across as snide to me. If you didn’t want to read “frothy froth about rich French people and their angst,” then why’d you read it? It never pretended to be anything else and that’s why I appreciated this novel. It’s times like this when I wish I could give half stars on Goodreads because it’s not quite what I would consider 5 stars, but not quite as low as 4 stars. Now on to my response.
This novel is everything that it claims to be, an amusing inside look at the codes, manners, and morals of high society, and it’s nothing more.So if you don’t want to read a comedy of manners, then don’t. It’s sort of what I imagine Austen’s works were like when they were first published and reactions were similar to the Goodreads reviewer’s.
Click here to continue reading on my blog The Oddness of Moving Things.
To start, I’d like to say that the only other review on Goodreads is worthless (to me, at least). Why bother reviewing a book if that’s all you’re going to say? The person has, in essence, re-written the synopsis of the novel (on the back cover), without any additional insight or synthesis and it came across as snide to me. If you didn’t want to read “frothy froth about rich French people and their angst,” then why’d you read it? It never pretended to be anything else and that’s why I appreciated this novel. It’s times like this when I wish I could give half stars on Goodreads because it’s not quite what I would consider 5 stars, but not quite as low as 4 stars. Now on to my response.
This novel is everything that it claims to be, an amusing inside look at the codes, manners, and morals of high society, and it’s nothing more.So if you don’t want to read a comedy of manners, then don’t. It’s sort of what I imagine Austen’s works were like when they were first published and reactions were similar to the Goodreads reviewer’s.
Click here to continue reading on my blog The Oddness of Moving Things.
April 29, 2013
I tried really hard to get into this book, but the plot moved so slowly that I found myself getting bored and reaching for other novels to fill the space. The writer was obviously trying to write her main character as a heroine who saves the family summer home, but instead she came off as a somewhat self-entitled snob and it was hard to feel sorry for her. There were a few people sprinkled throughout the story who were interesting but they were minor characters with no focus. The whole thing took forever to play out, and by the end I really didn't care what happened to the house so long as I could stop reading about it. I do feel that I learned a lot about French etiquette, though, so if I'm ever invited to a wealthy family's summer home in the South of France, I will now know how to carry on a conversation and which fork to use and what gifts are acceptable to give to the hostess.
July 5, 2013
I had this as an ARC and I ditched it on the train when I was done. But now I feel bad about that. Littering is wrong. And whoever picks it up might make the same mistake I did, and read it.
October 17, 2013
Many reviewers have described the characters as unlikeable, and I'd agree in the sense that they're all just so wrapped up in a 1% existence. However, for the most part I was able to accept the lot for who they were, though I wasn't exactly sympathetic with the sisters' plan to snag a rich husband from among that summer's guests.
What to expect if you're considering the book ... lots of discussion of the house and grounds, the Antibes area itself not so much. It's established early on how fantastically wealthy the family is, centering on the father's acquisition of an Old Master worth tens of millions, as a sort of hobby. The guests are criticized (to the reader) by the narrator, Laure, for transgressions of etiquette - for example, the first guy addresses the hostess (Laure's mother) as Madame (plus surname!), implying she's an inferior such as a tradeswoman; he also uses the "wrong" words and phrases in making conversation, where there isn't exactly an American equivalent, more like British "U" and "non-U" I suppose. There are repeat "approved" guests who serve as a sort of chorus, as well as the new people.
I don't feel it's really a spoiler to say that the sisters learn the lesson that things change, and it's time to let the property go, and move on. I was struck fairly early on that the neighborhood was so noisy that the cacophony could clearly be heard in the bedrooms at night, more like downmarket parts of the Jersey Shore. Later, some of them are out on the family beach, when they're "invaded" by a gang of paparazzi. The faithful butler falls ill, with the new one full of "innovations" such as setting out (a selection) of teabags for guests to serve themselves, a replacement chef who refuses to follow the standard menu the mother prescribed, substituting similar dishes with more chi-chi names and presentations. When you can't get decent servants, and your neighbors are all nouveau riche trash, well ... that's that.
Kate Reading does a terrific job with the audio narration, as though the story were written with her in mind.
Recommended as being more than just Rich Peoples' Problems, although there were a couple of points that I found didn't really resonate with me, concerning Laure's relationship with her son, along with the mother's own personal problems, both of which either should've been developed further, or left out.
What to expect if you're considering the book ... lots of discussion of the house and grounds, the Antibes area itself not so much. It's established early on how fantastically wealthy the family is, centering on the father's acquisition of an Old Master worth tens of millions, as a sort of hobby. The guests are criticized (to the reader) by the narrator, Laure, for transgressions of etiquette - for example, the first guy addresses the hostess (Laure's mother) as Madame (plus surname!), implying she's an inferior such as a tradeswoman; he also uses the "wrong" words and phrases in making conversation, where there isn't exactly an American equivalent, more like British "U" and "non-U" I suppose. There are repeat "approved" guests who serve as a sort of chorus, as well as the new people.
I don't feel it's really a spoiler to say that the sisters learn the lesson that things change, and it's time to let the property go, and move on. I was struck fairly early on that the neighborhood was so noisy that the cacophony could clearly be heard in the bedrooms at night, more like downmarket parts of the Jersey Shore. Later, some of them are out on the family beach, when they're "invaded" by a gang of paparazzi. The faithful butler falls ill, with the new one full of "innovations" such as setting out (a selection) of teabags for guests to serve themselves, a replacement chef who refuses to follow the standard menu the mother prescribed, substituting similar dishes with more chi-chi names and presentations. When you can't get decent servants, and your neighbors are all nouveau riche trash, well ... that's that.
Kate Reading does a terrific job with the audio narration, as though the story were written with her in mind.
Recommended as being more than just Rich Peoples' Problems, although there were a couple of points that I found didn't really resonate with me, concerning Laure's relationship with her son, along with the mother's own personal problems, both of which either should've been developed further, or left out.
August 24, 2013
Judging from the comments of other reviewers, this is a very polarizing book. Readers either loved it or hated it----and, I am one of those who absolutely adored it. It grabbed me from page one.
Anyone who has ever organized a team; chaired a committee; or hosted a dinner party understands the fragile dynamic of a closed circle of people. Everyone has the power to enhance the group dynamic, or ruin it. And, for me, that was the magic of this book.
The magical villa on the French Riviera was a perfect setting for the social games that David-Weill presents in the novel. I would have liked a longer book, with more character development, but that is another book----not this one. As it is, there were some hugely entertaining portraits of social wannabees, corporate moguls, and the elegant old guard. Frankly, I couldn't have wished for anything more; this was hugely entertaining but also offered some morsels of food for thought (interspersed among all the delicious descriptions of the elegant meals at the villa).
A sequel please.
Anyone who has ever organized a team; chaired a committee; or hosted a dinner party understands the fragile dynamic of a closed circle of people. Everyone has the power to enhance the group dynamic, or ruin it. And, for me, that was the magic of this book.
The magical villa on the French Riviera was a perfect setting for the social games that David-Weill presents in the novel. I would have liked a longer book, with more character development, but that is another book----not this one. As it is, there were some hugely entertaining portraits of social wannabees, corporate moguls, and the elegant old guard. Frankly, I couldn't have wished for anything more; this was hugely entertaining but also offered some morsels of food for thought (interspersed among all the delicious descriptions of the elegant meals at the villa).
A sequel please.
December 2, 2013
Oh my goodness. A book in which nothing happens, written by a thoroughly unpleasant narrator....the attitude is, 'we are just better than everybody else. We can't help it, it's how we are'. Things that are supposed to be funny are just...not. Yick. Maybe it reads better in the original French.
April 12, 2019
Could be because I was reading the kindle version, but this was definitely a book that I skimmed through the story. It had so much potential, but there were just too many characters with half told stories to keep it interesting.
"After two sisters, Laure and Marie, learn of their parents’ plan to sell the family’s summer retreat, L’Agapanthe, they devise a scheme for attracting a wealthy suitor who can afford to purchase the estate. Selling it would mean more than just losing a place to go during the summer—for the sisters, it’s become a necessary part of their character, their lifestyle, and their past. L’Agapanthe, a place of charm and nostalgia, is the perfect venue to exercise proper etiquette and intellect, though not all its visitors are socially savvy, especially when it’s a matter of understanding the relationships between old money and the nouveau riche. The comedy of manners begins: with stock traders, yogis, fashion designers, models, swindlers, the Mafia, and a number of celebrity guests. Laure—the witty, disarming, and poignant narrator—guides the reader through elegant dinners, midnight swims in the bay, and conversations about current events, literature, art, and cinema. The Suitors is an amusing insider’s look at the codes, manners, and morals of French high society."
"After two sisters, Laure and Marie, learn of their parents’ plan to sell the family’s summer retreat, L’Agapanthe, they devise a scheme for attracting a wealthy suitor who can afford to purchase the estate. Selling it would mean more than just losing a place to go during the summer—for the sisters, it’s become a necessary part of their character, their lifestyle, and their past. L’Agapanthe, a place of charm and nostalgia, is the perfect venue to exercise proper etiquette and intellect, though not all its visitors are socially savvy, especially when it’s a matter of understanding the relationships between old money and the nouveau riche. The comedy of manners begins: with stock traders, yogis, fashion designers, models, swindlers, the Mafia, and a number of celebrity guests. Laure—the witty, disarming, and poignant narrator—guides the reader through elegant dinners, midnight swims in the bay, and conversations about current events, literature, art, and cinema. The Suitors is an amusing insider’s look at the codes, manners, and morals of French high society."
October 26, 2019
There were small parts that I enjoyed but overall the novel was too slow and I was kind of looking forward to being complete. This genre in general is not something I gravitate towards for this exact reason.
Meh Read!
Meh Read!
December 5, 2017
short not that good story of 2 sisters looking for a rich husband to save the family mansion
September 21, 2015
I really enjoy "house party at a country mansion" books, and books about complicated family relationships, so this seemed promising. However, it did not deliver. I was halfway through before I realized it was probably not going to improve, so I finished just to see if there was any character development or plot. There wasn't, really.
The story is meant to follow two sisters as they embark on a Marriage Plot in order to save their beloved family summer home. Mostly, it is just the first-person narrator talking about how incredibly well-bred she is, and reflecting on the shortcomings of her summer guests. This could still be material for an interesting book, but there's just no self-awareness. The whole plot and conclusion of the book seems to be "the narrator, her sister, and the summer house are all just too good, too pure, too aristocratic for today's world", but told without any reflection.
The scenes are also totally disjointed. At first I thought it was an artistic choice to mimic the dull pace of the life being described, but eventually I realized that no, nothing was really fleshed out. Events are built up as Major Events that seriously affect the narrator's world... and then they drop off the page and are never mentioned again.
I read to the end in the hopes this disjointed series of events would be pulled together into some meaningful conclusion, but it really wasn't there. Oh, our narrator (a psychologist, as we are reminded every few pages) does some self-analysis and drops 2 or 3 sentences about "what she's learned" that are very nice, pat psychoanalysis. But there's no sense of actual growth, because there's no sense that the characters are multidimensional. Overall, very disappointing.
The story is meant to follow two sisters as they embark on a Marriage Plot in order to save their beloved family summer home. Mostly, it is just the first-person narrator talking about how incredibly well-bred she is, and reflecting on the shortcomings of her summer guests. This could still be material for an interesting book, but there's just no self-awareness. The whole plot and conclusion of the book seems to be "the narrator, her sister, and the summer house are all just too good, too pure, too aristocratic for today's world", but told without any reflection.
The scenes are also totally disjointed. At first I thought it was an artistic choice to mimic the dull pace of the life being described, but eventually I realized that no, nothing was really fleshed out. Events are built up as Major Events that seriously affect the narrator's world... and then they drop off the page and are never mentioned again.
I read to the end in the hopes this disjointed series of events would be pulled together into some meaningful conclusion, but it really wasn't there. Oh, our narrator (a psychologist, as we are reminded every few pages) does some self-analysis and drops 2 or 3 sentences about "what she's learned" that are very nice, pat psychoanalysis. But there's no sense of actual growth, because there's no sense that the characters are multidimensional. Overall, very disappointing.
October 26, 2014
This is one of those books that you keep reading, all the while wondering why you are still bothering. Normally, an (attempted) farcical novel of French manners and the haute riche would not interest me in the slightest.
But there is some grain of je ne sais quoi here. I felt as if the author was perhaps channeling her inner rich girl here, complete with sibling rivalry, horrible, evil nanny, and the need to have a "real" job so that she can pretend that she is doing something with her life. These little hints at reality and the emotion that churned beneath the surface of her outwardly calm (almost banal) existence acted like the garlic in an otherwise bland soup - enough for me to keep eating, even though I wasn't really enjoying it.
What is never truly discussed is her relationship with her son, her relationship with her ex-husband (I think he is given a single line in the book) or even, what they plan to do about their mother's coke habit. It's as if all of the real stuff - the real reason we read about people - has been sucked from the book and replaced with minor
characters and their foibles. And, as an American, I can still appreciate the ways that Americans are amusing to others - but I think the French come off rather the worse in this.
One reviewer compared David-Weill to Jane Austin. I can only think that is because they both looked at societal strata (and found reason for laughter), but I think David-Weill is too close to her subjects, and in the end, it is not laughter but sadness that fills me when I think of Laure's life. Without her "good house", I hope she finds the way back.
But there is some grain of je ne sais quoi here. I felt as if the author was perhaps channeling her inner rich girl here, complete with sibling rivalry, horrible, evil nanny, and the need to have a "real" job so that she can pretend that she is doing something with her life. These little hints at reality and the emotion that churned beneath the surface of her outwardly calm (almost banal) existence acted like the garlic in an otherwise bland soup - enough for me to keep eating, even though I wasn't really enjoying it.
What is never truly discussed is her relationship with her son, her relationship with her ex-husband (I think he is given a single line in the book) or even, what they plan to do about their mother's coke habit. It's as if all of the real stuff - the real reason we read about people - has been sucked from the book and replaced with minor
characters and their foibles. And, as an American, I can still appreciate the ways that Americans are amusing to others - but I think the French come off rather the worse in this.
One reviewer compared David-Weill to Jane Austin. I can only think that is because they both looked at societal strata (and found reason for laughter), but I think David-Weill is too close to her subjects, and in the end, it is not laughter but sadness that fills me when I think of Laure's life. Without her "good house", I hope she finds the way back.
August 8, 2013
While reading this, a person must keep in mind that this book is meant to be a comedy...Laure is off putting and snobbish, yet wonders why she simply can't find a man. She and her spoiled sister flip out when they realize their parents are putting their summer house on the market. The book is filled with laughable characters who are completely full of themselves....amusing little novel. It might go over better with american audiences as a film, because most readers can't seem to maintaiin the mindset of its comedic tones. Some of the funniest moments are when Laure describe left winger"intellectuals" as mere freeloaders and also pokes fun at various other people who are usually off limits in American fiction.
March 11, 2013
This is a well-written book in which nothing much happens, so if you like plot-driven novels, don't bother. If you want a look into the world of inherited wealth in France and their codes and manners, then this is a book for you.
March 18, 2013
This was some seriously trite crap.
March 18, 2013
hate hate hated this hateful book
May 7, 2017
Oh la la, here’s a book that promises to reveal what French old-money high society is really like! Unlike some authors who write lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous novels but have no firsthand experience with the world they describe, Cécile David-Weill comes by it honestly: her father and grandfather were chairmen of the Lazard Frères bank. As such, The Suitors could function as a handbook for how to behave (and how not to behave) if you are invited to a house party hosted by a fancy French family. They will love you if you are polite, gracious, and quietly elegant; they will despise you if you are effusive or ostentatious or try-hard. It’s rather like old-money American WASP society with more of an emphasis on good food, art collecting, and philosophical conversation.
Unfortunately, while David-Weill knows a lot about high society and the people who frequent it, she hasn’t figured out how to embed this knowledge in a captivating story. Her set-up is a fine premise for a romantic comedy: two sisters in their early 30s, learning that their parents wish to sell the family’s summer villa on the Cap d’Antibes, make a half-serious attempt to find wealthy husbands so that the property can stay in the family. But The Suitors quickly becomes an endless list of descriptions of the family’s houseguests and servants, their foibles and faux pas. Some of the observations are keen, but there are just too many characters and too little narrative drive. Scenes that are intended as farce or as drama fall flat, get resolved within a page or two, and are quickly forgotten. Worst of all are the moments when David-Weill tries to convince us that her characters are paragons of wit, charm, and decorum: the jokes they make are at best unfunny and at worst truly distasteful (as when the narrator tells her sister that her “shorty pajama set” is “an invitation to rape”).
Unfortunately, while David-Weill knows a lot about high society and the people who frequent it, she hasn’t figured out how to embed this knowledge in a captivating story. Her set-up is a fine premise for a romantic comedy: two sisters in their early 30s, learning that their parents wish to sell the family’s summer villa on the Cap d’Antibes, make a half-serious attempt to find wealthy husbands so that the property can stay in the family. But The Suitors quickly becomes an endless list of descriptions of the family’s houseguests and servants, their foibles and faux pas. Some of the observations are keen, but there are just too many characters and too little narrative drive. Scenes that are intended as farce or as drama fall flat, get resolved within a page or two, and are quickly forgotten. Worst of all are the moments when David-Weill tries to convince us that her characters are paragons of wit, charm, and decorum: the jokes they make are at best unfunny and at worst truly distasteful (as when the narrator tells her sister that her “shorty pajama set” is “an invitation to rape”).
April 17, 2025
Es ist nicht alles Gold, was glänzt ⚜️
… das trifft sowohl auf den Inhalt und die Geschichte als auch auf meine Erwartungen an das Buch zu.😕
Von Cover, Titel und Klappentext hatte ich etwas in Richtung Adelsgeschichte erwartet. Doch da habe ich mir leider falsche Hoffnungen gemacht. Es folgte leider keine spannende oder romantische Geschichte sondern die fast schon sachliche Schilderung einer Sommervilla, der Familie und den Eigenarten ihrer Sommergäste. Leider hat mich das Buch trotzdem in keine sommerliche Stimmung versetzt.
Der Schreibstil war eher stoisch und sachlich und die Erzählung doch von recht viel Oberflächlichkeit geprägt. Nichts desto trotz gab es auch tief gehende Momente und ein offenes Happy End. 🙂
♥️💎🔒⭐️
!!! Ein bisschen Spoiler !!!
Trotzdem hätte ich mir die „Männersuche“ der beiden Schwestern ein bisschen ereignisreicher vorgestellt. Sie war nicht nur nicht erfolgreich, sonder ist fast gar nicht passiert. Die Kandidaten wurden eher aus sicherer Entfernung beurteilt und dann abgeschrieben und es war leider kaum Romantik im Spiel. (Bis auf das Ende, aber ich möchte euch nicht auch noch das letzte bisschen Spannung nehmen 😉)
Zeitweise an ein Buch über Benimmregeln und Etikette erinnernd kann man kaum Spannung erwarten, dennoch lernt man die Hauptfigur Laure auch tiefgründig kennen, vor allem in den Rückblicken in die Vergangenheit und man bekommt einen Blick hinter den Schein des Luxus und der oberen Schicht der Gesellschaft. ⚜️💎
… das trifft sowohl auf den Inhalt und die Geschichte als auch auf meine Erwartungen an das Buch zu.😕
Von Cover, Titel und Klappentext hatte ich etwas in Richtung Adelsgeschichte erwartet. Doch da habe ich mir leider falsche Hoffnungen gemacht. Es folgte leider keine spannende oder romantische Geschichte sondern die fast schon sachliche Schilderung einer Sommervilla, der Familie und den Eigenarten ihrer Sommergäste. Leider hat mich das Buch trotzdem in keine sommerliche Stimmung versetzt.
Der Schreibstil war eher stoisch und sachlich und die Erzählung doch von recht viel Oberflächlichkeit geprägt. Nichts desto trotz gab es auch tief gehende Momente und ein offenes Happy End. 🙂
♥️💎🔒⭐️
!!! Ein bisschen Spoiler !!!
Trotzdem hätte ich mir die „Männersuche“ der beiden Schwestern ein bisschen ereignisreicher vorgestellt. Sie war nicht nur nicht erfolgreich, sonder ist fast gar nicht passiert. Die Kandidaten wurden eher aus sicherer Entfernung beurteilt und dann abgeschrieben und es war leider kaum Romantik im Spiel. (Bis auf das Ende, aber ich möchte euch nicht auch noch das letzte bisschen Spannung nehmen 😉)
Zeitweise an ein Buch über Benimmregeln und Etikette erinnernd kann man kaum Spannung erwarten, dennoch lernt man die Hauptfigur Laure auch tiefgründig kennen, vor allem in den Rückblicken in die Vergangenheit und man bekommt einen Blick hinter den Schein des Luxus und der oberen Schicht der Gesellschaft. ⚜️💎
December 10, 2022
WHAT comedy?.there is ZERO humor nkt even snarky tounge in cheek. NOat even British humor just BORING drag on paragraphs about nothing!
It's just 400 pages of bragging . and whining and making fun of others ..whrn she and ger parents are despicable
She and her sister are nifing vapid snobs who make fun of everyone .Im gobsmacked how she mindlessly babbles about all the "good breeding and manners" they are supposedly born with bec they're rude and mire low browed than a urchin on the streets .
Oh and the parents are bigger snobs than the new rich are they're shallow weak arrogant asses especially that ijiot for a mother ...def. not the cultured high brows they think they are
I also think the reviewers on the back of the book were all drunk ,or blindly reading a different book aka lying through their teeth .
"laughing every page "? Sure I laughed. I laughed at hiw HORRIBLE this mind numbing door stop is.
"hijinks?!
"sparkling dry wit and humor "?! WHERE ?! I read 110 pages with zero wit of any kind... I had to quit as my brain was trying to strangle me so it would quit bleeding the hideousness it was being forced to decipher.
"hilariiousnesa Yea its hilarious how bad this book us .
Its just a cliched wanna be poke fun at the uber rich which tries way too hard to be funny and instead us duller than a 10 year old kitchen knife never sharpened.
It's just 400 pages of bragging . and whining and making fun of others ..whrn she and ger parents are despicable
She and her sister are nifing vapid snobs who make fun of everyone .Im gobsmacked how she mindlessly babbles about all the "good breeding and manners" they are supposedly born with bec they're rude and mire low browed than a urchin on the streets .
Oh and the parents are bigger snobs than the new rich are they're shallow weak arrogant asses especially that ijiot for a mother ...def. not the cultured high brows they think they are
I also think the reviewers on the back of the book were all drunk ,or blindly reading a different book aka lying through their teeth .
"laughing every page "? Sure I laughed. I laughed at hiw HORRIBLE this mind numbing door stop is.
"hijinks?!
"sparkling dry wit and humor "?! WHERE ?! I read 110 pages with zero wit of any kind... I had to quit as my brain was trying to strangle me so it would quit bleeding the hideousness it was being forced to decipher.
"hilariiousnesa Yea its hilarious how bad this book us .
Its just a cliched wanna be poke fun at the uber rich which tries way too hard to be funny and instead us duller than a 10 year old kitchen knife never sharpened.
August 7, 2020
Light reading for summer
Well translated short novel about two adult sister's plan to save a bygone era home of their extremely wealthy family. Had the effect though of making me feel completely aware that I personally would never have fit at one of their dinner parties. Still....I enjoyed the book.
Well translated short novel about two adult sister's plan to save a bygone era home of their extremely wealthy family. Had the effect though of making me feel completely aware that I personally would never have fit at one of their dinner parties. Still....I enjoyed the book.
January 1, 2018
Ugh. Slow moving and completely unlikable characters.
June 27, 2017
Could not finish. Not even half way done.
Just not my cup of tea at all.
Just not my cup of tea at all.
July 1, 2017
After reading this, I was ready to lead the Marxist revolution. Hateful characters.
July 2, 2017
Extremely pretentious. Could not like or empathize with the characters.
April 7, 2018
Tres hautain et surtout ennuyeux. (Disappointing because I usually like French based stories).
Read
July 12, 2022Okay
September 8, 2022
I’ve never read anything so slow moving in my life. (And I’m old)
From the beginning it droned on and on saying nothing.
I couldn’t stay with it, a big waste of my time
From the beginning it droned on and on saying nothing.
I couldn’t stay with it, a big waste of my time
April 14, 2025
C'était bon.
September 30, 2025
Wanted to like, kind of slow and the ending is anti-climactic. Kevin Kwan does this genre much better.
March 13, 2017
I added this book to my to read list a few years ago and recently stumbled upon it at the library. I read through the Goodreads reviews and was surprised by all of the negative reviews, but I decided to give it a shot. The premise was interesting but the story developed SO SLOWLY it was difficult to get through. The characters are unmemorable and I didn't connect at all to the story. I was reading this book as part of a reading challenge, but otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews