Elegance
Grade : B-

Elegance is an interesting meld of Chick Lit and Women’s fiction. It doesn’t cover a lot of new territory story wise, but has enough interesting features to make it worth a read.

Louise Canova is a depressed 32-year-old in a dull marriage. The best things she can say about her relationship is that she and her husband share the same decorating taste and that he is tidy and makes a good cup of tea. Once an aspiring actress, she now works in the box office of a London theatre. She is frumpy, a little overweight, and more or less invisible to men, especially her husband. Her mother-in-law, the ex-model, makes her feel completely inadequate, but, truthfully, most people can do that if they exert even the slightest effort.

One day she finds a copy of an old book called Elegance by a Madame Dariaux. It is The Complete Guide for Every Woman who Wants to be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions. To Louise it is a revelation; in fact, everything she has been looking for in one slim, slightly dusty volume. Louise begins to remake herself. She throws out most of her shabby wardrobe and begins to exercise again. She combs the stores looking for elegant clothing and the correct lingerie. and her efforts get her noticed by men - but not by her husband. On the contrary, coming out from her coccoon puts her marriage on the rocks as she examines what her relationship is and why she entered it in the first place.

The first half of this novel is quite melancholy - only the occasional funny touches keep it sinking into a swamp of absolute moroseness. Marian Keyes gave the paperback edition of Elegance a cover quote, and it seems apropos. Louise’s life quickly goes to hell in a very similar fashion that a Keyes heroine’s would (although Keyes’s heroines are funnier). Literally everything falls apart until all Louise has is with her is in her little rented bedroom. She has hit bottom, and not just financially. She has to learn to relate to people all over again.

Interspersed with the main story are a number of very dark vignettes from Louise’s childhood. These parts made for hard reading, and the bleakness of Louise’s past contrasts a bit with the lighter tone of the last half of the novel which reads more along the lines of an Elizabeth Young book or one by Sophie Kinsella. With all the baggage she has, Louise’s self-redemption seems somewhat optimistic. But then that’s what Chick Lit is about: transformation.

Louise does have some support to help her through. Her friend Colin (the requisite gay best friend) is incredibly supportive, and Madame Dariaux more or less takes life in the form of Louise’s new roommate Ria. Crisis management is Ria’s middle name, although Tessaro does not endow her with much depth as a character. It was still nice to see Louise getting love from people who were not potential romantic interests.

The character of Louise’s husband is somewhat bewildering. First of all, Tessaro never gives him a name. Louise refers to him only as "my husband." This is a strange choice. Yet, though he is unnamed, he manages to have more dimensions than any of the other secondary characters, and his story is almost as sad as Louise’s is. Tessaro hints at a Happily Ever After for him, but never writes a resolution to the complicated relationship he has with Louise. Towards the end of the book a romantic possibility crops up for Louise as well, but it is a minimal part of the plot and, though sweet, not entirely satisfying.

Reviewed by Rachel Potter
Grade : B-
Book Type: Chick Lit

Sensuality: Kisses

Review Date : August 14, 2004

Publication Date: 2004

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