Elegantly Wasted (Elegance - Kathleen Tessaro)

Member Name: kirstymack80

Product:	Elegance - Kathleen Tessaro
Date:	01/01/05 (174 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fashion tips for the lay-deez, amusing in parts

Disadvantages: slow introduction to the main character

Louise Canova is an American living in London. She's 32, childless and already feels as if her marriage has reached crisis point. The last thing she feels is 'elegant'.

By chance she discovers a gem of a book in a second hand bookshop. It's entitled 'Elegance' and is an A-Z of style written by Madame Antoine Dariaux, a French fashion expert. This book is the beginning of a new Louise as she reads Madame's advice on everything from ideal wardrobes to husbands. She decides it's time for a life change.

* What I thought *

To start off, this was a little cliched. Louise is frumpy - so naturellement her mother in law is an ex-model. Her hubby is more interested in gardening than noticing what Louise is wearing. As soon as Louise starts reading 'Elegance' she gives herself the Trinny and Susannah treatment and throws out all her old clothes, starts going to the gym and applying lipstick. And *hey presto* she actually feels like a new person!

However, aside from the actual story I felt that this novel was carefully laid out and clever. Starting in alphabetical order, each chapter starts with a quote from Madame Dariaux and then the paragraphs that follow are somehow linked with Louise's life.

For example, in the chapter entitled 'Girl friends' Madame tells us not to shop with a good friend as she may be a rival in the fashion stakes and not have your best interests at heart. Her moral? 'Women who may shop with their friends may be popular, but elegant they are NOT'.

Louise then goes on to describe a coffee outing with her friend Nicki, who's slender and five foot nine. Nicki shops in Prada and Harvey Nichols. Louise goes to Top Shop. Louise doesn't enjoy shopping with Nicki because she feels like a scruffy inferior.

* Negatives *

I found the character Louise a little hard to warm to. She seems hard (and miserable!) at first but as she tells us more about how she met her husband and gives us background to her childhood and family, we realise that not everything is as it seems. The slow disintegration of her marriage is actually quite painful to imagine - as she thrives in her new appearance and confidence, her husband is reduced to a wreck and worries he can't survive without her.

* Positives *

The book combines two of my favourite things *cue Julie Andrews singing shrilly*. These are the theatre and fashion. So .. immediately I could tell I'd be quite interested from the start in this book. Louise works in the box office of a London theatre, having tried her hand at acting and only getting a few commercials as work. Enter left stage a new director who takes a liking to the new Louise and we have the beginnings of a possible romance ...

The olde fashioned wording of Madame's snippets are both entertaining and amusing. 'After all men come and go but a good fur is a destiny'. Love it.

* Reasons to read *

Walk with Louise as she goes through a humiliating interview at the Royal Opera House smothered in an orange coloured fake tan.

Cringe with her as she sees her ex husband and his companion at the theatre and watch as she realises that their marriage was a sham right from the start.

Delight in the way Louise incorporates a Lady's help in Fortnum and Mason when choosing a dainty hat for a day at the races.

So to the recommendation. As a story this isn't anything particular different to other books about 30 somethings who are unhappy in their marriages. However as one reads further into the book we do at least see why Louise is the way she is and I did hope that whatever she was seeking would come to her eventually. The character does 'warm up' throughout the book and becomes alot more endearing and her friends that help her transformation are amusing in a Bridget Jones kind of way.

Four stars from me, for something slightly bold and for intertwining two different eras and perspectives on fashion and life. The book 'Elegance' by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux is a real one and may be worth a read in its entirety. This particular book, however, is Kathleen Tessaro's first novel.

* Other info *

390 pages in paperback
RRP is £6.99 but £5.49 on play.com
ISBN 0-00-715143-8

Finally, I leave you with the quote at the beginning of the book for all you ladies out there. 'Being beautiful is no guarantee of happiness in this world. Strive instead for elegance, grace and style'.

Thank you for reading.

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