Rumors by Anna Godbersen
“So this was betrayal. It was like being left alone in the desert at dusk without water or warmth. It left your mouth dry and will broken. It sapped your tears and made you hollow.”
Full of scandal, lies, blackmail, and drama, surpassing its predecessor, The Luxe, Rumors constantly surprised me with its twists and turns.
Rumors pick up three months after the events in The Luxe. I won’t go too into the story as I don’t want to write spoilers, but Rumors find everyone scheming with bigger goals in mind. The ladies of 18th century New York society have grown up a lot in the three months since we last saw them. The book begins with a wedding, and readers spend the entire book trying to figure out who will end up tying the knot.
One of the most interesting developments in the second book is the emergence of a wider range of characters, all attempting to prosper off the fortunes and follies of the rich.
All of this intrigue takes place at the very turn of the century, in 1899. The time period, with all its glittering social life, gossip, and scandal, is brilliantly described. You truly feel your experience that heady time before the World War’s changed everything forever.
Not to be outdone by the disappearance of a major character at the end of the first novel, RUMORS features death and two weddings, along with another cliffhanger that promises further books in this tantalizing series. Godbersen’s deliciously outrageous, and transcontinental, close attention to historical details, an extensive vocabulary, and a clear love for her subject tempers plot. Her characters and themes deepen in this second installment of the series without losing the sensational appeal of the first.
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