Name: Snobs
ISBN: 9780312336936

Julian Fellowes

Preparing to marry heir Charles Broughton, attractive accountant's daughter Edith Lavery makes humorous and astute observations about contemporary England's class system. A first novel by the screenplay writer of Gosford Park. Reprint. 100,000 first printing.

Snobs

From the creator of the Emmy Award-winning Downton Abbey... "The English, of all classes as it happens, are addicted to exclusivity. Leave three Englishmen in a room and they will invent a rule that prevents a fourth joining them." The best comedies of manners are often deceptively simple, seamlessly blending social critique with character and story. In his superbly observed first novel, Julian Fellowes, creator of the Masterpiece sensation Downton Abbey and winner of an Academy Award for his original screenplay of Gosford Park, brings us an insider's look at a contemporary England that is still not as classless as is popularly supposed. Edith Lavery, an English blonde with large eyes and nice manners, is the daughter of a moderately successful accountant and his social-climbing wife. While visiting his parents' stately home as a paying guest, Edith meets Charles, the Earl Broughton, and heir to the Marquess of Uckfield, who runs the family estates in East Sussex and Norfolk. To the gossip columns he is one of the most eligible young aristocrats around. When he proposes. Edith accepts. But is she really in love with Charles? Or with his title, his position, and all that goes with it? One inescapable part of life at Broughton Hall is Charles's mother, the shrewd Lady Uckfield, known to her friends as "Googie" and described by the narrator---an actor who moves comfortably among the upper classes while chronicling their foibles---"as the most socially expert individual I have ever known at all well. She combined a watchmaker's eye for detail with a madam's knowledge of the world." Lady Uckfield is convinced that Edith is more interested in becoming a countess than in being a good wife to her son. And when a television company, complete with a gorgeous leading man, descends on Broughton Hall to film a period drama, "Googie's" worst fears seem fully justified. In this wickedly astute portrait of the intersecting worlds of aristocrats and actors, Julian Fellowes establishes himself as an irresistible storyteller and a deliciously witty chronicler of modern manners.

Lara Engle

This book wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I did enjoy the use of a mostly impartial tertiary character as a narrator. Additionally, the peeks into a variety of social groups and their interactions with and opinions of each other were interesting. I just wish it would have been faster paced (especially in the middle) and more fun.

This is a bad book overall. I feel bad, because some of the interactions are spot on. The problem is that the plot is so thin that it just doesn't flow and drags for no reason.

We spent like 20 pages for a woman trying to talk to her husband but being blocked by others. Does he not have his own phone line so that his rich mother needs to be addressed? And instead we're jumping through loops of people who rat her plans out to his mother and suddenly they fall through?

It was boring. I kind of skimmed through the audiobook by multitasking and decided to finish reading. I skipped a section of the ending because it was literally just another character having more relationship issues, who I honestly didn't remember from whenever they were introduced. And then the ending itself kind of makes some sense but not really. (view spoiler)[ That girl isn't his kid. She was with Simon for 6 months having that kind of "relationship" to produce the kid. Everyone has to know it's Simon's kid. Don't try to compare it to Charles because that's not a thing.  (hide spoiler)]

Overall, I didn't like the majority of it. Maybe Fellowes will grow as a writer and expound on those good scenes, because some were handled well.

'Snobs' is a witty and enthralling contemporary comedy of manners set against the background of aristocracy, business and actors written by the Oscar winning screenwriter 'Gosford Park'.

A Novel

Jane Krauss

Honestly it a well written book. Its taken me a long time to read as it's really dry at times and I simply got board of it. I think it goes down rabbit wholes and really gives A LOT of details which can be good and bad. This book had inspired some of my own writing.