Review: The Invitation

Title: The Invitation

Author: Belinda Alexandra

Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers Australia, HarperCollins - AU, 22nd October.

Pages: 416 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: General Fiction (adult), Historical Fiction.

My Rating: 3 cups

Synopsis:

The sumptuous new novel set in the Gilded Age, from Belinda Alexandra, author of Tuscan Rose and White Gardenia

Sometimes the ties that bind are the most dangerous of all ...

Paris, 1899. Emma Lacasse has been estranged from her older sister for nearly twenty years, since Caroline married a wealthy American and left France. So when Emma receives a request from Caroline to meet her, she is intrigued. Caroline invites Emma to visit her in New York, on one condition: Emma must tutor her shy, young niece, Isadora, and help her prepare for her society debut.

Caroline lives a life of unimaginable excess and opulence as one of New York's Gilded Age millionaires and Emma is soon immersed in a world of luxury beyond her wildest dreams - a far cry from her bohemian lifestyle as a harpist and writer with her lover, Claude, in Montmartre.

Emma hopes for an emotional reunion with her only family, but instead she finds herself in the vice-like grip of her charismatic and manipulative sister, who revels in the machinations of the ultra rich. As Emma begins to question her sister's true motives, a disaster strikes, and New York society is stripped bare - beneath the glittering exterior lies a seething nest of deceit, betrayal, moral corruption ... and perhaps even murder.

From the bestselling author of Tuscan Rose comes a mesmerising tale of two sisters and the dangers and seductions of excess.

My Thoughts

In her depiction of the era and detailed descriptions of extravagant clothing and luxurious residences, Belinda Alexandra’s extensive research is, evident throughout. I enjoyed reading and learning more about the time period this book was set in.

‘The Gilded Age’ refers to a period in the history of the United States that coincides approximately with the Victorian era in Britain and the Belle Époque in France. It was a time of rapid economic growth, when great fortunes were made and millions of immigrants flooded into the country. It was also a period of extreme wealth for some and destitution and abject poverty for others. The term was first coined by Mark Twain in his novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. ‘Gilded’ is not the same as ‘golden’. It implies a thin, shiny patina that covers something less attractive underneath.”

It took me a few chapters to 'get into this book' but about a third of the way in I did begin to enjoy it. There are so many twists and turns and Carole, the evil sister never ceased to amaze me about what she was capable of doing to her sister and even more so to her daughter,  Isadora. Carole and Emma, her younger sister, are like chalk and cheese. Emma hasn’t seen her sister in 20 years and she summons her to get her daughter ready for entry into society. The heights Carole goes to, just to be the best she can, to keep up with the elite group in New York  and prove she has the best house and the best of everything, is a stark contrast to poor Emma. We do not find out until near the end why this is the case between the two sisters!

If you enjoy reading historical fiction and the dramas of the 19th Century, you will enjoy this book, but it wasn’t one of my favourites from Belinda Alexandra.  

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.