HarperCollins Elegance Paperback – Big Book, 14 April 2011

Tutto bene

Elegance is quite an enjoyable read. An excellent first novel. Though the story is wrapped around Elegance, it's just as much about a womanfinding her own sense of style, both in terms of fashion and in terms of being true to herself. The characters are quirky at times, yet presented in an interesting and appealing way. I don't read lots of fiction and certainly not much of this genre, yet it read quickly. Though the 'heroine' is 30 something, it reads more like a later bloomer coming of age. She faces some difficulties, traced back to childhoodand is able to eventually face them squarely and get through lots of her own 'issues'. Her descriptions of this process were well done,clearly painting the scene with humor. As the author is from the East Coast, she carries with her the sharp, sometimes sarcastic wit with her,to the stiff upper lip of England. The book within the book,Elegance by Madame Dariaux, is quite old-fashioned and some of it's 'directions' are obviously outdated. Still it inspires and lends itself to encouraging one to pay attention to themselves and their surroundings. It's the quest to find and exude the beauty from within, rather than be subservient to the latest trendy fashion. The one woman I've known who is the essence of Elegance, followed the dictates of her inner self, rather than the rules or constraints of fashion.

Ein sehr interessantes Buch, das nicht wirklich so ist, wie man es erwartet. Die Hinweise von Madame Dariaux sind zeitlos, die Geschichten dazu sehr passend und witzig. Eine gewisse Melancholie ist spürbar. In vielen Szenen erkennt man sich wieder. Eine Entdeckung.

自分に自信がなく、おしゃれにも興味が無かったLouise。だがある日、「Elegance」という1冊の本を手にしたときから人生が変わっていく…。読前は何となく、ダサい主婦がだんだんおしゃれで魅力的な女性に変身する、単純なストーリーかと思っていました。最初のほうでの登場人物は、主人公を含めてみんな心のバランスを崩しているようで、コミュニケーションが取れない人ばかり。暗いストーリーが続きます。が、時間が経つにつれ、自分を受け入れ、周囲を受け入れ、自信を取り戻していくLouiseが見られるようになってからは読むのが楽しくなってきました。ラストの彼女の姿が「エレガント」かどうかは分かりませんが、魅力ある女性になったことは間違いありません。女性にとって（適度な）おしゃれというものは自分に興味を持ち、他人から見られる自分に興味を持つ１つの手段なのだと思いました。期待した「装いのルール」は、ベースとなったマダム・ダリオーの本で読むことにします♪

Thirty-two year old Yankee Louise is surrounded by chic London socialites, while she miserably stands vigil by her husband's side at a boring gallery opening where she is mistaken in her out-of-date and ill-fitting frock as pregnant. Such disgrace begins Louise's journey to fashion and confidence nirvana with a used book by a French fashion expert as her knowing guide. As Louise whips through the encyclopedic style manual,---we are treated to excerpts in all 26 chapter headings---she sheds not only her excess weight, but her scared-to-come-out-of-the-closet husband. The revelation that 'elegance' merely means looking appropriate for the occasion, for one's companion and for oneself, comes slowly---Louise actually arrives at date with a man at the Ritz in a tarty outfit and panicking must swap clothes with a more classically refined friend --- Tessaro has fun making the most of describing Louise's faux pas along the way to discovering a style of her own. The ending, of course, borders on the predictable---with the dawning of personal taste and an involvement in one's own life, comes the reward, in this case a rather dishy musician who is 8 years younger than Louise. Lucky Louise."Elegance" offers yet another glance at the Cinderella story that has been done over and over again, time out of mind. If you've just read Brigit Jones and are a bit tired of deciphering the British slang and celebrity references, I would pass on this one until at least it comes out in paperback or you are in the mood for more of the same. The novel is meant to be fun, there are no grand revelations or great secrets here, just common sense----although some readers are obviously taking it quite seriously as I have read that copies of the quoted Dariaux book are currently big business on E*bay. I will recommend it for those who, like myself, like a fun read about fashion and becomng a swan instead of an ugly duckling---what could be more appealing? I will also recommend it as a springboard to those who enjoy exploring a more classic quieter way of life even though this is just touched upon in the novel. You laughed a bit and found Louise's antics amusing, now, check out "Joie De Vivre" by restauranteur Arbor--a charming look at French life---and Will Clower's "The Fat Fallacy" which explains the French manner of eating to stay slim. "Elegance", the novel will intrigue you by Tessaro's modern interpretaion of Madame Dariaux's "Elegance" where dressing well and looking well are equally as important as eating and savoring your life and push you through to your own thresold to find such a life of your own.