Elegance

I had read about 10 years ago and really enjoyed My copy was lost in a series of moves and the book was relegated into the recesses of my mind I found a lovely used copy and did a reread I found this older version of me didn t enjoy it as much as the younger version did It was still a pleasant read but it didn t give me the same feels I got as a young twenty something Perhaps with age, we discover a different set of priorities

Kathleen Tessaro, Elegance Morrow, 2003 There is a particular passage in the book within a book Elegance that defines, in a far eloquent way, something I ve been trying to pinpoint about the major problem with the fashion industry, and a major problem with western culture in general However, if women continue to seek comfort above all twenty four hours a day, twelve months a year, they may eventually find that they have allowed themselves to become slaves to the crepe rubber sole, nylon from he [...]

I have a confession to make I have always wanted to be elegant, like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly I know you ll find this hard to believe because I shlep around in jeans, baggy tees, and Dansko clogs Not really the look of someone aspiring to elegance This book runs through 26 tips on acquiring an elegant look, none are new or surprising I guess the bottom line for me is my need for comfort outweighs my secret desire.The premise for the book is an interesting one The author, Kathleen Tassaro, a [...]

Love the cover didn t like the book When I got to the alphabetised F chapter which concerned the elegance of wearing fur , I chucked the book down and said an expression that also started with the letter F

My review from BookCrossing Read it on the plane on the way to Seattle for a work trip If it is chick lit, it s some of the cleanest I ve ever read.A moderately interesting book, we walk through a self made makeover as the main character I ve forgotten her name and the book is at the hotel goes through a transformation after finding an old copy of a book on elegance from the 40s It s actually very interesting, describing buying classic pieces for your wardrobe, etc and I learned a little bit too [...]

How do I hate this book Let me count the ways Whiny, self absorbed, infuriatingly stupid main character, Louise, who confuses sex with elegance and can t help herself out of any bad situation she has to get other people to do it Couldn t sympathize Plus she made her therapist feel really bad for no reason except that she Louise is screwed up and integrally mean Humor that didn t make me laugh Ever The excerpts from Madame Dariaux s book, Elegance, were the best parts of the novel What am I sayin [...]

I thought this book would be just another Bridget Jones knock off And in many ways it was I swear some of the scenes were practically lifted from that book But at times there was surprising depth to Elegance Let s start with the irritations How many American girls living in London books are going to be published They are always living in flats they can t possibly afford They always have gay friends They are always buying clothes they can t possibly afford They always drink too much They have cus [...]

I read the abridged audio version of this book This story is about a thirty ish woman stuck in a dead end job who is married to a man who has no sex drive and is interested in decorating their living room and if you can t see the reason coming a mile away well then you simply haven t read enough Chick Lit books yet When she finds an ancient tome entitled Elegance in an old book store it gives her the incentive to dress better and is the beginning of some major changes in her current stale situa [...]

I picked up Elegance by Kathleen Tessaro from the library primarily to help me fulfill one of the Take a Chance 3 Challenge requirements This is a book about Louise Canova thirty something, unhappy with her looks, her life and her marriage She comes across a book called Elegance in a secondhand bookshop that she thinks will be the answer to her prayers This slim volume was written by the French fashion expert Madame Dariaux in the 1960s and Louise starts taking the A Z guide to heart changing fi [...]

I m not a fan of chick lit This book was a classic case of judging the book by its cover I have the hardback version with beautiful black pages and to start with, I was convinced I d picked a winner In fact, for the first two thirds I was hooked I liked Louise, I liked the fact she wasn t perfect Then it all went downhill Louise became annoying, self absorbed and the story seemed padded She had a sudden problem with food which was blamed on a bulimic back story to fill out a few pages Her flatma [...]

This is part novel, part savoir vivre manual, and to my mind, it s better than any of the popular Madame Chic books This book held my attention It won t explain table manners to you, but will help with wardrobe overhaul, dressing properly for the occasion, and a crucial thing developing a new mindset.Edit I ve just realized it s based on a real book, A Guide to Elegance For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions I ve been looking for a woman s version of ABC of Me [...]

Louise is an American living in England, married to a British man He spends his time working on their perfect house and she spends her time sleeping She needs a life She does like second hand bookstores and one day she finds a book called Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux Having just been through a humiliating party in which she looked terrible, Louise pulls this book out and starts to read Next thing you know she is throwing away ugly clothes and going to the gym She dumps her therapist and [...]

Read for a book club Probably wouldn t have picked it up or finished it otherwise.

Romanul Elegan a al scriitoarei Kathleen Tessaro a ap rut la editura Nemira n colec ia Damen Tango n anul 2016 Traducerea a fost f cut de Andreea Florescu dup romanul ap rut n 2003 Este cel de al doilea roman al acestei autoare pe care l citesc n decurs de un an Primul a fost Colec ionara de parfumuri pe care l am considerat o lectur deosebit , plin de sensibilitate i o bun cunoa tere a eternului feminin Acest de al doilea roman este la fel de bun i demonstreaz aceea i profund cunoa tere a sufle [...]

I should start off by saying that this isn t the type of book that I would normally pick up, and perhaps that makes this rating a little unfair I m not one for fluffy romance novels but I craved a light read, and I m rather fascinated by the concept of beauty and elegance There were a few things that just never sat well with me in terms of this novel I liked the concept of it, but I felt that at times the author s attempts to bend the narrative to the alphabetical structure of Madame Dariaux s b [...]

Unhappy with herself, Louise Canova is inspired to reinvent her life under the careful tutelage of Madame Dariaux s forty year old guide to quality and taste Convinced she will emerge the very image of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, Louise throws herself wholeheartedly into the endeavor, hanging on every word of the slim grey tome.Initially, I was worried this was yet another attempt at recreating Bridget Jones and was ultimately surprised to find that this was not the case Tessaro s story is v [...]

I found this book at the library, but all the pages were black and dirty looking and I didn t want something that icky in my house, so I went and bought a copy because I thought that I would really like it I did and I didn t.Apparently there s really a book out there called Elegance that the author found and apparently loved because she wrote a novel about a plain boring woman who finds the book and lets it change her life It s like a beauty dictionary where each chapter is a letter from A to Z [...]

This book was rather good The main character, Louise, was believable and garners empathy from her audience, in that she had a dramatic past filled with eating disorders, troubled parents, unsuccessful romantic relationships, and career that never took off She s very real Her marriage is boring and passionless, she doesn t really have any nice girlfriends, and she s lost sight of who she really is and what she wants out of life In short, her life hasn t turned out the way she thought it would But [...]

Louise Canova, the American protagonist of Kathleen Tessaro s novel, Elegance, is unhappy Everything in her life seems to be off kilter, including her deeply dissatisfying marriage When she and her English husband split up she decides to strive for elegance, using a book she found in a second hand bookstore.Most chapters are headed with a quote from the book, which is real, by the way, and was written by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux in the 1960s As Louise follows the advice in the book she finds he [...]

Short and sweet, 2006 bookcrossing journal Light reading for the summer For that genre it is pretty good, although it is definately a city girl s story There was one section where our heroine goes away with friends to the country one weekend And some of the things she writes about the English countryside just made me think, dear, god, woman Pathetic wasn t in it But that s just me and my hang ups Otherwise light reading about finding yourself and getting a nice warddrobe Very cunning to have an [...]

I wanted to like this book than I did It was interesting, and I finished it, but I found the main character strange and unlikeable The book felt disjointed she was meant to develop and change through the reading of the book of the title, a 1950s handbook on how to be elegant, but instead her transformation seemed to happen off the page all of a sudden she s thin I wish that could happen to me She wears a dress from her closet that she s never worn and suddenly she s beautiful and men are lookin [...]

This is another book in which I liked the premise a little bit than the actual story A woman discovers a 60s book teaching the importance of elegance ala Audrey Hepburn in a used book store and makes it her bible Her life changes as her self image changes Except for the fact that the elegance book is real and I really want a copy , it s a pretty standard chick lit book Too many resolutions and life changes were reached after a few page of set up, but it was otherwise light, fun, and very much r [...]

although the heroine is a total mess but the overall book was kinda fun, real and a bit inspiring i read it a long time before and didn t like it i expected a different kinda book and was disappointed but now as i read it again when i m a bit older and could relate to some parts of the plot i find it interesting and i like it betternote 1st read May 20112nd read December 20133rd read October 2015

Rarely do I dislike a book enough to chuck it before it is done, but this one may hold a record for how quickly I grew bored with it I had such high hopes, as I thought the the author s The Perfume Collector was excellent I cannot believe they were written by the same person Sadly, I bought up nearly all of her titles, and if Elegance is giving to be any indicator, it was a waste of money.

My favorite make over book The story is built around Elegance, the non fiction book by Dariaux The main character in the book stumbles on a dusty copy of Elegance in a book store Using the books advice she slowly transforms herself from a woman with an unhhappy marriage, trapped in a dull job with nothing to wear into a woman of style and substance.

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I devoured this classy romance in one sitting A thoroughly enjoyable, delightful read I enjoyed the tips for elegance peppered throughout this feel good story.

Bleah I never could get to like Louise, the main character In fact, I never could get past disliking her intensely.

It s like a guide book and a story at the same time It shows that guides are there not to follow strictly, but just as what they are, a guide.

Just never connected to Louise so I didn t really care what much happened to her.