Snobs A Novel
Snobs A Novel by Julian Fellowes, published by St. Martin’s Publishing Group on May 8, 2012, presents a sharp and humorous exploration of the social dynamics between aristocrats and actors in contemporary England. This 288-page novel offers a keenly observed narrative centered around Edith Lavery, a young woman from a modest background who becomes entangled in the world of the British elite after meeting Charles, Earl of Broughton. As Edith navigates her new life, the story delves into themes of class, ambition, and the complexities of love.
Readers will find a richly detailed portrayal of family life and societal expectations, as well as a satirical examination of exclusivity and social climbing. The narrative is framed by the perspective of an actor who provides insights into the upper classes, particularly through the character of Lady Uckfield, Charles’s mother, who is wary of Edith’s intentions. Snobs combines elements of black humor and literary satire, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in the intricacies of marriage, divorce, and the nuances of modern manners.
Official synopsis Publisher
Julian Fellowes, creator of the Emmy-Award winning TV series Downton Abbey, established himself as an irresistible storyteller and a deliciously witty chronicler of modern manners in his first novel, Snobs, a wickedly astute portrait of the intersecting worlds of aristocrats and actors.
“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, 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, Earl of 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.
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