A story about class and the upperclass

Edith Lavery is sweet, astoundingly pretty, smart, and very middle class. When she meets Charles, a young aristocrat with good manners and a good heart, it's not exactly a perfect match - according to his mother, the Marquess of Uckfield. But Charles is smitten and Edith is determined, and what follows is a grand and elegant wedding - and, unfortunately, a boring by-the-numbers marriage. The question is not whether Edith married Charles solely because of his position, but whether she considers the trade-off (her happiness for a rich title) worthwhile. Sure, they hobnob with the "right" people and go on vacation and live a slim life of leisure, which is what she always wanted. But then a dashing actor named Simon makes Edith reconsider her lot in life. Told mainly through the eyes of a mostly neutral, mostly helpful narrator, Snobs is full of insight into the life of the uppercrust and the specific burdens that only the very privileged can experience.

Slight novels can be very enjoyable if all the elements are present. Here, story, character, and tone - especially the latter - are firing on all cylinders. Its most novel appeal in terms of technique is its point of view, which switches from first person to third at appropriate times throughout the story. This allows for a kind of three-dimensional storytelling, a way of getting into characters' heads and hearts and building suspense. Sometimes the plot holds more interest than the characters themselves (not always). There's this feeling that many of the characters, chiefly Edith, don't have a lot of depth to them. This is through no fault of the writing - if anything, Fellowes's style superbly illustrates the limits of their thoughts and growth. A few, such as Lady Uckfield, transcend their initial limitations. But the end result is somewhat alienating. This seems to be intentional - the book is far too clever and funny for it to be otherwise. But cleverness is not always a great comfort.

Even so, it's a grand guilty pleasure of sorts, and will satisfy readers on that score. And with many observations on the tedious, obligated life of English aristocrats and those who wish to be them, it's hard to suppress a little glee now and then. A neat pick-me-up of a book. Rating: 4 difficult mothers-in-law out of 5.