The Princesses of New York

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The Princesses of New York is the first book in the The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen , which has been published by Ullstein Verlag since 2008 .

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New York around 1898: The young Elizabeth Holland comes from an old New York aristocratic family, she is also the pride of her mother and is cheered by hundreds of girls. But something terrible happens to her family, who have always been rich - the father dies and problems arise. Although the Hollands come from a Dutch noble house, the father has left debts and his widow has no way of removing them.

So it occurs to Elizabeth that she should marry the rich bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, who would bring enough money into the family. But Liz doesn't know anything about it yet, she has fun with her best friend Penelope and her masculine sister Diana and enjoys her youth with plenty of champagne. But Liz is nowhere near as superficial as she is said to be, she has been in love with the stable boy William for several years, with whom she wants to run away. Diana despises her big sister, who is admired by everyone for her beauty, she would like to be a man herself, or at least a woman who makes decisions about herself. But that is not so easy with an arch-conservative family that is interested in nothing but a good name, a good reputation and old money. Penelope Hayes is also not as nice and loyal as she is. The Hayes family is new rich, they have only recently made a name for themselves in New York high society, and they are jealous of Elizabeth, who everyone finds wonderful. She proposes a deal that neither of them can refuse: Penelope Hayes will marry Henry Schoonmaker, Elizabeth Holland must die.

Henry Schoonmaker doesn’t love Liz though, he thinks she is cold, dismissive and arrogant, but neither does he love Penelope. Although he's had a liaison with her, she's nothing more than a nice pastime for him. Henry Schoonmaker, arguably the greatest dandy of the time, fell in love with the boyish Diana Holland and Diana Holland, who swore to do what is best for her, also gave her heart to him. Penelope, the born intriguer, plans everything carefully. Elizabeth is supposed to go out in the carriage shortly before her wedding, the horses are supposed to slip on an icy bridge and poor Liz will fall into the Hudson. Unfortunately, the body of the beautiful woman will never be found.

Liz is not particularly enthusiastic about the plan. Although William is the love of her life, her family is sacred to her. Her mother is getting sicker and sicker, full of grief that she has so lied to and betrayed her beloved husband, is very troubling to her. The Holland girls are increasingly noticing the financial misery on their own bodies. In the cold New York winter, they can no longer afford firewood, and their valuable paintings must also be sold for a small price. But her love for Will is stronger, she makes the deal. She disappears with Will and is pronounced dead. For Mrs. Holland this is the worst news in her whole life - her little Lizzy is dead, her hope for a good life is also gone.

Elizabeth Holland is buried on the day of her planned wedding, the whole of New York is in mourning - they have lost their princess. Diana is devastated, although she considers her sister's character to be weak, it was her sister who died. The morning before the funeral, she receives a letter delivered by a delivery boy. This message was sent by Liz, in Chicago, in which she wrote that she had to go, she could not marry Henry, a man she does not love. Diana is carried away by these words, her sister is not a pushover, but the bravest being in the whole world! Diana decides that it is worth living on, fighting for her love and caring for her mother. With a smile on her face, she storms into the mourning room, her curls wild around her head. Diana Holland is not going to give up, she wants to become the new princess, to declare war on Penelope and she is not going to give up until she has regained her usual standard of living.

The book begins with Elizabeth Holland's funeral; the reader is told that she is really dead. Each chapter begins with a newspaper clipping from the gossip newspapers of the time. Only gradually does the reader recognize the connections, with Godbersen describing the characters excellently.

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