''Snobs'' is

Julian Fellowes Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford (born 17 August 1949), known professionally as Julian Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, writer, producer, film director, and Conservative peer. He has received nume ...

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

first published in the UK in 2004. It centres on modern

British aristocracy The British nobility is made up of the peerage and the gentry of the British Isles. Though the UK is today a constitutional monarchy with strong democratic elements, historically the British Isles were more predisposed towards aristocratic gove ...

and the courtship and marriage of Charles, Earl Broughton, and Miss Edith Lavery. It is written from the perspective of an unnamed male character who bears more than a passing resemblance to Fellowes himself.

Plot summary

Edith Lavery is a middleclass single woman who feels she has reached a time in her life when the only chance of riches, fame and success is to marry a rich man. Her parents, especially her mother, have spent most of Edith's life trying to make her respectable to the upper classes and are both extremely glad when she announces her courtship and engagement to the bumbling and kind-hearted Charles Broughton, only son and heir of the Marquess of

Uckfield Uckfield () is a town in the Wealden District, Wealden District of East Sussex in South East England. The town is on the River Uck, one of the tributaries of the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse, on the southern edge of the Weald. Etymology "Uck ...

. The engagement is not looked upon favourably by Charles's mother, the Marchioness of Uckfield ("Googie" to her friends), or by many in Charles's "set". His friends and relatives frequently mock Edith and attempt to "catch her out" as an alien to the aristocracy. Her greatest enemy of all is Eric Chase, husband of Charles's sister Lady Caroline Chase, who comes from a similar background to Edith herself. After the couple marry, they

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, but cracks have already begun to form in the marriage. Charles bores Edith while Edith puzzles Charles. Back at the family seat of Broughton Hall, Edith is tempted by Simon Russell, an actor who is filming scenes for a period drama at Broughton with the story's narrator. She embarks on an affair with Russell which leads her to eventually divorce Charles. She returns to the Broughton fold upon news of her being pregnant. She accepts Charles for who he is and they live "happily enough".

Characters

*The Narrator, Edith Lavery's friend *Edith Lavery *Charles, Earl Broughton *Simon Russel, an actor *The Marquess of Uckfield ('Tigger'), Charles Broughton's father *The Marchioness of Uckfield ('Googie') (born Lady Harriet Trevane), Charles Broughton's mother *Lady Caroline Chase, Charles Broughton's sister *Eric Chase, Caroline Chase's husband *Adela FitzGerald, the narrator's eventual wife *Lord Cumnor *Lady Cumnor *The Honourable Tommy Wainright *Lord Peter Broughton, the Marquess of Uckfield's younger half-brother *Viscount Bohun *Viscountess Bohun *Bob Watson *Annette Watson *Isabel Easton, Edith Lavery's friend *David Easton, Edith Lavery's friend *Stella Lavery, Edith Lavery's mother *Kenneth Lavery, Edith Lavery's father

Reception

The novel received mixed reviews. In

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

, Rachel Cooke proclaimed that "Fellowes can certainly write a decent sentence; his prose is as refined as his vowels. But what is the point of his book?"

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

called it "a good book but not a great one, though it has many great passages."

References

{{reflist 2004 British novels English novels 2004 debut novels Works by Julian Fellowes Weidenfeld & Nicolson books