Snobs: A Novel

Julian Fellowes descriptions of the English elite are wonderful. His insights into their attitudes and motives is both impressive and immensely entertaining. These 'snobs' live in a world or their own, but - as Mr. Fellowes show us - their world is as complex and contradictory as our own. Particularly enjoyable to read is the 'have nots' in the book who will do virtually anything to pull themselves up to the next rung on the social ladder while having no idea of what they will find if they actually get there. A very enjoyable read if you enjoy character studies and excellent writing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. (Incidentally, Julian Fellowes is the driving force behind the wonderful television series "Downton Abbey." If you are a "Dowton" fan you will love this book as well.)

Having spent 5 years in an English boarding school in the mid 60's, and been invited to many a country home for an exeat weekend, I could relate to a lot in the book. He's a good writer and an excellent story teller.

I first discovered Julian Fellowes as an actor on Monarch of the Glen. Then I applauded him as the brilliant writer of Downton Abbey. And during the "down time" for Downton Abbey, I have been enjoying his novels. Snobs is a thoroughly engaging tale of marriage--for status,for love, for ever. The complications for marriage within and without the British class system weave their tentacles around what initially seems to be a simple story of "marrying up." Read it for entertainment or as an introduction to how the contemporary aristocracy (an oxymoron, if there ever was one) view marriage and wedded life--either way, you will have a very good time.

Author Julian Fellowes is a man of many talents, including a sharp eye and a well-developed ear.

In SNOBS, he has written a novel that is entertaining and even thought-provoking. It is light as air, however and, ultimately, it leaves one flat.

The book is peculiarly edited, perhaps a deliberate choice as a matter of style. There's a lack of commas that can be offputting, a narrative that changes from first-person to third-person, and fragments masquerading as sentences.

This is not to say that the book is without merit. The acute eyes and ears of the author allow him to transmit a sense of what it means to be a member of the British aristocracy, as he appears to know their rhythms inside-out.

Similarly, he is blessed with insights into human nature that are piercing and clear.

All of this combines to create an interesting background to his story. It is the plot itself, though, that is too simplistic, too uncomplicated and too predictable. This dooms the novel to falling flat as a worthwhile read.

Many, many books using the device of a narrator succeed better than Fellowes does here, from THE GREAT GATSBY to the Archy McNally series of mysteries set in Palm Beach.

Still, at it's best, SNOBS is informative as well as fun--and there's never anything wrong with having fun.

I love Downton Abby and that is what attracted me to this book initially. Snobs is so entertaining and fun to read. It gives you an insiders look into the lives of the upper crust of English society. Great beach book too.

Being a "nutter" about all things British, I thought this was an absolutely delightful book, and look forward to seeing more by this author. But, after all these years still sometimes stumble on the Brits' spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. I found the characters to be well developed; some easily despised, others being equally lovable, while not at all cuddly. (As an aside, Mr. Fellowes is excellent in his role as Lord Killwilley (sp?) in the Brit series "Monarch of the Glen.")

From the author/creator of Downtown Abbey, the non-toffs get a peek at what high society in England was really like in the 1990's. I assume it's still pretty much the same today. Fellows uses a story arc that exposes that society in an involving way. I really liked the speaker's voice and the main character. I marked "some sexual content," but it's not too explicit. One guy's lack of ability. Another's, wrap your legs around, ability. Anyone could read this from junior high on up. They're not going to see anything they can't get on TV or movies.

Mr Fellowes' writing is good'. I think I was disappointed that he was writing about the English, but about a certain type of Englanders that he emphasized were his type or "class" and were, as he categorized them, superficial,bigotted and rather unpleasant as a group. In a humorous way he was the "snob"
I bought the book because "Downton Abbey" is one of the most entertaining programs on the television and so I thought I would enjoy reading anything he wrote.

Julian Fellowes educates the reader on the social caste system of 1990's England. And as much as things change, ultimately they stay the same. The landed gentry want to be treated like everyone else, unless of course you actually forget that they matter. The social circles widen only by birth and marriage (preferably within the circle, but alas, not always) and the shared experiences of childhood are the glue that bind these people. Didn't attend Eton? Don't have a house in Sussex? You can never really belong.

The characters are unsympathetic and totally unlikable. The writer does nothing to make you care about them or what happens to them. The writing is tedious.

The self-absorbed arrogance quickly gets old. Skip it.

Fellowes demonstrates his incites into the way the upper crust of British society thinks and acts in this novel about life as it used to be. Hardly a "riveting" story, but one that I, at least, being an Anglophile at heart, found both interesting and instructional about how things were (and to at least some extent, probably still are).

(I confess to being a devout follower of Fellowes outstanding PBS TV series, Downton Abbey)

Fellowes has perfect, perfect pitch for the speech and conduct of the top layers of the English class system. Well-plotted, good pace, interesting characters, and the dialogue is as accurate as John O'Hara's was for Americans. All in all, a delightful book.

Scathing view of the aristocracy and other levels of society, but with humor and even a kind of affection. This is achieved through the eyes of a very smart and quite charming and admirable protagonist, similar to a Scott Fitzgerald narrator, and rather kinder than Edith Wharton. I enjoyed this immensely.

Fellowes has perfect, perfect pitch for the speech and conduct of the top layers of the English class system. Well-plotted, good pace, interesting characters, and the dialogue is as accurate as John O'Hara's was for Americans. All in all, a delightful book.

Scathing view of the aristocracy and other levels of society, but with humor and even a kind of affection. This is achieved through the eyes of a very smart and quite charming and admirable protagonist, similar to a Scott Fitzgerald narrator, and rather kinder than Edith Wharton. I enjoyed this immensely.

A true waspish tale of classes, money, status, and fame.

Fellowes knows how to pay attention to every detail and to every thought from his characters; this is a hilariously sad tale of the truth behind the deep desire to be rich and powerful and to aspire to have it all.

Compelling, seductive, extraordinary.

The crisp descriptions of interactions between the rich and titled and the wanna-be classes were great fun. The storyteller, friend of Edith who marries up, is part of the story and yet outside it, looking in. Fellowes is a master at satirizing things most of us believe in such as being in love. He says, "Lust, that state commonly known as 'being in love' is a kind of madness."

Julian Fellowes writes this story from a first person viewpoint. Although he is an insider, he is also an outsider making it possible to make objective observations about society on several levels. This makes it possible for the reader to get an insight into the individual characters while enjoying the complexity of their relationships. their motivation and their conflicts. The author compares the differences of motivation and expected results in the U.S. and England. It is a thought provoking as well as entertaining book.

This book is so sly and deft in its storytelling that it belies the seriousness of its social commentary.
The writing is skilled, effortless and full of acute observations about men, women, and marriage. Although social class is the MacGuffin in this narrative the beautiful and sophisticated words really wear the tiara. Don't miss this brilliant entertainment.

Fantastic read. The book is about a spoiled, selfish middle class girl who marries very well, then gets very bored with her new life. The choices she makes throughout the book make for a great read, as do the supporting characters, her new mother-in-law in particular. Highly recommended.

Julian Fellowes is a very readable author, creating believable characters whom feel like acquaintances by the end of his stories. Their problems are not significant to the world at large and generally they inhabit the upper strata of English society, although for most wealth is a family memory rather than a reality. Those people who are prepared to devote their lives to climbing the ladder into the society of the honoured might think better of it after reading "Snobs".

I purchased this novel simply to read something by Julian Fellowes. I was not disappointed. He takes the reader on a jaundiced, tongue-in-cheek tour of modern day upper crust English society, complete with all its foibles and follies. Very well written and a most enjoyable, "light" read. Jolly good, in fact!