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THE BRIGHT, YOUNG, & LUXE BLOG
Monthly Archives: September 2011
Return to the 1920s in Beautiful Days
The anything-goes era of the 1920s is more alluring than ever–from HBO’s Boardwalk Empire to flashbacks on The Vampire Diaries. Fitzgerald’s twenties era novel, The Beautiful and the Damned, was even featured as Serena van der Woodsen’s first film project on Gossip Girl.
So what is it that makes the roaring twenties so alluring? Anna Godbersen’s novel Beautiful Days holds the key. Filled with danger, romance, and intrigue, Beautiful Days captures a time when the world belonged to flappers and socialites. They were bright young things seeking thrills and chasing dreams, and Cordelia Grey, Letty Larkspur, and Astrid Donal shone brighter than all the rest.
Beautiful Days will take you from the luxurious estates of Gatsby’s Long Island to Manhattan’s raucous speakeasies.
Ready for more? Sample the first six chapters of Beautiful Days.
Quiz: Which Bright Young Thing are you?
There’s a little Letty, Astrid, and Cordelia in all of us but which one is your 20s era soul sister? Take our quiz and find out! (Answers linked at the end — no peeking!)
1. When life gets you down you:
A. Throw a tantrum and run away in a stylish flounce
B. Get even with whoever wronged you
C. Find a shoulder to cry on.
2. People describe you as:
A. Sassy
B. Powerful
C. Sweet
3. Your ideal man:
A. Flatters you
B. Challenges you
C. Listens to you
4. At the year’s hottest party, you’re:
A. Dancing on the tables, swinging from the chandeliers
B. Surveying the room from the best table (and raking in the cash)
C. Up on stage, charming everyone with your talent
5. Your style can best be described as
A. Red hot — your wardrobe is fresh off the runway
B. Striking — your clothes make you the center of attention.
C. Cute — your frocks don’t need to be brand new or perfectly fitted because your charm makes quirks work.
Pencils down! Click here to find out which bright young thing you are! But before you peek, tell us which bright young thing you wish you were most like in the comments.
Celebrity Bright Young Things: Kate Bosworth
The Twenties were so stylish that we feel a little more fabulous just reading Bright Young Things and Beautiful Days. With our Celebrity Bright Young Things feature, we’re celebrating the stars who capture that glamor with gorgeous Twenties style.
Fashion world fav Kate Bosworth can’t get enough of flapper flair. From beaded headbands to T-strap shoes, she’s like a super fashionable time traveler.
What do you think of Kate’s look?
Learn the Lingo: A Dictionary of Twenties Slang
The parties, the clothes, the music — we are desperate to live in the world of Bright Young Things and Beautiful Days! But since we’re stuck here, we’re making the best of it and dropping the very finest of Twenties-era slang into our every day conversations. Give it a try — it makes the Millennium feel a little more Deco-esque.
All wet, adj; Full of it and not in a fun way.
Example: Cordelia liked Max, she really did, but sometimes he was just all wet.
Applesauce, slang phrase; an expletive used like “oh sh**!”
Example: “Oh applesauce!” Astrid yelled after she accidentally tipped the tea tray into the pool.
Bank’s closed, slang phrase; an expression meaning “no kissing or funny business.” Used like “I have a headache.”
Example: Charlie was in an amorous mood but Astrid just sighed, “Sorry Charlie — bank’s closed.”
Bee’s knees, slang phrase; an expression meaning “the very best.”
Example: Before Letty went out on the town, she dressed in a sweet black dress that was just the bee’s knees.
Clam, noun; a dollar
Example: Astrid realized she had left her pocketbook in the car. “Applesauce!” she yelled. “Cordelia, spot me a clam.”
Fly boy, noun; an aviator
Example: Let the other girls have their doctors and lawyers, Cordelia was happy with her fly boy.
Gin Mill, noun; a bar where hard liquor is sold.
Example: Cordelia wasn’t trying to ignore Letty and Astrid — she was just so busy preparing her gin mill.
Handcuff, noun; an engagement ring
Example: Astrid went home for Sunday supper to flash her shiny, new handcuff at her doubting mother.
Pill, noun; a difficult person
Example: Letty was ready to leave the club but she didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to be a pill.
Sinker, noun; a donut
Example: Cordelia knew that her enviable figure wouldn’t last forever but until then, she was enjoying her share of sinkers.
Now it’s your turn. Steal your favorite twenties phrases from our list and try your hand at talking like a flapper in the comments.
BYT 2: Beautiful Days is Now Available
The wait is finally over. Bestselling author Anna Godbersen’s second Bright Young Things novel, Beautiful Days, is now available.
Order it online here.
Download the ebook edition here.
Get a sneak peek here.
Or ask for a copy at your favorite book store.
With her Bright Young Things series, Godbersen captures the last few romantic, exhilarating days of the roaring twenties–when flappers and socialites sauntered along the streets of Manhattan and danced all night in the city’s bustling speakeasies.
The adventure began when Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur arrived in Manhattan in Bright Young Things. Now the small town girls reside with socialite Astrid Donal at the waterfront mansion bequeathed to Cordelia by her bootlegger father. Filled with romance, adventure, and intrigue, their life together is a series of beautiful days that end in dangerous nights. Find out what happens next in Beautiful Days.
Are you a fan of Anna Godbersen’s bestselling Luxe and Bright Young Things novels? Tell us in the comments.
Dreamy, Sexy, Dangerous: A BYT-inspired Playlist
Some people can listen to music and read at the same time. We can’t. But we can’t walk and chew gum either. Depending on your skill-set, you can listen to the following Bright Young Things-inspired playlist while you read Anna Godbersen‘s books or after you’re done turning pages.
“Kinda Outta Luck” by Lana Del Rey
This kicky little number by cool kid Indie songstress Lizzy Grant celebrates femme fatales and dangerous nights. This is an Astrid track if we ever heard one.
Photo courtesy of Stranger Records.
“Mushrooms & Roses” by Janelle Monáe
The Twenties were an age of technical miracles — fast cars, fancy planes and skyscrapers growing like weeds. Janelle Monáe’s 2009 record The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III) is an ode to finding love in an age of technology, à la Cordelia and Max.
Photo courtesy of Purple Ribbon Records.
“Never Fade Away” by Spector
Look at these dandies — they look like they could be the house band at one of Astrid’s parties. Plus, Never Fade Away is an ode to being young, alive and in love, just like a bright young thing.
Photo courtesy of Luv Luv Luv Records.
“Poses” by Rufus Wainwright
The entire Poses record sounds like a garden party that ends up going all night. It’s elegant, slightly tipsy, and we’re pretty sure Letty would be singing along to the title track on her iPod–if, you know, she had an iPod.
Photo courtesy of Dreamworks Records.
“Cruel” by St. Vincent
St. Vincent’s gorgeous, lush melodies remind us of dreamy days at Dogwood. And “St. Vincent” reminds us of Edna St. Vincent Millay, one of our favorite poets of the Twenties.
Photo courtesy of 4AD Records.
Have you come across any songs that remind you of Anna Godbersen’s Bright Young Things and Beautiful Days? Share your playlist picks in the comments.
