Decorum by Kaaren Christopherson

Final Rating: 3.8/5

A debut of matters for better or for worse in 19th-century New York society

  Decorum is an evocative portrait of late 19th-century New York City society, complete with all the glitz, privilege and of course the delicate balance of etiquette that one would expect of a novel set in this marvelous setting. With only a few pages this novel sweeps the reader into the alluring world of golden society circles of Old New York in the 1890's and introduces us to a set of characters that range from those born with silver spoons in their mouths to those on the outside looking in and finally the classic keyhole views of service. As a few more chapters pass by, the reader may soon realize that Decorum is more than a story of ornamented existences and social masks; this is a story of matters for better or for worse with a crumbling era serving only a pretty backdrop. This was probably not what the reader was expecting to hear and in Ms. Christopherson's debut, she further draws this lace curtain of comfort back and adds more events that take her multifaceted company and her readers on an unexpected journey of twisted avenues of "unpleasantness" and a possible search for something that matters and is worth more than gold.

  In the end, this was an impressive read that transported this reader back to an era that I absolutely adore and can’t stop reading about. The 1881 edition of Decorum: A practical Treatise of the Etiquette and Dress of the Best American Society was a brilliant organized theme to follow and reined in everything so nicely within this story. I would have to say the beginning was my favorite and I couldn’t put it down especially when the first twists and surprises made an appearance and a veil of mystery fell over the story. If the potential reader loves a mystery, scandals and portents of misfortune; you will love the first half of Decorum. Perhaps the rest of the story the reader may not enjoy as much; I unfortunately did not.

  Up until the last half I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next but by then I finally admitted to myself that I didn’t care for the central character and wanted to read more about other company. Throughout there were also odd abrupt changes within the chapters switching of point of views with no warning or lead up and it caused confusion many times to stop and reread to grasp who I was currently following. Certain exciting events were curiously brushed over and ultimately missed opportunities with this reader. There was a slight abundance of overtones that although very lovely just didn’t quite fit securely into this story and at times seemed to be competing with scenes. Finally the ending just shifted from everything I adored about the beginning, to disappointment of dropped beads of amusement; I hate to sound harsh but it just wasn’t my cup of tea and didn’t seem as polished as the beginning. Still I would happily recommend Decorum to others and eagerly look forward to Ms. Christopherson's next novel. There is a brilliant gem of talent here that would make Mrs. Edith Wharton and Mr. John Galsworthy proud with the attention to setting details, tone of dialogue and charismatic array of personalities that rounds out this lovely debut.

*I would like to thank Kensington and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy Decorum