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A Vision of Loveliness
Book by Louise Levene
270 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
4 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Louise Levene
9 books4 followersLouise Levene is the author of A Vision of Loveliness, a BBC Book at Bedtime, published in May 2010, and in paperback in May 2011. She has been the dance critic of The Sunday Telegraph since 1998 but has also been an advertising copywriter, a window dresser, a radio presenter, an office cleaner, a crossword editor, a college professor and a saleslady. She lives in London with her husband and two children.
Ghastly Business, published by Bloomsbury in July 2011, is a deliciously wicked, witty tale of villainy, scandal, sex and science.
Watch the book trailer for Ghastly Business
Ghastly Business, published by Bloomsbury in July 2011, is a deliciously wicked, witty tale of villainy, scandal, sex and science.
Watch the book trailer for Ghastly Business
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 18, 2021
Set in the 1960s, this novel follows Jane who is forced to live with her horrible aunt, and who wants to live a glamorous life. She has read all of the etiquette books of how to be poised and is keen to put them into practice.
One day she finds an expensive handbag, and when she returns it to the owner she meets Suzy, a glamour model and girl about town. Suzy takes Jane under her wing and together they go out on the party scene. Everything is a bit more sordid than Jane would have expected, but she loves living with Suzy and being wined and dined by rich men.
This was a very interesting little novel, I enjoyed the look into the fashion and party scene of the 1960s. Jane and Suzy are characters with no real morals, which seemed to bother a few other reviewers. For me, I like it when characters are different and interesting. There doesn't have to be a good moral outcome every time, and it's fine to go along with the story and have fun with what it is.
One day she finds an expensive handbag, and when she returns it to the owner she meets Suzy, a glamour model and girl about town. Suzy takes Jane under her wing and together they go out on the party scene. Everything is a bit more sordid than Jane would have expected, but she loves living with Suzy and being wined and dined by rich men.
This was a very interesting little novel, I enjoyed the look into the fashion and party scene of the 1960s. Jane and Suzy are characters with no real morals, which seemed to bother a few other reviewers. For me, I like it when characters are different and interesting. There doesn't have to be a good moral outcome every time, and it's fine to go along with the story and have fun with what it is.
April 14, 2022
hard to rate a book which uses the n-word to describe a fabric shade, unqualified.
i understand the author was trying to represent white working class attitudes of the time, but there exists a certain human responsibility which goes beyond providing authenticity in a work of fiction.
the dredging up and reinforcement through repetition of this kind of slur – an action which serves to reestablish its weight – just to add 'flavour' to a historical fiction novel, is a choice which seems pretty irresponsible to me.
i understand the author was trying to represent white working class attitudes of the time, but there exists a certain human responsibility which goes beyond providing authenticity in a work of fiction.
the dredging up and reinforcement through repetition of this kind of slur – an action which serves to reestablish its weight – just to add 'flavour' to a historical fiction novel, is a choice which seems pretty irresponsible to me.
February 6, 2017
A bit random and nothings really! But I enjoyed the insight into 1960s life
March 6, 2023
A bit of a strange book… no real story line, and the characters lacked depth. However the descriptions were really well written and they kept me going to finish the book.
April 11, 2013
Having very much enjoyed this author’s book ‘Ghastly Business’ I decided to try ‘A Vision of Loveliness’. It is a completely different novel set in a different era but just as enjoyable. Jane James and her sister were taken in by their aunt Doreen when they were orphaned during World War II.
Jane starts work when she leaves school in what would now be called a boutique and endeavours to make the most of her appearance on limited resources. One day she finds a crocodile handbag under a seat in a pub and is encouraged to take it away with her. She resolves to track down the owner by means of the contents of the bag. This she does and strikes up a friendship with the bag’s owner, Suzy, who is a part time model and who looks remarkably like Jane herself.
The text is interspersed with snippets of advice about the way a girl should behave and dress from a book called ‘Lady be Good’. Suzy seems like the embodiment of all the book’s advice and Jane is more than happy when she takes her under her wing. What follows is an entertaining and dark story of girls about town living on next to nothing in borrowed flats and trying to get as many meals paid for by other people as possible – bearing in mind that they have to eat very little to maintain their svelte figures.
I loved the writing style in this book. There is a dry wit with some fantastic descriptions and one-liners of people and situations. A walk-on character is described as ‘some old trout called Felicity in what looked like a short-sleeved stair carpet . . .’; Jane is described when talking to Henry, Suzy’s lover, as ‘[making] no effort at all at normal conversation- as if she’d taken her batteries out to save power. . .’ Jane is not always a terribly likeable character but she does have many good points and I found myself sympathising with her because she wanted to make more of her life in an era when it was very difficult for a young woman to get anything like a well-paid job.
The ending of the book was not at all what I was expecting but it fitted the story perfectly. I was sorry when I read the final page and I will be looking out for future books by this author.
Jane starts work when she leaves school in what would now be called a boutique and endeavours to make the most of her appearance on limited resources. One day she finds a crocodile handbag under a seat in a pub and is encouraged to take it away with her. She resolves to track down the owner by means of the contents of the bag. This she does and strikes up a friendship with the bag’s owner, Suzy, who is a part time model and who looks remarkably like Jane herself.
The text is interspersed with snippets of advice about the way a girl should behave and dress from a book called ‘Lady be Good’. Suzy seems like the embodiment of all the book’s advice and Jane is more than happy when she takes her under her wing. What follows is an entertaining and dark story of girls about town living on next to nothing in borrowed flats and trying to get as many meals paid for by other people as possible – bearing in mind that they have to eat very little to maintain their svelte figures.
I loved the writing style in this book. There is a dry wit with some fantastic descriptions and one-liners of people and situations. A walk-on character is described as ‘some old trout called Felicity in what looked like a short-sleeved stair carpet . . .’; Jane is described when talking to Henry, Suzy’s lover, as ‘[making] no effort at all at normal conversation- as if she’d taken her batteries out to save power. . .’ Jane is not always a terribly likeable character but she does have many good points and I found myself sympathising with her because she wanted to make more of her life in an era when it was very difficult for a young woman to get anything like a well-paid job.
The ending of the book was not at all what I was expecting but it fitted the story perfectly. I was sorry when I read the final page and I will be looking out for future books by this author.
January 14, 2011
This is a chocolaty confection with sprinkles on top and a center of cyanide. The period detail is enthralling and it makes for compelling reading, but in the end I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. It aims for satire, but with no sympathetic characters and an almost completely underdeveloped protagonist, it comes across as a nasty, bitter and cynical book with little morality and no moral to the story.
December 29, 2013
I am not quite sure what this novel was meant to be: a light comedy, drama or commentary on some pretty unpleasant characters. Interesting story but the narrator perspective changed randomly in places which was somewhat unsettling. The ending, I agree with other reviewers, was unsatisfying. The main character, if that was who I think it was, was unpleasant, constantly critical of others and unredeemable. Had potential but not quite there for me.
June 5, 2014
Rather depressing and sordid, but very well written - very evocative.
April 30, 2013
Hated the fact that I did not care about the characters. Left it after 100 pages !
November 24, 2022
Below review is from February 2018
A Vision of Loveliness takes place in 1960’s London and follows a social climbing Jane James as she gets her first foot hole into the life she so desperately wants through Suzie, a young girl about time whom she looks strikingly similar to. Jane, now Janey, has been practicing for this life, knows what she wants and is unapologetic in getting it.
It was only after the first few chapters I remembered I had already read this book, but I recalled liking it the first time so I carried on. This book highlights very different situations for Jane; her life in Norbury with her narrow-minded, judgemental Aunt, a grimey, freezing flat in London filled with beautiful gowns and jewels to a short lived beautiful flat in Mayfair full of forgotten property of past mistresses. While glamour is prevalent to the story, none of the situations in the story are very appealing by the realistic descriptions Levene gives of the underbelly of 60’s London.
Jane is not a your typically likable character but her sharp inner monologue is hilarious and her determination to make something out of herself is commendable, especially considering the era when it was hard for women to get a foothold. Jane takes every chance she can get.
As much as I enjoyed this book I felt that it ended very abruptly, you are sitting there with only a handful of pages left knowing that something bad has to happen – something bad ALWAYS happens – then in the last thirty or so pages it does. But I guess the story isn’t really about that, it’s about Jane and how she got to that point, how she “climbed” that social ladder and used the people around her to get exactly what she wants.
One of the things I really love about this book is that each chapter has a little “helpful tip” that seems to have been lifted from one of Jane’s etiquette books, things like:
Wear gloves whenever you can bear to; go without a handbag as often as possible.
These tiny details of personal grooming might appear mere trifles when taken one by one. But add them together and they can make the difference between rich and poor, married of single, happy ever after and a miserable broken home.
Anger, spite and bad nerves are the sworn enemies of a pretty face.
While complete drivel nowadays it works to show the kind of points that Jane has grown up moulding herself around. They work in beautiful contrast to the shenanigans Jane and Suzie get up to in the pages.
I enjoyed my reread of this book, it’s dark comedic narrative is almost satirical at times – and who doesn’t love that? Levene’s writing style is good and I like how she used a main character who is unapologetically unlikable but still managed to keep you gripped, reading from one page to the next. I will definitely be looking out for other books of hers in the future.
A Vision of Loveliness takes place in 1960’s London and follows a social climbing Jane James as she gets her first foot hole into the life she so desperately wants through Suzie, a young girl about time whom she looks strikingly similar to. Jane, now Janey, has been practicing for this life, knows what she wants and is unapologetic in getting it.
It was only after the first few chapters I remembered I had already read this book, but I recalled liking it the first time so I carried on. This book highlights very different situations for Jane; her life in Norbury with her narrow-minded, judgemental Aunt, a grimey, freezing flat in London filled with beautiful gowns and jewels to a short lived beautiful flat in Mayfair full of forgotten property of past mistresses. While glamour is prevalent to the story, none of the situations in the story are very appealing by the realistic descriptions Levene gives of the underbelly of 60’s London.
Jane is not a your typically likable character but her sharp inner monologue is hilarious and her determination to make something out of herself is commendable, especially considering the era when it was hard for women to get a foothold. Jane takes every chance she can get.
As much as I enjoyed this book I felt that it ended very abruptly, you are sitting there with only a handful of pages left knowing that something bad has to happen – something bad ALWAYS happens – then in the last thirty or so pages it does. But I guess the story isn’t really about that, it’s about Jane and how she got to that point, how she “climbed” that social ladder and used the people around her to get exactly what she wants.
One of the things I really love about this book is that each chapter has a little “helpful tip” that seems to have been lifted from one of Jane’s etiquette books, things like:
Wear gloves whenever you can bear to; go without a handbag as often as possible.
These tiny details of personal grooming might appear mere trifles when taken one by one. But add them together and they can make the difference between rich and poor, married of single, happy ever after and a miserable broken home.
Anger, spite and bad nerves are the sworn enemies of a pretty face.
While complete drivel nowadays it works to show the kind of points that Jane has grown up moulding herself around. They work in beautiful contrast to the shenanigans Jane and Suzie get up to in the pages.
I enjoyed my reread of this book, it’s dark comedic narrative is almost satirical at times – and who doesn’t love that? Levene’s writing style is good and I like how she used a main character who is unapologetically unlikable but still managed to keep you gripped, reading from one page to the next. I will definitely be looking out for other books of hers in the future.
May 23, 2022
I liked it enough to put down Daphne Du Maurier. Easy to read and I loved the references to cosmetics and English Fern by Bronley. Evokes the period around 1960 in London very well - felt like Colin McInnes and Jake Arnott except very much a woman eyes view. Felt some empathy for Jane the protagonist at first. Escape from South London I can identify with! She seemed to slip into prostitution too readily though and the end was very abrupt like Levene had run out of ideas. I'd deffo read more by her. Picked it up for April Ashley and reckon it captured something of her life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2025
Ever wonder about Holly Golightly's early life? This could be her, except in London. Louise Levene is a master of snark and subtlety to match Helen Dewitt's 'The English Understand Wool.' This is probably not a good read for anyone susceptible to self-doubt or anorexia but you can't not sympathise with Jane: quick, young, pretty, and so yearning to escape her dull life that she refuses to see trouble in a flashy new one. If you're paying attention, you'll be grateful not to be a young woman sixty years ago although it's a guilty pleasure to eavesdrop on her relentless, pointed criticism.
March 18, 2020
A bit of a bizarre book really... it didn’t particularly grip me and I wondered where it was going. It got quite exciting at the end and I liked the little twist as to what the girls ended up doing... but thought it was a bit of a shame where it ended. I like the sound of some of her other books where at one point I thought I wouldn’t read any more of hers!
July 16, 2018
This was very nearly a five star But I found the ending a bit disappointing.I just love the authors style very good descriptions of the fashion and life in the 1960,s..all told with quite a wicked sense of humour.I would definitely read more books written by Louise Levine.
July 4, 2019
Wasn’t sure if I was reading a period piece ironically or if it was deftly written in an ironic (I hope to Hell that was the point) manner. Turned out the latter, well crafted and a great character in Janey. Funny and subtly dark.
January 20, 2025
Glorious. It so perfectly evokes the era; think Christine Keeler & Mandy Rice-Davies. Levene's dialogue is pitch perfect for the era, the fashion references & celebrity yardsticks peerless. The petty snobberies & the italicised "advice", utterly delicious.
March 1, 2018
I loved it. It was so excruciatingly 1960s even though I never lived in London but in a very rural Isle of Man !
August 21, 2020
I really loved this book... really different to anything I’ve read recently.
February 23, 2022
Took a little while to get into. Amusing little book about 2 dolly girls in the 60’s. Ending took a wild turn !
April 22, 2023
Watch tv production “Read”
Interesting adaptation, beautifully read
Interesting adaptation, beautifully read
June 17, 2023
It did a good job of conveying a grubby and faintly depressing story of 2 girls on the ‘way up’ during the 60s in London
March 6, 2014
The theme tune - London Is The Place For Me. Fab Fun.
Blurb - Jane James knows that she must have been born to better things than a dingy bedroom in her Aunt Doreen's house in Norbury and evenings spent eating gala pie and Heinz tinned potato salad in their 'sitting-cum-dining room'. So, armed with her well-thumbed copy of Lady Be Good, she practises her French turns, her killer smile and precisely how much thigh to show when crossing her legs, and dreams of a time when she can be a part of the world she glimpses through the Mayfair windows of the cashmere shop where she works.
When she finds a crocodile handbag left in a pub, it leads her to Suzy St John, a girl-about-town with the glamour, confidence and irresistible allure that Jane has been practising for so long. Suzy takes Jane under her wing, and Jane becomes Janey, a near carbon-copy of her new best friend and a delighted adventurer in an easy, sleazy, sixties West-End world of part-time modelling and full-time man-trapping.
Her new, improved self catwalks confidently through nightclubs, rag trade showrooms and luxury Mayfair flats but Jane finds that she can never quite drown out the carping voice of her past - or the nagging doubt that there might be slightly more to life than a mutation mink jacket or an engagement ring.
When a shocking act of violence threatens to bring Jane's glittering new life crashing down around her she must call on all her powers of reinvention if her dyed-to-match stilettos are to carry her away unscathed.
Written by Louise Levene, read by Emilia Fox.
Blurb - Jane James knows that she must have been born to better things than a dingy bedroom in her Aunt Doreen's house in Norbury and evenings spent eating gala pie and Heinz tinned potato salad in their 'sitting-cum-dining room'. So, armed with her well-thumbed copy of Lady Be Good, she practises her French turns, her killer smile and precisely how much thigh to show when crossing her legs, and dreams of a time when she can be a part of the world she glimpses through the Mayfair windows of the cashmere shop where she works.
When she finds a crocodile handbag left in a pub, it leads her to Suzy St John, a girl-about-town with the glamour, confidence and irresistible allure that Jane has been practising for so long. Suzy takes Jane under her wing, and Jane becomes Janey, a near carbon-copy of her new best friend and a delighted adventurer in an easy, sleazy, sixties West-End world of part-time modelling and full-time man-trapping.
Her new, improved self catwalks confidently through nightclubs, rag trade showrooms and luxury Mayfair flats but Jane finds that she can never quite drown out the carping voice of her past - or the nagging doubt that there might be slightly more to life than a mutation mink jacket or an engagement ring.
When a shocking act of violence threatens to bring Jane's glittering new life crashing down around her she must call on all her powers of reinvention if her dyed-to-match stilettos are to carry her away unscathed.
Written by Louise Levene, read by Emilia Fox.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2017
An interesting read about the early 60s . It is set in London and introduces you to a world where girls are allowing themselves to become older men's bit on the side for gain.
It made me feel sad to see women demeaning themselves.
The book showed up the great divide between the haves and the have nots .
I am hoping women value themselves more today, but I'm sure that some still allow men to treat them in this way.
It made me feel sad to see women demeaning themselves.
The book showed up the great divide between the haves and the have nots .
I am hoping women value themselves more today, but I'm sure that some still allow men to treat them in this way.
March 9, 2013
This book was an unexpected gem. I took a chance on it after seeing a review in one of the Emerald Street newsletters from some time ago. Because of my obsession with The Hour, I've found myself really interested in reading books set in that period, 1950-60s London, and especially those with interesting female characters.
This books certainly manages to create a vibrant atmosphere of London, and the world in which Janey and Suzy immerse themselves. I like that it doesn't try and sugar coat the truth - it lets the audience reach those conclusions on their own. It is a great peek behind the facade of female roles in the 50s-60s: expectation vs. reality.
Janey, as a protagonist, is somewhat shallow, but still somehow rather empathetic. She wants what she wants and isn't ashamed of that. That said, she is rather un-formed, but I would take that to be intentional on the part of the author. Janey has a vision of what she wants to be, and is determined to absorb these life lessons in order to create her 'dream' personality. It is all, of course, a role she plays, but in a world dominated by men, it is interesting to read about a woman playing the game.
This books certainly manages to create a vibrant atmosphere of London, and the world in which Janey and Suzy immerse themselves. I like that it doesn't try and sugar coat the truth - it lets the audience reach those conclusions on their own. It is a great peek behind the facade of female roles in the 50s-60s: expectation vs. reality.
Janey, as a protagonist, is somewhat shallow, but still somehow rather empathetic. She wants what she wants and isn't ashamed of that. That said, she is rather un-formed, but I would take that to be intentional on the part of the author. Janey has a vision of what she wants to be, and is determined to absorb these life lessons in order to create her 'dream' personality. It is all, of course, a role she plays, but in a world dominated by men, it is interesting to read about a woman playing the game.
April 30, 2016
A curious book - interesting but disquieting in many ways. Aspiring shop assistant, Jane, returns a "real croc" handbag to glamorous Suzy and, under her tutelage, becomes another model with the knack of manipulating the men who lust after her to get expensive meals and luxury items. It's the sleazy side of the early swinging sixties and portrays a woman, contemptuous of those less glamorous than herself, yet apparently unaware of what she has become in her bid to break free from society's conventions. The ending Is left very ambiguous so you're just left with your own suspicions about which girl is the more ruthless. It's well written - 3.5 stars? - "biting social satire" says the Observer review, and "read(s) like gender history" states Barbara Trapido. (Passed to my daughter)
January 20, 2013
I bought this the same weekend as the Group and finished this on the Sunday. I wanted something like rom-com but different. It’s a little bit bitter sweet but fun to read.
This time 1960’s London and Jane James wants to break away from her humdrum life living with her Aunt and working in a clothes shop. She meets Suzy St John and everything changes. Her life becomes an endless round of parties, dates and glamour. Aunt Noreen is truly hideous and Suzy St John is everything that Jane thinks she wants in her life.
This is on my not quite rom-com shelf. Perfect if you want something fun, not too serious but don’t want to head down the schmultz road.
This time 1960’s London and Jane James wants to break away from her humdrum life living with her Aunt and working in a clothes shop. She meets Suzy St John and everything changes. Her life becomes an endless round of parties, dates and glamour. Aunt Noreen is truly hideous and Suzy St John is everything that Jane thinks she wants in her life.
This is on my not quite rom-com shelf. Perfect if you want something fun, not too serious but don’t want to head down the schmultz road.
February 20, 2013
This book was very good at setting the 1960's scene, but I'm afraid it never really grabbed me as much as it should have done. From about three quarters of the way through I couldn't see how it was going to end and when it did, the ending just left me with something of a feeling of dissatisfaction. In fact I felt I rushed reading the end rather, not because it was un-put-downable, but because I wanted to move on to something else, which was a shame.
July 31, 2013
An interesting book. I liked the little advice things at the beginning of each chapter- a unique take on the quotes before a chapter. The characters were not very likeable, that said they were quite absorbing and so it was relatively easy to keep reading.
The ending was a bit of a shock, I never saw it coming which I guess was a good thing. But I was left feeling a little weird when I'd finished. Like it hadn't really finished.
The ending was a bit of a shock, I never saw it coming which I guess was a good thing. But I was left feeling a little weird when I'd finished. Like it hadn't really finished.
July 19, 2015
I really enjoyed this book, even though its setting is quite grubby and unpleasant. Loved the 1960s setting and the very different view of women, along with the characters ability to manipulate men for gain. Janey starts off as one kind of woman and changes into another type by copying her friend. A wonderful portrait of a time in recent history that is not that far away but very different.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews