- How can I resist something with that name. I love even just saying it. Débutante. Deb-you-taunt. So much fun.
- Pink is my favorite color. This book is pink. ’Nough said.
- I love fascinating mysteries involving beautiful women from the past. This gave me that.
- The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald
Summary from GoodReads:
Can the secrets of one woman’s past change another woman’s future? Cate is a gifted young artist who survives in New York by producing remarkable copies of Old Masters.She arrives in London to stay with her aunt Rachel who owns an auction house, determined to leave the pain of her past behind. Cate is sent to Devon with Rachel’s colleague Jack to value the contents of Endsleigh, the grand Georgian home of a former socialite. But inside, its once elegant interiors are now worn with age and dust. Then Cate discovers hidden in the back of one of the bookshelves, an old shoebox containing an exquisite pair of silk dancing shoes from the 1930′s along with a mysterious collection of objects – a diamond brooch, a photograph of a handsome young sailor, a dance card, and a beautiful pearl and emerald bracelet from Tiffany’s. Unable to solve the questions in her own life, Cate quickly becomes engaged in solving the mystery of the shoe box and begins to unravel the story of Baby Blythe; bright, beautiful and reckless, she was the most famous debutante of her generation. The clues in the box reveal a tale of a dark, addictive love, a tale that will lead Cate to uncover some secrets of her own. A timeless novel from the bestselling author of Elegance.
My Review:
This book was delicious. It had a bitter bite here or there (due to my somewhat prudish nature when it comes to certain words) but overall.. such a delicious story.
This is the recipe for a delicious story.
- One part modern romance.
- One part mysterious débutante.
- One part old, sad home.
- One part insanity.
Mix all those up together, put a beautiful pink cover on the book and you have the makings of a fun, interesting, sad, heart-warming, intriguing story.
What I loved most about The Débutante by Kathleen Tussaro is the insight we’re given into the Sisters Blythe, insight that Cate herself is not given as she follows the small leads she has from snooping around. There are short breaks in the story and these breaks are filled with letters written from one sister to the other – and oh, the drama. Letter writing is a form of communication which is so fascinating – for the stories it told and the stories.. it didn’t tell (but can be carefully gleaned from between the lines).
I just shivered, the story was that perfect.
Now, the bitter bite. I can handle some words, but there were some pretty foul words in this story that marred it’s beauty, otherwise. Those words were like a nasty jolt to me, as I was dreamily absorbed in reading when they came about. That might be just because I’m a bit of a prude.. but honestly, I think the book would have been much better without them included.
About the Author
Born in Pittsburgh, Kathleen Tessaro studied drama before emigrating to London. After ten years working as an actress in films, television, and theatre, she trained as a drama teacher and voice coach. During this time, she began to write seriously and produced her debut novel Elegance, which became a bestseller in both hardback and paperback. Kathleen lives in London.
For more reviews of the The Débutante, please follow the book tour.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
