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The Debutante

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The Debutante

By: Kathleen Tessaro
Narrated by: Jane Collingwood
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About this listen

Can the secrets of one woman’s past change another woman’s future?

Endsleigh House stands, crumbling and gracious, on the south-west coast of England, its rooms shut up and dusty. But what secrets do they hold?

Cate, an exile from New York, is sent to help value the contents of the once-grand Georgian house. Cataloguing its' contents with Jack – a man with his own dark past, she comes across a hidden shoebox containing an exquisite pair of dancing shoes from the 1930s, along with a mysterious collection of objects: a photograph, a dance card and a Tiffany bracelet.

Returning to London, rather than face the questions lingering in her own life, Cate immerses herself in piecing together the clues contained in the box to uncover a story, that of Irene Blythe and her sister Diana – two of the most famous debutantes of their generation.

The tale that unfolds is one of dark, addictive love, and leads Cate to face up to secrets of her own. Can the secrets of Baby Blythe's past change Cate's own ability to live and love again?

©2010 HarperCollins Publishers (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction England

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Critic reviews

'It's an elegant and glamorous plot …which means lots of mouth-watering descriptions of decaying stately homes by the sea' Daily Mail

‘The latest from the author of bestseller Elegance. New Yorker Cate immerses herself in the mystery of the Mitford-esque 1920’s London debutante’ Red

‘A shoebox filled with momentos sets artist Cate on a hunt for the truth behind the disappearance of a dazzling 1920’s ‘it’ girl in Kathleen Tessaro’s The Debutante’ Good Housekeeping

‘Tessaro gets her story-weaving wand out with a gloriously rich story of past and present love’ InStyle

‘Reading The Debutante was the most delicious treat. Engrossing, romantic, wise and witty – the perfect read. I could not put it down’ Gillian Greenwood, author of Satisfaction and The Ghost Lover
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A story involving two time lines, where, as is often the case with this type of scenario, I was more drawn towards the older story and characters, set in the 30's and very early 40's rather than the contemporary tentative romance. This book offers nothing new, but it's a moving tale nonetheless, with characters very well drawn and excellently read - I was always keen to listen to a little more. For such a well paced book I personally thought that the ending was both rushed and somewhat unsatisfying - but that may just be me. I would recommend a listen to come to your own conclusion.

Rushed ending to an otherwise enjoyable book

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My wife and I did not know the author or the narrator, but liked the sound of the storyline, and were not disapointed. Absorbing and very well read.

Book we enjoyed most in 2010

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The story which takes place during two time lines is interesting. However it jumps from one contemporary character to another abruptly and very often. While this may work while reading the book, I found myself having to go back while listening to the audio book to check it had skipped a part.

The narrator was excellent and helped to really draw you into the story.

The ending was very abrupt with a number of unfinished threads, for example, did Katie get the painting back, and more importantly, what did she do with the expensive jewellery in the shoe box she stole from the house.

According to reviews the book had author's notes at the end which readers found to be interesting, sadly these notes were not included in the audio version ..... very disappointing.

Enjoyable however an abrupt, unfinished ending.

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