1 of 1 copy available
When it's announced that 1958 will be the last year debutantes are to be presented at court, thousands of eager mothers and hopeful daughters flood the palace with letters seeking the year's most coveted invitation: a chance for their daughters to curtsy to the young Queen Elizabeth and officially come out into society.
In an effort to appease her traditional mother, aspiring university student Lily Nichols agrees to become a debutante and do the Season, a glittering and grueling string of countless balls and cocktail parties. In doing so, she befriends two very different women: the cool and aloof Leana Hartford whose apparent perfection hides a darker side and the ambitious Katherine Norman who dreams of a career once she helps her parents find their place among the elite. But the glorious effervescence of the Season evaporates once Lily learns a devastating secret that threatens to destroy her entire family.
"Woven with heartfelt emotion, this novel is a captivating, unforgettable story of one woman's journey to find love, truth, and, most importantly, herself" (Kelly Bowen, author of The Paris Apartment) in midcentury Great Britain.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
January 4, 2022 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781797133430
- File size: 289888 KB
- Duration: 10:03:55
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
October 11, 2021
Kelly’s captivating latest (after The Whispers of War) follows a young woman making her debut in 1958 London, the last year debutantes were presented before the monarch. Lily Nichols, 18, is a talented dressmaker who loves to read and longs for a future other than that of a housewife. Her cold mother, Josephine, who’s harboring some family secrets, relies on Lily’s wealthy, controlling grandmother for financial support. Both regard Lily’s societal obligations, with all its rules and gossip, very seriously. Lily becomes fast friends with the well-connected Leana Hartford, which improves her social capital, though Leana’s mean streak and bossy nature quickly exhausts Lily, who finds common ground with down-to-earth Katherine Norman, the daughter of a newspaper magnate who’s maligned for coming from new money. Katherine encourages Lily to follow her dreams of going to university and pursuing poor-but-wonderful Ian Bingham. The engrossing narrative dishes out the right amount of tension while moving the plot forward at a satisfying pace. The final act concerns Josephine’s unveiled secrets, which feel superfluous, but Kelly’s descriptions of the emotionally exhausting business of doing and wearing the right thing elicit empathy for characters whose circumstances depend on finding a husband. Kelly succeeds at bringing a bygone world to life. -
Narrator Marisa Calin sounds like she is having a grand time as she transports listeners to the final days of debutante presentations before the British Royal Court in 1958. Calin's versatile characterizations, subtle accents, and comfortable pacing capture this privileged world wherein modern ideas clash with traditional values. The story is told from the point of view of Lily, whose mother and grandmother previously went through "The Season." Calin initially presents Lily with a light and hesitant tone, but her timbre deepens with Lily's growing confidence. Lily is befriended by the aristocratic Leana, whose snobby, brusque demeanor is wonderfully portrayed, and by Katherine, a debutante from "new money" who wants to be a journalist, whose appeal is illuminated through her straightforward, friendly tones. M.J. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine -
April 1, 2022
In Kelly's (The Whispers of War) historical novel, 1958 London society is abuzz with the new season of debutantes. This will be the last year debutantes are presented at court, and everyone's desperate for this last chance to be presented to England's young new queen, Elizabeth II--everyone except Lily Nichols, who has no desire to make contacts or forge friendships among the season's elite and titled families. But Lily's widowed mother and overbearing grandmother make it clear that she must attend the season's events, followed by her coming out to be presented to Queen Elizabeth. Lily's grandmother makes it impossible to say no by holding the threat of financial insecurity above the family's head. Lily makes a sincere attempt to endure the season and to satisfy her grandmother, even as she begins to realize that the meaning of "family" changes with the seasons. Marisa Calin narrates this audiobook with clarity, perfect inflection, and subtle, clear distinctions between characters. VERDICT Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reed, Madeline Martin, and Fiona Davis will feel at home in Kelly's thoroughly researched novel of postwar England.--Laura Brosie
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-