The Ex-Debutante

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

I picked this book up as a quick read the summer after my sophomore year at the University of Pittsburgh, one of many books that I figured might be enjoyable if I read it, but wasn’t super into starting. Once I did, though, I could hardly put it down! It’s not news that I’m driven towards books that are more character-driven than plot-driven and that I appreciate strong and independent female characters that think and speak for themselves and never turn down an opportunity for deliciously witty banter with a romantic interest. The Ex-Debutante fulfilled my expectations of Carlisle. Come to think of it, after I read it I was fairly certain that if I ever had a daughter, I would totally name her Carlisle.

There show more were many things that drew me towards the book – I’d been on a She’s the Man kick (which features debs), I’d entertained the idea of becoming a lawyer (at the time I still didn’t want to teach), and I was infatuated with a guy name Jack that’d just broken my heart. Connections abounded and reading about Carlisle and how she handled her life gave me the confidence to take a greater interest in shaping my own life to be what I wanted, not just what was expected of me as a 19-year-old-almost-college-junior.

The end of your sophomore year of college is when you’re supposed to have your mind made up (if you didn’t when you started) about what you want to be when you “grow up” and who you are as a person. Your days of finding yourself are supposed to be done – you were either supposed to take a year off to traipse through Europe before enrolling or have it all sorted by the time you’re done your first semester so that you can settle in and start working towards some nonexistent goal that is supposed to define the rest of your life.

But, as with many other things in life, we don’t all follow the same path, our development as human beings really isn’t mappable as some psychologists would try to lead us to believe. And in a time of great personal confusion, Carlisle personified that twisting, knotting, ineffable desire to be unique and individualistic to a tee. I’d spent the four months before reading The Ex-Debutante caring for family and supporting those around me. While I’m beyond glad that I took time off from college to do so, reading The Ex-Debutante was the first time I took a break that was just for me, that I took time out of the day to do something I enjoyed, even if it was just reading. So my review is less about the book, but more about what the book, and the protagonist, made me realize about myself. show less

Divorce lawyer Carlisle Wainwright Cushing returns home to visit her family and is lured into taking over her mother’s current divorce case and the family sponsored 100th Annual Willow Creek Symphony Association Debutante Ball. The bad news is that the once highly regarded ball was disgraced last year when conductor Rinaldi was caught slipping on a $10,000 ball gown that belonged to one of the debs by a reporter who snapped a photo that ran on the front page of just about every newspaper across the state of Texas.

To make matters worse, opposing council in her mothers divorce case is none other than the bad boy, Jack Blair, who prompted Carlisle’s abrupt move to Boston three years earlier. Carlisle tries to overcome her feelings for show more Jack by remembering that both she and Jack are engaged to seemingly perfect partners.

This is my second book by Lee. I absolutely loved The Devil in the Junior League and was highly anticipating this book which didn’t disappoint even though I feel the story wasn’t as original as The Devil in the Junior League. The ending was typical but the story was a lot of fun and Lee’s writing was witty and entertaining. I recommend this book to fans of chick-lit. show less

A no nonsense lawyer/former deb from Texas, returns to her roots to help her mother through her umpteenth divorce and save her families Deb ball. There were times the book was good, times that it would make up for the cheesy dialogue and transparent plot. It kept me entertained anyway.

Carlise Wainwright Cushing returns to Texas because her mother tells her there is an emergency. The emergency ends up being that she needs Carlisle to be her divorce lawyer. Carlisle also becoms involved in running the local debutante ball which her family has been involved with for a hundred years, The ball is near ruin after the last organiser, a male, was caught wearing one of the debutantes gowns. Carlisle also has to deal with Jack Blair, who she has had a crush on since high school, and who is representing her mother's husband in the divorce. A fun read, especially the parts involving the debutantes.

I was asked to read and review this book by authorsontheweb.com and at first I didn't think I would care for it much. But luckily, I was proven wrong. I like the writing style of the author and found the book to be witty and clever. For my full review visit my book blog at: http://southerngal-lisa.blogspot.com/2008/05/book-review-ex-debutante-by-linda.h...

It always amazes me how a book can reach out and touch your heart. This book has certainly fit that criteria! In todays society, so much relies on how you look, how much money you have, etc. This book takes you on a journey through a life of someone named Carlisle. She learns, as you will too, that there is so much more to life than money and looks. Love can also make its way into your life, in the least expected places. Through the eyes and actions of young girls, making their "debut" in to society, you will learn what really matters in life. This book will draw you in, and refuse to let you go until the end. You will yearn for the days of simplicity, but thank the days we now have. I have learned that not everything is what it may show more appear to be. But that can be a very good thing. Enjoy and God Bless! show less

This book was a bit slow to get into at first but it went along nicely. The storyline was so-so. I did not feel the chemistry between Jack and Carlisle, that could have been developed more.