The Ex-Debutante
Written by Linda Francis Lee
Narrated by Susan Bennett
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
When Carlisle Wainwright Cushing left her native Texas to start a new life in Boston, she had no regrets. The former Texas debutante, who never felt at home in her Southern skin, had found liberation--or so she thought. Until the day she gets an urgent call from her mother, reporting that: One, the Symphony Association Debutante Ball, which Carlisle's family has sponsored for years, is about to be called off; Two, her mother's divorce has the whole town talking; And three, the family's good name is at stake and Carlisle is the only one who can fix it all.
So Carlisle takes a leave of absence from her law firm and goes to Texas to help. Her fiance, who has no idea she's an heiress, can't know that she's organizing the ball, handling the dramas of the girls involved, settling her mother's suit--and coming face to face with the true love of her life, whom she ran out on when she left Texas. Her trip home challenges Carlisle's sense of herself and brings the pieces of her past togther, so that when she finally re-meets the man of her dreams, she's in a perfect place to tempt fate.
Linda Francis Lee
Linda Francis Lee is a native Texan who now lives in New York City with her husband. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University, a former Texas Debutante, and once competed for the Maid of Cotton crown. (It seemed like a good idea at the time.) After serving on a very real New Projects committee, she became a seriously seasoned Junior Leaguer. She is the author of several romance novels, which have been nominated for numerous awards, including the prestigious RITA.
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Reviews for The Ex-Debutante
75 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rating: 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 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. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5ZERO starsFrom the book jacket: Carlisle Wainwright Cushing – of the old-moneyed Willow Creek, Texas, Wainwrights, is the daughter of larger-than-life Ridgely Wainwright … Cushing-Jameson-Lackley-Harper-Ogden. Given her mother’s predilection for divorce, no one is surprised that Carlisle becomes a divorce lawyer and runs far away to Boston, where nobody, including her fiancé, knows she’s an heiress. But now, three years later, Carlisle is lured back to Texas to deal with her mother’s latest divorce and the family-sponsored hundredth annual debutante ball, which is on the verge of collapse.My reactionsWhere to start? Cardboard characters. Tortured dialogue. Ridiculous plot. “Clever” writing devices that aren’t. This is just a disaster. I read another book by Lee which had some problems, but was far more coherent than this mess.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This book was a waste of time.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This 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.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It 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 appear to be. But that can be a very good thing. Enjoy and God Bless!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Divorce 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 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.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Loved it!! Could not put it down!! Can't wait to go back and read 'The devil in the junior league'!!