The Last Dance of the Debutante

“The Last Dance of the Debutante” by Julia Kelly   333 pages  

After reading two intense books (Melanie Benjamin’s “The Children’s Blizzard” and Dolen Perkins Valdez’s “Take My Hand”---I highly recommend both), I was looking for something a bit lighter. As I was strolling through the library, I saw that Julia Kelly had a new book out. I can always count on Kelly for a lighter read. 

Instead of World War II England, Kelly chose the 1958 debutante season for her third novel. The still-newish Queen, Elizabeth II, has decreed that will be the last season for high society parents to present their daughters to the Queen, in hope of finding a husband who is titled and/or wealthy. 

Lily Nicholls’ grandmother and mother have ties that can secure Lily’s future. But Lily doesn’t want to so “the season.” She wants to finish her studies and go the university. However, she gives in and allows herself to dive into the grind.  

I never realized how exhausting “the season” could be. From right after Christmas through late June, the debutante attends an ongoing array of teas, balls, outings, cocktail parties, and any other imaginable get-together that will put the young women near eligible men. Multiple events were held daily. It must have been exhausting…and expensive.  Lilly makes two friends, Leana and Katherine, who help her keep going. 

Lily’s family consists of her mother, her wealthy grandmother who is paying for most of the season, and a sister she has never met. The first half of the book is Lilly running from party to party, dance to dance. All she wants by halfway through the novel is a nap, and who could blame her. That first half deals with the pettiness, the sabotages, the gowns, the young men, the backstabbing.  

But halfway through, the plot gets juicy. Lilly is convinced that her mother, who has never recovered from her father’s death, doesn’t like her. Lily is certain she is hiding scandalous information about her hardly-mentioned sister, Joanna, and sets out---between parties---to discover the truth. 

To add to the intrigue, a tragedy near the end of the season shifts the plot into high gear, and I could not read fast enough. I admit that I got a little bored with the first half, but the second half shot this up to 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.