THE DEBUTANTE by KATHLEEN TESSARO

THE DEBUTANTE

BY KATHLEEN TESSARO

THE BLURB:-

A locked room. A collection of faded mementoes hidden in a shoebox.

And two strangers, reluctantly drawn to one another, cataloguing the contents of an abandoned mansion overlooking the sea.

But Endsleigh is no ordinary house. Between the Wars, it was the home of Britain's most dazzling debutantes- the Blythe sisters. Until one of them went missing...

THE REALITY:-

This novel had a lovely cover showing a lady in a beautiful red dress highlighted against a black and white background. Gimme that dress! Shorten it to knee length, and I'll wear it now!

The story is slow-paced and straightforwardly simple: fans of the louche, decadent 1920s with its bright young things will love it, fans of the arty Victoria and Albert museum will understand it, those with an artistic bent themselves (such as character Cate, a reproductive artist who also paints a powerful and unconventional nude portrait) will get it and those who love the concept of a locked, “Bluebeard” room will want to turn the pages to the very end.

The historical letters between Baby and Irene, which only we, and not the characters, see tie the story together and help to make sense of it. The intensity of irresistible relationships and the consequences of such infidelity are explored exquisitely.

Maybe it would have been good to have “Mrs. Healy” examined in more detail. And maybe finding out what happened to the birthmarked baby would have been nice. But maybe we don't want to know, and like the sense of mystery such evasiveness brings about.

A clever and stylish story.