Brenda Frazier isn't Brendan Fraser.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL...,
By Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (COMMUNITY FORUM 04) (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)
This review is from: Debutante: The Story of Brenda Frazier (Hardcover)
This is a well-written, well-researched biography of Brenda Frazier, a woman long forgotten, whose only claim to fame was having been one of the most famous debutantes of all time. By 1938, when she was only seventeen and had her spectacular debut into formal society, she was the toast of the town. At the time, her image was in every newspaper and magazine, and stories about her abounded. The public seemed unable to get enough of her. She later became a part of what was known as Cafe Society and was known as a society glamour girl.
The author lays his subject's life bare for the reader, skillfully describing the social milieu of the time that allowed such a nonentity to become so famous. She was the Paris Hilton of her day. Despite her millions of dollars, she became a miserable, self-absorbed rich woman who lived a shallow and vapid life. Addicted to drugs and alcohol, Brenda Frazier would become a bulimic anorexic that would go on to have a couple of failed marriages and a child whom she shamefully neglected. Considering the fact that this woman did nothing worthwhile and was little more than a silly twit, makes one marvel that the public was at all interested in her.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Too fascinating to be forgotten,
By Privacy, Please (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Debutante (Paperback)
This well-researched biography of celebrity debutante Brenda Frazier takes you right back to the 1930s, when most of America was suffering through the Depression and, as escapism, enjoyed reading and hearing about the adventures of beautiful rich young girls who were feted at expensive, fantasy-themed debutant balls. The "celebutantes" of that era were akin to the Paris Hiltons and Jessica Simpsons of today - gorgeous party girls who appeared in advertisements and popular magazines, and whose every move was covered by paparazzi. Brenda was arguably the biggest star of them all, yet she went on to develop chronic, crippling anorexia and bulimia and died nearly forgotten.
The product of an unhappy marriage between a homely social climber and a wealthy alcoholic, Brenda barely knew her father and was pushed and prodded into celebrity by her mother. You'll cringe at the story of how Brenda, sick with a fever and suffering from social anxiety, is forced to get all dolled up and dance all night at her long-awaited debut. There's also a very good recounting of the debut from another perspective, that of an ordinary teenage New York girl who crashes Brenda's debutante ball with her high school newspaper press pass. After her famous coming-out party, Brenda goes on to various ill-fated relationships before starting the downhill slide to her last illness and death. Although the debut story is clearly the high point of the book, and the saga of aging, ill Brenda is not nearly as compelling, this is a fascinating read, especially if you're the Turner Classic Movies type.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A cautionairy tale,
By
This review is from: Debutante: The Story of Brenda Frazier (Hardcover)
This was an easy to read, though painful, biography on Miss Brenda Frazier, a one-time debutante who died before her time.
It is easy to read this book and think of some of the celebrities in our culture today who are famous for being famous and wonder if they will meet the same fate. Hopefully not. It's hard to believe that someone did not step in and stop her from herself, but maybe she was so use to getting her way it would not have mattered.
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