The Devil in the Junior League [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Linda Francis Lee (Author), Jenna Lamia (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2007

The Junior League of Willow Creek, Texas, is très exclusive. Undesirables need not apply. Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware (Frede to her friends) is a member beyond reproach...until her life begins to unravel. When her husband betrays her, steals her money, and runs off to places unknown, it’s something Frede would prefer to keep under wraps. The last thing she needs is to become fodder for the JLWC gossip mill. And to make matters worse, there’s only one person in town who stands a chance at helping her get revenge - Howard Grout, a tasteless, gold-chain-wearing lawyer who has bought his way into Frede’s tony neighborhood. But there’s a price: She has to get his tacky, four-inch-stiletto-and-pink-spandex-wearing wife, Nikki, into the Junior League. The crème de la crème of Southern royalty should sit up and take notice, and hang on tight for this irresistible tale of getting in and getting even.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware ("Frede" to her friends) is a 28-year-old extremely moneyed member of the "très exclusive" Junior League of Willow Creek, Tex., and lives her life according to unwritten club rules about fashion and etiquette. So when her husband, Gordon, has an affair, steals her family money and flees the country, Frede wants to keep the disaster quiet to maintain her elite status. The only person in town she can turn to is her tactless neighbor, Howard Grout, who agrees to be her lawyer if Frede gets his wife, Nikki, who is far from a charming Southern belle, into the Junior League. As Frede sands down Nikki's gaudy edges, she learns a few simple lessons about life (paramount among them is that money doesn't buy love and happiness). Howard, meanwhile, proves to be a formidable attorney and follows Gordon's money trail all the way to a satisfyingly vengeful ending. Lee (Simply Sexy; Sinfully Sexy), a former debutante, certainly knows her material, though it's hard to muster much sympathy for an airy narrator who lives and dies by the shallow strictures of Texas society, maddeningly refers to herself as "moi" and prefers to spell, but not say, m-o-n-e-y. 100,000 announced first printing.(Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware understands that revenge is a dish best served cold--on a fine lace tablecloth with crustless cucumber sandwiches and sweetened tea. Known as "Frede" to her fellow socialites, she is the quintessential Junior Leaguer in Willow Creek, Texas. She has, however, made a fatal mistake by trusting her husband, who has disappeared with her money and another woman. Frede's neighbor, attorney Howard Grout, is loud and crass, but he is also one of the most aggressive lawyers in the state, and he makes Frede an offer she can't afford to refuse. He'll hunt down her lowlife husband if Frede gets his good-hearted but gaudy wife into the Junior League. The snobbish Frede begins as Professor Henry Higgins in this Pygmalion tale; then she also undergoes a transformation. The delightful realism of this wickedly funny tale and its viciously witty but oh-so-refined dialogue may stem from the fact that talented Lee is also a "seriously seasoned Junior Leaguer." Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Value Priced; Abridged edition (July 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423324250
• ISBN-13: 978-1423324256
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,234,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "A Texas woman can tell you to go to hell, and make you think you're going to enjoy the trip.", October 16, 2006

By 

Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Devil in the Junior League (Hardcover)

The Devil in the Junior League is a wickedly delicious romp in the lives of Texas society women. The Willow Creek Junior League has only the most refined, St. John's knit-wearing members. This is a club full of unspoken rules--diamonds should never be worn before dinner, and a lady should never wear a watch after 6 PM, lest people think she is worried about time.

So, when our narrator, Frede Hildebrand, gets caught up in circumstances which require her to mentor an unlikely white trash Junior League candidate, the unfortunate subject of an overpriced and excessively extravagant diamond watch comes into play. No diamonds before six, and no watches after six? Well, yes. There is no place for diamond encrusted timepieces for the ladies of the Willow Creek Junior League.

Linda Francis Lee's latest novel is an unapologetic romp through obnoxious Southern society life. Don't dismiss this as mere chick lit--we've got a modern gal entrenched in Southern life, not looking for Mr. Right, and with no Boss to report to. Of course, a token gay friend does enter her realm and disrupt life as we know it, but the outcome is fairly unexpected. Lee has crafted a purely escapist novel about society politics, politics, and romance, with a twist of mystery and a sufficient number of double crosses.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Rings True, January 28, 2007

By 

Mom of Sons (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Devil in the Junior League (Hardcover)

Many well-written books these days are such downers, so full of angst and "writer's craft" that they are a chore to get through. "Devil in the Junior League" is a well-written, smart and FUN to read. Tres chic Junior League Texas high-society is not my world, but no matter -- every woman will recognize the ups and downs of female friendship, the phony "friends" who aren't really, the cattiness, insecurities, and one-upsmanship that starts in elementary school and lasts for a lifetime, if you let it. I hope they make a movie out of this!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Channeling Olivia Goldsmith???, September 23, 2006

By 

Maudeen Wachsmith "BeachReader" (Port Townsend, WA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Devil in the Junior League (Hardcover)

It was very upsetting to me when Olivia Goldsmith passed away several years ago as I had loved her wry sense of humor so. I do believe Linda Francis Lee must be channeling Olivia Goldsmith in this wonderful book, The Devil in the Junior League. She has the same fast pace and quick wit that were the hallmarks of so many of Goldsmith's bestsellers. I just loved this book from beginning to end and could hardly stand to put it down once I started it. It was just too much fun to see Gordon get what he justly deserved. I hope we see more of Frede Ware (and Sawyer!) in upcoming books by Ms. Lee. I will be chomping at the bit until I can get my hands on another Frede Ware book!