7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Humorous and heartwarming, April 12, 2008
Carlisle Wainright Cushing has successfully reinvented herself. She's living in Boston, is engaged to Phillip and enjoys her career as a divorce lawyer. Nobody would guess that Carlisle is a member of THE Wainrights of Willow Creek, Texas. What made her flee? The reasons include a botched attempt at the Texas Dip during her Debutante Ball and falling in love with Jack Blair. However, when Carlisle receives the phone call, she knows it time to go home.
For Carlisle, going home is like having a supporting role on a soap opera: Her mother, Ridgely, is getting a divorce (for the fourth time). Her older brother Henry and his family have relocated back to Willow Creek after their oldest daughter was expelled from numerous schools. Her older sister, Savannah, is desperate to become pregnant. When Carlisle becomes her mother's attorney, she must face Jack Blair, who is representing her stepfather.
Carlisle's stay coincides with the Hundredth Annual Willow Creek Symphony Association Debutante Ball where eight young ladies from the best families are presented to society. A Wainright has always chaired the ball, and Carlisle is asked to do her part for the family. Unfortunately last year's ball was a disaster and no one wants to be a part of this year's ball. Rejected by respected families, Carlisle finds herself with a motley group of candidates: party girls, rebels and misfits.
Even though it seems like a complete fiasco, could returning to Willow Creek be the best thing for Carlisle?
Humorous and heartwarming, this tale of family and love is hard to put down! It provided a juicy look into the world of Junior Leagues and Debutante Balls. Carlisle is a wonderful main character: she's smart, sassy and has a big heart (which she tries to hide). Her family is also wonderfully kooky: pedigreed, at times neurotic, but also loving. This family dynamic works-like Carlisle, I found myself caring about these people and wanting to help them. I highly recommend the Ex-Debutante!
Armchair Interviews says: A wonderful, juicy story with lots of heart. Two thumbs up.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An insider's look at society - Texas style, October 6, 2008
Carlisle Wainwright Cushing fled her small Texas town for Boston and is now a successful divorce lawyer. In demand at her firm, she penned an ironclad pre-nup for one of the partners that made her a legend, and none of her co-workers - even her fiancé - is aware that she's a southern deb. When her often married mother calls and says she needs her, she heads home and comes face to face with opposing counsel Jack Blair - the boy she's loved since she was 13- who is all grown, has a chip the size of Texas on his shoulder, and a fiancé of his own. As they negotiate the terms of what should be a straightforward divorce, Carlisle is also tapped to host the town's 100th annual debutante ball - a Wainwright has overseen it since its inception - but a disaster the previous year has all the proper families choosing to debut their daughters elsewhere.
As she gathers a group of what most would consider second string girls, she hopes to plan an event that will make everyone forget about her own embarrassing debut (she fell over when trying to do a Texas dip). She's also dragged into other assorted family dramas including dealing with a delinquent niece who wants to be a debutante, an absent brother and a feminist sister-in-law who don't pay attention to the gaggle of noisy children (including his namesake who they refer to as Cinco), and an older sister who isn't willing to accept that she can't have children of her own. And then there's Jack, who she can't seem to stop running into at the most inopportune times. Can she reconcile her feelings for Jack, get a fair settlement for her mother, and put on a successful ball without losing herself?
Former Texas debutante Lee has penned another endearing novel with a romantic subplot; the style is similar to chicklit, though I wouldn't classify Lee's writing in that genre. She breathes life into her characters, giving each a distinctive voice, enabling readers to really connect with her characters. It was truly an enjoyable story.
© Tracy Vest, October 2008
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
few sparks of interest, July 22, 2009
There were flashes of interest and intelligence in this book and alittle bit of character development but overall I felt that the auther did not spend the time to create nuances and layers to create a truly readable book- maybe for a freshman creative writing class. The author relied heavily on boring cliched bad boy personas and steamy sex scenes in bathrooms with lawyers during court case breaks. Also there was too much emphasis on creating proper ladies out of debutantes n idea that is old fashioned and cliche. Nobody wants to hear about boring tales of young spoiled brats. The book was unbearable for me to read.
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