Debutantes
by Cora Harrison
Set in the 1920s, Debutantes introduces us to the artistic and ambitious Derrington sisters - Violet, Daisy, Poppy and Rose. Stuck in an enormous, crumbling old country house, they long to go to London to take in the bright lights, glitter and glamour of the Roaring Twenties - but with little money to spare, they don't think they'll ever have much chance of making their debut in society.
In the meantime though, the girls have plenty of creative activities to keep them busy. Daisy dreams of becoming a famous film director, her twin sister Poppy yearns to be a jazz musician, and younger sister Rose, is beginning to think she might be a writer. Meanwhile, beautiful eldest sister Violet has only one dream: to become the perfect debutante and make an impressive match with a rich and eligible bachelor. When unexpected circumstances find the four girls heading to London after all, there's the chance for them all to make their dreams come true. But their new plans are also set to uncover some long-buried family secrets...
Cora Harrison creates a delightful portrait of a bohemian family in an eccentric country house, as well as a lively 1920s London complete with jazz music and plenty of extravagant flapper frocks, in this charming novel. With shades of I Capture the Castle and Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love, this is a light, fun and appealing story about family, friendship and following your dreams.
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
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What you thought
Everything about this book is just so PRETTY. It took me a while to really get hooked into the story, but I think that's just me and any historical novel really. The relationship between the Derrington sisters was lovely. And the sisters themselves were fantastic! I think Rose in particular was my favourite, wanting to be a writer--I could totes relate to that. But the other three were also really awesome to read about, Daisy's budding-film-director self was captivating. I loved reading about how she created films and took all these amazing photographs on her camera. The addition of her godfather was a really great touch and the bond between them was touching. Violet's need to give her sisters a good life was admirable, though at times she came across as a little stuck-up, but it was actually quite funny. Poppy's interest in jazz was really fascinating and the girl was so romantic! Her relationship with Baz was so sweet and I loved how she wanted to get married because she was in love with somebody else, not just in it because of the money like some of the other girls. Too cute.
My favourite part of the novel though, by far, was the the detail that went into like, every single page. It's not hard to believe that Harrison did all her homework on the 1920s and it worked perfectly. I have to say that I'm a total sucker for pretty dresses and fashion and all of it in Debutantes left me with a huge smile on my face. The parts about latest fashion trends at the time paired with Violet's sewing skillz gave such a lovely vibe to the book.
The plot was a bit predictable at times, but I'm not terribly bothered because the execution was fabulous. I felt like I has been taken on a journey back to the roaring twenties and I never wanted to leave. If you like a bit of glitz and historical fiction, Debutantes will not disappoint you. “And there on the top lay the most beautiful dress. It was made from pink satin, glossy and gleaming as though it were new and trimmed with snowy white lace. Violet bent down, picked it up and held it against Daisy.”
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Reading Age: 12+
Interest level: 12+
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