The Debutante - Softcover

Tessaro, Kathleen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1554685893 ISBN 13: 9781554685899

Publisher: HarperWeekend, 2011

Synopsis

Cate, an exile from New York, is sent to help value the contents of a once-grand Georgian house on the southwest coast of England. Cataloguing its contents with Jack -- a man with his own dark past -- she comes across a hidden shoebox containing an exquisite pair of dancing shoes, along with a mysterious collection of objects from the 1930s: a photograph, a dance card and a Tiffany bracelet.

Returning to London rather than face the questions lingering in her own life, Cate immerses herself in piecing together the clues contained in the box. In doing so, she uncovers the story of Irene Blythe and her sister Diana, known as “Baby” -- two of the most famous debutantes of their generation.

The tale that unfolds is one of addictive love, and it leads Cate to address secrets of her own. Can the dark events of Baby Blythe’s past change Cate’s own ability to live and love again?

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Can the secrets of one woman’s past change another woman’s future?

Cate Albion is a gifted young artist at a crossroads in her life. Looking to escape New York for the summer, she takes a job in her aunt’s London auction house and is soon sent on assignment to the English countryside to value the contents of Endsleigh House, the once gracious but now crumbling estate of a former Jazz Age socialite. There, hidden in the back of a dusty bookshelf, Cate discovers an old shoe box and inside, a peculiar collection of objects, including an exquisite pair of 1930s dancing shoes, a faded photograph of a handsome young sailor, and a rare Tiffany pearl-and-emerald bracelet.

Intrigued, Cate sets out to learn more about the box and its contents, and becomes immersed in the mystery of its owner, Diana “Baby” Blythe, the younger of the infamous, glamorous Blythe sisters. Bright, beautiful, and reckless, Baby was the most famous debutante of her generation . . . until she suddenly disappeared entirely from view. 

As a shocking tale of love and betrayal begins to unravel, Cate finds herself being drawn deeper into Baby’s tragic life story—one that will force Cate to confront some dark truths about her own choices.

About the Author:

Kathleen Tessaro is the author of Elegance, Innocence, The Flirt, The Debutante, The Perfume Collector, and Rare Objects. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband and son.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperWeekend
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1554685893
• ISBN 13: 9781554685899
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400