I’ve said it before and I will say it again, 2021 is shaping up to be an incredible year for historical fiction. There are many books that I have been waiting for, and The Last Debutantes is at the top of my list. The Other Windsor Girl was one of my favourite books of 2020 (I read it a few months after publishing), and that is saying something. The 1930s are quickly a popular period for historical fiction and period dramas alike (see: the new adaptation of The Pursuit of Love). So, I was thrilled to see the last social season of the 1930s for a basis, and it did not disappoint. Today I’m chatting about why you need to read The Last Debutantes by Georgie Blalock!
The Last Debutantes, Georgie Blalock
When Valerie de Vere Cole, the niece of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, makes her deep curtsey to the King and Queen of England, she knows she’s part of a world about to end. The daughter of a debt-ridden father and a neglectful mother, Valerie sees firsthand that war is imminent.
Nevertheless, Valerie reinvents herself as a carefree and glittering young society woman, befriending other debutantes from England’s aristocracy as well as the vivacious Eunice Kennedy, daughter of the U.S. Ambassador. Despite her social success, the world’s troubles and Valerie’s fear of loss and loneliness prove impossible to ignore.
How will she navigate her new life when everything in her past has taught her that happiness and stability are as fragile as peace in our time? For the moment she will forget her cares in too much champagne and waltzes. Because very soon, Valerie knows that she must find the inner strength to stand strong and carry on through the challenges of life and love and war.
Why You Should Read This…
We hear endlessly about the personality and machinations of Winston Churchill. It often feels like he was the ONLY British Prime Minister in the first half of the 20th century. However, Neville Chamberlain was PM at a difficult time, and we get snippets of him, along with the rest of society. Several royals pop up throughout the book, including King George V and Queen Mary and the Duke and Duchess of Kent- it is a “who’s who” of 1939 English society.
I think that Blalock did an incredible job of bringing the debutante season to life, and what these young women would have experienced. Not knowing they will be some of the last debutantes but that they world is changing, Valerie and her friends are perceptive. I listened to the audiobook of this, and I felt like I was there listening in on a conversation myself- the perfect escape for a long weekend!
If you are a fan of Downton or The Pursuit of Love, this is the perfect book for you!
Is The Last Debutantes by Georgie Blalock on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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