The Ex-Debutante

by Linda Francis Lee

When Carlisle Wainwright Cushing left her native Texas to start a new life in Boston, she had no regrets. The former Texas debutante, who never felt at home in her Southern skin, had found liberation--or so she thought. Until the day she gets an urgent call from her mother, reporting that: one, the Symphony Association Debutante Ball, which Carlisle's family has sponsored for years, is about to be called off; Two, her mother's divorce has the whole town talking; And three, the family's good name is at stake and Carlisle is the only one who can fix it all. So Carlisle takes a leave of absence from her law firm and goes to Texas to help. Her fiance, who has no idea she's an heiress, can't know that she's organizing the ball, handling the dramas of the girls involved, settling her mother's suit--and coming face to face with the true love of her life, whom she ran out on when she left Texas. Her trip home challenges Carlisle's sense of herself and brings the pieces of her past togther, so that when she finally re-meets the man of her dreams, she's in a perfect place to tempt fate.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary, Adult, Humor

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

Linda Francis Lee is a native Texan now calling New York City home. Linda's writing career began when her article "There Is No Finish Line" was published in her university's quarterly magazine. But she got sidetracked from writing when she started teaching probability and statistics. Later she found her way back to writing, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution called her breakout novel, Blue Waltz, "absolutely stunning."
Now Linda is the author of nineteen books that are published in sixteen countries around the world, in languages as diverse as Japanese and Russian. Two of her most recent novels are in development for feature films, and she is in the process of co-developing a television series set in her beloved Texas. Lee's next novel, her twentieth, is a large work of fiction about the redemption of a man, and will be released in 2011.
When Linda isn't writing, she loves to run in Central Park and spend time with her husband, family, and friends.

Reviews

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ex-Debutante was a cute, enjoyable book that appears to be a light read through most of the story. It had quite a bit of humor, and was quick to read. Toward the end of the book, I understood that the story delved deeper than I had realized, the light tone masking the more serious issues about relationships and family. I enjoyed quite a few of the characters, but I became slightly frustrated at times due to the dynamics between the hero and heroine. When I finished the book, I was left feeling satisfied by the story and how all of the issues were resolved.

Carlisle Wainwright Cushing escaped from her life and heritage as a privileged Texas debutante three years ago and forged a new life as an attorney in Boston. Her mother's impending divorce forces Carlisle back home, where she suddenly faces a number of challenges including - the opposing council in her mother's court case is Carlisle's former lover, the 100th annual debutante ball that has always been presided over by her family is headed for disaster, the symphony supported by the debutante ball faces bankruptcy, her brother and sister are both living in the family home, and her secret fiance is pushing to set a wedding date. Is it possible for Carlisle to save the day, keeping her mother from losing a large portion of her fortune in the divorce while also planning and implementing a successful debutante ball? Her life is further complicated by the fact that her fiance and Boston coworkers believe her to be a poor girl who has "pulled herself up by her bootstraps." Carlisle is having a terrible time keeping herself from throwing herself upon her now engaged former lover, and she doesn't always succeed. She must work to resolve the challenges that she faces, learning about herself, her family, and her other relationships along the way. The emotions she fears have to be dealt with in order for Carlisle to have a chance at finding happiness.

This book is really all about relationships of various types. There are several characters in this story who must confront tough issues and problem relationships. I enjoyed the character development and seeing Carlisle grow as her various relationships evolved. I liked the character of Jack, although his prolonged involvement with and attachment to another woman throughout the story was disappointing. I was afraid that I was not going to be happy with the ending of the book, but everything was pulled together quickly at the end for a pleasing conclusion.

[Margo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to think that if the author wrote this in 2021, she'd end it the way she should have: with the h alone, preparing for a future full of possibilities. Alas, it was 2008 and she forced an HEA that was wince-worthy.

Not safe.

[Carole at From My Carolina Home · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious story of old money vs new riche, relationships with one's mother, and the lengths one will go to in order to prove a point to oneself by my favorite comedy writer. Linda Francis Lee writes in the farce genre, taking situations to exaggerated extremes and doing it in such entertaining style that you cannot help but laugh out loud. At one point, near the end of the book, I had to go get tissues to wipe my eyes, laughing so much I couldn't see to read. The ending is satisfying with many resolutions, and all believable, particularly if you were raised in the south.

[Sep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Lee made the whole debutant tradition heartwarming and coming-of-age story.. Carlile, who despite the title was a very poor debutante, is railroaded into returning from Boston, helping her mother win her 4th or 5th divorce, and (worst of all) running Willow Creek, Texas' 100th debutante ball. To start off, her being in charge infuriates "Old Money" Willow Creek and they boycott. So do the new rich who were excluded for generations and have always debuted their daughters elsewhere. This leaves Carlile scrambling until she ends up with the most unlikely group of girls ever to aspire to be introduced to society. The novel is about teaching the girls all the skills debutantes need to know but it is also about mothers, daughters, sisters and sisters-in-law and, did I fail to mention, Jack Blair, the man Carlile left behind.

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't decide if this is a book about family and love relationship problems that managed to be funny, or if this a funny book that managed to be about family and love relationships- the balance here was really good. The Ex-debutante came into my life accidentally, but I'm so glad it did. The next time I read Linda Francis Lee it will be with the hope of getting another faintly ridiculous yet intelligent good time.

[Book Concierge · Rating 1 out of 5]

ZERO stars

From the book jacket: Carlisle Wainwright Cushing – of the old-moneyed Willow Creek, Texas, Wainwrights, is the daughter of larger-than-life Ridgely Wainwright … Cushing-Jameson-Lackley-Harper-Ogden. Given her mother’s predilection for divorce, no one is surprised that Carlisle becomes a divorce lawyer and runs far away to Boston, where nobody, including her fiancé, knows she’s an heiress. But now, three years later, Carlisle is lured back to Texas to deal with her mother’s latest divorce and the family-sponsored hundredth annual debutante ball, which is on the verge of collapse.

My reactions
Where to start? Cardboard characters. Tortured dialogue. Ridiculous plot. “Clever” writing devices that aren’t. This is just a disaster.

I read another book by Lee which had some problems, but was far more coherent than this mess.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book did not capture my attention as well as The Devil in the Jr. League. I did find segments entertaining, and being from Texas, I could identify with a few of the characters. The picture of the author on the front cover leads me to believe that the story is somewhat autobiographical. Whether that was intended or not, I have no idea! I thought it was rather silly.

[✎Stacey "The One Night Biter" · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this book at first.. But as it carried on, not only did I get into the story, I actually started speaking with a Southern Draw (and this isn't abnormal for me). Great plot twists, great ending and truly worth the time to read this book..

[Jenk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive plot that just kept swirling around the same few topics. Not much character development. I wasn't excited to see how any of the events turned out. The ending was predictable and boring.

[Leah Rehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cutesy little chick-lit novel and I really liked it. The character development was well thought out

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ex-Debutante had a recently unemployed Carlisle back in her hometown where she stumbled into representing her mother in her dissolution proceeding and taking charge of a Debutante Ball. This could have been a funnier chick lit read, but instead it had a much more serious tone to it.

Carlisle had a hard time getting women to want to join the decades old club, and I expected that the women who wanted to be a part of the Debutante Ball would provide a degree of humor based on their unique social upbringing. I looked forward to being immersed in a culture which is so foreign to me, but that didn't happen. Carlisle had an easy time recruiting girls to be debutantes, or debs, and they were catty, immature teenagers who were annoying to listen to. None of their conversations were funny. Instead, they were just mean to each other and their dialogue was grating.

Even Carlisle's rekindled romance was too tepid to energize this novel. This book might just have caught me at a bad time, because after recently reading several other chick lit books, I've gotten a little sick of a female protagonist going home after losing her job. Can't an author come up with any other catalyst for a story? I'm also tired of reading about women desperate to conceive, like Carlisle's sister. I think it is too stereotypical when the sole plot for a female character is her desperate need to have a baby.

Ugh. This was such a disappointment. I guess I expected more humor and a lighter read in general.

Please read more of my reviews on my blog: http://fastpageturner.wordpress.com
or follow me on twitter at @dana_heyde

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, the main character flies home to Texas and gets herself entangled in her mother's divorce and the family charity debutante ball, not to mention the hottie guy she had a huge crush from early high school up until the moment she fled to Boston.

The premise is so stupid, and the main character was such a victim in the beginning, I almost DNF'd at page 25. Especially, the trope of dictionary entries to emphasize key words was already old and tired by page 5. I hoped the author would forget about it and stop, but she didn't.

It turns out exactly as you'd expect for the most part, but I did enjoy the book. To my surprise, I came to care about all the bratty debutantes and wanted them to all have the ball of their dreams. That's what I wanted most.

The main character got her happy ending too, and I guess I was glad, but really she lost me from her team when she got it on with the hottie guy in the restroom during a recess at her mother's divorce trial... when she knew he was engaged to someone else, she's her mother's lawyer, and the hottie is the lawyer for her mother's husband. Sorry, that's just not ok. I realize we're on Planet Romance Novel here, but even so—it's such a lack of integrity and ethics, I just lost all regard for both of these characters.

[TX Poppet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ex-Debutante is the story of a young moneyed Texan who chose to move to Boston to practice law and make a fresh start. When her mother calls her home three years later with a family emergency, Carlisle finds herself sucked back in to family drama including her crunchy sister in law's struggles with an orange-haired teenager, her sister's all-consuming fertility battles complete with hormonal mood swings that make Sigourney Weaver's alien look like a lap dog, and her mother's umpteenth divorce. Somehow in the midst of all this she gets roped into organizing a debutante ball and coaching eight very challenging young women for a presentation complete with the dreaded "Texas Dip". Oh! and did I mention the sizzling lawyer in tight jeans representing her mother's husband?

Yep, I loved this book and most especially I loved how the characters ring true. In turns funny, outrageous, and very touching, The Ex-Debutante is a one sit read. You don't have to be a Texas deb to be unable to put this book down.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ex-Debutante is a cute, fun and quick read. While the cover makes the story appear to be overly cliche, it really isn't. Carlisle has returned back home and gets roped into hosting the annual debutante ball as well as acting as her mother's own divorce lawyer.

This story has several layers including lost loves, family dynamics, jealousy, and stereotypes. While the story follows Carlisle's return back to her family, it delves more into human nature which was rather refreshing.

Don't let the cover or even the synopisis fool you: This book has more to offer than it shows.

[Krystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

A no nonsense lawyer/former deb from Texas, returns to her roots to help her mother through her umpteenth divorce and save her families Deb ball. There were times the book was good, times that it would make up for the cheesy dialogue and transparent plot. It kept me entertained anyway.

[Susannah Carleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart-warming story of love, family, and dreams, that proves that what is best for a person or family or community is not necessarily the old tried-and-true approach. The characters are intriguing, and the plot twists and turns will keep readers turning pages long into the night.

[Lanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some books would be so fun, if they weren't so immoral:)

[Lillie Senseney · Rating 2 out of 5]

book was lowkey racist…

[JayeL]

Besides Emily and Einstein and The Glass Kitchen this is the only other book by the author in audiobook format that I could find.

One big problem with this narration is that the narrator, Susan Bennett, huffs a little, like a small laugh, at the end of every sentence, or what seems like every sentence. It is hard to listen to that mannerism after listening to Julia Whelan read The Glass Kitchen, also by Linda Francis Lee.

Carlisle goes back to Texas and ends up taking a sabbatical from work, representing her mother in divorce proceedings and heading up the local debutante ball.

There are too many characters and I just didn't care about them that much. I also really wanted an epilogue like the The Glass Kitchen, but no such luck.

[Corene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A frothy, shallow novel that I quite enjoyed. Listening to it on audio made the story of a young lawyer who escaped her small Texas town for Boston, then finds herself back home again, go down pretty easy.

Carlisle has always had to rescue her beautiful, wealthy mother from romantic troubles. Now she’s been called home not only to oversee her mother’s contentious divorce, but also to organize the local debutantes ball. The book breezily toggles between these two major headaches, and throws in a handsome, Levi’s-wearing former crush of Carlisle’s, the lawyer representing her stepfather in the divorce.

You have to have some tolerance for unlikable characters and all of the superficiality to get through this, but there’s no reason to take the novel too seriously. There are definite laughs, along with poignant moments, and the narrator of the audiobook does a great job selling the whole silly plot.

[Lenore Kuipers-Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really different than any other that I have read. It usually follows that I can guess what is going to happen next in so many books that I read, but not with this particular book.

It involves an ex-debutante, Carlisle Wainwright Cushing, from Willow Creek, Texas. She is the daughter of Ridgely Wainwright-Cushing-Jameson-Lackley-Harper-Ogden. She is a divorce attorney, with an outstanding reputation; but in Boston, not Texas. She ran away from home. She is engaged to be married, but no one in the law firm where she works knows about Carlisle's background, including her fiance'.

Carlisle's mother calls her home to help her with her newest divorce. She goes home to run into a true Southern boy, also a divorce attorney, Jack Blair.

There are several different stories going on within this book, which makes it so interesting and intriguing. I had no idea how it was going to end. I was truly surprised with the ending, which doesn't happen to me very often.

[Meryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, the kind of book that makes you laugh out loud. Carlise Wainwright Cushing is a Lawyer from a very prominent Texas Family who's family drives her crazy, so she moves to Boston to practice law. No one knows she comes from a rich family, not even her fiancé Phillip Granger. She has to represent her Mother in her latest divorce and take over the planning of a debutante ball that she wants no part of. The Lawyer representing her mothers latest husband is Carlisles ex-boyfriend who she ran out on 3 years ago. Her sister Savannah has been trying for years to have a baby and can't. Her brother and his wife Janice have 4 uncontrollable children. They all get together and hilarity ensues. Her fiancé decides to make a surprise visit and thinks her mother is the maid and her mother is happy to play along. That's just one of the hilarious situations that come up.

[Reba · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, here I am in 2017, tackling my 2012 "to-read" list from Goodreads. Anyway, it is The Ex-Debutante's turn. Funny, because as I started this, I thought that it seemed a bit long. After like the first two chapters, I figured we could have some drama, a hot and heavy sex-scene or two, and wrap up the happily ever after. I found myself intrigued about what Lee could have to write about that would take up the rest of the pages. But, about a third of the way in, I find myself enjoying some of the plot development and twists, and characters, and just going along for the ride. Predictable? Light and fluffy? Sure, but as I have stated before, ad nauseam, to defend my somewhat questionable taste in literature, sometimes we need dessert along with out meat and potatoes.

[Rose Grabowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. It was about wealthy Texans and a debutante ball and I can't really relate to either. It actually had some funny and touching moments as well as tackling some serious family issues. Carlisle has been called home from Boston to represent her mother in her divorce and while there gets pressured into running a debutante ball that is a family tradition. Both of these situations combined with an old boyfriend as opposing counsel make an entertaining quick read.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. Overall fun read, but a couple of devices didn’t work for me: the definition of common words at the beginning of chapters to make a point and the main character constantly using the phrase, “Me? (Insert long full name), am (insert feeling).” Both of those were used over and over, and we got it the first time. The romance was trite and predictable. I wanted to skip past anything that had to do with Jack and his smouldering eyes. Bleh.

But the story about the girls and the ball was so fun and sweet, it made the rest worth the read.

[aCupcakeBlonde · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This book was fun and funny and a good read, but nothing special.

I liked Carlisle as a lead character and how she gets herself out situations she doesn't want to be in is entertaining. But the deep south customs and all the ball stuff, plus how they didn't set all the nasty girls straight right away kinda set me on edge. The ending was a bit predictable for the time frame this was written in.

[Nikki Dew · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book. Honestly I think I only made it 2 or 3 chapters in before I finally relegated it to the basement. It’s chippy and upbeat, sure, but it’s also very clichéd and stereotypical for the genre. It is probably a great read for some but it’s just not of my genre interest (it was on sale in a library for cheap so I have it a whirl).

[Cari Schaeffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. I took away a star only because there were several "f" words and I never find that to be necessary. I like this author's writing style and sense of humor - always on point!

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be annoying and frivolous. The characters were superficial and lacked depth. But maybe I have my preconceived ideas about debutantes and the Texas elite. I found this very hard to finish.

[JT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and very light! Better than I thought it would be! A couple of twists in the story that I didn’t see coming.

Perfect for the post-holiday wind down and a nice break from the more traditional new year, fresh start, self-help literature.