Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes

Kudzu Debutantes #1

by Cathy Holton

kud • zu \kud-zü\ n: a ubiquitous vine/weed found in Southern climes that, left uncontrolled, will grow over any fixed object in its path, including trees, power lines, and the entire state of Georgia.

deb•u•tante \de-byu-tänt\ n: a young woman making a debut into society, easily spotted in white dress and pearl necklace. Common names include Muffy, Bootsy, and Bunny.

Eadie Boone is no shrinking violet. An artist and former beauty queen who married into one of the first families of Ithaca, Georgia, she tackles everything with gusto and flair. But tailing her wayward husband proves to be, well, an exasperating chore. If only Trevor would just see the light, dump his twenty-two-year-old hussy, and return home, Eadie’s creative energy could be put to better use. Now all she has to do is convince him.

Nita Broadwell, a good Southern girl from a good Southern family, is jolted out of complacency when she discovers condoms in her husband’s shirt pocket (“Maybe he’d found them on the ground and picked them up”). Between clinging to denial and dodging her overbearing mother-in-law, Nita is also trying to break her addiction to steamy bodice-ripper novels. Only now it appears she’s authoring her own real-life romance tale with a hunky handyman thirteen years her junior.

Lavonne Zibolsky–a transplanted Yankee, bless her heart–is saddled with planning the annual Broadwell & Boone law firm party. That and her lackluster marriage have her seeking solace in the contents of her refrigerator. If she could just put down the Rocky Road ice cream and peach pie, she might get around to finding a caterer, dropping sixty pounds, and figuring out how to fall in love with her husband again. Not necessarily in that order.

Bonded by years of friendship, these three women discover what else they have in common: lying, cheating spouses. So they heed their collective betrayals as a wake-up call and band together to exact sweet revenge. The take-charge trio will see to it that the punishment is just, exquisitely humiliating, and downright hilarious.

Cathy Holton’s debut novel is a delicious yarn of friendship and marriage, secrets and retribution, and how nothing stays hidden for long. Against a Southern backdrop of gentility and decorum, Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes dares to abandon Junior League social graces in ways that would make even Scarlett O’Hara blush.
From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Southern, Audiobook, Humor, Womens, Beach Reads

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Cathy Holton continues to entertain readers with her stories of strong, intelligent women trying to survive in an often hostile world. The Boston Globe says “Holton has a lively, fluid style that shifts easily among the viewpoints’ of several characters and goes down as easily as sweet tea,” while Entertainment Weekly calls her prose “Sharp, witty, and warm.”

Although grateful for the critical praise, it is the enthusiastic response of readers who tell her they “laughed, cried, and let dinner burn” while reading one of her novels that inspires her most.

Sadly, Cathy passed away in 2013 after a long battle with cancer. She will be terribly missed by her friends and family. Fortunately for her readers, Cathy left behind a treasure trove of finished and narly finished manuscripts. We can think of no better tribute to Cathy than to publish these works. To that end, her family and publisher are working hard to get these books ready. The first of these legacy Novels: The Rico Boys is now available on Amazon Kindle, with a paperback to follow. Other titles are forthcoming.

Become a Fan of Cathy Holton on Facebook for free excerpts, giveaways, “character” interviews and more. Follow her at www.cathyholton.com and on Twitter.

Reviews

[DeB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly, this tidbit of a novel provided me with vicarious pleasure, as these three ladies buddied up to plan, protect themselves and help each other rediscover long forgotten strengths. Perversely this could be considered a coming of age yarn, with these women reaching a stage of life where their experience and fortitude matured them sufficiently to ask for respect, and for their self-centred, cheating immature husbands to reexamine their self importance. Lastly, it contains the funniest vignette, where the snotty rich boys are taken down many notches by staff at a ranch, that I have ever belly-laughed over- almost worth reading the whole book alone!

Eadie, Lovene and Nita live in Ithaca, Georgia with their wealthy established lawyer husbands. When New Yorker Lovene's husband Larry inherited a tidy sum shortly after they married, she found herself selling her accounting business and moving South without any consultation so Larry could purchase a business with status. Now, forty-six and with two daughters close to college age, Larry's lack of attentiveness is noticeable, Lovene still feels like an outsider in the Old South aristocracy and ponders on the twenty years ahead. Both Eadie and Nita have married "up", to Trevor and Charles with their houses full of antiques and disdainful families; Larry is the third partner in the firm.

The ladies discover that for fifteen years their husbands have included
prostitutes on their annual gentry-style weekly hunting trip. The women also realize how vulnerable their financial circumstances are, blindly having trusted their husbands- only to find out that they own nothing jointly. Stealthy shenanigans ensue, deals are developed, the hunting lodge owner is up for duplicitous hi-jinks and the stage is set for the hilarious and satisfying conclusion.

I found myself wishing that I'd had friends like these twenty years ago. I was a lot like Nita then, naïve and unprepared for what was coming at me. "The of the Kudzu Debutantes" surprised me by satisfying that lost inner woman,a deer in headlights blinded and unprepared for the underhanded cruelty of a divorce that spun my shell-shocked children and me into privation as the "ex" holidayed with his mistress in Hawaii.

The book was published over ten years ago but it has stood the test of time. I see that there are some less than favourable reviews; some knock it because it caricatures the South, others because it is so light. I like it, a lot- as an old war horse of divorce, it was enjoyable to laugh over the past and cheer for the survivors. Some men, yes, were included. Four stars for comedic mature chick lit.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a quick, fun read. It does tackle some serious issues, such as misogyny, racism, and "good-ol'-boy" Southern mores. However, in spite of it all, I found myself laughing so hard in parts of this book. I can't wait to read the sequel, "The Secret Lives of the Kudzu Debutantes." This would make a great vacation read!!

[Agatha Donkar Lund · Rating 2 out of 5]

Her characters are caricatures, she writes the South like someone who's not entirely comfortable there -- her least cartoonish character was the transplanted Yankee -- and everything's resolved neatly with no repercussions (for some incredibly outrageously illegal behavior) in about 20 pages. While I found that tie-up mechanism charming and effective in One Mississippi, I found it sloppy and irritating in this one.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eadie, Lavonne and Nita are best friends and married to the 3 partners in a thriving Ithaca, Georgia law firm. Eadie and husband Trevor are currently separated as he is dating his lovely young secretary. Lavonne and Leonard merely coexist in the same house; she spends all of her time raising their two daughters and chairing committees. Nita is married to the overbearing Charles who is rarely at home but demands that his rules must be followed to the letter by Nita and their 2 children. The three women happen upon a photo album that their husbands have been keeping for years showing photos of their annual hunting trip in the wilds of Montana. Looking a bit more closely at the pictures they notice a few things that should not be there: a leopard skin stiletto, a female hand on one of the men's shoulders and a discarded pair of black panties in the background. Just what kind of hunting have their men been up to? Eadie, Lavonne and Nita put their heads together and come up with a plan to exact revenge on their straying spouses and it is one that will have their husbands completely at their mercy.

This was a pleasant enough read; some great humor at times. I like all three of the women although I can't imagine why they put up with their husbands for so long. The men are caricatures of haughty, self-involved businessmen. I enjoyed the women's revenge plot. Not bad.

[Michelle Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is all over the place so many characters that it is a little hard to follow.

I found a few of the main characters incredibly hard to like.

I understand why Trevor left Eadie she keeps bragging about how far she has come but she only did so by marrying wealth and not at all on her own merit. She also considers it a virtue to have depleted a home of beautiful furnishings and replaced them with numerous replicas of the same sculpture???? I can respect and enjoy true artists but this seemed silly extreme and excessive to me. While her husband was no prize, I can sympathize with someone who might like to live in a home as opposed to what seems to amount to a museum dedicated to the female torso.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Three women in Georgia learn their husbands have been cheating on them and plot revenge! Then the revenge goes off without a hitch and barely any worrying. And each woman gets what she wants. And all their children are happy and their financial situations are secure.

The book could have used a few twists. It was sweet tea without any lemon. It's great to have a happy ending but it's boring when they plan out a scheme, the scheme goes off easily and quickly, and the schemers feel satisfied.

[Carrie LeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this audiobook as a purely escapist, summer read. It was definitely stereotypical in it's characters, but hey, it lead to several chuckles on my part. Once upon a time, I lived in Newnan, GA, only 30+ minutes southwest of Atlanta and I could relate to a lot of the references in this book. All of my husbands' Alabama family say "fix'in" and "ya'll" among many other "Southern" words and phrases. I'm proud to be a Southerner from Arkansas!

[Marilyn K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing and entertaining read. Perfect reading for a light, easy summer vacation.

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun Southern fiction.

Listening length nine hr 45 min

[Susan Hanson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was about three women who lived in a small Southern town in Georgia. The three were married to lawyers who all shared a law practice together. None of the three women were completely satisfied in their marriages but they lived a lifestyle that provided for them and their children,so none were willing to leave until eventually they discover that their husbands annual hunting trip involved prostitutes. The three women decide to punish their husband secretly to get their husbands assets and then get divorced. It was a funny story. I enjoyed the characters of the book. I also like that the women decided to take the matters into their own hands and start a new life. Women found out the name of the man who ran the “hunting facility”,who also happen to be retiring,and he didn’t like their husbands, so he agreed to help the women get revenge on their husbands. Instead of having prostitutes to greet their husbands the wife surprise them with female impersonators and they use Photos to blackmail their husbands to agree with their divorce settlements.

[MBenzz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so hooked on the Kudzu Debutantes! I can't wait till my library gets the sequel to this book in, 'The Secret Lives of Kudzu Debutantes'. Darn the super slow Georgia library system! Every night I'd go to bed at 9:30 and say to myself '1 hour, just 1 hour of reading, then I'll go to bed'. Ha! 3 hours later I was FORCING myself to put the book down!

If you love southern fiction, cheating husbands, and wives who set into motion the perfect revenge plot, then you'll love this book. The only thing that slightly irritated me throughout was Nita's wish-washy attitude towards her marriage. Maybe she'd leave her bully husband Charles, maybe she wouldn't...argh! But other then that, it was perfect. The story moved along at a great pace, and the characters were extremely well developed. I couldn't have been more pleased with the ending, and how everything panned out. I sure hope there are many more Kudzu Debutante books to follow, cause I just love these three women!

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Being raised in the South, I grew up among a lot of women just like her characters. Strong Southern women, whether from birth or acquiring later in life, every Southern woman has this strength inside her just waiting to appear when she needs it most. I am so heartbroken that the author, Cathy Holton has passed away. I would have enjoyed reading her for the rest of my life. I have three more to go. I look forward to reading the rest! Thank you, Mrs. Holton for the enjoyment reading your books has given me!

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read that leans heavy on Southern tropes, with some over-the-top and redneck-y, but others she nails, like boiled peanuts and the accurate use of y'all! Three women from different backgrounds (one raised by a single mom in a trailer outside town, another moved here from the Midwest, and the last from a blue-collar family that worked hard and sent all their kids to college) find out their wealthy husbands have been cheating on them and plan their revenge! The Kudzu Ball is a ridiculous but funny finale!

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mildly amusing story about a group of friends in a small Georgia town. A quick easy read, I had trouble at first believing that it was a southern book. I looked it up and the author was in fact southern. Some of the phrases and language sounded like it had been written by a northerner. Once the ladies decided to work on getting revenge on their husbands for various reasons, I thought the
book took a dark turn and it sounded like a different narrator was telling the story. The ending works for the characters, but it all seemed exaggerated and over the top to me.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny revenge tale

Yes, it’s a fairly familiar story: scorned, overlooked wives married to unfaithful and unkind husbands band together to turn the tables on their wretched spouses. But there’s a sparkly, joie-de-vivre quality in this book along with a few dark moments that give life to the outlandish tale, and more than a couple of laugh-out-load moments. A fun, light read.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow Fire

The read started out slow, sure I am happy that I kept reading after page 23 .
Her characters are women who find their strength to stand on their own two feet.
This book takes you from their early lifes to women, then to finding themselves.
There are parts of this book you will want to cry, then you laugh. It carries you forward with so many levels of just feeling you could be one of them.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not a fine literary piece, this book was extremely entertaining and downright hilarious as I’m sure the author meant it to be. I’m sure many would criticize the three women for marrying for status in the first place but I don’t think anyone would refute that. It’s just a hoot watching them scheming to give the jerks what they deserved.

[Linda Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, funny, occasionally serious account of marriage among the rich folks in a small Southern town. I enjoyed it immensely. The author obviously was raised in the South and she gets it right on point. If you’ve ever wanted to see entitled misogynistic men get their comeuppance read this book.

[Jennifer Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having met “debs” like Virginia and men like Charles; I found this book hilarious.
The Southern references are close to reality. I don’t see a spec of disdain for the south in this book just an impatience with people too big for their britches. :)

[Connie Frater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading

Excellent reading! I couldn't put it down. The plot was so clever and the characters are well developed. I would definitely recommend this book to any divorced females! Actually any woman would enjoy it!

[ToniG · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I read this many years ago, enjoyed it at the time. Was considering the follow on book, so took it off the shelf to read it again first. Just could not get into it this time, could not relate to the characters or their approach to life.

[Donna Skinner Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I originally gave this 3 stars but the more I thought about it the less I liked it. It was a struggle to finish & I almost gave up several times. The writing style was just not fluid for me; it was choppy. Glad it’s over!

[Lea Columbus · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a fun read- it reminded me of the book- First Wives Club.It told the story of 3 housewives in Georgia who realize that their lawyer husbands have been cheating on them, and how they get revenge.It was funny and clever, with some nice twists.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It’s full of humor as three friends take stock of their lives and deal with the betrayal of their husbands. It leaves you to determine what will happen to the three as the ending doesn’t tie everything up, but leaves off with the women beginning a new path in their lives.

[Coleen C. Dillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story line similar to the movie The First Wives Club. The story of three jilted women and their plans to take revenge on their husbands. It’s cute, but never catches fire and I had wish for more character development. Fun read, til the end, which is abrupt.

[Lori Inouye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book although language was a little much. Being from the south, but not at all privileged or rich, I found it to be entertaining. Since I don't run in those type of circles, I couldn't even identify with any of the characters but I enjoyed the story.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book!
I’m a Northerner, so some of the Southern ways were a bit of a culture shock!
But after I got over that, I got to know these characters and ended up Loving the book!
I’m off to read the next in the series!!

[Teresa Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and funny - can’t wait to read the sequel!

[tamara gant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good break time book.

I really really enjoyed this book it was light funny and a quick easy read. I can't wait for the movie.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5***