Debutantes: In Love by Cora Harrison
| Debutantes: In Love by Cora Harrison | |
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| Category: Teens | |
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Reviewer: Robert James
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| Summary: A complete gem of a book, this is historical fiction at its very best! Cora Harrison popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 320 | Date: August 2013 |
| Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1447205951 | |
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This is a sequel to Debutantes, but I've actually pretty much avoided spoilers for once.
Poppy and Daisy Derrington leave Beech Green Manor to launch themselves in London. The pair know they need to marry well as their father is in dire financial straits - but marriage is something of a distraction to their real dreams of films and music. Can they find themselves love and happiness in the Roaring Twenties?
Firstly, I should apologise for a delay to this review - I finished reading it two weeks ago, and was planning on reviewing straight away, but my initial six drafts all meandered into variations of Oh wow, oh wow, I loved this book and you need to go out and get it right now! I decided that I probably needed to try and be slightly more eloquent in phrasing exactly why I completely adored it, and hopefully I've finally managed it here.
Despite what I've just said above, I initially struggled ever so slightly to get into this book properly - I thought the original was fabulous because of the wonderful interaction between the four girls, so it was a little disconcerting to see Violet and Rose take smaller parts here, with the focus firmly on Poppy and Daisy. It's a decision that definitely pays off, though, as the story of the middle two girls launching themselves in London is utterly delightful.
Film-maker Daisy and musician Poppy are vivid characters, full of life, and their romances are well-handled. Poppy's boyfriend is charming, while Daisy's love interest is absolutely swoonworthy. This pair give us the best build-up to a kiss for what seems like forever - I waited ages for it to happen but was completely satisfied by it. In addition the adults, notably the girls' father as he struggles to fight against the heir to the estate, are well-portrayed. Also worthy of note is the way Harrison brings the time period to life so brilliantly, with the settings and fashions excellent, one particularly good cameo from a real person and the jazz clubs and gossip columns playing a huge part in the story. Oh, and check out the gorgeous cover!
Overall, this is a complete gem, and just about edges out a couple of other superb books mentioned below as my favourite historical novel so far this year.
My other favourite historical books of the year are The Flappers: Diva by Jillian Larkin which brings to an end the stunning series started with The Flappers: Vixen by Jillian Larkin and adult novel The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell. Both are set in the same time period, although they're across the Atlantic.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Debutantes: In Love by Cora Harrison at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Debutantes: In Love by Cora Harrison at Amazon.com.
Cora Harrison was kind enough to be interviewed by Bookbag.
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