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The Season

A Social History of the Debutante

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The Season

Written by: Kristen Richardson
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
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About this listen

Kristen Richardson, from a family of debutantes, chose not to debut. But as her curiosity drove her to research this enduring custom, she learned that it, and debutantes, are not as simple as they seem.

The story begins in England 600 years ago when wealthy fathers needed an efficient way to find appropriate husbands for their daughters. Elizabeth I's exclusive presentations at her court expanded into London's full season of dances, dinners, and courting, extending eventually to the many corners of the British empire and beyond.

Richardson traces the social seasons of young women on both sides of the Atlantic, from Georgian England to colonial Philadelphia, from the Antebellum South and Wharton's New York back to England. She delves into Jazz Age debuts, carnival balls in the American South, and the reimagined ritual of elite African-American communities.

The Season shares the captivating stories of these young women, often through their words from diaries, letters, and interviews that Richardson conducted at contemporary balls. The debutantes give voice to an array of complex feelings about being put on display, about the young men they meet, and about what their future in society or as wives might be.

©2019 Kristen Richardson (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books Americas Customs & Traditions Europe Women England Young Adult Marriage Imperialism
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super interesting

I liked this book much more than I had anticipated! I bought it a while ago and it was collecting dust in my library. I almost returned it last month. But then I watched Bridgerton on Netflix (loved it) ... and this book suddenly became more relevant.

In the end, the book ended up being a much more holistic look at culture, history, the rise of the celebrity, race and gender. It covered so many topics and wove them all together with the backdrop being debutante society and balls. I learned so much!

highly recommend

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