Last Curtsey: The End of the Debutantes
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Book Description
A wonderful snapshot of a moment in history - the final swansong for the debutantes and an era of aristocratic British social history.
Product Description
Once upon a time the well-bred daughters of Britain's aristocracy took part in a female rite of passage: curtseying to the Queen. But in 1958 this ritual was coming to an end. Under pressure to shine - not least from their mothers - the girls became the focus for newspaper diarists and society photographers in a party season that stretched for months among the great houses of England, Ireland and Scotland. Fiona MacCarthy traces the stories of the girls who curtseyed that year, and shows how their lives were to open out in often very unexpected ways - as Britain itself changed irreversibly during the 1960s, and the certainties of the old order came to an end.
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51 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I think readers might fear this book could be a little twee, or perhaps over-nostalgic. (After all, I seem to be the first person to review it!) But nothing could be futher from the truth. Fiona MacCarthy has written a splendid account of a specific period with lots of fascinating details about food (canned soup with a drop of Tio Pepe for a smart occasion...), clothing (naturally) and class, but she is particularly good on psychology. Not surprising really, as she writes about her own coming out year, 1958. Quite how the debs themselves fared (everything is possible, from becoming the Begum Aga Khan, to fighting in the IRA!), how styles, thought processes and people changed or adapted, is a fascinating story in its own right. Equally interesting to read where they were all coming from (historically speaking) and how post-war society still had a grip on finances, morals and ideals.
Context is everything, and this book puts a small topic (the debs and their coming out) into a fascinatíng web of social historical detail. Wish all social history books were like this!
Context is everything, and this book puts a small topic (the debs and their coming out) into a fascinatíng web of social historical detail. Wish all social history books were like this!
19 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was a little doubtful when I first bought this book. I was greatly suprised, that when I started reading this book I could not put it down.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in social history.This truly is a book which describes an era of modern history that has long gone.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in social history.This truly is a book which describes an era of modern history that has long gone.
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
VERY FAST SERVICE EXCELLENT CONDITION GIFT FOR MOTHER WHO SAYS IT IS WELL WRITTEN A GREAT READ -SHE CAN'T STOPPING READING THE BOOK
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