The Debutante by Kathryn Williams

Annie MacRae's senior year is nothing like she had planned. Instead of spending it in Connecticut where she grew up, her parents drag her to Beaufort, Alabama, source of her father's new job and where he grew up. There, this self described "prippie" (a combination of prep and hippie) must adjust to the sweltering heat, weird expressions, people with double first names, and the interfering presence of her father's side of the family. Her only consolation is the chance that she'll be accepted to Brown University "on the right side of the Mason-Dixon", her dream school. However, the only way she'll get to go is if her grandparents pay for it, which her grandmother will only agree to if Annie (or as Gram insists on calling her, "Ann Gordon") becomes a debutante....poofy white dress and all.

From start to finish, this book cracked me up. It reminded me of "Steel Magnolias" -minus the organ failure- and I couldn't help but picture Gram as Shirley Maclaine. Overall, it was very southern, very funny, and so not stereotypical. A lot of the characters felt like people I already know. I found myself going "know her, know him, that lady works at the drug store", etc. I can't even complain about Annie's love interest's name being Robert Lee (though we never find out if his middle name is E), because I know at least two people with that name.

I was surprised and happy about how normal and relatable the characters were. Even Annie's occasional bitchiness, which under a lesser author would have made her into a clone of Paris Hilton on "The Simple Life", is understandable because who among us wouldn't be pissed off to leave everyone we know behind during our senior year?

While I wish I could have seen more of Annie's debutante training, I really enjoyed getting to know Annie's new friends. While she's initially hesitant to even have friends, they quickly accept her and make her one of them. They're her guides on all things southern, which was among the funniest things I've read lately -particularly on the all time get out of jail free card "bless your heart" and the "coke vs soda" debate. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, never fear, this book will explain all.....bless your heart.

Annie's grandmother was an interesting character to me. From "old money", Gram is all about upholding tradition, which of course includes coming out as a deb. One of my only complaints about this book is that I wish Gram was featured more. I would have liked to have seen more of just what made her tick -or at least seen her boss more people around.

Ultimately, though, I really enjoyed The Debutante and definitely recommend it. I'm really hoping for a sequel...maybe with a little bleeding armadillo groom's cake thrown in for good measure.

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