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Last Curtsey
The End of the Debutantes
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Last Curtsey
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
A wonderful snapshot of a moment in history - the final swansong for the debutantes and an era of aristocratic British social history.
Fiona MacCarthy's Last Curtsey: The End of the Debutantes is a wonderful snapshot of a moment in history - the final swansong for the debutantes and an era of aristocratic British social history.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
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 in Last Curtsey, and shows how their lives were to open out in often very unexpected ways. Britain itself changed irreversibly during the 1960s, and the certainties of the old order came to an end.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Last Curtsey by Fiona MacCarthy has been well received for its engaging portrayal of the final debutante season in Britain. Critics appreciate the author's ability to blend personal narrative with historical analysis, offering a vivid snapshot of a bygone era. Readers find the memoir both charming and insightful, providing an evocative account of societal changes in the 1950s.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780571228607
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 03 May 2007
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Faber & Faber
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 21.0mm
Width: 128.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 251g
Pages: 320
About the Author
With her widely acclaimed book Eric Gill, published in 1989, Fiona MacCarthy established herself as one of the leading writers of biography in Britain. This was followed by William Morris (1994), which won several literary awards including the Wolfson History Prize and was described by A.S. Byatt as 'one of the finest biographies ever published in this country.' Byron: Life and Legend (2002), was described as 'one of the great literary biographies of our time', by The Independent on Sunday. Fiona MacCarthy writes regularly for the Guardian and lives in Derbyshire.
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