"In the landscape of the very rich and the very famous, at a Connecticut finishing school in the early 1940s, four young women of very different backgrounds first meet. They are the debutantes." "Spanning four decades, with forays into each young woman's history, "The Debutantes" is the story of the tempestuous, often tortured lives of these poor little rich girls."

When i first got this book, I really did not expect to be so engrossed in it. The writing is such, that you feel as if you know the characters personally, and their stories touch the soul. I found myself in tears on more than one occasion. Spanning 4 decades in the lives of 4 "poor" rich girls, (well, one not so rich) and the joys, sorrows and tragedies that touch their lives, this book is truly a moving experience. A great read...recommended.

The heroine, Adrianna DeArte is a child who's mother died young and her father, already married, unwilling to fully care for her. Therefore, she is sent to live with her 'uncle' and 'aunt'. She is forced to change her name. From then on, she struggles against society, trying to find her identity. Because of her history, she has trouble trusting people. Then, she meets the golden boy, Jonathon West. He is everything she has ever dreamed about. This is saying a lot b/c Adrianna is experienced with rich men. Through sickness and health, she strives to be with him.

Okay, now away from the plot. At the very beginning, I was prepared for a corny romance. I put it down a couple of times before I really got into it. After a while, you just dive into the world where people give others hundreds of thousands worth of jewelery without a blink.

To mix the past into the present, almost half of the book was based on flashbacks. They're interesting except when all of a sudden, Adrianna and Jonathon are together. And you're sitting with the book, going, "What just happened here?!" Of course, the author tells us what happened later on in the book.

The one thing I didn't like was the climax. It didn't seem like one to me. Maybe it could have been more detailed and longer or something.

All in all, it was a nice, easy, predictable romance.