The Last Dance of the Debutante Audiobook

The author of the “sweeping, stirring, and heartrending” (Kristin Harmel, author of The Room on Rue Amélie) The Light Over London returns with a masterful, glittering novel that whisks you to midcentury Britain as it follows three of the last debutantes to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II.

When it’s announced that 1958 will be the last year debutantes are to be presented at court, thousands of eager mothers and hopeful daughters flood the palace with letters seeking the year’s most coveted invitation: a chance for their daughters to curtsey to the young Queen Elizabeth and officially come out into society.

In an effort to appease her traditional mother, aspiring university student Lily Nichols agrees to become a debutante and do the Season, a glittering and grueling string of countless balls and cocktail parties. In doing so, she befriends two very different women: the cool and aloof Leana Hartford whose apparent perfection hides a darker side and the ambitious Katherine Norman who dreams of a career once she helps her parents find their place among the elite.

But the glorious effervescence of the Season evaporates once Lily learns a devastating secret that threatens to destroy her entire family. Faced with a dark past, she’s forced to ask herself what really matters: her family legacy or her own happiness.

With her signature “intricate, tender, and convincing” (Publishers Weekly) storytelling, Julia Kelly weaves an unforgettable tale of female friendship amid the twilight days of Britain’s grand coming out balls.

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“Narrator Marisa Calin sounds like she is having a grand time as she transports listeners to the final days of debutante presentations before the British Royal Court in 1958. Calin’s versatile characterizations, subtle accents, and comfortable pacing capture this privileged world wherein modern ideas clash with traditional values…Calin initially presents Lily with a light and hesitant tone, but her timbre deepens with Lily’s growing confidence. Lily is befriended by the aristocratic Leana, whose snobby, brusque demeanor is wonderfully portrayed, and by Katherine, a debutante from “new money” who wants to be a journalist, whose appeal is illuminated through her straightforward, friendly tones.”

— AudioFile