Confessions of a Rebel Debutante
A Memoir
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
A fond, funny Southern-fried memoir about growing up a proper young lady...or not.
How does a North Carolina native go from being a tomboy with catfish guts on her overalls to becoming the next Scarlett O'Hara? Turns out, it's not so easy. Too smart, too tall, too fat, too different...Anna Fields was a dud at debbing.
From tea parties to teased hair to where to hide mini bottles of liquor inside poufy crinoline ballgowns, Anna reveals all-in a hilarious, behindthe-scenes glimpse into Deb Culture, where for a Southern belle, "the proof is in the pouf."
Unless, of course, she rebels...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Although Fields, a standup comedian and writer for As the World Turns, bemoans non-Southerners who prefer to believe I grew up with Jim Bakker style televangelists hoarding Confederate silver, she dishes out plenty of stereotypes when recounting her own missteps up North New Yorkers, for example, are crammed into tiny little apartments... like sardines and they all dress in black, and the subways are just awful. Fields's memoir skips from one set of anecdotes boarding school in North Carolina, college at Brown, misadventures in Hollywood, living as a struggling writer in New York to another, with occasional digressions intended to reflect a down-home common sense leavened by a rebellious streak. (As she remarks early on, she was groomed to be a debutante, but never did get to have her coming-out party.) Most of her stories are, however, unremarkable, and neither her experiences nor her insights stand out. Things pick up when she begins taking gratuitous swipes at celebrities she's encountered, from Julia Stiles (arrogant) to Diana Ross ( crazy-ass ); a later misadventure working for one of Bravo's Real Housewives reads like a Nanny Diariesknockoff. The overall effect is occasionally entertaining but ultimately ephemeral.
Customer Reviews
Great summer read!
What an awesome way to start the summer! Anna Fields charms you with her daring tomboy start in a small Southern town, her frilly debutante grooming, and her rebel will that broke both molds. Moving on to Brown University with head and heartache, smoggy Los Angeles/"Hollyweirds" with their divas and sushi, and New York roaches and Real Housewives, Anna's story is truly worth the read. Take a breath of fresh country air and big city confidence and laugh out loud!