Kudzu Debutantes: A Novel

The ubiquitous vine/weed found in Southern climes, known as the "kud • zu" \kud-zü\, is a formidable foe that, if left unchecked, will grow over any fixed object in its path, including trees, power lines, and even the entire state of Georgia. On the other hand, a "deb•u•tante" \de-byu-tänt\ is a young woman making her debut into society, easily recognizable by her white dress and pearl necklace. Common names for these debutantes include Muffy, Bootsy, and Bunny.

Eadie Boone is no shrinking violet. An artist and former beauty queen who married into one of the first families of Ithaca, Georgia, she tackles everything with gusto and flair. However, tailing her wayward husband proves to be an exasperating chore. If only Trevor would see the light, dump his twenty-two-year-old mistress, and return home, Eadie's creative energy could be put to better use. Now, all she has to do is convince him.

Nita Broadwell, a good Southern girl from a good Southern family, is jolted out of her complacency when she discovers condoms in her husband's shirt pocket ("Maybe he'd found them on the ground and picked them up"). Caught between clinging to denial and dodging her overbearing mother-in-law, Nita is also trying to break her addiction to steamy bodice-ripper novels. Surprisingly, it appears she's authoring her own real-life romance tale with a hunky handyman thirteen years her junior.

Lavonne Zibolsky, a transplanted Yankee, is saddled with planning the annual Broadwell & Boone law firm party. That, coupled with her lackluster marriage, has her seeking solace in the contents of her refrigerator. If she could just put down the Rocky Road ice cream and peach pie, she might get around to finding a caterer, dropping sixty pounds, and figuring out how to fall in love with her husband again. Not necessarily in that order.

Bonded by years of friendship, these three women discover what else they have in common: lying, cheating spouses. Heeding their collective betrayals as a wake-up call, they band together to exact sweet revenge. The take-charge trio will see to it that the punishment is just, exquisitely humiliating, and downright hilarious.

Cathy Holton's debut novel is a delicious yarn of friendship and marriage, secrets and retribution, and how nothing stays hidden for long. Against a Southern backdrop of gentility and decorum, "Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes" dares to abandon Junior League social graces in ways that would make even Scarlett O'Hara blush.

As one reviewer aptly stated, "It's great fun reading about these women as they trade their tea for tequila and get smart, get out, and get even, with amusing, and surprising results." Another praised the novel, saying, "Sly, smart, and full of great characters -- and then there's that sweet, sweet revenge. Getting even has never been so creative. Or delicious."

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