The Dressmaker
Liz says:
Although the sinking of the Titanic plays a role in The Dressmaker, it is not a starring role. Tess, a poor but talented seamstress, is witness to the good and bad in others; she has had to put up with much of the bad and now has an opportunity to share in the good. But her employers expect her to lie for them and Tess is not sure that she wants a part in their lies. Ultimately a story of class distinctions, The Dressmaker is a fairy tale come true for the lucky Tess. I loved this "beach" read, I loved Tess, but I wanted a sadder ending (rare for me).
tomsong11 says:
Tess Collins leaves service to the hard taskmasters her father ‘sold’ her to in Cherbourg and seeks employment on the newest ocean liner sailing to New York. She wants to employ the dressmaking skills her impoverished, abused mother taught her. She has dreams of designing and making couture fashion and she is taken on board by the real-life couturier, Lady Lucille Duff Gordon. As Tess board’s the Titanic for its mai...den voyage she is full of dreams of a new future in a new world.Tess is given small, conflicting hints of just what sort of person her new employer is but, before she can sift through the confusing signals sufficiently, the Titanic hits the iceberg. Tess and the Duff Gordons are saved but not on the same boat. Much of the rest of the story – facts gleaned from the transcripts of the U.S. Senate hearings – deals with the actions of those who survived. What was the ethical, moral response of those twelve people who managed to secure a life boat able to accommodate forty to fifty people in this supersized tragedy? Alcott offers her readers nearly a balanced look at this and I certainly wondered just exactly how I would respond in that situation. I hope I wouldn’t allow fear to prevent me from rescuing survivors in a freezing ocean in a pitch black night but such an event as the sinking of an ocean liner isn’t anything any of us could anticipate. This is more than a beautiful love story. It is also the story of a new world emerging in the beginning of the twentieth century. Some of this world is reflected in the truly amazing, cinematic images of fashion in this time. There are suffragettes who protest against a code that demands that women and children be rescued first, and a female journalist for The Times, Pinky Wade, with her fight for equal pay and independence. I really enjoyed this novel and read much of it very quickly. I was keen to see how it played out but most of all I appreciated the attention to detail. Alcott included many of the real survivors, J. Bruce Ismay, and the wealthy oil millionairess, Margaret Brown, for instance. I am much better informed about this riveting and important piece of history and I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic.MoreLess
Although the sinking of the Titanic plays a role in The Dressmaker, it is not a starring role. Tess, a poor but talented seamstress, is witness to the good and bad in others; she has had to put up with much of the bad and now has an opportunity to share in the good. But her employers expect her to lie for them and Tess is not sure that she wants a part in their lies. Ultimately a story of class distinctions, The Dressmaker is a fairy tale come true for the lucky Tess. I loved this "beach" read, I loved Tess, but I wanted a sadder ending (rare for me).
tomsong11 says:
Tess Collins leaves service to the hard taskmasters her father ‘sold’ her to in Cherbourg and seeks employment on the newest ocean liner sailing to New York. She wants to employ the dressmaking skills her impoverished, abused mother taught her. She has dreams of designing and making couture fashion and she is taken on board by the real-life couturier, Lady Lucille Duff Gordon. As Tess board’s the Titanic for its mai...den voyage she is full of dreams of a new future in a new world.Tess is given small, conflicting hints of just what sort of person her new employer is but, before she can sift through the confusing signals sufficiently, the Titanic hits the iceberg. Tess and the Duff Gordons are saved but not on the same boat. Much of the rest of the story – facts gleaned from the transcripts of the U.S. Senate hearings – deals with the actions of those who survived. What was the ethical, moral response of those twelve people who managed to secure a life boat able to accommodate forty to fifty people in this supersized tragedy? Alcott offers her readers nearly a balanced look at this and I certainly wondered just exactly how I would respond in that situation. I hope I wouldn’t allow fear to prevent me from rescuing survivors in a freezing ocean in a pitch black night but such an event as the sinking of an ocean liner isn’t anything any of us could anticipate. This is more than a beautiful love story. It is also the story of a new world emerging in the beginning of the twentieth century. Some of this world is reflected in the truly amazing, cinematic images of fashion in this time. There are suffragettes who protest against a code that demands that women and children be rescued first, and a female journalist for The Times, Pinky Wade, with her fight for equal pay and independence. I really enjoyed this novel and read much of it very quickly. I was keen to see how it played out but most of all I appreciated the attention to detail. Alcott included many of the real survivors, J. Bruce Ismay, and the wealthy oil millionairess, Margaret Brown, for instance. I am much better informed about this riveting and important piece of history and I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic.MoreLess
Guest 6 years ago
I wish there was a sequel.. it left me wondering. But overall, it's an awesome book!
iamtheflame 7 years ago
Wasn't sure what to expect, but absolutely loved it. I'm torn whether I like the ending or not. A sequel would be amazing!
Guest 7 years ago
Words are cut off cause of the format
Guest 7 years ago
the book sounds instrindingWrite Review:
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