Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy. Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one ...
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Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy. Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes. Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess's sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon's questionable actions during the tragedy. Others--including the gallant Midwestern tycoon--are not so lucky. On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic . Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.
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Add this copy of Dressmaker, the (Lib)(Cd) to cart. $20.95, good condition, Sold by Meadeco Media rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from VINE GROVE, KY, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Books on Tape.
Add this copy of Dressmaker, the (Lib)(Cd) to cart. $18.84, good condition, Sold by BooksRun rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Philadelphia, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Books on Tape.
Add this copy of Dressmaker, the (Lib)(Cd) to cart. $59.17, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Books on Tape.
A fascinating fictional account that renders insight to the lives of Sir and Lady Duff Gordon, both survivors of the Titanic's shipwreck. The story mainly centers around Tess Collins, a woman who after leaving her job as a servant in England, decides she's had enough of menial work, and hopes to pursue her dream of becoming a seamstress. What better thing to do than set for America on the "Ship of Dreams" as an aid to a fashion designer?
The story unfolds beautifully. The historical detail is especially interesting to me. The author has much knowledge of the RMS Titanic and customs of 1912. Also, it was great to see so much of Lady Lucille's fashion business included in the story -- this is the woman who started the idea of having live models wear her dresses for a fashion show!
"The Dressmaker" isn't just a story about the sinking of the ship, but also tells of the aftermath and how it affected the survivor's lives. Surviving a harrowing experience comes with its faults, as Tess and the people around her soon discover.
Due to switching between the characters, the author is able to reveal much more about what went on after the Titanic's sinking, such as the court hearings and the newspaper headlines. I enjoyed this historical aspect of reading the chain reaction of events that were all caused from a single iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
There is some romance intertwined into the plot as well. On a couple occasions, there was just enough romantic inclinations to make the reader blush (not graphic in any way, just a sentence or two that a character might have said).
Overall, a great book!
Patricia M
Oct 26, 2014
Not enough substance
If you are looking for some mindless reading, or something predictable, this is for you.
