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One of the most anticipated reads from InStyle, HelloGiggles, Hypable, Bookbub, and Bookriot! One of Real Simple's Best Historical Fiction novels of the year! “The Gown is marvelous and moving, a vivid portrait of female self-reliance in a world racked by the cost of war.”--Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network From the internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France comes an enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the twentieth century—Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown—and the fascinating women who made it. “Millions will welcome this joyous event as a flash of color on the long road we have to travel.” —Sir Winston Churchill on the news of Princess Elizabeth’s forthcoming wedding London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown. Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan’s connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin? With The Gown, Jennifer Robson takes us inside the workrooms where one of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created. Balancing behind-the-scenes details with a sweeping portrait of a society left reeling by the calamitous costs of victory, she introduces readers to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view alternating and intersecting throughout its pages, whose lives are woven together by the pain of survival, the bonds of friendship, and the redemptive power of love.
Reviews with the most likes.
I'll be honest. I've had this book since December, as I received it as part of my book club being chosen by Harper Collins during 2018 as one of the clubs that receives monthly books to review. It was one of the generous ‘extra' books we received, so it wasn't lined up for one of our monthly discussions, but now I really wish it had been. For some reason, I think the cover doesn't pull in a reader, but oh my the story does. (I wish the cover had been a close up of the embroidery of the gown.)
What a great book! I found myself completely drawn into the characters and journeys of the three women in the story - one a British woman whose story begins right after WWII, the second a Jewish/French woman who had survived the war during the same time frame, and the third a granddaughter of one who is Canadian and sets out to learn more about her grandmother.
The story alternates between viewpoints, but I didn't get whiplash, as can happen sometimes. I found myself anxious to find out what happened next, and was hoping for good things for the characters.
Great story - perfect one to get lost in over a few days on vacation this summer!