The Prince and the Dressmaker
Ratings201
Average rating4.3
although it was really cute and ultimately a happy ending there is a forced outing and I just was not a fan of that AT ALL. obviously look to trans and nonbinary reviewers for their opinions as well before deciding if this book is for you!
Absolutely charming and basically an into to baby's first drag in graphic novel form. The dresses were gorgeous, the romance sweet, and the family dynamics uplifting. Totally joyous for ages 9 to adult!
For the 2018 Read Harder Challenge: a comic written and drawn by the same person. A clever story told well.
got this for my bb cousin and had absolutely no choice but to read it to make sure it is age appropriate!!! It is and it's also cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So cute and unexpected! Great turn of the century Paris setting, beautiful art and a compelling story.
This was charming and adorable and the artwork was perfection. Loved it completely.
This was a cute, quick read. The illustrations are really pretty and fun and the story is sweet.
I was excited to read this (after thinking about buying it for months and then finally picking it up), but I just didn't connect to it in any way that I'd expected. The art is adorable and expressive and everything looks really beautiful, but overall I felt that it fell kind of flat.
I liked this! However, I'm docking stars because I'm beyond done with the “trans/gnc person gets outed and humiliated” trope so prevalent in fiction with trans characters. It's super not necessary and strongly overrepresented right now.
Otherwise I enjoyed it. But that was a big deal to me.
I remember seeing this graphic novel a couple of months ago in my library but I hadn't heard about it then yet. However, after seeing some wonderful reviews and also it being nominated for the Goodreads Choice awards, I knew I had to read it. And wow was this such a pleasant surprise.
Sebastian is a nice soft boy who doesn't really find pleasure in all the princely things like hunting. He adores his parents but is scared to tell them that he isn't sure about marrying a princess or his truth about not feeling comfortable in his own skin. It's such a contrast to see him absolutely confident in his persona as Lady Chrystallia taking the Paris fashion scene by the storm. He is a delight when he is attending all the parties and being true to himself but insecurity about not being a good prince is difficult to read about because he is such a sweet person.
Frances is a lowly seamstress but when given an opportunity, she takes it up with both hands and is very eager to showcase her skills. She is not afraid of trying out some outrageous designs or colors and is very accepting of the prince's choices, making her his closest friend. However, despite this making her name quite popular in society, she is unhappy because she is Sebastian's secret keeper, which makes her name secret too.
I loved the way their friendship is written. Sebastian just wants acceptance – both within himself and from others – and Frances wants to be known for her talent and it is great that both of them find what they need with each other. Their stations in life also never come in between their friendship and they genuinely are fond of each other, which is very amusing to watch.
The King and Queen of Belgium are are also very good people, who just want their prince to do his duty. I was actually quite scared how they would react when the truth about Seb comes to their knowledge, but the ending was quite unexpected. It's obviously too convenient for the sake of a happy ending, but this whole graphic novel is sweet and fluffy and too cheerful to end any other way.
I can't say enough good things about the art in this book. True to the time period in Paris and with such importance given to fashion, the design and colors here are spectacular and very eye catching. I absolutely adored the dresses that Frances designs for Lady Chrystallia and I wish I could find something like those in real life. The author is also able to convey such beautiful emotions about friendship, love and acceptance through her words and art that it makes for a wonderful happy read and I would recommend this to anyone. You'll only end up smiling a lot.
This book follows the story of two main characters, Prince Sebastian as he comes to terms with who he is and what he enjoys doing and Francis the brilliant seamstress. Sebastian enjoys dressing up in beautiful woman's clothing. Francis is a talented dressmaker and Sebastian's best friend that creates works of art for him to wear. Together they explore friendship and navigate what it means to love someone unconditionally.
I fervently wish that books like this existed when I was a preteen/teenager. I think that if I have had access to literature of this quality and subject content, maybe the world would have not seemed so strange and foreign when I left my protective bubble as a child and became an adult. Not only is this book well written and beautifully executed, but it is also an important subject because people are people, no matter how small... how they want to dress, or how they see themselves.
This book primarily deals with being different and how people will love you an except you given half the chance. The prince is a crossdresser, he likes big and beautiful dresses, specifically those of a seamstress that he has befriended. Together they form a partnership based on friendship and eventually love. This story is the perfect blend of sweetness, authenticity, joy, sadness and ultimately love overlayed with Jen Wang's gorgeous illustrations.
Beautiful artwork and a wonderful story
This was such a lovely story with beautiful artwork. I loved how the story wasn't just about Sebastian and his enjoyment of presenting as a woman in beautiful and bold outfits but also about Frances and her dream of becoming a designer and creating beautiful things for people to wear.
This was absolutely the cutest book I've read in a long time! I don't normally read graphic novels, but so many people have been talking about this book. So when I saw it at the library I had to pick it up. I immediately sat down to read this when I got home and read it all in one sitting. Absolutely adorable!
This is a story about a prince who secretly likes to wear dresses at night and how he has to hide that from his family. He meets a dressmaker and asks her to make all of his dresses. It shows how their friendship evolves and how he finally has to come out to everyone and tell them who he really is. It's a story about how we shouldn't have to hide who we really are inside, which is something we all need to remember these days.
I'm definitely having my daughter, who's 11, read this. I think she'd enjoy the cute artwork, the story line and the overall message it portrays. I now want to read some more graphic novels like this since having read it!
5 stars 😍😍😍 this book is so wonderful! And heartwarming! The ending had me tearing up. Read it! Read it!
Third read for BooktubeAthon 2018. Such a lovely graphic novel, with a nice message and a beautiful design
Adorable, flawless, visually gorgeous. Jen Wang was made to illustrate 19th century Parisian dresses
