The Dressmaker's Gift

This is a very well-written historical novel. Though it is not "great literature", it is very well done modern take on Paris during the Nazi occupation. The story like so many now, is told by a modern woman who is looking for her French roots and the story of what really happened to cause her mother to commit suicide. Her discussions of generational trauma were interesting as I am the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. I like her conclusion that even if inherited trauma is real, we can rise above it with courage and knowledge. But basically the book was good because it held my interest, I loved the three main characters, and also very interesting to find out more about what it was like to live in Paris under the Nazis. I have been to Paris and remember thinking, here I am with my Jewish daughter and you Nazis are all defeated and dead. That was before the horrendous attacks on France by terrorists and the story is told against this background of modern day terrorism. I gave this book five stars, not because it is great literature, but because it is very good fiction. I highly recommend this book especially if you like stories about amazing courage. This is not for the faint hearted. The descriptions of the Dachau are all too accurate as well as the torture meted out to resisters. The end notes by the author are also interesting. Researching this book was not an easy job. I have done Holocaust research and she has done her job well. The book is really a page turner and a really fine book about a time we should never forget.

At the heart of it, this book is about Paris during Nazi occupation in WWII. The story involves three young seamstresses who get involved in the Resistance; their stories reveal daily life of the working class and the brutal conditions of war as well as the courage and determination of people who fought back. WWII was less than 80 years ago yet many Americans are unfamiliar with the ways it impacted all of Europe. This engaging story brings a piece of that history to light. The author uses a split time frame to tell the story, dividing chapters between a contemporary young woman who goes to Paris to learn about her grandmother and the story of the grandmother herself. For me, that technique was less than effective. The strength of the book lies in the historical story of the grandmother; many chapters about the contemporary storyline were so short they simply served as disruptions. The beginning and ending pages are contemporary and effectively frame the book but I wish the author had used a different strategy for the substantive heart of the story. I also felt like the ending dragged on and on. After the story of the grandmother concludes, the author brings us back to the present with a weak storyline that serves primarily as a forum for lecturing the reader, pounding the same moralistic points again and again. Give up. If readers haven't figured out these issues already, a long last-minute lecture is not going to get through to them. That entire last section could be reduced by half. In spite of those limitations, this is a good book. It was engaging and easy to read, and the messages about war and resistance are important to remember.

A few months ago, I read multiple books/novels about the French Resistance in WW II. And, all of them were about women that were members of the Special Operations Executives (SOE). These females were agents and truly did remarkable 'jobs' in the face of the enemy within their native France. This novel describes....and in rich descriptive language, the stories of three such women....Mireille, Claire and Vivienne who were employed as dressmakers in Paris. These three young women came from diverse backgrounds but ended up being valued members of the Resistance. Fast forward to the year 2017 and Harriet, a young lady is on a quest to find out more about the three young women in a photograph taken during WW II in Paris. The photo belonged to Harriet's mother, Felicity. And, so her quest for more information begins. Anyone who has ever visited Paris will recognize all of the familiar landmarks ..the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Metro and its familiar stops, and many other locations. Loved all of them... The story of the three women and their involvement in the French Resistance is indeed a harrowing and horrific one. It brings home the fact that ordinary people must do something in times of war. And, they did. I was not expecting such descriptive language involving daily life in Paris at that time. Curfew was on, food was scarce, the populace was cold as fuel was so scarce, even the description of the coffee..'roasted chicory and dandelion toots' was mentioned. The readers of this novel will experience Paris during WW II. And, I was not expecting the suicide of a loved one in this novel to affect me so deeply. The idea that perhaps trauma may be inherited is most intriguing. The author does discuss this more at the conclusion of her novel. (And, yes, I lost my brother in 1996 so that is the reason this affected me). As Harriet said 'life can be so very tenuous at times, perhaps that fragility is why we treasure it.' In her quest for the truth about the 3 young women in the picture, she also came to realize that attacks against humanity are still happening with the terrorist bombings. And, so the cycle continues albeit in a different form... Outstanding novel which included a multi-layered plot, characters richly defined and intense action, of some form. included on the pages. Most highly recommended.

The Dressmaker is a real page turner, bringing you both the pleasure of a well written story with complex characters among different times, and the reminder of a tragic time, less than hundred years ago. Somehow, you'll be left speechless, sometimes crying, sometimes smiling, always invested. An excellent book, and a enjoyable way to remember…

Me atrapó por completo este libro me encantó.

Está bien escrito y muy bien acabado. Se lo recomiendo a cualquiera que aprecie la historia dramatizada. La historia te transporta a otra época.

Liest sich gut!

Touching and interesting in so many sad and happy ways. A MUST read that will not disappoint the Reader, thoughtful.