Dressmaker
-
-
3.9 • 22 Ratings
-
-
- $9.99
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
Set against the glittering backdrop of 1850s London, during the height of Queen Victoria’s reign, The Dressmaker is Posie Graeme-Evans’ sweeping and unforgettable tale of ambition, passion, and survival.
Ellen Gowan is one of the most sought-after dress designers in high society — and one of the few women in England bold enough to own her own business. But behind the elegance and success lies a past marked by heartbreak, scandal, and fierce determination.
Born to a scholarly village minister and a beautiful woman cast out by her wealthy family for marrying beneath her station, Ellen grows up surrounded by love, if not luxury. When tragedy strikes on her thirteenth birthday and her father dies suddenly, Ellen and her mother are left destitute, forced to depend on the mercy of estranged relatives.
Thrown into a world where wealth and ruin exist side by side, Ellen’s journey leads her through dazzling drawing rooms and dangerous back alleys, through privilege, betrayal, and desperate hardship. When the charming and enigmatic Raoul de Valentin sweeps her off her feet only to abandon her after learning she is pregnant, Ellen is left to fight for her future alone.
Refusing to be defeated, Ellen rises from the grinding poverty of a dress factory to establish her own exclusive salon in fashionable Battle Square. Along the way, she discovers the true cost of independence — and the courage it takes to claim love and success in a society determined to deny women both.
Rich with romance, intrigue, and vivid detail, The Dressmaker transports readers into the heart of Victorian London, from glittering ballrooms to the city’s darkest corners, in a powerful story of resilience, reinvention, and one extraordinary woman ahead of her time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Big girls in 19th-century England don't cry in Graeme-Evans's light tale about a plucky heroine who endures a series of harsh trials on her way to becoming London's leading dressmaker. Things start to go south for curate's daughter Ellen Gowan on her 13th birthday, when the dress Connie, her mother, makes her, entices one of her father's students to steal a kiss. Scandal and ruination seem imminent when her father dies, forcing mother and daughter to seek refuge with Connie's sister, who lives in terror of her baronet husband. There, Ellen's friendship with her cousin, Oriana, blossoms, until once again a young man stirs trouble, and Connie and Ellen land in London, where Connie succumbs to illness and Ellen marries a cad who leaves her pregnant and alone. But with a little help from friends, family, and unlikely sources, Ellen becomes the go-to creator of "all manner of finery" for England's most prominent families. Yes, it's formulaic, far-fetched, and soppy with sentiment, but it's also a lot of fun, and Graeme-Evans (The Innocent) is unapologetic in her celebration of the joys of pretty clothes and the thrills of overcoming adversity.
