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toinambour's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
itskaitlinreyna's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
jo_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Florence is bereft, her grandmother who effectively brought her up has died and her marriage is falling apart.
As she comes to terms with everything Florence discovers a box full of dress patterns from the 1960s.
In the first is a photograph of her grandmother with friends she knows and one she doesn't, named Nancy Moon. Who is Nancy? Why did her grandmother keep all these patterns? And what story is it telling?
Florence, still grieving, uses the patterns to go on a discovery of Nancy Moon as well as discover who she really is. Are there connections between Florence and Nancy?
As Florence discovers so do we as the book using the dual time narrative, a plot device that has worked successfully here, to go back to Nancy Moon.
Nancy wants something better with her life, her skills as a seamstress are exemplary and given the opportunity she makes it to a fashion house and starts living a very different life. Until one life changing moment which is going to haunt her for the rest of her days.
When she finds herself at crossroads in life she embarks on a different path and becomes a companion to Pamela, young daughter to Peter and Caro. This takes her all over Europe and as she goes, she makes different outfits from patterns, keeps swatches of material and has a photo of memorable moments along the way.
Nancy is running away from something as much as Florence seems to be running towards something and as the pieces of this magical pattern are put together, we suddenly see the finished article. Only Florence and Nancy though will know the work that has gone into it.
This is a delightful debut novel from Sarah Steele who clearly has a flair for dressmaking, the details that have gone into using this as a means to tell a story is insightful and thoughtful. It really added to the depth of the story for me as these stories ran concurrently and then were all swept and stitched together.
I wish I had read it sooner in 2020 as I feel I was late to the party with this one and it was such a joyous read and reminds me of why I love reading great historical fiction. It also made me slightly put out that I am not overtly proficient with a sewing machine!
As she comes to terms with everything Florence discovers a box full of dress patterns from the 1960s.
In the first is a photograph of her grandmother with friends she knows and one she doesn't, named Nancy Moon. Who is Nancy? Why did her grandmother keep all these patterns? And what story is it telling?
Florence, still grieving, uses the patterns to go on a discovery of Nancy Moon as well as discover who she really is. Are there connections between Florence and Nancy?
As Florence discovers so do we as the book using the dual time narrative, a plot device that has worked successfully here, to go back to Nancy Moon.
Nancy wants something better with her life, her skills as a seamstress are exemplary and given the opportunity she makes it to a fashion house and starts living a very different life. Until one life changing moment which is going to haunt her for the rest of her days.
When she finds herself at crossroads in life she embarks on a different path and becomes a companion to Pamela, young daughter to Peter and Caro. This takes her all over Europe and as she goes, she makes different outfits from patterns, keeps swatches of material and has a photo of memorable moments along the way.
Nancy is running away from something as much as Florence seems to be running towards something and as the pieces of this magical pattern are put together, we suddenly see the finished article. Only Florence and Nancy though will know the work that has gone into it.
This is a delightful debut novel from Sarah Steele who clearly has a flair for dressmaking, the details that have gone into using this as a means to tell a story is insightful and thoughtful. It really added to the depth of the story for me as these stories ran concurrently and then were all swept and stitched together.
I wish I had read it sooner in 2020 as I feel I was late to the party with this one and it was such a joyous read and reminds me of why I love reading great historical fiction. It also made me slightly put out that I am not overtly proficient with a sewing machine!
luciddreams22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
rachf_77's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this story! This was her debut novel and I found it to be a real page turner to find out what happens to Nancy. The way Flo followed in Nancy's footsteps and the way she did it was such a great idea.
calli's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
An intriguing and fascinating story that kept me hooked.
I loved the ideas behind the plot, the dual timeline and the descriptions of the places in the '60s.
Both Florence and Nancy are fascinating characters that I loved.
The author is a talented storyteller and I will surely read other books written by her.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I loved the ideas behind the plot, the dual timeline and the descriptions of the places in the '60s.
Both Florence and Nancy are fascinating characters that I loved.
The author is a talented storyteller and I will surely read other books written by her.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
readingmaria's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to Mobius Books for the finished copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book was good by principle - I SHOULD have fallen in love with it! But I didn’t. I found the characters (mostly Flo) a little boring, and the transitions between past and present just had me confused for a few lines before I realized what year we were in.
The story itself didn’t excite me. I did enjoy the dressmaking scenes, and how it was the tie that bound our characters together.
Although I can appreciate the idea, it just wasn’t for me, which sucks! I wanted to love this so much!
This book was good by principle - I SHOULD have fallen in love with it! But I didn’t. I found the characters (mostly Flo) a little boring, and the transitions between past and present just had me confused for a few lines before I realized what year we were in.
The story itself didn’t excite me. I did enjoy the dressmaking scenes, and how it was the tie that bound our characters together.
Although I can appreciate the idea, it just wasn’t for me, which sucks! I wanted to love this so much!
ajane13's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0