A review by emileereadsbooks
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the gifted book that I read along with the library audio.
Cressida Westcott is a clothes designer, forced back to her family manor she hasn't been to in years after her home and design house are lost in the London Blitz.
Violet Westcott is a socialite who is thrilled her aunt is coming to stay in this dreary village. Things have gotten quite dull with all the men gone and the parties cancelled.
Grace Carlisle is the vicar's daughter and is engaged to a man of the cloth. Her whole identity is wrapped up in the work she does to support the men in her life.
These three women's stories become interconnected as they each face what clothes rationing means for their lives and they interact through a wedding dress sewing circle which repurposes old garments to those worthy of celebration.
I loved this book. It fits into what my friend @FortWords has dubbed "uplifting WWII fiction." Despite being set in a horrible time period, it celebrates the tenacity and resilience of humanity and the good that can be found when you have to dig a little deeper. Each of these three main characters is loveable in their own way while not being without fault. And the side characters add such vibrance to the plot that they should be celebrated as well. What a delight of a reading experience.
Cressida Westcott is a clothes designer, forced back to her family manor she hasn't been to in years after her home and design house are lost in the London Blitz.
Violet Westcott is a socialite who is thrilled her aunt is coming to stay in this dreary village. Things have gotten quite dull with all the men gone and the parties cancelled.
Grace Carlisle is the vicar's daughter and is engaged to a man of the cloth. Her whole identity is wrapped up in the work she does to support the men in her life.
These three women's stories become interconnected as they each face what clothes rationing means for their lives and they interact through a wedding dress sewing circle which repurposes old garments to those worthy of celebration.
I loved this book. It fits into what my friend @FortWords has dubbed "uplifting WWII fiction." Despite being set in a horrible time period, it celebrates the tenacity and resilience of humanity and the good that can be found when you have to dig a little deeper. Each of these three main characters is loveable in their own way while not being without fault. And the side characters add such vibrance to the plot that they should be celebrated as well. What a delight of a reading experience.