A review by momreadsbooksinbtwn
By Her Own Design by Piper Huguley

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

By Her Own Design is one of those lifetime book finds. I was so thankful to a friend that shared this book with me. It’s definitely a book that needs to be passed along from friend to friend, just to share it’s magic. It is a historical fiction novel based upon the story of Anne Lowe, a black designer that created Jaqueline Bouvier’s wedding dress when she married John F. Kennedy. The novel begins with a tragedy that occurs in her dress shop in New York, when a pipe bursts and ruins the wedding dress and bridesmaids’ dresses that Anne had created for Jacqueline’s wedding. Then the book leads into the story of Anne Lowe’s life, how and where she grew up as well as how she became such a talented seamstress. It covers her life and struggles, personally and professionally. The story does weave back to how Anne overcame to tragedy that occurred to that ever important wedding dresses. It was such a heartfelt story, I honestly did not want the book to end. The story of her life was presented in a manner that it just flowed, there were no lulls in the book and each chapter made you want to read more to see how Anne would persevere. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end of the book, you will read all about Piper Huguley’s research and some interesting details about Anne Lowe. I did listen to this book on audio and I think it definitely made the experience for me, the accents and different character voices were just perfect. Now I have to go and dive into Piper’s other novels.