Title: The Dressmaker's Gift Pdf
From the bestselling author of The Beekeeper’s Promise comes a gripping story of three young women faced with impossible choices. How will history – and their families – judge them?
Paris, 1940. With the city occupied by the Nazis, three young seamstresses go about their normal lives as best they can. But all three are hiding secrets. War-scarred Mireille is fighting with the Resistance; Claire has been seduced by a German officer; and Vivienne’s involvement is something she can’t reveal to either of them.
Two generations later, Claire’s English granddaughter Harriet arrives in Paris, rootless and adrift, desperate to find a connection with her past. Living and working in the same building on the Rue Cardinale, she learns the truth about her grandmother – and herself – and unravels a family history that is darker and more painful than she ever imagined.
In wartime, the three seamstresses face impossible choices when their secret activities put them in grave danger. Brought together by loyalty, threatened by betrayal, can they survive history’s darkest era without being torn apart?
3.5 stars- rounded up This novel follows other modern historical fiction trends: the modern-day character, Harriet, finds an old photograph in box that shows her grandmother as a young lady with two other girls, and Harriet then makes it her goal to uncover the past of her familial history concerning her grandmother, Claire.The first chapter was very cliché. Harriet moves to Paris obtaining a job in the same building that her grandmother, Claire, worked in. And, she settles in the same apartment that her grandmother lived in. And, Harriet’s roommate in that apartment happens to be the granddaughter of one of the girls in the picture who also lived in that same apartment. But the story does get better and becomes entertaining.The synopsis provided is accurate, for the most part. The three seamstresses in 1940, Claire (Harriet’s grandmother), Mireille, and Vivienne, live together in a small apartment and slowly develop a trusted friendship. Their involvement with the resistance is mostly limited to courier, depending on the character, though they do assistant in helping people out of German-occupied France to safety. With none of them being Jewish, the Jew’s oppression is merely a backdrop in the story and is only mentioned occasionally. It does provide some insight into Flossenburg camp, not as a Jew but as a traitor.I did not enjoy Harriet’s chapters as much. They seemed like “fillers” and at times the story could be followed easily without having read some of Harriet’s chapters. However, her chapters are not long, so it is bearable. In Harriet’s chapters she mostly recounts the previous chapter of what was revealed to her about her grandmother. She also struggles to cope with the loss of her mother to suicide, and frequently Harriet questions if she has inherited trauma genes.Overall, I liked the story and found it to be a light, quick, average read that at times intensified. It focused on the girl’s relationship development and their work as a seamstress in Nazi-occupied Paris until approximately 45% (on a Kindle). The plot then heightens again at 61 % (on a Kindle). It does have interesting tidbits of historical information lightly sprinkled here and there.There are an abundance of fashion references and scenes related to the Paris fashion industry. There were no sex scenes, use of vulgar language, or explicit violence.3.5 starsStunning, heartbreaking and inspirational all at the same time, make “The Dressmaker’s Gift” a rare jewel of historical fiction. Fiona Valpy draws the reader completely into this world of couture, family and friendship by way of her ability to write extraordinary prose. There are too many examples to single out just one. I just spent 30 minutes trying!Each chapter is titled with a heading that denotes either a date during WWll or Harriet. This technique of alternating between two time periods is deftly handled with the current leading way to the historical to solve the mystery. I’ll admit that very early on there’s a scene where a consequence was so convenient I tho’t this story might be a contrived farce but it nothing could be further from that erroneous conclusion!All of the women in this story are magnificent. They have strength, character and heart as well as a purpose, for which they will go to any length to see accomplishment. How the relationships are woven together and the friendships build throughout the course of the pages is beautiful.There are no warnings needed for language or sexual content. Because a fair portion of the story takes place at interment camps, there are difficult chapters to read. None of that writing is gratuitous, in fact it honors the women and focuses on their relationship.The theme of couture and sewing does play a role that runs thru the story, a thread, if you will, helping to make “The Dressmaker’s Gift” a literary gift to all📚~~French Resistance WW II/Harriet 2017~~ 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.
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