The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

Publisher: Random House Audio
Publish Date: February 21, 2012
Format: Audio
Discs: 9
ISBN: 978 0307970121

Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she’s had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designed Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic’s doomed voyage.  Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire.  But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat.  Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy.  Others – including the gallant Midwestern tycoon – are not so lucky.

On dry land, rumours about the survivors being to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic.  Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period’s glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

My Thoughts

I was somewhat disappointed with this novel.  While I love everything Titanic, I just found this story fell flat.  The majority of the story takes place after the sinking of the ship and the tragedy it entailed with actually hearing manuscripts that took place.

The premise of the book follows Tess, and her journey aboard the ship as Lady Duff Gordon's maid and as she stands by her during the aftermath and the trials involved with the inquest.  What was disappointing is that the story had very little to do with Tess and her dressmaking.  I assumed with a title like The Dressmaker that the majority of the story would be about dressmaking.

The character of Lady Duff Gordon was extremely shallow and conceded, and later found out that her part of the story is based  on actual events...she really was that shallow. While Tess was a fictional character many others mentioned in the novel were real people.  While I always find Titanic fascinating,  this one just didn't do it for me.  It was too blah for my liking.

My Rating: «««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.