Dressmaker Review

Disclaimer: I checked this book out from the library to read to give it an honest opinion!




The Dressmaker

Author: Kate Alcott
Hardcover
306 Pages
February 21, 2012
Publisher: Doubleday

Overview
Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer 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, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic.

My Take
Sorry but this book is not a young adult book! It is geared more towards regular fiction! I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. Every time I'm out shopping I see this book and was so tempted to buy it. I ended up checking it out from my library instead. I'm also a sucker for Titanic stories.

Anyways I liked the book and story quite a bit. The characters in this book are strong. All of them have their strong and weak points. For instance the main character Tess is set off for her own dreams and tries to go after them no matter what. She does not want to clean floors and be a personal servant. She wants to create her own clothes and be successful in that. I admired her for taking this path. She's the type of gal that has her head on her shoulders at time but it takes her a while to see that not everyone is good. Tess is also a believable character in this book compared to some others!

Tess ends up with Lady Duff Gordon on the ship of Titanic as it goes okay. Tess really is not really maid material and wishes to be a dressmaker. She goes on an adventure with Lady Duff through the good and bad. She gets to see how the ship with the different classes. While on Titanic, she meets two different men which are interesting to see. She goes through quite a bit and at the end I think she made the right choice.

The sinking of the ship happens and emotions are thrown everywhere. I can only imagine the state of mind of everyone. Everyone is trying to survive and do what you have to do to make it. Some sacrifice and others do not. It's part of nature to be that way I think. To those who survived would have to live with what they saw and did. Some may cope differently than others.

Once everyone arrives to New York you get a feel of what the time period was like. For women and lower class, it was not easy but there was hope. Fashion was also shown in this book and how things were done back then. I think it was grew tho see all these things so you can get a better feel of what it was like.

A few other characters are strong in this book is Pinky, who's a writer. To be a writer in during the times of Titanic is challenging. She keep plugging away at each story she can get with determination! She then covers the trials of the Titanic as she meets Tess and a few others. She eventually becomes friends with Tess. Both of them bump heads at times but in the long run they know they meant well. I love the relationship Pinky has with Tess.

There is a love triangle that sprouts out in this book with Tess and two gentlemen. It's rather interesting to see. Who does Tess choose? I was rooting for the one that she picked! You'll have to read to find out who it was.

If you like historical fiction books, then go grab this one today. You won't regret reading it. I know I don't!

Story: B
Cover: A

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