The Gown by Jennifer Robsonβ AudioΒ
Book Blurb:
London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory,Β burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nationβs recent victory.Β Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed MayfairΒ fashionΒ house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship,Β but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they areΒ chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of PrincessΒ Elizabethβs wedding gown.
Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeksΒ to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy fromΒ her lateΒ grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her oldΒ life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at herΒ wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nanβs connection to theΒ celebrated textile artistΒ and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?
My Review: 3.5 stars
The Gown was a solid listen and kept me engaged from start to finish. Sometimes audio books with more than one POV can get confusing, but this one managed to avoid that trap. When this book came out, there was lots of hype and although I wanted to read it, it just never found its way to me. When I saw the audio available at the library, I snatched it up; better late than never.
At the beginning of the book, I was less concerned with Heatherβs current day story and more interested in the story that took place in 1947. I loved learning about the embroidery, the secret keeping about Princessβs Elizabethβs gown, the burgeoning romances, and of course, to find out more about Miriamβs back story in the Holocaust. By the end of the book, Heatherβs story mattered more, and the mystery of her grandmother was well understood.Β
I have enjoyed Robsonβs other books and this one was no exception.Β
Quotes I liked:
Worrying about what would become of her work once it was finished was a waste of time, she told herself. The act of creation was what mattered.β
βJust keep your chin up, Ann, and you can face anything,β Mum had said. βAnd donβt look back, no matter what you do.β Her mum had never been one for hugs or soft words, but she had been honest, and most of the time sheβd been right, too. So chin up it was, and no looking back.β
βAnd tomorrow would be better than today.β