Having loved author Jennifer Ryan’s “The Kitchen Front”, I could hardly wait to read her new book “The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle”. It was just as good!!!
During the London Blitz, famous fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses her design shop and her home. Having nowhere else to go, Cressida returns to the family manor house (that she fled decades earlier) in the quaint country village. Arriving with nothing but the clothes on her back, and at a loss of how to rebuild her business, Cressida’s niece Violet is thrilled to finally meet her renowned aunt.
Violet is a self-absorbed and entitled product of her family’s wealth, and with all of the men off to war, how will she find a husband? And to make things worse, Violet has just received her conscription letter and will have to wear a frumpy uniform.
Meanwhile, the vicar’s daughter, Grace Carlisle, is desperately trying to repair her mother’s wedding dress when, as luck would have it, Cressida shows up for the weekly sewing circle meeting. Grace asks Cressida for her help repairing the dress, and not only does Cressida agree to help, but before long the group finds themselves mending wedding dresses for brides all across the country!
Based on a real sewing circle, once again, Jennifer Ryan has written a wonderful story with great characters! This book had me turning the pages as I was anxious to get to the ending, yet sad when I finally got there. Now I can’t wait for Jennifer’s next book!
Another book that I recently read & enjoyed was “Bloomsbury Girls” by author of “The Jane Austen Society,” Natalie Jenner. This book is a compelling and heartwarming story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore, and three women determined to find their way in a fast-changing world. Readers of “The Jane Austen Society” will remember Evie Stone, but…you certainly don’t have to have read “The Jane Austen Society” to enjoy this book.
Sue Nakanishi, Adult Services Librarian