Ebook The Gown A Novel of the Royal Wedding Jennifer Robson 9780062674951 Books
Ebook The Gown A Novel of the Royal Wedding Jennifer Robson 9780062674951 Books
Download As PDF : The Gown A Novel of the Royal Wedding Jennifer Robson 9780062674951 Books
One of the most anticipated reads from USA Today, InStyle, HelloGiggles, Hypable, Bookbub, and Bookriot!
One of Real Simple's Best Historical Fiction novels of the year!
"For fans of “The Crown,” looking for history served up as intimate drama, and those seeking another angle on royal lives, “The Gown” seems likely to dazzle and delight." – The Washington Post
“The Gown is marvelous and moving, a vivid portrait of female self-reliance in a world racked by the cost of war.”--Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network
From the internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France comes an enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the twentieth century—Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown—and the fascinating women who made it.
“Millions will welcome this joyous event as a flash of color on the long road we have to travel.”
—Sir Winston Churchill on the news of Princess Elizabeth’s forthcoming wedding
London, 1947 Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.
Toronto, 2016 More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old 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 her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan’s connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?
With The Gown, Jennifer Robson takes us inside the workrooms where one of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created. Balancing behind-the-scenes details with a sweeping portrait of a society left reeling by the calamitous costs of victory, she introduces readers to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view alternating and intersecting throughout its pages, whose lives are woven together by the pain of survival, the bonds of friendship, and the redemptive power of love.
Ebook The Gown A Novel of the Royal Wedding Jennifer Robson 9780062674951 Books
"I was attracted to The Gown by the plot summary, so I bought the Kindle edition. While the plot is indeed good, the character development drives the novel and contributes to its realism. Robson created a genuine, honest group of believable people in this story and showed solid attention to multiple details. There were a couple of nice twists in character relationships that added depth and interest. While the story dealt with hard issues of life in and after WWII, the story is never gloomy because the characters maintain hope despite struggle and hardship. The appendices offer insight into Robson’s process, the genesis of the story, and, they open a window into the life of the living seamstresses who the novelist had the chance to interview for the book. This was my first novel by Robson and it was a very pleasant read."
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The Gown A Novel of the Royal Wedding Jennifer Robson 9780062674951 Books Reviews :
The Gown A Novel of the Royal Wedding Jennifer Robson 9780062674951 Books Reviews
- "The Gown", by British author Jennifer Robson, is historical fiction written in a favorite style for authors these days. Namely, there are multiple points of view - in this case, three - and operating in different time periods, two in Robson's book. The story's focal point is Princess Elizabeth's wedding dress and the interest and attendant commotion it caused in the post WW2 Britain. The government and the Royal Family threw caution to the wind after years of war-time and post-war economy and rationing and gave Elizabeth and her (dishy) groom, Philip Mountbatten, a real celebration.
Part of most wedding hooplas, of course, is the wedding dress. Elizabeth's was handmade at the fashion firm of Norman Hartnell. Hartnell had been dressing the Royal family, as well as other aristocrats and general rich people since the 1920's. He and his firm were the obvious choice to design THE dress for the November, 1947 wedding. Jennifer Robson focuses on two of Hartnell's embroiderers in her story.
Robson writes in her Afterword that she wanted to write about the Royal Wedding, but not from the usual viewpoint of the bride or members of the wedding party. She chose to write using the two women - both at odds and ends in post-war Britain. Ann, a young woman from Barking, has worked at Hartnell for 10 years or so and has worked her way up in the Hartnell studio. Miriam is a refugee from France, who arrives in London both with a recommendation from Christian Dior and a lot of secrets she's not willing or able to disclose. She gets a job at Hartnell and she and Ann share a house. The third character of the story is Ann's granddaughter, Heather, who lives in current-day Toronto. Her beloved "Gran" has died and she - like her old friend, Miriam, has gone to her grave with lots of untold secrets.
Jennifer Robson brings both the plot and the characters together, and makes the time span of 70 or so years between 1947 and 2015 disappear. She's a good writer and the book, while somewhat predicable. I assume it would be a good book club selection. Is it great literature? No, but it's a good read. - Jennifer Robson’s novel THE GOWN captures a time and place with such exquisite detail. Historical fiction fans, royal watchers, and fashion lovers behold this book! Robson has woven a story about post-war time England when times were terribly dismal – think rationing, jobs were grueling and often served only to make ends meet, if that, and life was just hard. But, Princess Elizabeth’s upcoming royal wedding was soon to take place and all of London was a buzz. Everyone awaited to see what she was going to wear and even in grim 1947, pre-social media, people were clamoring a glimpse of the design of yes, a dress. Perhaps, a sparkle of hope.
A young woman who lost her entire family, but not hope, had the talent and the good fortune to work as an embroider for the designer of the soon to be Queen’s wedding gown. Her impending friendship with a new colleague transforms both of their lives and a generation to come.
A magnificent story unfolds of friendship, romance, family, and the ties that bind. - What a splendid book. The cover is gorgeous, the story fascinating. The story of the women and the designer who created Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress is a gripping tale. There are some unexpected twists in the story as Heather travels to London to seek answers about her grandmother's mysterious past, only to discover much more than she bargained for. The best part was the little snippets the author shared about meeting and interviewing one of the very women who worked on the dress. I waited months to get my hands on this book and it was worth every impatient minute I experienced.
- I was attracted to The Gown by the plot summary, so I bought the edition. While the plot is indeed good, the character development drives the novel and contributes to its realism. Robson created a genuine, honest group of believable people in this story and showed solid attention to multiple details. There were a couple of nice twists in character relationships that added depth and interest. While the story dealt with hard issues of life in and after WWII, the story is never gloomy because the characters maintain hope despite struggle and hardship. The appendices offer insight into Robson’s process, the genesis of the story, and, they open a window into the life of the living seamstresses who the novelist had the chance to interview for the book. This was my first novel by Robson and it was a very pleasant read.
- This book was a real disappointment. The story about the women who created Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress could have been a fascinating view of life in London following World War II, and of the common folk who worked behind the scenes to produce the trappings of this most anticipated royal wedding. Instead, this book is plodding, dull and predictable. The characters, the dialog and the plotting seemed to come straight out of a Hallmark made-for-TV movie script.
Dramatic and emotional scenes seem contrived. Every conflict that every character has throughout the novel is sanitized and then neatly resolved, regardless of how far-fetched that resolution would be in real life. And although the author is clearly trying, she fails to give her characters much personality or depth. They all seem a little stereotypical (ie typical British working-class girl, typical upper-class twit, typical Frenchwoman, typical Canadian, etc).
Had I wanted to read a Harlequin Romance (which I never, ever do...), I would have just stopped at Goodwill and picked one up for less than a dollar. I paid considerably more that a buck for this book, unfortunately.
On the upside, since the book is so simply and blandly written, it's a very quick read. That said, I'll still never get back the 3 or 4 hours it took to slog thru it. Needless to say, I don't recommend this book.
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