The Gown is the story of two women who were the main embroiderers of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding gown. In 1947, London is still suffering the effects of World War II, so having a royal wedding to look forward to was a welcome diversion. We get the backgrounds of Ann and Miriam, two of our main characters, and how they ended up being embroiderers for the renowned fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Miriam, in particular, has a heart-wrenching story about being Jewish during the war.
Our third main character, Heather, is in 2016, and her grandmother (one of our embroiderers) has just passed away. Heather has never heard any stories from her grandmother about her life in 1940s London. But her Grandmother leaves her a box with embroidery samples and a picture that begins Heather's quest to discover her grandmother's secrets.
Those secrets involve stories about the creation of the gown (fascinating) and the royal wedding as well as stories of life during that period of time. There are romances, friendships, secrets, and other dramas that easily held my interest.
I'm totally wrapped up in the lives of England's royals, so The Gown was everything I hoped for. If you are interested in this time period, and especially if you are any kind of seamstress, you shouldn't miss The Gown.
Published by William Morrow, 2018
eBook obtained from the library
400 pages
Rating: 5/5
I also loved The Crown so will add this one to my TBR list. I have only seen a couple reviews, but they were both so positive!
ReplyDeleteI liked this one too. Didn't love it, but enjoyed the story and found all the historical detail fascinating. Glad you loved it!
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