The Dressmaker of Draper’s Street by Liz Trenow

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pan; Main Market edition (21 Feb. 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1509879811
• ISBN-13: 978-1509879816

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

1768, London.

As a foundling who rose from poverty and now runs her own successful dressmaking business in the heart of society London, Miss Charlotte is a remarkable woman, admired by many. She has no need, nor desire, to marry. The people she values most are her friend Anna, her recently-found sister Louisa and nephew Peter.

She feels herself fortunate, and should be content with what she has. But something is missing.

A small piece of rare silk discovered in a bundle of scraps at auction triggers a curious sense of familiarity, and prompts her to unpick a past filled with extraordinary secrets and revelations . . .

 

Review

I love my historical fiction and was very excited to be asked to review The Dressmaker of Draper’s Lane by Liz Trenow.  The central character Miss Charlotte is an independent woman. with her own dressmaking business that makes her self sufficient, quite unusual in the eighteenth century.  Things were not always easy for Charlotte, left at a foundling hospital as a baby, it was there she was educated until she gained employment as a maid until a sister she knew nothing about found her.  At an auction Charlotte buys some mixed silks, but one chinoiserie silk brings back some form of memory, and takes her on a journey into her past.

Miss Charlotte was a minor character in Liz Trenow’s previous book The Silk Weaver, as were some of the other characters in this book.  You do not need to have read The Silk Weaver to enjoy this book as it is a very different story, but it is a wonderful read so I recommend reading it anyway.  Charlotte is in an unusual position, her life is not dictated to by a husband or father, she has her own business and money so has much more freedom than most women and gives her the opportunity to meet different people of different social standings.  After meeting her in the previous book I already had respect for her and what she achieved and in The Dressmaker of Draper’s Lane I enjoyed getting to know her on a more personal level.  It was also nice to be reacquainted with characters I get to love in Liz Trenow’s previous book; Anna, her husband Henri, Charlotte’s sister Louisa and nephew Peter.  There is a seamless mix of the fictional and factual characters that add authenticity to the story.

Liz Trenow has a family history in the silk weaving business, and her passion and understanding of the industry really comes across in her writing. The prose is rich in detail, of the characters, the setting and the historical period.  There are many different strands and relationships in this book, and the journey takes the reader from the modest accommodation of Anna and her husband Henri who run the weaving business from their home, to the Chiswick residence of William Hogarth’s widow and Marble Hill House, home to the old King’s mistress. There is also the darker side of life, the rape of servants, the terror of typhus, domestic violence and the danger of childbirth which gives a balanced view to the period.

The Dressmaker of Draper’s Lane  is a sumptuous piece of historical fiction.  Liz Trenow’s attention to detail and historical knowledge come through in the writing and make this such an enjoyable book to read. This is a breathtaking read and one I highly recommend.

 

If you haven’t read The Silk Weaver then I highly recommend that book as well.  Thank you for reading my review and I hope you will share across social media.

I would like to thank Pan Macmillan for asking me to be part of the blog tour and providing me with a copy of the book.