My Rating: 4.25
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: eARC*
Publication Date: July 5, 2022
Author: Tessa Arlen
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A Dress of Violet Taffeta Blurb
A sumptuous novel based on the fascinating true story of La Belle Époque icon Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, who shattered the boundaries of fashion with her magnificently sensual and enchantingly unique designs.
Lucy Duff Gordon knows she is talented. She sees color, light, and texture in ways few people can begin to imagine. But is the male dominated world of haute couture, who would use her art for their own gain, ready for her?
When she is deserted by her wealthy husband, Lucy is left penniless with an aging mother and her five-year-old daughter to support. Desperate to survive, Lucy turns to her one true talent to make a living. As a little girl, the dresses she made for her dolls were the envy of her group of playmates. Now, she uses her creative designs and her remarkable eye for color to take her place in the fashion world—failure is not an option.
Then, on a frigid night in 1912, Lucy’s life changes once more, when she becomes one of 706 people to survive the sinking of the Titanic. She could never have imagined the effects the disaster would have on her fashion label Lucile, her marriage to her second husband, and her legacy. But no matter what life throws at her, Lucy will live on as a trailblazing and innovative fashion icon, never letting go of what she worked so hard to earn. This is her story.
A Dress of Violet Taffeta Review
As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:
- 1 star: Did not finish
- 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
- 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
- 4 Stars: Loved this book!
- 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.
I’m human.
Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.
This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂
My Thoughts
I love good historical fiction. There’s something about the genre that is captivating in a way that other genres can’t be. I guess it’s this feeling of echoes, maybe voices from the past whispering to us. When I read historical fiction, I can at least access the feelings I get by traveling to far off places, like the Royal Mile, where you can feel the steps other have taken.
Add in fashion and the titanic to those feelings, I was hooked. And OMG the fashion was fantastical. I have no use for a tea gown but now I want one. Lucy is a great lead character bc she trusts herself and her own instincts above what others think. I hope I can one day prioritize my thoughts and feelings this way. It’s honestly life goals. Lucy’s courage throughout her life is truly remarkable.
Even the sequence from the titanic was harrowing though I knew exactly what would happen and how. Thanks to Titanic the movie I had a visual going for each event and that was both helpful and heartbreaking.
Even this beautiful cover had my eyes popping before I opened a page.
A Dress of Violet Taffeta is a story about survival and a woman rising up in a time that was intent on keeping women down. For some reason, it really resonated with how I’m feeling right now as a woman in the United States.
Conclusion
Beautiful characters, beautiful book, beautiful message. 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
*Special thanks to Tessa Arlen, Austenprose, and Penguin Randomhouse for providing a copy of A Dress of Violet Taffeta in exchange for an honest review.
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