Blog Tour ~ The Dressmaker of Draper's Lane by Liz Trenow

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on the 

The Dressmaker of Draper's Lane Blog Tour

Pan Macmillan
21 February 2019

My thanks to the publishers and Annabelle at edpr for my invitation to be part of this blog tour and for my copy of this book

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..

My thoughts..

After an early start in poverty, Charlotte Amesbury is now the successful owner of a costumière on Draper's Lane where she and her talented seamstresses provide gowns and other apparel for the ladies and gentlemen of Georgian London. That Charlotte is in business on her own in something of an usual occurrence in 1768, and yet, her determination to succeed is to her credit. When Charlotte and her friend, Anna, who is a silk weaver, discover an unusual piece of rare silk at an auction, the investigation into the provenance of the silk opens up a whole new set of questions, not just about the extravagance of the silk, but also more about Charlotte's early life.

The eighteenth century world of silks and damask comes to life and, throughout the story there is an interesting sense of time and place. I think the author has created an authentic world in which Charlotte, and the women who support her, play a central role. It was lovely to meet up again with Anna, the character we came to know in The Silk Weaver, and she continues to offer Charlotte supportive loving friendship and a real sense of home. The added inclusion of Charlotte's sister, Louisa, takes us in a different direction, and adds another fascinating dimension to the story.

The mystery at the heart of the novel offers more about Charlotte's mysterious background, and I won't spoil anything by giving anything away, however, I really enjoyed seeing how the author pulled everything together and cleverly intertwined the silk mystery with stories of real people from the time.

I found much to enjoy in The Dressmaker of Draper's Lane and look forward to reading more stories about the world of silk from this talented author.

About the Author

Liz Trenow's family have been silk weavers for nearly three hundred years, and run the oldest family owned silk company in Britain, one of just three still operating today. Liz worked as a journalist for regional and national newspapers, and on BBC radio and television news, before turning her hand to fiction. She lives in East Anglia with her artist husband, and they have two grown-up daughters.

Website

Twitter @LizTrenow #TheDressmakerOfDrapersLane

@panmacmillan @ed_pr

Amazon UK