Monday 29 June 2015

Sarah's Review of The Dress by Kate Kerrigan

What They Say:

Lily Fitzpatrick loves vintage clothes - made all the more precious because they were once owned and loved by another woman. Thousands follow her vintage fashion blog and her daily Instagram feed. But this passion for the beautiful clothes of the past is about to have unforeseen consequences, when Lily stumbles upon the story of a 1950s New York beauty, who was not only everything Lily longs to be, but also shares Lily's surname.

Joy Fitzpatrick was a legend. But what was the famous dress which she once commissioned - said to be so original that nothing in couture would ever match it again? What happened to it - and why did Joy suddenly disappear from New York high society?


Kate Kerrigan's enthralling novel interweaves the dramatic story of Joy, the beautiful but tortured socialite and that of Lily - determined to uncover the truth and, if possible, bring back to life the legendary dress itself.

What Sarah Say's
Firstly thank you to Head of Zeus Publications for sending me a copy to review.

This was a beautiful story.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down.  It wasn’t what quite I expected but was so much better than I could ever have imagined.  It kept me hooked until the very end.

I wasn’t sure how I would find the flipping from present day to the 1950’s and thought it might be difficult to follow but I was wrong.  It flowed perfectly between the two eras.  I was never confused by what was going on with the characters, what had happened or anything I knew exactly who was who and what was going on.  The story was easy to follow and the characters were so easy to connect with.  I felt a strong connection to Lily from the start and felt like I was personally affected by everything that goes on in her life.  I was truly on the emotional rollercoaster that she is taken on.  I could picture everything so vividly and was completely drawn into Lily’s story and the fashion world it flips between.  I even found myself not hating the characters that were probably supposed to be not liked but feeling sorry for them.  Kate managed to create such wonderful people that you couldn’t help but feel and believe in them.

It had a mix of romance, fashion and unexpectedly more serious themes like alcoholism.  I wouldn’t have put all these together and thought they would work but it does.  The story isn’t predictable and I didn’t even want to guess what would happen.  I hoped in parts but I just wanted to enjoy the read and there were a couple of twists that I didn’t expect.  It was a story that honestly blew me away and I am sad I have finished reading it.

Kate is an amazing author who has managed to combine all the above with such perfection and keeps you captivated until the very end.  This was definitely one of my favourite books of this year so far. 


5 out of 5 stars

Sarah
Review
'Mesmerising. Just beautiful' Cecelia Ahern. 'Glamorous, gripping and moving. I just loved it' Marian Keyes. 'Women's fiction at its finest. The writing is flawless, flows nicely and has a perfect pace ... For anyone who has gazed longingly at the pages of Vogue, drooled over the costumes in period dramas or wondered what rich socialites in Manhattan really did all day, this is for you. A fusion of fashion and feeling' Bleachhouse Library.
About the Author
Kate Kerrigan lives in County Mayo, Eire, with her husband and children. Her novels include Recipes for a Perfect Marriage, shortlisted for the 2006 Romantic Novel of the Year Award and Ellis Island, which was a TV Book Club Summer Read.





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