The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

Final Rating: 1/5

   
   I loved the idea but overall the execution was exceptionally poor and maddening. I was not looking for such a feathery flimsy attempt at a captivating area of history. I wanted meat and all I could taste at the end of reading this was whipped pudding.

   The story moved along at a disappointing pace that just seemed to float over the most exciting or moving parts and lost a pristine opportunity to capture my attention in regards to the sinking of the Titanic or even the rescue and focused more on the cliché love interests. The book then just turned into a shallow anticlimactic dull pail of opportunistic muddle after this but I persisted through the pages because I really wanted to love this novel. In regards to my decision to read The Dressmaker, I knew exactly what I wanted when I requested this title. I wanted to relax and experience some emotion while reading a well researched historical novel, but within only the first few chapters the only emotions I found myself experiencing were frustration and an overwhelming compulsion to apologize to my local library for requesting this (and then they in turn permanently purchasing this thinly disguised fiction for their shelves). I believe once I found the first blatant historical inaccuracy that should have been the first and last clue I needed to abandon this inevitable sinking ship.

   In regards to the characters, sadly they were just wooden and predictable. The wealthy were cruel and haughty (and always written in smoking a cigarette at a crucial moment of the story, smearing red lip stick or primping in front of any reflective surface) and the poor and middle class were just sprinkled in, with expected and cliché side stories involving descriptions of the lovely aromas of cabbage and urine. The only interesting gray character was continually described with having "an ample stomach" (not flattering when the character is actually an interesting woman in history) and seemed to make a rushed cameo appearance at the most irritating times. Besides the lack of characterization, I cringed and rolled my eyes at times with the dialogue and lackluster romance of the main character. Finally, supposedly exciting Historical moments were handled with an overly sugary approach that came off as something just tossed in; to make the unfortunate reader believe that they were still floating above the late Edwardian era.

   One positive or worthwhile aspect that came from reading this fluffy book was the absolutely mesmerizing Sea Trials of the Titanic. The Dressmaker made me race in all directions to learn as much as I could about the aftermath of the Titanic tragedy. In the end, I was yet again tricked by a pretty book cover and clever description/summary that ended with me spending hours reading a flimsy romance book that was marketed at an opportunistic time. Maybe by writing this review, I may be able to save some potential reader. To any potential reader, the advice I will leave you with is: borrow this title if you must absolutely read this.

-Reviewed in April 2012, review written April 2012/ copy of THE DRESSMAKER borrowed from local library