The Last Silk Dress

by Ann Rinaldi

High-spirited, beautiful Susan Chilmark, fourteen, vows to do something meaningful to support the Confederacy during the Civil War. Despite the wishes of her mother, Susan and her best friend, Connie, collect silk dresses from all the ladies of Richmond to make a balloon that will be used to spy on the Yankees.

But the issues behind the war aren't as obvious as Susan thinks. When she meets her dashing, scandalous older brother and discovers why he was banished from the family, Susan unlocks a Pandora's box of secrets that forces her to rethink and challenge the very system she was born into. Does she have the courage to do what is right even though it may hurt the ones she loves?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Civil War, Childrens, Romance

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Ann Rinaldi (b. August 27, 1934, in New York City) is a young adult fiction author. She is best known for her historical fiction, including In My Father's House, The Last Silk Dress, An Acquaintance with Darkness, A Break with Charity, and Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons. She has written a total of forty novels, eight of which were listed as notable by the ALA. In 2000, Wolf by the Ears was listed as one the best novels of the preceding twenty-five years, and later of the last one hundred years. She is the most prolific writer for the Great Episode series, a series of historical fiction novels set during the American Colonial era. She also writes for the Dear America series.

Rinaldi currently lives in Somerville, New Jersey, with her husband, Ron, whom she married in 1960. Her career, prior to being an author, was a newspaper columnist. She continued the column, called The Trentonian, through much of her writing career. Her first published novel, Term Paper, was written in 1979. Prior to this, she wrote four unpublished books, which she has called "terrible." She became a grandmother in 1991.

Rinaldi says she got her love of history from her eldest son, who brought her to reenactments. She says that she writes young adult books "because I like to write them."

Reviews

[Kellyn Roth · Rating 2 out of 5]

That really sucked.

I'm sorry, but it did. I know lots of people love this book, but I just hated it. Reading it was pure torture. The only reason I got past the first chapter was because it was required reading for school (e.g. my mom made me finish it because "it came highly recommended"; WHY DOES SHE KEEP DOING THIS TO ME? Just because other homeschool moms recommend a book doesn't make it good ... or even bearable ...), and it as painful as pushing a train uphill.

So the whole time I was just like, "I think I can ... I think I can ... I think I can ..." (Spoiler alert: I can't. Okay, I did, but ... it wasn't easy. Or profitable. Or a good way to spend my time.)

Seriously, though, I just don't think it was for me. It was first person - but a really annoying first person. And I don't particularly like first person to begin with unless the narrator is really interesting. For instance, I liked Katniss Everdeen's voice just because I'd never read a style like that before, and I liked Jane Eyre because OHMYGOSH IT'S JANE EYRE HOW COULD YOU NOT.

But ... most first person is a chore for me. WHY AM I STUCK IN THIS PERSON'S HEAD??? And if the person just happens to be an immature little girl (14 at the start, probably 16-ish at the end though I honestly wasn't paying close attention at that point), it's sooo annoying.

She is just so stupid. She talks back to her mother and brother even though she knows it's going to get her in trouble. She gets in all sorts of scrapes (not funny scrapes; uncomfortable, stupid scrapes) because she's being rebellious and dumb. (Even almost gets her brother hung for having to LITERALLY MURDERED SOMEONE to protect her at one point ...) She acts three years old throughout the entirety of the novel. I never see her grow up or become a better person (though the book claims she does). Yes, her beliefs change a little ... but not that much. Not enough for me to care. And even so, I don't really see how that whole arc worked? Did she just ... start not-really-believing one thing and then end up sorta-kinda-believing another but not really? I'm frankly not sure.

Besides just being annoying and screechy (or maybe that's just the way I interpreted it, but I don't know), she just wasn't the kind of person I care about. I don't like people who just sit there and take it when someone mistreats them ... but Susan has no understanding of her mother at all. Her mother is clearly troubled (which is a nice way of saying ABSOLUTELY CRAZY). She doesn't care. She has no sympathy for her mother's fragile mental state. And yes, her mother is a witch. But that doesn't excuse her, give her an excuse for being rebellious and disrespectful and almost cruel.

Then there's Lucien. I frankly don't know what to make of him ... but I don't want to. He's against slavery, but at the same time he doesn't really seem to have morals. He owns a gambling house, and though he claims it's not the same as a brothel ... um? And then he has a mistress who he seems to have no intention of marrying. Between that and his crazy temper (and his stuck-up self-righteousness), I didn't think of him as a likable character at all. He always seemed angry, and he didn't have any sympathy for Susan at all.

And yet, she still worships him from the very start! I suppose just because he hates her (mentally unstable) mother just like Susan, so they have something in common? Hoorah?

Then there's Susan's father. Weak, weak, weak. I know he has a "reason" for giving in to his wife about EVERYTHING (even though, like I said, she's crazy), but that doesn't really excuse it? Having a reason for doing something wrong doesn't make it any less wrong. Also, that whole plot twist ... just another excuse for hating the characters. (You can read about it in the content section; it's in spoiler tags because it is a spoiler, though if I were you I wouldn't read the book, so, um ... doesn't matter?)

None of the other characters were notable ... or at least I didn't care about them one bit. Never really rooted for anyone in this book. Didn't care what became of them.

As far as the plot goes, it was all right. Not amazing. I mean ... it wasn't terrible, at least. A little slow, in my opinion. It seemed that a lot of the book was Susan thinking about her life (and how terrible it is, how sorry she was for herself, yada yada ... ugh).

The setting was interesting ... I enjoyed that. Civil War is one of my favorite eras, particularly in the South. That's why I gave it two stars.

Overall, I just didn't like it. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, so it's not like it wasn't my genre. I just disliked all the characters.

As far as content:
There is a spattering of cussing throughout the book (mostly d*mn with the occasional h*ll), Lucien owns a gambling house and has a mistress, Susan asks Lucien to get silk dresses from prostitutes (essentially) for her balloon (I'm not even going to talk about this ...), a man attacks and seems about to undress Susan at one point (prevented by Lucien, of course), and there's a plot twist where Susan finds out that her father had a child by their slave and then raised the child as a servant (who Lucien fell in love with and then realized it was his half-sister and ran off while she went North; he stays in contact with her; talk about a sick relationship). AND, when Susan's mother found out that Susan's father had committed adultery and father a child, she apparently slept with a random Yankee to get back at him, thereby conceiving Susan. I hate this family so much ...

Not exactly the best book in the world, am I right? *sigh*

Note: Did some random edits 11/19/2017 to clarify thoughts and remove some (angry) typos. :P

~Kellyn Roth

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read every single Ann Rinaldi book when I was younger, and this was one of my favorites. The silk dress balloon looms large in my memory:

While we were longing for the balloons that poverty denied us, a genius arose for the occasion and suggested we send out and gather silk dresses in the Confederacy and make a balloon. It was done, and soon we had a great patchwork ship of many varied hues which was ready for use in the Seven Days' Campaign [...] The Federals gathered it in, and with it the last silk dress in the Confederacy. This capture was the meanest trick of the war and one that I have never yet forgiven.

- General James Longstreet

Susan Dobson Chilmark, southern belle, is the girl who volunteers to collect the silk dresses to make the balloon. The book covers a very eventful two years of her life: she lives through the siege of Richmond, reacquaints herself with her estranged brother, becomes an abolitionist, gathers donations for the silk dress balloon from the finest ladies of Richmond and also the whores of Richmond, uncovers her family's darkest secrets, nurses dying soldiers back to health, and toootally falls in love with a Yankee sketch artist. This is probably more than I've done in my entire life thus far, so well played, SDC.

This book is really fun to read and is impeccably researched. Susan is a good protagonist; she's spirited but also flawed, and the estranged brother has no problem pointing this out to her. The only thing that took me by surprise on this reread was how much time Susan spends crying. By the last 50 pages, she's crying on at least every other page. I was also surprised at how much I agreed with her older brother at the end of the book about the balloon fiasco. Perhaps it's because I'm closer to his age than Susan's now, but she is ridiculous about the balloon. SHE LETS IT GO AND COMMITS TREASON. This is NOT A THING SHE SHOULD BE DOING. I don't understand why this is so hard for Susan or said Yankee sketch artist to grasp. She can work out her psychological issues without other people having to die in the crossfire (there is a gunfight, obviously). She comes out and says she's acting like a spoiled child, but I don't really think she understands what she's done.

I definitely reread this book over and over because of the illicit, never-quite explicit sexual innuendos ... but I also love the silk dress balloon. So A+ for that one. I mean, this book is good. It's entertaining and features a really unique cast of characters, and the setting is fantastic. Most importantly, though, there are multiple scenes set in gambling houses and brothels and characters who are actual whores, so this was very educational for my 11-year-old self. It has a very dear place in my heart.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Ann Rinaldi book by far. Here is a sweeping and epic Civil War story. The main character is Susan Chilmark, a fourteen year old girl living in Richmond, Virginia in 1861. Richmond has just joined the Confederacy and she watches as the changes of war sweep through the South. Her father is sent away to help build a ship for the Confederate navy and she is left with her abusive mother. Her mother, Charlotte, is unpredictable, going from hitting and yelling at Susan one minute to being a sweet as honey southern belle the next. Susan sometimes escapes from Charlotte by sneaking through Richmond dressed as a boy. One day Susan meets her older brother Lucien, who left the family after fighting with her father years ago. Her brother is scandalous and has the whole town talking because he refuses to join the Confederate army and he is an abolitionist. Susan is desperate to help the Cause in any way she can, even as she learns of Lucien's radical ideas and uncovers some dark family secrets. I loved this novel. The characters were drawn beautifully and Susan is wonderfully human. We see her take in the world arond her and re-examine the beliefs she's had all her life. Rinaldi takes her time telling the story, with a great plot and this grand setting. I definitely recommend The Last Silk Dress.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked on her writing. They are researched history books with the character experiencing the events.

[ElsaMakotoRenge · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Ann Rinaldi books I’ve read! It was really good...I just don’t particularly like any of the characters to be honest. I mean, it seems obvious all of them ARE supposed to be not 100% likable anyway, but still. Therefore 4 stars instead of 5. Would reread eventually:)

[Valerie Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Chilmark, a true Southern Belle, lives in Richmond during the start of the Civil War. Her father is gone, off fighting for the Cause; her brother, Lucien, is long estranged from the family; and Susan is alone at home with her unstable mother, whose volatile manner is the topic of much gossip among the ladies of the town. Pricked with a desire to do something significant to help the South’s war effort, Susan convinces her mother to let her collect silk dresses from the ladies of Richmond, which will be made into a hot-air balloon to help the Confederate army spy on the Northerners. While Susan works at collecting the dresses, she unexpectedly encounters Lucien on the streets of Richmond. Now co-owner of a gambling house, Lucien is well-off, but has unintentionally cultivated an unsavory reputation among the society of the city. While at first Susan is merely curious about the life Lucien leads, dramatic events push these two siblings together into an unconventional family unit of their own. Susan’s life begins to come apart at the seams as she struggles to accept new, harsh truths about the father she had always loved, the brother she never truly knew, and the war effort she once found so noble and worthy. Ann Rinaldi explores common young adult themes of love, loss, and family in this captivating fictional account of a tumultuous time of American history.
This book is highly recommended.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a young Southern belle during the Civil War. Susan is enamored with the cause and supporting the South, and decides to lead the women's efforts at creating a silk hot air balloon with the ball dresses of the women, to aid their soldiers in spying on the Yankees, for the north had multiple baloons. An unexpected encounter with her disowned brother, however, opens her eyes to the evils of the south, the scandals in her own family, and the abolition movement. With difficulty, Susan recognizes faults in her precious cause and after the death of her father, leaves her abusive mother to live with her brother, where she meets the attractive Yankee war photographer and finds herself, to her horror, developing feelings for someone who was supposed to be the enemy. I thouroughly enjoyed reading this book--although I occaisionally found myself growing impatient with Susan's stubborn antics--but that showed the true adolecent girl voice that the novel contains. It was well written, and kept me intrigued from start to finish.

[Francesca · Rating 2 out of 5]

it snot such an AMAZING book but it is ok...it's kind of like a dramatic soap opera

[LPR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually super good. Yes, she cried a lot, but she wasn't a baby. We are hormonal teenagers, it is entirely natural. Yes, she did some stupid stuff, but she was young and she doesn't know a lot about people and the world, which is hard when your world is contstantly changing. The use of "nigra" was interesting. It wasn't offensive like the n-word is, but it seemed entirely natural in the situation. I'd never heard that, and it was interesting. I liked her character developemnt, she seemed very human all the way through. The characters were very well developed.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looooooved this book as a preteen. Problematic as an adult rereading it. Susan as the narrator is frustratingly childish and selfish. Her obsession with her own figure bothered me. And let's not forget that she is 15 and being pursued by a 26ish man. I don't care if times were different- Wickham got a bad rap in Pride and prejudice for pursuing 15 year olds, the same standard should apply here.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t really know how to rate this, as it’s clearly targeting a much younger audience. I was hoping for a slightly more historic fiction and a little less girlish silliness. Lots of weeping going on, but maybe much more relatable to a 12-14 year old. Some of the family relationship drama might be a little disturbing to the younger set.

[Lindsay Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much, I wrote letters to the heroine's brother. In retrospect, I am not sure it warranted so much adoration, but it must have had some wonderful quality to keep me hooked for years.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is currently tied with Time Enough for Drums as my favorite Ann Rinaldi! The Last Silk Dress was another excellent piece of historical fiction. Incredibly well researched, the fictional events are seamlessly woven around what really happened in Richmond in 1861-62. From the prologue I was drawn into Susan‘s world and could not turn the pages fast enough. I was sorry to finish this book and only wish there had been an epilogue!

When I was a fifth grader I felt that I had outgrown the children’s department of my local library and I began reading books from the YA alcove. I vividly remember seeing Ann Rinaldi‘s books on the shelves, occasionally taking them down and looking at them, but always feeling that they were just too long for me. Oh, how I wish I had read her back then! I cut my teeth on Dear America and American Girl, and I would have loved and lived in these stories.

[Judgemental Toast · Rating 1 out of 5]

*sigh* I was really excited about this book...

What I liked

*Lucien.... at first
* That Kenneth and Susan might have been "friends-to-lovers"
*The historical premise
*Rhody

What I did NOT like
*Lucien's "God's Teeth!" exclamations 🙄
*Susan. I knoowwww she's like 14-15! I get it! But, she really, really, really annoyed me 😂 Especially during the last few chapters of the book. You can probably make a good case for her being a pain because of her upbringing, her mother, her age, ect. But, that still won't help me feeling really really annoyed at her.
* That Kenneth FREAKING DIED and they instead had Susan get "insta-in-love" with a 22 year old flirt. And their flirty banterrrr ughhhhh. Maybe its because I haven't read romance in a LONG time... but I honestly was physically cringing the whole time they spoke to each other, or of each other. It felt not only rushed, but immature and it felt like filler. At least for me. Again, you can probably make the case that Susan is young and immature, but, for me, I don't have the time or energy to read about annoying teens. I'm trying to put that part of my own life behind me as it is 🤣
*Susan's mother, of course. But this wasn't one of those "It annoyed me so much it took away from the book". It was more like "this character really annoys me but it adds to the book in an interesting way, so its fine!"
* That Susan's parent's legit cheated on each other. Again, it's part of the story, I get it, I'm not really mad at that per se, I was just really not in the mood to read stuff in that vein I guess, because it bothered me more than usual. 😂
*That Lucien literally hates "The South" because he equates it with certain (people being) "evil and corrupt".... while he has a mistress..........? I don't get it lol
*Again, its sort of splitting hairs but, it annoyed me that the prostitutes and Lucien's mistress were almost portrayed as "misunderstood" "JUST BECAUSE" they were prostitutes. But I mean... they're prostitutes... I see this a lot in movies these days, where the "good guys" are the people living bad lives, while the "normal" good guys are portrayed as worse. I don't know.
*Not a huge issue, because fiction is fiction, but the portrayal of the Civil War was historically inaccurate.
*Lucien. He's an asshole. He's bossy, and not in a cool way. I was just done with him at the end of the book.
*Another minor issue, but I wanted to include it because I'm a book snob 😂 ALL THE CHARACTERS KEEP REPEATING EACH OTHERS NAMES WHEN THEY ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHERRRRR.

EXAMPLE:
"Give yourself time, Susan. You'll make peace with yourself inside."
"I don't have time." I looked at him from beneath lowered lids.
"What do you mean, Susan?"
"I've found a way to make peace with myself. I know what I want to do. But I need help. And I only have a couple of days to do it."
He scowled, "Susan, I don't like the way this sounds. Tell me what you're thinking, please."
"Oh, (spoiler)" I turned to him. "How much do you really like me?"
He blushed. "I tried to tell you that before, Susan (...)"

GAHHHHHH JUST STAHP 🤣🤣🤣


I think that's the whole list. I know, I know, I'm a snob and I probably couldn't ever write half as good as the author of this book, BUT... this is just my opinion so... here we are. 😂☺

[Chili Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Chilmark, a true Southern Belle, lives in Richmond during the start of the Civil War. Her father is gone, off fighting for the Cause; her brother, Lucien, is long estranged from the family; and Susan is alone at home with her unstable mother, whose volatile manner is the topic of much gossip among the ladies of the town. Pricked with a desire to do something significant to help the South’s war effort, Susan convinces her mother to let her collect silk dresses from the ladies of Richmond, which will be made into a hot-air balloon to help the Confederate army spy on the Northerners. While Susan works at collecting the dresses, she unexpectedly encounters Lucien on the streets of Richmond. Now co-owner of a gambling house, Lucien is well-off, but has unintentionally cultivated an unsavory reputation among the society of the city. While at first Susan is merely curious about the life Lucien leads, dramatic events push these two siblings together into an unconventional family unit of their own. Susan’s life begins to come apart at the seams as she struggles to accept new, harsh truths about the father she had always loved, the brother she never truly knew, and the war effort she once found so noble and worthy. Ann Rinaldi explores common young adult themes of love, loss, and family in this captivating fictional account of a tumultuous time of American history.
This book is highly recommended.

[Dorian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Ann Rinaldi book I read in middle school and is probably part of what got me into studying Civil War history when I went on to college! I can't fully remember the plot except I believe the father was away at war (serving in the Confederate Army as the family was either in Georgia or one of the Carolinas). The lead character's mother seemed to have a bit of a mental imbalance that she took out on her daughter after their son had been run off and was now a pseudo Rhett Butler around town. Basically the story centers around the lead character constantly trying to exercise her independence by dressing up in her brother's clothes and sneaking out around town before finally opting to get involved in the war effort by donating one of her ball gowns to be used for fabric for a hot air balloon (or it could have been a flag - I can't quite remember at this point).

But in contrast to the Sunfire Romances, this was less about love triangles and more about coming of age during a turbulent time. Ann Rinaldi always took turning point moments in history (Revolutionary War, Civil War, Salem Witch Trials, etc) and focused on one plucky girl who had the confidence to defy convention or a the very least shed her naive outlook on life to see that in the real world things aren't so black and white.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why I was so taken with this book. Normally I don't like Civil War stories much (except Gone With the Wind). This story contained some war, not much, but more what the Civil War did to the people who had to deal with it. And it was written from a 14 year-old's point of view.

Susan Dobson Chilmark is 14 years old when the War begins. She thinks that everything is black and white, having an adoring father and a slightly crazy mother. But nothing is black and white. Indiscretions that happened in her family long-ago had long-reaching tentacles and it tears her family, and her world, apart even more than the War does. Her brother Lucien, who was disowned from the family, is a source of embarrassment to Susan's mother because he is a blockade runner and not in the Army fighting for the south. But as her relationship with her mother deteriorates, Susan discovers that Lucien is not what he seems. THE LAST SILK DRESS refers to a project Susan begins to collect silk dresses from all of the ladies in Richmond and have them made into a silk balloon to use to spy on the Yankees. But Susan learns that things go much deeper than that. It is definitely a coming of age book as Susan's eyes are opened to the horror of war and what the consequences are for indiscretions.

I will now be looking to see if there is a sequel.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out really well in my opinion. The backdrop of the Civil War in the South really just doesn't get old to me since Gone with the Wind. The family was interesting enough even though the heroine seemed young and silly. That's how authors wrote young girls back then. The family had enough secrets to keep me interested along the way.

And I really didn't mind the girl. She was okay if not a little whimpish for putting up with that psycho mother of hers. And of course the story line with her brother I found highly entertaining. He was an excellent character and not at all a cardboard cutout like that mother. The dynamic between he and Susan was great.

And then the whole thing derailed. I mean she pissed me off. PISSED ME OFF. What a freaking moron to go try and steal that balloon. I was hoping that she would get shot. She deserved it. What a traitor too. I hope that's not the way Rinaldi is wanting to teach a lesson to adolescents. Just because you chose the wrong side to be a loyal to doesn't mean you turn around and betray them like that. A responsible adult would step away from the situation and admit they were wrong, not make some impassioned endeavor to attempt to right that wrong.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read these books more than once since purchasing them for our daughters in the 1990's. They are complex enough for adults and do not contain swearing or sex although there is romance. This one is probably my favorite.

[Deina · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Last Silk Dress" is about a fourteen year old girl named Susan Chilmark. She lives in Confederate Richmond, Virginia. Susan lives with her mother, Charlotte, who she believes does not love her because she's constantly beaten by her. Susan feels that she'll never live up to her deceased sister,Isabel , who was her mother's favorite child.

Susan finds her long lost brother, Lucien, who was shunned by many people in Richmond for being against the Confederacy. Susan sneaks off a few times to see him, and learns the true reasons behind the war, and what everything really means.

When the war first starts, Susan is persistent about doing something to help "the Cause." She decides to help her neighbor, Ms. Wigfalls, in making a hot-air balloon, to use to spy on the Union, in retaliation, of the Union's spying on the Confederacy.

This book was great. Since I'm currently learning about the Civil War, I learned some new things about the war, and recognized things I had already learned. If you want to find out if hot-air balloon plan works, and how Susan's relationship with her brother unfolds, read The Last Silk Dress. It won't disappoint.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Silk Dress

Susan Chilmark is 14 and living in Richmond at the time of the Civil War. She's a strong supporter of the South but her brother is the town gossip as he refuses to join the Southern army. Her mother is certifiably crazy and really nasty to her (in today's world Susan would be removed from the home in a moment once the authorities found out.)

She wants to do something for the Cause, so she ends up spearheading an effort to gather up silk dresses and ship them off so they can be made into an observation balloon.

It turns out to be more complex than that, though, as she meets an artist who is a Yankee, deals with gambling hall ladies (to get their silk dresses), and begins to question what is going on, both in her personal life and in the events around her.

The author, as usual, does a really good job in giving the reader a view of the complexities of what was going on at the time. Her characters are interesting and realistic, and the reader can see how the events going on have an immediate effect upon those living there. This is definitely another very-worth reading book in her long historical series of books.

[Isabelle Bauer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good book, frustrating character

The Last Silk Dress by Ann Rinaldi is a fictional novel set in Richmond, Virginia during the Civil War. Susan Dobson Chilmark, the main character, is fourteen years old and wants to help the Confederacy to eliminate the negative stigma her family was branded when her brother became an abolitionist. She decides that she will help by collecting silk dresses from the women of Richmond.
I would not recommend this book because during the story, I was often times frustrated with Susan because of the decisions she made that we (the audience) could clearly see what would happen in response. For example, pretty early on in the book, we learn that her relationship with her mother is not the best and certain things make her angry. Susan, despite knowing this, makes decisions that her mother frowns upon, to purposely make her mad. The Last Silk Dress was a good book, but I personally didn’t enjoy it because of the main character.

[Arij Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, The Last Silk Dress, takes place in Richmond, Virginia at the time of the Civil War. The main characters of the book include: Susan Dobson Chilmark, an outspoken and tough little girl and Lucien Dobson Chilmark, the older brother who helps her along the way. Other characters include Susan and Lucien's parents, Susan's best friend Connie, other Confederate ladies, Susan's love interest, and soldiers. The book starts from the year 1861, but is not clear to the year when it ends. The historical significance is the Civil War. It shows mostly the Confederate side, but also talks about the Yankees. Susan is a teenage girl living at the time of the war, and it takes you through her story and adventures. We also see how she makes a balloon to help the Confederacy spy on the Yankees and that ends up being a symbol of her growing up.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went through a massive Ann Rinaldi phase beginning in seventh grade and I usually remember best the ones I read early on. I don't know if she tapered off or if I simply outgrew her novels, but I definately prefer the older ones. The novels all have a heroine who is usually based on an actual person and who participates in various degrees in certain formative events in American history. These are definately books for a teenage girl niche as the main character is always a young woman and there is usually a love interest. Really a formative part of my literary development.

I think this was the first Ann Rinaldi book that I ever read and it definately got me hooked on her writing and got me very interested in American history. This one is about the Civil War, set in the South.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe that this book was very eye-opening for me as far as understanding the social customs and ideologies of the people during the Civil War. The North and South were very different, polar opposites, and they were horrible to one another. Susan Chilmark had a hard time with finding a place in the society in which she lived. Her parents and older brother looked through different shaded glasses than each other and as a result were not on speaking terms. Susan struggled with this rift and also with many other startling information that she had learned over time.
I think that this book was most excellently written. Ann Rinaldi has always been one of my favorite historical fiction authors and she never ceases to amaze me!

[Ash Wilkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I didn't think I would enjoy The Last Silk Dress because I'm not a fan of historical books. I saw the many pages and small words so I became bored with it. Although I dreaded reading at first, I began to be interested in reading more of it. I love to visualize when I read and that book was great for visualizing. It was well detailed and specific. It is about a young girl living in the South when the Civil War starts. That is the topic that I'm learning in Social Studies so the book gave me more great information. Overall, I think it was a great book and I recommend it to anyone who likes to read. I rate the book 4/5 stars. That's the rate I gave it because it was a really good book but I just wish it wasn't so long.

[Megan Mweemba · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. I love this book. :D
I read it a few years ago and loved it then, and I still love it now. And yes Timothy Tobias Collier is one of the reasons that I love this book. :D

I could have sworn it ended differently, though. I thought I remembered some part in there with Tim and Susan that never actually happened...guess my imagination is just getting the best of me. :)

but yeah, even though I would have liked this book to go on longer, the ending is still okay. And I still love this!

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Well research history novel. The story takes place during the Civil war - and the main character is a fourteen girl living in Richmond, VA. Being that I'm from Ohio - I never understood the Confederate side of things. In the novel Richmond has just joined the Confederacy and she watches as the changes of war sweep through the South. This book is written beautifully, the characters are wonderfully though out. I would definitely recommend this book - especially to young adults.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Last Silk Dress is yet another one of Ann Rinaldi's books that was very enjoyable. Again it incorporates information from the civil war era but also personalizes it. So if you're a civil war buff and you like fiction books, this is definitely a book for you.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book in elementary school at the suggestion of my dad (an elementary school teacher who is constantly suggesting books to me). It is still one of my favorites. I can't even rememebr how many times I have read it. I just love historical fiction.