The Dressmaker

by Benita Brown

A heartrending story of a mother's dream for her daughter .Emmeline Dornay's dying wish is for her daughter Melissa to have a home. But when the funeral is over, Melissa discovers that her future looks bleak. Wealthy Lilian Winterton will honour her promise and put a roof over Melissa's head, but only if she can earn her keep.As an unpaid seamstress in the grand Winterton household, Melissa is ignored by the family and mistrusted by their servants. And when scandal occurs and the blame lands unfairly at her feet, she is thrown on to the streets. Left with nothing but her needle and thread, Melissa finds her dreams are in tatters. But can the rags of her life be sewn into riches...?

Genres: Fiction, Historical, Family, Audiobook

Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

aka Clare Benedict

Benita Brown was born and brought up in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England where she now continues living. Her mother, was an English, who was the youngest of thirteen children, and her father, a Indian, who on 1930's came to Newcastle to study medicine and fell in love with the place, the people, and her mother. She went to drama school in London where she met her husband who, also from Newcastle, was working for the BBC. After marrying and having four children she became a full time writer; writing for radio, and then girls' and teenage story papers such as Mandy, Judy, Jackie and Blue Jeans.

When her first romance, written under the pseudonym Clare Benedict, was published in 1991, she joined the Romantic Novelists' Association. After six more romances she changed genre and now writes sagas under her own name, Benita Brown. First novels under this name are set in Victorian/Edwardian Tyneside. One of these, Fortune’s Daughter, was long-listed for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. In her more recent books she has moved forward to the mid-twentieth century and although not all the action is set in Tyneside the area still has a strong influence. She died at 77 on 15 April 2014 in Newcastle's Royal Victoria Hospital.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so very disapointed with this book. In the beginning it had a lot of promise in exploring the world of a fashion and fabric during a period of huge class differene. I expected the story to be more complex and descriptive but it was basically a simple, somewhat predicatable love story. The main character's constant fall's into misfortune became wearisome and overdone and we never found out what she was truly capable of in terms of her fashion and garment construction talent.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was like a really bad case of déjà vu. I swear I have read it before, but I know that I haven’t. The plot is simple but cute and I can’t help but hear Joseph Campbell in the back of my head telling me that we repeat the same 11 stories over and over. I think it is 11. Oh well.

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed this book

[doris oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional read .

I give this book 5 stars because it drew you into the story ,you could feel Melissa's pain she felt and the sadness of her situation. I was hooked from the start ,I recommend this book to anyone who likes the story of a young girl who struggles with what life throws at her .

[mrs jenifer bland · Rating 5 out of 5]

An appealing story set in the late 19th Century

Set in Newcastle amidst the stark contrasts of the wealthy and the impoverished, this compelling story is beautifully written, with such real and likeable characters, I just could not put it down.

[aprilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 OK but not really my thing

[Mrs Margaret Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book

I have loved this book and couldn't lay it down. What difficult life some people have. This book is well worth reading.

[Maeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book more and more each time I read it. It's just lovely 😊

[Jan Parkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I felt as though I was part of this book. I will have to read more of this author. Poor Melissa but a happy ending

[Catherine edmiston · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story

I was hooked as soon as I read the first chapter,this book just kept giving. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melissa Dornay’s mother Emmaline, who was very ill, was a dressmaker, and before she died she had asked one of her wealthy customers, Lillian Winteron, who she thought of as a friend, to look after Melissa if she died and to allow Melissa to keep sewing until she was able to open her own dress shop. Lillian did take Melissa to live with her but as an unpaid seamstress and not as a daughter of the household as her mother had thought would happen.

Melissa became friends with a house maid Reenie and over the years they grew very close and would go out together. During these outings they met an artist James Featherton and he took a liking to Melissa and she to him – she found that she could not tell him about who she was so she left him a note, then did not see him again, she was heartbroken. A few years after Melissa had moved in to the Winterton mansion her and Reenie were caught up in a scandal and because of this Melissa was asked to leave the Winterton residence.

Life was hard but she found a respectable place to live and started mending clothes to make ends meet, but thanks to her horrible Aunt, who was jealous of her, she had to move on. The next place she lived was not so good and while there she lost everything she had worked for but thanks to some good friends things turned out right in the end.

I found I had to finish the book, I did not want to put it down and it was worth it.