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The Clothes That Make You
It's 1967, the world is changing - and so is a quiet misfit named Sally Fiore.
After the sudden death of her father, Sally turns to comfort in the small things – her beloved books, her new interest in sewing, and her slight infatuation with the handsome, young custodian at school who always has a novel in his back pocket.
But her sheltered life is turned upside down in January of ’68 when she makes an unlikely friend in the new girl at school – a feisty civil rights activist named Sam, who dresses like a boy, prefers to date girls, and is defiantly unapologetic about her differences.
As Sally grieves and tries to heal from her loss, she copes with her stoic mother who's struggling to keep their house, a tenacious would-be boyfriend, mean girls at school, and an older brother dead set on enlisting in the army after graduation. With Sam's rebellious influence, Sally blooms against the tumultuous backdrop of a small town trying to cling to its idyllic ways in the face of violence, war, and social unrest, and ends up discovering that tragedy can sometimes knit the spirit's fabric together even stronger than it was before.
After the sudden death of her father, Sally turns to comfort in the small things – her beloved books, her new interest in sewing, and her slight infatuation with the handsome, young custodian at school who always has a novel in his back pocket.
But her sheltered life is turned upside down in January of ’68 when she makes an unlikely friend in the new girl at school – a feisty civil rights activist named Sam, who dresses like a boy, prefers to date girls, and is defiantly unapologetic about her differences.
As Sally grieves and tries to heal from her loss, she copes with her stoic mother who's struggling to keep their house, a tenacious would-be boyfriend, mean girls at school, and an older brother dead set on enlisting in the army after graduation. With Sam's rebellious influence, Sally blooms against the tumultuous backdrop of a small town trying to cling to its idyllic ways in the face of violence, war, and social unrest, and ends up discovering that tragedy can sometimes knit the spirit's fabric together even stronger than it was before.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2019
19 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
L.S. Kilroy
4 books27 followers"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue." - Dorothy Parker
L.S. Kilroy is an irreverent sort of person who likes to write about things. Growing up an asthmatic only child in a neighborhood of geriatrics, she made friends with books at a young age because she had to – luckily, she also really liked them. Early exposure to the classics fueled her own writing. At fifteen, a man in a bookstore asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she replied, “Writer,” without hesitation.
Writer is a title that has driven her both personally and professionally. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Merrimack College and a Master’s degree in Writing, Literature & Publishing from Emerson College. By day, she’s a communications professional; by night, she’s an award-winning indie author.
She lives in a rural community in Massachusetts with her husband, stepson, and three naughty cats. Aside from writing, she loves being creative in the kitchen, belting out show tunes, traveling, throwing epic dinner parties, reading, and scouting out vintage finds at consignment shops.
L.S. Kilroy is an irreverent sort of person who likes to write about things. Growing up an asthmatic only child in a neighborhood of geriatrics, she made friends with books at a young age because she had to – luckily, she also really liked them. Early exposure to the classics fueled her own writing. At fifteen, a man in a bookstore asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she replied, “Writer,” without hesitation.
Writer is a title that has driven her both personally and professionally. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Merrimack College and a Master’s degree in Writing, Literature & Publishing from Emerson College. By day, she’s a communications professional; by night, she’s an award-winning indie author.
She lives in a rural community in Massachusetts with her husband, stepson, and three naughty cats. Aside from writing, she loves being creative in the kitchen, belting out show tunes, traveling, throwing epic dinner parties, reading, and scouting out vintage finds at consignment shops.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 24, 2018
The Clothes That Make You by L.S. Kilroy is the story of Sally, a young lady in the late 1960's navigating through high school in a rural Massachusetts suburb outside of Boston. The turbulent time in history is compounded by the unexpected loss of her father, throwing a once comfortable little family into financial difficulty and creating conflict where it hadn't reared its head before. At school Sally is bullied, but for her this is just a part of her normal routine. Change blows in from multiple directions, bringing with it an unconventional friend and a constructive outlet of expression - sewing - which aids Sally as she learns to adapt and navigate the time to come.
The Clothes That Make You reads in almost lyrical format, reminiscent of great classical fiction. Kilroy has a gift for prose and shares it in this latest release. The book raises some poignant issues that are timely even today, particularly Sally's friend Sam, in a storyline that frequently parallels between now and then, often with devastating consequences (including a scene outside of a dance that had me on the verge of tears). This is a beautiful, timeless story written by a skilled hand. It seems like every time Sally comes close to clearing a hurdle, the bar is raised to an impossible new height...but we keep cheering her on, a fully developed character that feels so tangible you might touch her. This development transcends into descriptions of Sally's creations, in a narrative that has all the qualities of a book better defined as literary fiction over standard YA or New Adult.
Review written for Readers' Favorite.
The Clothes That Make You reads in almost lyrical format, reminiscent of great classical fiction. Kilroy has a gift for prose and shares it in this latest release. The book raises some poignant issues that are timely even today, particularly Sally's friend Sam, in a storyline that frequently parallels between now and then, often with devastating consequences (including a scene outside of a dance that had me on the verge of tears). This is a beautiful, timeless story written by a skilled hand. It seems like every time Sally comes close to clearing a hurdle, the bar is raised to an impossible new height...but we keep cheering her on, a fully developed character that feels so tangible you might touch her. This development transcends into descriptions of Sally's creations, in a narrative that has all the qualities of a book better defined as literary fiction over standard YA or New Adult.
Review written for Readers' Favorite.
June 20, 2017
Loved the characters and story. I was interested from the start. Excellent book for a Book Club discussion! Our group had a lively chat about the relevant topics presented.
September 18, 2017
To read about history, or a story that takes place in the past, reminds us that we are more connected to that past, and that we have more in common with these characters than we realize. That “history does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme,” is widely mis/attributed to Twain, but whatever the source, it can be instructive.
When we are suffering or confused, it’s natural to retreat within ourselves, whether it’s not wanting to impose, or appear weak, or add to another’s burden. However, if we discover how the people around us can help, we may position ourselves to help others with their painful circumstances. Sally Fiore, the main character in L.S. Kilroy’s latest novel, The Clothes That Make You, finds this out, as most of us do, the hard way. At least we’re not alone.
Sally is a high-schooler growing up in the late 1960’s in a Boston suburb, and while the school year starts out like any other, a sudden loss, and the ways that Sally’s family adapts to it, bring new people into her life. She has to quickly weave these new people into her experience, including new friends and tormentors, but they enable her find new ways to express herself and to cope.
This is why a coming-of-age tale, a bildungsroman, like The Clothes that Make You, is so important. We find wisdom when we consider those who came before us who grieved, and who witnessed oppression and marginalization, but nevertheless took the risk to make their voices heard, and had to cope with the world turning upside down around them.
Kilroy’s voice is rich with compelling descriptions of Sally’s world, and she deftly deploys clothes as their own metaphoric language (we all participate in this, whether we realize it or not). More than mere self-expression, the author shows us that clothes can underlie social stratification, gender roles, and our tendency to define another person by what they’re wearing. This is most striking when Sally sees Arthur outside of school for the first time, but it reminds us that this still happens now.
The depth of the characters is multiplied as their relationship to clothes is sometimes a clearer expression of their inner selves than their words and deeds. What do we make of Sally’s mother Lorraine taking a job at a laundry? What is Sam trying to say with her choices, on a nearly constant basis? Most of all, how is Sally to make sense of all this? Contemplating these questions makes The Clothes That Make You a delight to read, a tugger of a few strings (Danny’s insights got to me), and a chance to patch what Sally learns into our own time’s struggles and questions.
When we are suffering or confused, it’s natural to retreat within ourselves, whether it’s not wanting to impose, or appear weak, or add to another’s burden. However, if we discover how the people around us can help, we may position ourselves to help others with their painful circumstances. Sally Fiore, the main character in L.S. Kilroy’s latest novel, The Clothes That Make You, finds this out, as most of us do, the hard way. At least we’re not alone.
Sally is a high-schooler growing up in the late 1960’s in a Boston suburb, and while the school year starts out like any other, a sudden loss, and the ways that Sally’s family adapts to it, bring new people into her life. She has to quickly weave these new people into her experience, including new friends and tormentors, but they enable her find new ways to express herself and to cope.
This is why a coming-of-age tale, a bildungsroman, like The Clothes that Make You, is so important. We find wisdom when we consider those who came before us who grieved, and who witnessed oppression and marginalization, but nevertheless took the risk to make their voices heard, and had to cope with the world turning upside down around them.
Kilroy’s voice is rich with compelling descriptions of Sally’s world, and she deftly deploys clothes as their own metaphoric language (we all participate in this, whether we realize it or not). More than mere self-expression, the author shows us that clothes can underlie social stratification, gender roles, and our tendency to define another person by what they’re wearing. This is most striking when Sally sees Arthur outside of school for the first time, but it reminds us that this still happens now.
The depth of the characters is multiplied as their relationship to clothes is sometimes a clearer expression of their inner selves than their words and deeds. What do we make of Sally’s mother Lorraine taking a job at a laundry? What is Sam trying to say with her choices, on a nearly constant basis? Most of all, how is Sally to make sense of all this? Contemplating these questions makes The Clothes That Make You a delight to read, a tugger of a few strings (Danny’s insights got to me), and a chance to patch what Sally learns into our own time’s struggles and questions.
April 29, 2017
This book was wonderful from beginning to end. Great characters, story line was perfect for this day and age even though it is not set now. I have read both this authors books and am looking for to her writing many more books.
September 29, 2018
A well-crafted and insightful coming of age story set in the whirlwind of the socially and politically tumultuous 1960s. The author creates complex and authentic characters, and she captures the spirit of the times as the context for their evolution.
The leitmotif of clothing as the vehicle for expressing one's identity is expertly woven throughout the tale (see what I did there?).
This novel is a good choice as well in the Teen and YA (Young Adult) categories for perceptive and discerning students. As a former English teacher, I would certainly recommend The Clothes That Make You for an elective or summer reading list.
Spoiler Alert: The Scene of Lorraine and Sally dancing together with Domenic's shirt between them brought me to tears.
The leitmotif of clothing as the vehicle for expressing one's identity is expertly woven throughout the tale (see what I did there?).
This novel is a good choice as well in the Teen and YA (Young Adult) categories for perceptive and discerning students. As a former English teacher, I would certainly recommend The Clothes That Make You for an elective or summer reading list.
Spoiler Alert: The Scene of Lorraine and Sally dancing together with Domenic's shirt between them brought me to tears.
May 4, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author writes a second book about sally and her family. Would love to know what happens next.
April 12, 2017
Through a complex set of beautiful characters, language, and storyline, L.S. Kilroy managed to nostalgically incorporate emotions and life lessons, transposing very well into words the bygone times of 60’s.
What I mostly appreciate reading “The Clothes That Make You,” it’s the fascinating dose of realism which frames the plot. Due to this, the characters (especially Sally and Sam) and the subtle life lessons which are coming out from a well-done mix of past and present, have the power to make any young and, at the same time, adult reader to find itself into the story immediately.
I enjoyed reading L.S.Kilroy’s book and her perspective of transporting her readers in time! And, as she made me, a reader who belongs to the Y generation, to feel involved in the story down to the last page, I warmly recommend “The Clothes That Make You,” to everybody who is craving to read a captivating book!
What I mostly appreciate reading “The Clothes That Make You,” it’s the fascinating dose of realism which frames the plot. Due to this, the characters (especially Sally and Sam) and the subtle life lessons which are coming out from a well-done mix of past and present, have the power to make any young and, at the same time, adult reader to find itself into the story immediately.
I enjoyed reading L.S.Kilroy’s book and her perspective of transporting her readers in time! And, as she made me, a reader who belongs to the Y generation, to feel involved in the story down to the last page, I warmly recommend “The Clothes That Make You,” to everybody who is craving to read a captivating book!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews