MS Cooper honestly you rock, what an amazing story, you had me glued to this book as I travelled back in time to 1853 and 1918, Sydney and around the Hawkesbury region, the settings are so beautiful and I truly felt I was back in these eras, as we meet some wonderful characters with personalities that shine, this is a story not to be missed.

We meet Fleur Richards in a London Tea Shop, it is 1918 and the war has just ended, Fleur is working hard and waiting for her Australian husband Hugh Richards to come back safely so as they can start their lives in Australia only Hugh is killed in action and Fleur has inherited land and wealth like she has never known. Fleur is not convinced that Hugh is dead and travels to Sydney to find information and someone that deserves the inheritance more than her, but what she finds is a mystery in an old boarded up shop.

Della Atterton lives in 1853, she is heartbroken at the loss of her dear parents, her aunt Cordelia packs her off to the family farm in the beautiful Hawkesbury region, and Cordelia takes over the shop in Sydney, Della continues on with her father’s taxidermy profession, in the country and she is very close to the Aboriginal people, but worries over what is happening to them. When a stranger arrives Captain Stefan Von Richter looking for a precious opal, some happenings make Della to return to the shop in Sydney and her Aunt and here she discovers unexpected and odd happenings.

Fleur does a lot of investigating to uncover what she has found hidden in the old Curio shop, this unravels a bizarre past from her husband’s family of cover ups and an opal that is causing a lot of bad luck. I loved this story so much, it is beautifully written, the characters in both eras are so real, and it felt like I was walking beside Della and then later Fleur, this is a must read for anyone who loves a bit of mystery, some taxidermy and to discover how the colour green was kept so green, I learnt a lot of interesting things in this book thank you MS Cooper, awesome story.

In 1835, Della Atherton lives in Mogo Creek which is a rural area in NSW. She is a taxidermist selling her wares to her family shop in Sydney, currently run by her aunt Cordelia.

Fast forward to 1919 and we are introduced to Fleur Richards in London who is a young war widow, told that her husband has left her a sizeable inheritance, including a property in Mogo Creek and a taxidermy shop in Sydney.

And so we flip back and forth between these timelines, slowly learning how these women and places are connected. There are themes of settlement & land rights, but also family and love.

I found this a very easy read and an enjoyable historical fiction - particularly because of the setting - reading about early days of Australian settlement always interests me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins, for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I also downloaded the audio and recommend the narration :)

An Australian historical fiction set mostly 1853 in Sydney and the Hawkesbury River area. Della lives at Mogo Creek, Hawkesbury, NSW and works as a taxidermist with the help of Charity who is a servant. When the specimens are ready, Della sends them to her Aunt Cordelia to sell in the family taxidermy shop called Curio Shop of Wonders in Hunter Street, Sydney.
The novel starts in London in 1918 at the end of the First World War. Fleur’s life is in turmoil as she embarks on a ship bound for Australia to sort out an inheritance.
Fleur arrives in Sydney early in 1919 and discovers she is the owner an old building that was once the Curio Shop of Wonders. In the old building Fleur uncovers ledgers, documents, maps, manuscripts and other items. As she sorts through the contents in the cellar, she gradually discovers connections to her husband’s family who lived in Australia in the 1850’s.
I liked the way the novel switches between the 1850’s and 1919 and gradually unravels and reveals the history of the Curio Shop of Wonders in Hunter Street, Sydney and the secrets hidden in its walls.
I loved it.

Tea has written an exciting and informative dual-timeline Australian story featuring two strong women caught up in uncertain and threatening times. Rich in atmosphere with vivid descriptions of time, place and cultural identity, this story has the page-turning qualities we’ve come to enjoy from this talented writer. With tension, drama and mystery, The Woman in the Green Dress is a perfect shelf-companion to The Naturalist’s Daughter.

So what is this book about?

The book follows three storylines two set in 1853 (Stefan von Richter and Della Atterton) and one set in 1918 (Fleur Richards). Stefan von Richter has been sent to Australia to prepare a Baron’s journals for publication and is eager to learn as much about this strange land as he can. Della Atterton has spent her entire life in Australia and has a tremendous respect for the Indigenous people who she tries to live in harmony with and is perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet. Fleur Richards travels to Australia in search of her husband, hoping he can be found in the land he loved. An intriguing tale of curses, death and love wrapped up in Australian history.

What I liked . . .

Historical fiction set in towns I know and love. (I sometimes forget how old Sydney is and how little the streets have changed.)
The intertwining story lines. (It took me four chapters to figure out what was happening but I can’t imagine the story being told any other way.)
Not regretting the time I spent reading this book. (I have read way to many of those this year and was happy to find a book I loved.)


What I didn’t like . . .

Honestly if I had to pick something, the three scenes of romance in the book or the fact that I didn’t enjoy it as much as The Book Thief. But honestly it was one of the best books I had read in forever and if you like historical fiction go read it.




This book was a most wonderful read. If you love historical fiction go read it. If you love Australian fiction go read it. I loved the way it reminded me that you can’t always know what is hiding behind a person, that life is full of surprises and that everyone has choices they need to make (and sometimes travelling is the best way to solve your problems). As soon as my ban on fiction books ends, I’m tracking down whatever else Tea Cooper has written. And I do want a hardcopy of this, so I’m adding it to my ‘want to buy’ list. So why are you still reading this post? Go and find a copy for yourself.

Tea Cooper has managed once again to write a tale that draws you in and takes you back to a different time in Australia. The detail in her writing had me walking the streets with these characters and living out in the countryside with the native people and animals. I did find the book started a bit slower than expected, but then I was hooked and couldn't wait to see where this dual timeline took us and how the timelines joined together. Fleur took a long while to grow on me and I much preferred Della from the older timeline as a main heroine. I enjoyed unravelling the mystery that Della and then Hugh left behind.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin & MIRA for a copy in return for an honest review.

Skillfully running two story lines of different times in history and across the ends of the earth, is a big ask. But Tea Cooper delivers in this intriguing read. I was reeled in and couldn't put the kindle down. Luckily I was on holiday and could binge read.
Historical fiction is my drug of choice at the moment and strong female characters too. Della and Fleaur are from different generations and different upbringings but are bound together by Hugh Richards.
For me, the twists and turns, made my imagination run wild in trying to find this link. And Tea kept me guessing until the end when all unravelled and we finally know where the green dress fits in.......in a gruesome way.

‘The sky is higher in Australia.’

There are two timelines, with two different stories in this enthralling work of historical fiction. The earlier is in 1853, in the Hawkesbury region of New South Wales. Here, at Mogo Creek, Della Atterton works as a taxidermist, while her aunt Cordelia sells her work from the taxidermy shop that had belonged to Della’s father. Della has no desire to return to Sydney, but the arrival of Captain Stefan von Richter (on a quest of his own) raises some serious questions about the Sydney store.

In 1918 in London, just after Armistice Day, Fleur Richards learns that she has been widowed. Her Australian husband, Hugh Richards, has left her wealthy. Fleur cannot believe that Hugh is dead and wants nothing to do with his estate. But she is persuaded to travel to Australia to sort out Hugh’s affairs.

In 1919, Fleur finds herself at the Berkeley Hotel in Sydney. She and Hugh were not married for long before his death, and she is keen to learn as much about him as she can. Fleur finds that amongst the property she has apparently inherited is land at a place called Mogo Creek and an old curio shop in Hunter Street, Sydney. Fleur had walked past the shop and had noticed that it was boarded up.

Fleur’s quest for information takes her to the Hawkesbury where she finds more questions than answers. She also explores the curio shop premises, with the assistance of Kip, a young returned soldier who works for the Sydney lawyers handling Hugh’s estate. Who was Hugh? What is the mystery behind the curio shop, and where does Stefan von Richter and his quest fit into the story? As the story unfolds, new questions arise.
Fleur’s inheritance is not straightforward, but she has the strength to deal with it. And the green dress? That’s part of the mystery that Fleur will solve in a very satisfying way.

This is the second of Ms Cooper’s novels I have read and loved: count me as a fan. In an historical note at the end of the novel Ms Cooper writes that ‘The Woman in the Green Dress is a work of fiction, however in some cases fact has fed fiction.’ Fascinating.

Highly recommended to lovers of historical fiction set in Australia.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HQ Fiction for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

My Thoughts

Tea Cooper has delivered once again! Just like in, ‘The Naturalist’s Daughter’ (HERE), where she presented strong female historical figures, Tea’s latest tale not only provides a truly engaging story but also two fabulously strong women. I thoroughly enjoyed both dual time narratives (an admirable accomplishment in itself) and couldn’t wait to see how Tea would provide the crucial and very cleverly linked storylines as she often does.

‘The Woman in the Green Dress’, is full of good locations, well rounded characters and an engaging plot. I just love these strong female leads and both Fleur and Della once more exemplify the feminine intuitive that runs across all Tea’s books. Venturing from Sydney to the Hawkesbury, there are many aspects to this tale that make it unique: taxidermy, opals, villains, bequests, courage and love.

Both Della in 1853 and Fleur in 1919 have much to offer the reader with their courage and tenacity. Fleur’s story is courageous as she travels from England to uncover the truth behind her husband’s legacy; likewise Della, pursues the truth - admirable for both women in an age where they were viewed as secondary citizens. There are several interesting aspects here - taxidermy, plight of the first Australians, the opal industry and much more. The way Tea interweaves fact and fiction is highly commendable - rich in intriguing historical facts.

This is a clever story that will have you working to organise all the plot puzzle pieces that have been masterfully crafted by Tea. I was captivated by not only the strength and determination of the two women, but also the cast of secondary characters. Congratulations Tea on once again producing a masterfully crafted tale of mystery and intrigue that will see the reader journeying side by side with Della and Fleur as they both respectively work to uncover the truth behind, ‘The Woman in the Green Dress’.




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

What a wonderful book with a marvellous sense of time and place. 'The Woman In The Green Dress' is set in two timelines in Sydney and the Hawkesbury region. The first is set in 1853, where Della works out of the Hawkesbury property as a taxidermist, while her Aunt Cordelia runs her curio shop in Sydney. However, the arrival of an Austrian Captain in the Hawkesbury brings to light some potentially nasty goings on in the Sydney store, so Della returns with the Captain to Sydney to determine the truth. The second timeline is set in 1919 in the aftermath of the Great War. Fleur is a young English war widow, her Australian husband Hugh not coming back from France, and she finds herself heading to Australia to unravel his affairs.
Tea Cooper interweaves these two time lines perfectly, and, just when we thinks we are going to have the answers to some questions more seem to arise. What kind of business is Cordelia really running from Della's shop? Who was Hugh really? And most pressing of all, where is the opal? I found myself unable to put this book down, having to know the answers, which are revealed in a most satisfying way at the end. Recommended for all lovers of Historical and Australian Fiction.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fleur Richards had married Hugh just before he was shipped back off to the war; his promises ringing in her ears of the clear blue sky, and bright sparkling stars in the best country of all – Australia. Fleur was a waitress in London and waiting for Hugh to return from the war that was now over filled her with excitement. She certainly didn’t expect to hear Hugh had died in the last days of the war; neither did she want the inheritance she learned Hugh had left her.

It was 1919 when Fleur arrived in Sydney after the long sea journey. Her arrival at the Berkeley Hotel continued her search to find all she could about Hugh; his properties that were now apparently hers, including land at a place called Mogo Creek, and The Curio Shop of Wonders – which she’d walked past and noted it was abandoned and boarded up…

1853 and Della Atterton lived on the property, Mogo Creek on the edge of the Hawkesbury River, while she tried to deal with her grief at the loss of her parents. Back in Sydney, Cordelia Atterton, her aunt, was caring for the Taxidermy shop which had been her father’s. The sudden appearance at Mogo Creek, of Captain Stefan von Richter and his sidekick, Bert, with a fantastic tale plus news from Sydney, caused her anger to spark. How dare she! Accompanying the Captain and Bert, the three set off for Sydney, unaware of the events that would soon transpire – and the danger that would accompany those events.

The Woman in the Green Dress is another breathtaking historical fiction novel by Aussie author Tea Cooper. Set in and around Sydney, the Hawkesbury River and Wiseman’s Ferry, even the train trip from Sydney to Brooklyn – all so familiar. The Historical Note at the end is fascinating, showing how fact fed fiction, with information about certain characters and places. I loved the two time frames – 1853 and 1919 – and enjoyed the descriptions of the countryside; laughing jackasses/kookaburras; even the different items in the curio shop. All in all, The Woman in the Green Dress is one I highly recommend.

With thanks to HQ Fiction via NetGalley for my uncorrected proof ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.