Another amazing book by Fiona Valpy. Loved the characters and such a powerful story of determination, friendship, pain, trauma.

The Dressmaker's Gift is a wonderful story about women war heroes. Kudos to Fiona Valpy. Historical Fiction fans will love this one.

Sorry I could not finish this book in time. I will get a copy and try to read. Thank you for the opportunity.

The Dressmaker's Gift was a heartbreaking story and beautifully told. This book takes through everything from love, friendship, spies, rebellion, resilience. I recommend it to anyone looking to read more about WWII.

This book didn't stand out as exemplary, but it was an overall a quick, good read. At the end I had chillbumps and teary eyes, so even though there were some parts that were too unbelievable to believe, overall it obviously touched me enough to become emotional. I didn't care for the modern day story of Harriet, but thought the author did a solid job of developing the characters and storyline from the past.
Thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting this book in exchange for an impartial review.

I absolutely adored The Bee Keeper's promise and was so excited to read this one - beleive me it didn't dissapoint!!

Harriet's modern day story is really engaging but it was the historical story of her grandmother and the people close to her that had me gripped - the lengths that these brave people went to to resist their occupiers and the dangers they encountered totally absorbed me. Suspensful, inspirational, heartbreaking and uplifting, the writing is just wonderful with fabulous characters, beautiful evocative descriptions of Paris past and present, a look the tension and fear of ordinary people living and working in War time Paris and the exciting and vibrant fashion trade.

An absolute must read book and one which I will remember for a long time

Mireille, Claire, and Vivienne were seamstresses in Nazi occupied Paris. Their stories will both inspire and distress you. This is a dual time line novel and I must admit I found the modern story of Harriet much less engaging. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the WWII novel.

A great story I always enjoy books involving resistance in the war and this one did not disappoint. I was captivated from the start and didn't want to put it down.

The book starts slowly but then builds up into an entertaining story.
Some of the characters were well developed but there was one that I didn’t like.
An average book

**Thank you Netgalley, Fiona Valpy, and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced reader copy of this book.**

I LOVE historical fiction, especially historical fiction set in Paris during WWII. This book was no different. It is such a moving read and I couldn't put it down. The non-linear timeline was the perfect way to tell this story. We get to become immersed in the life of a seamstress during the 1940's but we also see a more recent timeline from Harriett, the granddaughter of one of the seamstresses.

I enjoyed Claire's story much more than Harriet's because I felt like the plot was more interesting and the scenes were written better. The 1940's are not romanticized and I enjoyed that aspect too.

This is a great read for any lover of historical fiction or of Paris!

An enjoyable read that I will go on to recommend. I found the characters interesting and the plot line engaging. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this book.

From the significance of the charms on the bracelet to the past events that the books returns to during the war it's brilliant.

It's such a harrowing but heart warming story of love, friendship strength and family. Harriet visiting Paris and working where her Grandmother did during the war is such a lovely connection.

I loved following both Claire and her friends, and Harriet and hers. They both have such determination with life and are so alike. Harriet has seen loss too often and I don't think her father knew what to do so didn't do much.

There were occasions in the book that I also linked with Cilkas journey by Heather Morris, as Cilka too was a strong determined person during the war. The Dress makers gift is wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

When Claire found Ernest in La Louvre I could not believe it, but I'm also glad that she found out because she could have carried on not knowing and it would have been even harder to overcome.

I will definitely ready more by this author and recommend this to all I know.

I absolutely adored this book. ... ww2, family secrets, working with the resistance, I discovered this author last year and she has such a magical way of intertwining historical events or create compelling characters and tales.

Beautifully written captivating novel which effortlessly glides between the past history and modern day. I enjoyed sharing the Harriet's journey as she delves into her family's history, discovering the truth about her grandmother during the Second World War in Paris. The novel touches upon some harrowing but incredibly important events of history, and I highly recommend this book to everyone.

This story is about strong, resilient women, who are generations apart.
Grandmothers and granddaughters...it tells a story of how one generation of women endured Nazi rule in France. Claire, Merielle, and Vivi were talented seamstresses who worked for a successful and respectable house of couture. These young women loved their country and were committed to keeping France strong and doing what they could to resist the Nazis.

Harriet is a young woman, living in the current century, trying to find her way after her mother’s suicide and her father’s remarriage. A picture of her grandmother, Claire, as a young woman, with 2 friends, standing in front of the same couture house where Harriet has just secured a position, becomes an inspiration to find out more about her grandmother’s life and her family history.
This generated tons of emotions from me. I loved hearing about Paris during both eras. The author clearly did her homework regarding research. The Dressmaker’s Gift gets 4 stars from me. I will definitely read other works by Fiona Valpy.

This was a beautiful story. While there is a saturation of WWII novels out in the word right now this one stands out. This is not a high octane, fast paced drama. It is the unveiling of the journey taken by several women and how their choices shaped their lives and those around them. It is a book about friendship, sacrifice, courage and love. An emotional read that adds another layer of understanding of the endurance of those who lived in France during WWII.

A bit on a slow side, but the plot was good. It covers WWII in Paris. The title well goes with the story here. Don't expect it going fast. IT burns like a candle. Slow. Good reading during evening nights.

Fiona is my new favourite author at the moment her books are warming and heartfelt and this one does not disappoint

Highly recommend

thanks to netgalley for an advanced reader copy. I enjoyed this flashback story of World War II seamstresses. I will say I've read several that are very similar to this so it wasn't super unique.

A dual timeline story that actually works! So many before have left me confused and unsatisfied. The chapter headings really helped.

"The Dressmakers Gift" sits nicely in my preferred genre of historical fiction but is also set in current day Paris.....a city I long to return too. The historical side is world war 2, across Paris and into the camps of Nazi Germany.
A story of friendship and the support you can gain from this, to overcome the most terrible of atrocities. As a granddaughter explores how her grandmother survived the worst of the worst and how the pain affected the generations to come.

I was drawn into the story of Harriet, an English girl moving to Paris to undertake a fashion industry internship. She carries with her a photo of three girls her age....one of these her grandmother Claire. Her real life mirrors theirs in the beginning .......except the 3 girls became caught up in the horrors of Hitler's grip in France. They faught as true heroines, but the cost was extremely high.

As I explore my own family tree and uncover the lives of my ancestors, I feel huge empathy with Harriet. Her mother was not around to personally pass on Claires amazing story of love, loyalty and strength. But Harriet discovers a lot about her grandmother and herself, during her year in Paris.

Thanks to Netgalley and Fiona Valpy for the opportunity to be entranced by this book.