This dual timeline book has one setting for the main character Christina Rossetti, a poetess in 1867 England/Italy and the second in 1947 Italy, where textile historian Marianne Baxter is trying to find out more about Christina's life for an exhibit she is curating for an Italian museum. This book has history, romance and intrigue at the center of it. In the beginning of Marianne's timeline, we hear about a murder outside of the museum she is setting up the exhibit at.

Good narration overall. There were British, Italian and American accents allowing the listener to differentiate between characters. The female narrators were clear and easy to understand though some listeners (I'm thinking of older listeners like my grandmother) may have difficulty with the male Italian narrator because the accent was a bit thicker at times.

The book itself started off slowly but picked up more towards the middle of the book. The ending wrapped up loose ends nicely with a huge twist at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the chance to preview this book. All opinions are my own and free from any influence from the receipt of this ARC.

This is a story that reminds us of the power of love, the fragility of life, and the resilience of the human spirit.

The novel has two timelines that take place in Verona in 1867 and 1947, both of which are equally captivating. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the stories of post-war Italy, the resilient people who survived the war, and the heart-wrenching losses they experienced. Christina Rossetti's story is as dark as it is captivating. The textile historian's journey to narrow down Rossetti's timeline in Italy and uncover her secrets kept me on the edge of my seat.

I really enjoyed the detective aspect of the story. The author used many creative methods to uncover the truth. While I was surprised by the betrayal revealed at the end of the novel, the clues were cleverly hidden throughout the story. Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read that combined historical events from the resistance movement with the life of an esteemed Victorian poet.

Thank you, NetGalley for a free and advanced copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook of The Lost Dresses of Italy by M.A. McLaughlin. It was narrated by Hope Newhouse, Melanie Crawley, and Edoardo Camponeschi and they all did a wonderful narration. It’s a historical fiction novel taking place in two-time lines 1864 and post war Italy 1947. It swept me back to the wonderful times of Verona, Italy where there was love and mystery in the air. I loved where the one narrator Edoardo said the words in Italian and then spoke the words in English, what a nice touch. Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the chance to listen to this book.
#NetGalley #TheLostDressesOfItaly

The Lost Dresses of Italy by M. A. McLaughlin
(Narrated by Hope Newhouse; Melanie Crawley; Edoardo Camponeschi)

A beautiful written story connected two periods of time by dresses. I love the story plot and the characters. The narrators play the story in various accents which I found myself needed to pay extra attention.

I would also love to read the book again after listening to this audiobook!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and the author for my copy.

Pub date: Feb 6, 2024

This book was so excellent! I expected a little back and forth through time tale of love lost and found, and I got a mystery plot full of murder.

I loved every character (except one!), and they all leapt off the page. The villain was well written and their motives while feeling a bit out of character were explained so well I don't feel I can even make that complaint. The lead and her parallel in another time feel lifelike throughout, and the men involved are all excellent depictions that feel true to life as well. Even though you know from the start how the historical piece will end, it was heart-wrenchingly well written how we end up there.

Sidenote: It was nice to see Italians depicted as more than mobsters. The way the post-war era of the country is spoken of is multi-layered and empathetic to the plight of the average person living in the fascist regime. The revolution is also handled well. This was one of the best depictions of Italians I've seen lately as a full-fledged ethnic group and not just a stereotype.

I loved this book. This story was delightful and I couldn't stop reading. I highly recommend to anyone who likes historical fiction, mystery, and fictional stories of real people.

I wasn’t expecting to truly love this audiobook as much as I did. It captivated me right from the beginning and the story was beautiful!

This is a fictionalized story of the real trip to Italy taken by the famous poet, Christina Rosetti. The story takes place during two time periods, the 1800's, when Christina was alive, and 1947, in post war Italy when Marianne, a historical garment expert is invited to Italy to restore and put on a display of dresses, believed to have been Christina Rosetti's.

Christina, her mother, and her older brother take a holiday to Italy, where her father was born and had a life before he met her mother. There, they met her father's good friend, and that friend's son. There, Christina fell in love.

Christina's dresses reveal clues to the secret events that happened in Italy.

The two timelines intertwine during the story telling. It's a love story, its a story of intrigue, and history. The story telling was very clever, providing clues that tied bits of information together. There was a very unexpected ending

I listened to the audio version of the book. There were three narrators, which helped to establish the timeframe each chapter was addressing. All the narrators were wonderful.

The audio book “The Lost Dresses of Italy” by M.A. McLaughlin and narrated by Hope Newhouse, Melanie Crawley, and Edoardo Camponeschi is a historical fiction set in two time periods, 1947 and 1864. Textile historian Marianne Baxter is called to post-war Italy to put together an exhibition of recently discovered Victorian dresses that had once belonged to the poet Christina Rossetti. Inside one of the dresses is a postcard that sheds an entirely new light on this famous poet.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but I have to say I felt more interested in what was happening in the 1947 timeline than what was happening in 1864. I might feel differently if I had been reading the book as opposed to listening to it. I certainly learned a lot about Christina Rossetti and about that time period. Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this fascinating book. My opinions are my own.

The Lost Dresses of Italy is worth the time spent reading it. It is a bit austere considering much is presented in a first person narrative, so it feels very formal. That is not a style that I enjoy, but there are some lovely themes: feminism blossoming within a talented poet, the lasting effects of war not often considered, and the beauty and importance of clothing (which is what drew me to this book).

There isn’t as much focus on the clothing as I would have liked. The dresses are used as a platform for a mystery and connection between the main characters in both time periods.

Beautiful intertwined double time period mystery. Mystery, love & loss. Will definitely read more by this author.

I found this story too difficult to follow. I was very confused. I often like dual timelines and dual narrators but struggled to get my head around what was going on. Perhaps I needed to understand this time in history more. Sorry!