The Dressmaker (edição: 2013)

Meh. It was a quick read with an engaging plot but the character development was lacking. ( )

Mixed feelings on this book. Enjoyed how it wove a refreshing fictional story into the historical account of the Titanic sinking and subsequent investigation. Liked learning about a real person involved in that event/time period who I didn't know about before. But somehow I couldn't ever get to a place of totally tracking with the main character in this story and how things were unfolding. I wanted to root for her but there were too many elements in the plot that felt conveniently assembled. Lots of soul searching throughout the story but it didn't grip me like I hoped. ( )

Started out good, but slowed down quickly. Disappointed with this one. ( )

Tess Collins decides that life as a ladies maid is not for her, so she grabs her things and heads to the docks hoping to get a job on the Titanic that will take her to America . She wants to be a dress designer and so when she gets the opportunity to work for Lady Lucy Duff Gordon, ironically as a ladies maid, she believes that fate is in her favor. Duff Gordon is an American dress designer and Tess hopes that once she is in America she can get a job not as a ladies maid but in the dress industry.

But then the sinking of the Titanic occurs and Tess, as well as the other survivors have to adapt to reality and wonder - could more have been saved?

Interesting historical fiction surrounding a few of the fictional survivors of the Titanic ( )

This book made me wonder things about the Titanic that I never thought about before. I was not really fascinated with Titanic history. But I enjoy a good historical fiction. The storyline is intriguing, what happened to the lives of the people who survived the sinking of the Titanic.

In this story, there is a big question about whether more could/should have been done by the survivors. Should they have tried to save more people? Were they at fault for not letting more people onto their boats? Were they just acting in their own defense, making sure they were more likely to survive? Or were they actively keeping people out of their boats, almost (entirely?) guilty of causing people to die?

It's easier to assume you know the right way to act under in the situation but for the people actually involved, should they be able to get back to their normal lives again or should they be concerned bad people at fault for others being pushed away?

I'm talking about the characters in the book. But it was very interesting how many of these characters were real people. I found myself researching people and facts about the Titanic in a way that I haven't before.

I really enjoyed the story. Any story that can make me more interested in an actual historical event or teach me something in the process is a book I've gotten something from. ( )