The Dressmaker

A Novel

By: Kate Alcott

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Length: 11 hrs

Publisher's summary

Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.

Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others - including the gallant Midwestern tycoon - are not so lucky.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

From the Hardcover edition

©2012 Kate Alcott (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“We all know how the Titanic went down, we all saw the movie. But what happened after? This brilliant book shows the aftermath of the tragedy, seen through the eyes of a brave, young girl who was on board, on her way to America, to start a new life as a dressmaker. From the minute Tess sets foot on the doomed ship, this is the kind of novel you simply cannot put down and cannot forget.” (Tatiana de Rosnay, author of Sarah's Key and A Secret Kept)

"This is a fascinating premise for a novel as well as a powerful, page-turning read. It's also a very valuable contribution to our understanding of the events surrounding the sinking of The Titanic, and its aftermath." (Isabel Wolff, author of A Vintage Affair)

"It's Titanic revisited, in a romance focused on the survivors and the scandal, seen from the perspective of an aspiring seamstress whose fortunes intertwine with real characters from the epic tragedy....interesting historical facts...an appealing, soulful freshness to this shrewdly commercial offering" ( Kirkus)

Good Story

This was a good enough story but definitely does not rank in my top choices. Each of the characters were well developed but what wasn't developed was the relationships between each. For example, Tess becomes very loyal to Lady Duff-Gordon. That happens very quickly so I reckon that is a strong character trait of Tess's. There is no story-line to promote that loyalty. In fact, if anything, the story lines would create the opposite. None of the relationships that are developed have any explanation to them. Explanation really isn't the right word, but none other comes to mind that is any better. A good story is good because of how it comes about.

The historical details of the story are interesting. I did not find the narration as distressing as some other reviewers.

Couldn't finish because of the narrator

Would have been an interesting story to finish listening to if not for the narrator. Lack of variability in tone and expression.... just droning on.

Extremely irritating narration

Dialog narration was ok.. but the general prose was so bad that I couldn't last ten minutes into the story. general narration had a very irritating affected repetitive tone. It drove me crazy I wanted to slap her. Will be returning this book unfinished.

Don't download this book!

What would have made The Dressmaker better?

The narrator was awful, and the story was predictable and sophomoric!

Would you ever listen to anything by Kate Alcott again?

Probably not.

Would you be willing to try another one of Susan Duerden’s performances?

Never!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Frustration due to the potential of the concept that was undelivered.

Probably a good story, but couldn't finish it...

I love novels like this and it started out to be a good story, however I just couldn't get past the narrator. I gave it a half-hour hoping she would get better, but sadly that wasn't the case. Not only did she whisper most of what she read, but her tone had an odd, repetitive cadence to it. It was entirely too distracting. I moved onto something else... a waste of a precious credit!

Read the reviews and listen to the sample

What would have made The Dressmaker better?

A different narrator.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I can't say as I haven't been able to listen to enough of the story yet. The narrator is so monotonous as to make it painful to listen to.

What didn’t you like about Susan Duerden’s performance?

Everything. She only seems to have one intonation for the ends of sentences that puts you to sleep.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Dressmaker?

Haven't listened to enough in order to say.

Any additional comments?

Had I listened to the sample and read the review I wouldn't have purchased this book in audio. I would have got a paperback. It is a shame that I didn't listen to it soon enough to be able to return the audio.

Narrator really bad - can't really say about story

What disappointed you about The Dressmaker?

In nine years of listening to audible books - I have only 3 times not finished a book. For the most part if it's a 3 or a 5 star book - I finish it. The other two were because the story was really bad. This time I was unable to make it through 5 minutes of the performance.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The phasing of this reader is awful - it's about 4 to 5 words...and she pitches up the last word, even if it's in what sounds like the middle of a sentence. It is so irrupting to the flow of the story I couldn't following what was going on. If they release at a future time with a different reader I'll try The Dressmaker again.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger - that I wasted a credit on this book! Do you guys refund?

Poor writing/performance

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The narrator played to stereotypes when differentiating the characters, which made me more annoyed than sympathetic with their plight.

What could Kate Alcott have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The story was not good and the title misleading. What I thought would be more about her dressmaking/designing abilities was more a reiteration of journalist (paparazzi) opportunism. Lucille seemed the more unstable version of Miranda from "A Devil Wears Prada." The story was often predictable and the writing unoriginal.

Would you be willing to try another one of Susan Duerden’s performances?

No

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Dressmaker?

The round of applause for Tess after she successfully cut the expensive fabric. Very predictable and incredibly cheesy.